Tips/Suggestions for profuse sweaters

Wondering if anyone has tips for winter backpacking/mountaineering for those of us who sweat profusely? I'm the kinda guy who sweats at the "thought" of getting off the couch. Any uphill venture with a 20 to 50lb pack even in sub 0 conditions results in saturation.
So here's my tips for the dry back challenged:

1)Wear as little as possible. I start out with only a thin base layer and a softshell pant. No gloves and no head cover.(maybe something light for your ears if very windy)

2)Carry multiple base layers. I always have at least 2 or more for extended outings. If stopping for a rest, layer up a bit but strip back down to continue.

3)When bivying change out to fresh dry layers so you don't freeze.

4)Lastly and most helpful. Keep up on salt intake as this will limit some of the excessive perspiration. There's a reason African natives used to trade gold for salt.

My partners and most people I see will be wearing a fleece or windstopper. Not me. Would love to have nickel for every time I heard "aren't you cold?". Maybe I'm just a freak o'nature but if anyone has other tips on moisture management besides hike naked,I'd love to hear them.

-E

Some things I've learned:

I don't bother with Merino wool for a base layer. Takes too long to dry.

Capilene 2 is my current base layer of choice. Seems to really wick well and dries very quickly.

I wear an ultralight windbreaker directly over the base layer. This prevents me from freezing to death when I stop and reduces the effects of wind chill. I still sweat, but the windbreaker keeps me more comfortable.

A combination of capilene and a windbreaker will keep me comfortable down to the single digits so long as I'm active.

I don't bother with Merino wool for a base layer. Takes too long to dry.

Yes,very true. I do like wool for sitting around camp and sleeping.

-E

Have you tried the "vapor barrier" concept? I experimented with it a bit back in my youthful alpine days. Mark Twight's "Extreme Alpinism" describes it.

Basically, you wear a water proof layer (the "vapor barrier") closest to your skin, then layer your warm layers on top of the barrier. Any moisture given off by your body is trapped under the vapor barrier, keeping your warm clothes dry. Additionally, the high-humidity environment aroudn your skin is supposed to reduce your body's reflex to sweat.

Anyway, that's the theory. I tried it, and I didn't like it, because I felt really slimy all the time. But if you don;t mind being sealed up in a ziplock bag of your own bodily fluids, it might help.

Other than that, I just wear a polypro shirt and keep the tempo high-enough to avoid hypothermia. When I stop, I wait for the sweat to dry, then throw on my down jacket.

Monomaniac wrote:But if you don;t mind being sealed up in a ziplock bag of your own bodily fluids

Reason #42 why I read this site.

But if you don;t mind being sealed up in a ziplock bag of your own bodily fluids

LOL Sorry, sounds too squishy and I'd cook in my own juices.

I also slow the tempo to regulate body heat even if I fall behind a bit.

Try a herbal medicine called "astragalus root." It helps close the pores and limit sweating. It should be available at any decent health food store.

What temperatures are you talking about? I find this to be a very, very different problem at 0C or -40C.

colin tuck wrote:What temperatures are you talking about? I find this to be a very, very different problem at 0C or -40C.

While humping a heavy pack and postholing I'll sweat at any temp.(layering or delayering as needed) At some point depending how I feel/weather conditions I'll just bivy. I do this as fast as possible cuz soon after I stop I get as cold as anybody else.

Wether it's 32F or -25F with wind chill my goal is to stay as dry as possible.

-E

Monomaniac wrote:Additionally, the high-humidity environment aroudn your skin is supposed to reduce your body's reflex to sweat. Anyway, that's the theory.

I believe this 'theory' is actually the opposite of truth. Who comes up with this stuff?

High humidity causes increased sweating, not decreased. You are not evaporating your sweat when the humidity is high, therefore you are not cooling efficiently. Therefore you stay hot, and your body sweats more in a vain effort to cool itself.

Hence the reason bodybuilders and fitness competitors wrap themselves in Saran wrap and do cardio the week before the competition. Causes major dehydration and they get more cut-looking for comp.

Dancers also often warm up in light plastic/rubbery type pants--it gets the legs really warm really fast!

Edited to add: Oh, or you could have some surgical procedures to remove the offending sweat glands.....

Eyes Of Green wrote: I believe this 'theory' is actually the opposite of truth. Who comes up with this stuff? High humidity causes increased sweating, not decreased. You are not evaporating your sweat when the humidity is high, therefore you are not cooling efficiently. Therefore you stay hot, and your body sweats more in a vain effort to cool itself. Hence the reason bodybuilders and fitness competitors wrap themselves in Saran wrap and do cardio the week before the competition. Causes major dehydration and they get more cut-looking for comp. Dancers also often warm up in light plastic/rubbery type pants--it gets the legs really warm really fast! Edited to add: Oh, or you could have some surgical procedures to remove the offending sweat glands.....

The full VBL thing doesn't really work when you're active and your body is trying to cool itself. The "theory" really is only applicable to your body's "passive" moisture loss as opposed to "active" sweating to cool off when temperatures rise. Wearing a VBL when active and overheating is bad. Wearing a VBL when you are sedentary (sleeping, for example) and cold works better (but not a whole lot better than wearing a breathable windbreaker.) The idea of using a VBL when sedentary is to conserve heat by reducing passive moisture loss.