I’ve never seen a better written article about what layering is and how to do it than the one from Camping Blogger. I’m sending every Scout I know to the site to read it. Now you know which items to look for at the camping store sales and how to build up your stock of clothing for the cold weather camping we’re all about to do. Here’s a sample but you have to go over and read the whole thing.
Since the body generates the heat required to keep itself warm, dressing properly for cold weather is all about controlling this heat, so it either does not escape or, if the body is becoming too hot, that some of that heat will escape. Multiple layers of clothing are much more efficient than a single coat, because each layer creates an air pocket that stores some of the body’s heat. A single coat, no matter how big and heavy, only creates one air pocket.