any time that I've given you the impression that you just can't afford to be outdoors let's just say I'm sorry like a few weeks ago when I did a video all about winter layers and if you add up all the layers that I talked about it was well over a thousand dollars and that was just for the clothes that I'm wearing we're not talking about boots or any of the other gear that you might need but you know what you don't have to spend that much money and to prove it I decided I was going to buy all the same layers everything you need to manage sweat properly in cold weather but this time I was going to do it for under two hundred dollars for everything so let's check it out okay so what I want to do is I want to show you these expensive layers that obviously I've chosen for the trips that I want to do but I also want to show you some extremely affordable Alternatives that will work just as well at a fraction of the cost but first we got to talk about what winter layering is and what it's not so winter layering isn't really about staying warm as much as it's about managing sweat if you get wet when it's cold out you are going to be cold and when you're moving uphill you're going to get wet from sweat especially if you're wearing a lot of layers so layering systems are designed to manage that sweat you put on a layer when you aren't moving very much like when you're at camp or on extended brakes and you take off layers when you're exerting yourself but even with just one or two layers it's possible to sweat with high energy activities like snowshoeing backpacking and Hiking so that's when special layering features come in handy and they don't have to be that expensive like the outer shell you can spend 200 to 400 on high-tech Fabrics like Gore-Tex which is probably the most breathable waterproof fabric on the market but two to four hundred dollars is just for one layer and we want to spend less than that for all of our layers and Shell's main purpose is just to keep wind and wet snow out while also allowing sweat to escape Gore-Tex does allow sweat to escape through the fabric but if we're being honest doesn't do that great of a job pit sips are going to get you a whole lot further so instead of this expensive Gore-Tex jacket that still highly relies on pit Zips to evacuate sweat you can just use a rain jacket a decent rain jacket will keep wind and wet snow out just as well as Gore-Tex shell but if you still want to let sweat out I recommend you get a rain jacket with pit Zips that's why I chose the pre-sub jacket from Marmot it's the most expensive thing on my list today at ninety dollars and the only reason I even spent that much money is because I couldn't find a cheaper jacket that also had pit Zips but if you can find a cheaper jacket or you want to modify a cheaper jacket just about any waterproof Fringe jacket can serve well as a winter shell between the shell and the base layer we typically put insulating layers and mid layers an insulating layer's only job is to keep you warm they cannot evacuate sweat so you typically don't wear them when you're moving a lot and sweating and you don't have to either because being active keeps you warm on its own I've got a couple of different insulating layers that I like to use I like this Outdoor Research down puffy or this Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer but both of those are close to 300 each but I found this Amazon essentials puffy jacket for just 35 dollars now it's not down and it's not as warm as my Outdoor Research jacket but it's not a bad jacket especially at this price you'll probably need some more for really cold temperatures but any insulating layers that you already have will probably work just fine now mid layers are a little bit different they still provide some insulation but they also need to have the ability to wig moisture because the mid layer is what you would put on if you're still cold even though you're exerting yourself we will talk more about moisture wicking here in a minute but until then just know that a polyester fleece is what you want my sky goat micro Groove fleece costs 120 on its own but I also found this Amazon essentials fleece mid layer that will work just as well and for only fifteen dollars and that's if you don't already have have a fleece which a lot of people do so if you do you can save even more money now your base layer is probably the most important layer it's the layer that goes next to your skin and it comes in contact with your sweat materials like cotton are just going to hold that sweat against the skin and make you colder and it's going to take forever for it to dry out but polyester will Wick the sweat away from your skin and move it to the surface of the base layer wool does this also as does silk but polyester does it the best and the great thing about polyester is it's cheap I got this full base layer set both top and bottom for 27 compare that to my smart wool polyester wool blend base layers that are 250 dollars for the set and this is an incredible deal the smart wool has a slight Edge on performance and Odor Control but only you can decide if it's worth the extra money okay so moisture looking base layers for 27 moisture wicking fleece for fifteen dollars puffy for 35 dollars and a shell for ninety dollars the only thing we didn't talk about was pants and when you're moving a lot snowshoeing or cross-country skiing your legs are going to produce a lot of heat you can buy something like these 150 soft shell pans from Outdoor Research or what I do sometimes is I just wear my regular hiking pants paired with a really good waterproof Gator I picked up these cheap Gators from Amazon for just 35 dollars a gator is going to keep Snow from getting into your boots and it's also going to keep the bottom of your pants dry from snow if snow is still coming down hard the top of your pants may still get wet a simple solution is to treat your pants with a durable water repellent finish which is easy to do at home with products like Nick Wax so all together without the Nick wax treatment we're right at 197.30 Nick wax dwr treatment and the wash will cost you another 21 dollars still pretty good for a full winter layering system don't forget that most people have a lot of these layers already at home so use what you have and save even more money for even more information on how winter layering is supposed to work check out this video right here like subscribe and do all those other things and as always thanks for watching my sky goat microgrid police my sky goat micro grid micro Grid it's easy for me to say