There are many things we can do to prepare ourselves for a rigorous outing in the backcountry. Chances are you’ve reviewed the map, created an itinerary, dropped more cash than you care to consider on the proper gear, and conditioned your body for the occasion. Perhaps you even force down a nutritious breakfast prior to starting out and stash a bag of Skittles in your hip pocket to tide you over until dinner. Despite your best efforts, it happens like clockwork; halfway through your well prepared itinerary – the dreaded BONK

Excessive loss of body heat in the backcountry is not only uncomfortable, but can quickly lead to dangerous life-threatening conditions. This scenario generally occurs as a result of poor clothing quality, selection and/ or management. The rigors, constraints and dynamic nature of backcountry conditions demands a clothing system that is lightweight yet versatile, packable yet robust – sounds easy right? Don’t fret though, decades of research and real world testing (and mistakes) has brought us the fool-proof concept of layering systems.