Best layering apparel for Alaska 2022
Columbia Sportswear Respool Hoody columbia.com This thin, lightweight, stretchy, sweat-wicking hoody provides UPF 30 sun protection and is constructed of EcoNyl fabric which is made from recycled fishing nets. It has longer-than-normal sleeves with thumbholes, though we don’t always use them. This shirt comes in four colors and sizes from XS to XXL. We often wear this shirt as a base layer with insulating layers over it. As the day warms, the layers come off and on hot days, the only shirt we’re wearing is the Respool Hoody.
Terramar 4.0 Women’s Genesis Heritage Crew and Pant terramarsports.com Both top and bottom are warm, soft and insulating. They are made from fleece and feature Terramar’s Climasense Carbon Thermoregulation Technology, which warms you up when you are cold and cools you down when you get hot. Manufacturers have certainly come light years over the original “long johns” we wore as kids. This set gets their 4.0 rating which is designated to their coldest-weather garments.
Big Agnes Women’s Cora Pullover bigagnes.com Light as a feather, and warm as a glass of brandy, this technical down pullover is one of this year’s favorite garments. And being so light and packable, it fits into the jacket’s front kangaroo pocket, which means you can stow it in your pack and know that you will be warm when you need it. It gets its warmth from water-repellent 850 fill-power DownTek down, and is available in five sizes and two colors.
Simms Womens ExStream Bicomp Fishing Hoody simmsfishing.com This technical, water-shedding, fishing hoody is a great addition to your wading arsenal. It’s warm, due to the PrimaLoft Silver Thermoplume and Cross Core technology insulation within the quilted upper body. The lower part of the pull-on hoody is made with Toray Karuishi stretch-fleece fabric. All told, it’s warm, light, and gives you great range of motion to launch bombs. Combine it with a Simms wading jacket and you are going to be nearly impervious to the weather. Which means you can fish longer. 
Grundéns Sostrale Hoodie grundens.com Stylish and comfortable, this hoody is lightweight and breathable. It’s got a side pocket at the waist, scuba-style hood with ponytail holder, thumbholes and several proprietary technologies. It’s manufactured in three colors and six sizes. 
Stone Glacier Chinook Merino Crew LS and Merino Bottom stoneglacier.com Stone Glacier’s Chinook base-layer pieces are made of 89% merino wool and 11% nylon. This combination increases durability and wicking capabilities, maintains odor resistance, but decreases the possibility of the garments stretching or shrinking. This is a very comfortable base layer. Stone Glacier set out 15 years ago to “build the lightest, most durable gear using only the toughest technical materials available.” We use and endorse several of their products including packs, sleeping bags, technical hunting clothing, as well as the Chinook base layer. 
Carhartt Loose Fit Midweight Logo Sleeve Graphic Sweatshirt carhartt.com This warm, comfortable, cotton-blend sweatshirt has a hood and sports the Carhartt logo on the left sleeve. It comes in many different colors and sizes. Our tester says he likes the handwarmer pocket and loose fit. Carhartt makes Alaska-tough clothing, so you generally won’t go wrong with their products.
Columbia Sportswear Blood and Guts III LS Woven Shirt columbia.com Columbia packs a lot of features into this fishing shirt including UPF 50 sun protection, Omni-Shield Blood ‘n Guts advanced repellency, roll-up sleeves with tab holders, a vented back panel, sunglass-cleaning patch, and a rod holder. It’s made of twill 100% polyester, so it’s cool and dries quickly. It’s available in several colors and standard, big, and tall sizes. This shirt is as functional as it is good looking. 
Patagonia Women’s Nano Puff Vest patagonia.com After years of wearing Patagonia’s Nano Puff Pants, we decided to test their Vest this year and loved it. It’s a great insulating layer that is warm and very light. Keeping your core warm is one of the keys to being comfortable in cold weather. It’s made in five colors and seven sizes. 
Gill Langland Technical Hoody gillfishing.com This technical hoody performs much better than typical, cotton hoodies due to its synthetic fleece fabric and XPEL plant-based fabric coating which makes it resistant to odor, stains from blood and oil, and it also resists water while remaining highly breathable. What’s more, synthetic fleece is much warmer when wet than the cotton hoodies so many companies make, which makes the Langland Technical Hoody a much better choice for Alaskan conditions. 
Forloh Men’s UPF Hooded Long Sleeve Shirt forloh.com Many companies are making silky, stretchy technical shirts these days, and for good reason: they’re comfortable, functional and effective. During the last couple years, hooded versions like the UPF Hooded Long Sleeve Shirt by Forloh have entered the market. The advantages of the hood are to provide a degree of warmth on cool mornings, as well as UPF sun protection all day. Forloh offers a UPF rating of 1000; the highest UPF rating we’ve seen in a performance shirt. This shirt is also treated to eliminate odors and is available in camo patterns as well as solid colors in sizes S through 3XL. This is a fantastic warm-weather shirt that is made in the USA.
