Wonderland Yellowstone Outer wear Questions
Wonderland, Yellowstone in Winter. For those who have taken this trip, I have a long down coat that comes to my ankles. (Daughter says it looks like a sleeping bag swallowed me up.) It provides great warmth but my question is, is it too much coat for this tour? Would a coat that only goes to my thigh (yes, I'd be wearing ski pants) be better suited for this tour's activities? 2. Are ski goggles really needed? 3. Has Anyone used trekking poles on this trip or will Yaktrax be enough? Thank you. Just booked Feb 2024 so need to start prepping now.
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Yaktraxs will be enough. I would go with one longer coat. Ir will be bitter cold. This is a fabulous tour. I enjoyed it more in the winter than I did in summer. No, walking sticks are not necessary. No one on our tour had them. Layers in clothing is the answer. You’ll be taking your coat on and off. I would actually bring a pair of ski googles and a good pair of sun glasses. The ski googles would be if you opt for the snow mobile excursion which is wonderful. My eyes are extremely sensitive so I needed the googles so the light reflected from the sun off the snow didn’t bother my eyes. Maybe your long coat can be shortened to the calves. That would make walking easier.
We live in an are with little or no snow, so didn't have the right winter clothing and we knew we would likely never need this gear again so we saved a lot of money by purchasing our stuff on clearance or from discount sources (hence my bright orange coat
)
You will want a good medium length or long down or synthetic-filled winter coat, ski goggles (you may encounter blowing snow regularly), sunglasses, ankle height+ boots or waterproof hiking boots with good gripping soles, thick, warm (wool) socks- layers, layers, layers. Good gloves and maybe lightweight inserts (with "touch tips") under heavy ski gloves if you will be taking photos. We also wore wool hats when our coat hoods got in the way or were a bit too much for the conditions. As OurTravels34 said, it can get bitter cold, especially if windy. We experienced temps from negative (BELOW ZERO!) single digits to the mid teens, blinding snow, but also beautiful, but still cold, sunny days with incredible blue skies. We wore moisture-wicking, lightweight base layers over slacks. I sometimes wore jeans but they are not the best, so mainly wore sweatpants over the base layer, then ski/snow pants outside. We wore various underlayers on upper body. It was a bit of a chore getting dressed in the morning, but it kept us warm! We did not wear Yaktrax or any type of clamp-ons, just boots with good soles- you will not encounter much ice, mostly just packed snow, but you still need to walk carefully. I didn't see anyone in our group wearing anything like Yaktrax (or use ski poles, except those provided during the short show-shoe trek near old failthful. Oh, and don't forget a swimsuit!
- there is a thermal pool at Chico Hot Springs. Also, if you are interested, book a dogsled trek on your own for the free day in Jackson or for a post stay. The one we booked (Jackson Hole Iditarod Sled Dog Tours) follows the Granite Creek Trail and stops for lunch at Granite Hot Springs where we swam in a CCC-built thermal pool. Actually the dogsled trek and swim were the highlights of our tour. Our friends also booked a snowmobile trek.
It is a fantastic tour. If you have been there in summer, it is TOTALLY different in winter!
Oh boy, more swimming suit models. Great photos.
Alan S: Fantastic pictures. I also had knee high waterproof boots. However, I still felt I could have used electric heated insoles. Cold feet; warm heart. It is a phenomenal tour. The snow looked like glittering diamonds.
I forgot to mention, my hands and feet get cold easily so I used ("Hothands") pocket hand warmer pouches and foot warmer insole inserts (or the "Toe warmer" version) which I used if we were going to be out for a long time.
Great pictures Alan
I'm packing warm hands for my Christmas cruise. Last year Costco had electric socks. Hope they get them back again this year.
I bought electric insoles from Sharper Image. I’ll be using them in January in Finland.
I ski in the Colo Rockies (one state south of WY, but higher elevations) at least 2 days/week. I tend not to get cold easily and wear the following when I ski - a slightly below waist ski jacket, ski pants, turtle neck shirt, underlayer up top (but no long underwear), googles, gloves, ski hat (polyester), ski socks. Mittens will keep your hands warmer than gloves, but limit dexterity. Just in the last year, my fingertips started to get cold when the outside temp is below 15F (guess I'm getting old...) I got these rechargeable, heated gloves and they work very well. The battery life isn't great, but typically I use them on medium in the morning, and as it warms up in the afternoon, switch to low or off.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08KP46YQC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1&psc=1
And when it's below 10F and/or windy, I'll wear a balaclava face mask.
Never been to Yellowstone but I do spend a fair amount of time in the cold around 0 F. Here are the following tips and and suggestions: Warmth over fashion although these are not mutually exclusive. Cotton has no place next to your skin. Sunscreen everyday even when cloudy. If you are bringing goggles also bring polarized sunglasses. A merino neck buff not a scarf. I understand the thought process behind a long jacket, but you will not have much mobility particularly getting in and out of snow cats and it will not work on a snowmobile. In addition most puffy jackets regardless of length will allow the wind through along the stitching between the baffles. You will want both top and bottom weatherproof jacket and pants for the outer most layer. I typically have a down jacket with a hard shell over it that can be taken off if it is not windy or no precipitation, but don't leave it in the hotel room. It will do you no good there if you need it. For the bottoms, I prefer bibs over pants. I will wear a merino base layer, athletic shorts and then my bibs(if it's cold usually they are insulated.). Why athletic shorts? If I am traveling for any period of time in a climate controlled vehicle, the bibs come off and I have a little coverage over the tight base layer. Mittens over gloves, but wear a thin merino glove inside the mittens. That way if you need dexterity, slide the glove off and your hand is still covered.