Compiled by Jay — Former Royal Marines Commando
Updated October 1, 2026
The wrong clothing system can leave you cold when you stop, soaked with sweat while you move, or carrying layers you never needed. My time in the Royal Marines taught me that effective outdoor clothing is not about wearing the most insulation possible. It is about using different layers for different jobs, then changing them as your activity and conditions change.
In cold, wet environments, the principle was straightforward:
- Dress for the activity.
- Use waterproofs when rain demands them.
- Add insulation when movement stops and heat production falls.
The same approach applies whether you are carrying a Bergen (rucksack), walking through woodland or setting up camp. Your next-to-skin layer manages moisture, insulation preserves warmth, and outer protection limits the effects of wind and rain. No single garment reliably does all three jobs, and the best system is one you can adjust before discomfort becomes a problem.
Guidance note: This article combines my service recollections with general outdoor guidance. Adapt your clothing to your skills, activity and conditions. It does not replace appropriate training or preparation.
1. Understand What Each Garment Does
A layering system gives you clothing options that you can adjust throughout the day. You do not need to wear every layer at once.
Think in terms of three functions:
- Next-to-skin clothing: manages moisture and improves comfort.
- Insulation: retains warmth when conditions or activity require it.
- Weather protection: reduces exposure to wind and rain.
Some garments combine functions, but windproof and waterproof are not interchangeable. Check what each item is designed to do.
2. Dress for Movement
During my service, we generally wore a T-shirt or a long-sleeved thermal, depending on the conditions, with a windproof jacket for protection.
We often started slightly cool and warmed up as we moved. We were not trying to feel comfortably wrapped up before beginning a demanding activity.
For a civilian outing:
- Start slightly cool, but properly protected.
- Consider the weather and your pace.
- Account for the load you are carrying.
- Estimate how quickly you will warm up.
Adjust early if you become too warm:
- Open suitable ventilation.
- Remove an unnecessary insulating layer.
- Keep the protection you still need.
Do not follow a fixed clothing formula if it leaves you sweating heavily.
3. Use Waterproofs When You Need Them
We used Gore-Tex waterproofs when it rained. Once the rain stopped, we generally removed them and returned to our windproof jackets.
Avoiding overheating and sweat buildup was an important reason for that routine.
While moving, especially under load, we produced plenty of heat. Excess clothing could make the layers underneath damp with sweat. That became a problem when we stopped:
- Heat production dropped.
- Damp clothing provided less effective insulation.
- Evaporating moisture continued to remove heat.
Sweating is a normal way for the body to cool itself. In cold conditions, the concern is becoming unnecessarily wet and then losing warmth when activity slows or stops.
The aim was to keep rain out without becoming wet from the inside. Gore-Tex allowed moisture vapour to escape, but it did not eliminate the need to manage layers. Breathable waterproof clothing can still become damp from sweat, and vapour can condense inside the clothing.
For your own trips:
- Keep waterproofs on if strong wind, wet vegetation or further showers make them useful.
- Use ventilation if you are becoming too warm.
- Remove waterproofs when conditions allow and a windproof layer provides enough protection.
- Do not remove waterproofs automatically the moment a shower ends.
- Do not keep them on simply because they are already on.
4. Add Warmth When You Stop
We generally added warm layers when we stopped in a secure location where we expected to remain for a while. We did not necessarily put them on for every brief pause.
Buffalo jackets or Buffalo-style thermal smocks were useful during static periods. I also found Snugpak jackets effective.
We generally did not wear the Buffalo while moving. That was unusual, although extreme cold, such as Arctic conditions, could make it necessary.
The key distinction is between working hard and remaining still. Clothing that feels excessive during a loaded walk can become valuable once you stop producing as much heat.
For civilian trips:
- Keep insulation accessible.
- Put it on before you become chilled.
- Use it during exposed pauses as well as longer stops.
- Let the conditions determine the timing.
5. Protect Your Dry Reserve
In the Royal Marines, we kept a distinction between our working kit and our dry reserve.
When we stopped in a secure location where we expected to remain for a period, we could change into dry clothing. When we moved again, we generally put our wet working kit back on. That preserved the dry set for the next static period instead of getting both sets wet.
From recollection, I carried the socks I was wearing and one spare dry pair. If there was an opportunity while stopped, the aim was to dry the wet pair so they could be used again.
We protected spare clothing with a main pack liner and individual waterproof bags inside it. Keeping that reserve dry was an important part of the routine.
For civilian trips, the useful lesson is to protect a dry reserve. The number of spare socks and clothing items you need depends on the trip, conditions and opportunities to dry equipment.
Putting wet clothing back on was part of our military routine, not a rule every outdoor traveller should copy. If wet clothing leaves you unable to stay adequately warm, seek shelter, change into suitable dry clothing and reassess whether to continue.
6. Include Your Hands, Feet and Legs
Layering involves more than jackets.
Include the following in your clothing plan:
- Suitable trousers.
- Head protection.
- Gloves.
- Socks.
- Appropriate spares.
Protect spare items from moisture and check that your layers work together. You should be able to:
- Bend and reach freely.
- Use your hands.
- Carry your pack.
- Move without restriction.
Do not keep adding clothing until everything becomes tight. Tight layers can compress insulating air space, while tight footwear can restrict circulation. Leave enough room for movement and insulation.
7. Choose for the Conditions, Not the Label
Military surplus can provide useful clothing, but suitability depends on:
- The garment.
- Its condition.
- The task.
- The weather.
- How it fits with your other layers.
A windproof smock, waterproof shell and insulated jacket serve different purposes. Choose each item deliberately.
The Buffalo and Snugpak references here reflect equipment I remember using. They do not mean that every jacket from those brands, or every similar, looking surplus garment, performs identically.
Test your clothing together on shorter outings. Check:
- How it feels while moving.
- How easily you can adjust it.
- Whether you can move freely.
- What you need when you stop.
- How well it protects against the expected conditions.
The Lesson I Still Use
Carry clothing that gives you options, then adjust it as the activity and weather change.
During my service, that generally meant:
- Lighter clothing and wind protection while moving.
- Waterproofs during rain.
- Additional insulation when we settled into a static location.
- Preserving dry clothing for those static periods.
For your own trips:
- Keep assessing the situation.
- Avoid overheating.
- Protect your dry reserve.
- Add warmth before you become chilled.
- Practise adjusting your layers before longer outings.
A useful layering system is one you understand and can manage throughout the outing.
Explore clothing and outdoor gear at Muster Point Outfitters.
Sources and Further Reading
The service recollections above reflect my own experience. The following sources informed the wider discussion of layering, moisture management and cold-weather preparation; they do not establish a universal Royal Marines clothing routine.
- Ministry of Defence: JSP 375, Volume 1, Chapter 42 — Cold Injury Prevention, particularly Annex B, Individual’s Guide to Preventing Cold Injury, and Annex C, Risk Factors and Control Measures.
- GORE-TEX: Breathability — That’s When Air Gets Through, Right?
- Met Office: Wind Chill Factor.
- Mountain Equipment: Scottish Winter Layering Guide.
