Which do you prefer for the cold - jacket or vest?

I run with a thermal long sleeve and a vest until ~ -5 celsius (23F), any colder and i find my arms get too cold and i put on a jacket; otherwise - yes I like the venting ability of a vest over a jacket

Thank you! Good to know how the venting works well down to those temps. When it gets colder and you put on a jacket, do you have a layer between your long sleeve and jacket - either keeping the vest on or another long sleeve?

All things equal? Is a sunny cold day equal to a windy, cold and rainy day? Each tool has its purpose

I never need more than three layers. This works for me from the 30s to teens simply changing the half/full-sleeveness and thickness of the wool base layer: a base layer + full sleeve shirt + water-resistant windproof running jacket. The jacket is very thin like a rain protector with no insulation. This will work in the aughts as well but it’s rare enough that I just don’t run when it’s that cold.

I wear a vest/jacket. Some great models out there. Just enough arm protection, but focused on the core.

Oh and the vest is a half layer when I need 1.5 or 2.5 layers and a jacket is too much.

I prefer hooded jackets made from super breathable materials. If I cover my mouth with any of jackets that I use for running or xc skiing, I can easily breathe through them, even though they have shells (like some Pertex fabrics) that take the edge off wind. That's opposed to windproof and waterproof stuff where you can't breathe through them at all. I can comfortably run in one of my synthetic insulated jackets up to as warm as 50F (where I transition to no jacket), so I have no need for vests.

This is the jacket that I wear from 20F to 50F. Could go lower but I have a couple warmer jackets that I use for colder. It's a discontinued model - just linking it to show the design philosophy and materials that allow an insulated jacket to comfortable for running. There are plenty of similar jackets on the market now ("active insulation").

mec.ca

MEC Light Obsession Hoodie - Men's | MEC

@mec

Light Obsession Hoodie: For exacting mountain settings where balance is key to success. The Light Obsession Hoodie is a highly breathable layer you won't need to strip off as your intens

Link:www.mec.ca/en/product/5045-076/light-o...

Jacket my arms are always the coldest part of my body

WTF does a vest do? Your arms get cold way before your belly or back.

Adding some thoughts. . .

Before the newish super breathable jacket, I'd overheat running in anything insulated above about 30F. A jacket by Patagonia (Level 3A) was the first to the market with an active insulation (Polartec Alpha), and I was amazed that I could run/ski into the mid-30s without overheating despite it being constructed with a heavy (but breathable) shell material. Then that MEC Light Obsession blew that out of the water in comfort range, not overheating even when it was 50F.

What breathability really allows is a wide comfort range. With that, the old adage to "dress so you're cold at the start of a run" to be comfortable later when you warm up was thrown out the window for me. Now I can be warm at the start of a run, and not have to take off the jacket later in the run. It's clothing that brings you closer to the ideal of animal fur - my dog is comfortable running from sub-zero F to 70s F without clothing.

Thanks for laying out how you do three (or 1.5 / 2.5) layers. That was very helpful.

Oh, forgot to point out that the wide comfort range of the new breathable jackets also makes "layering" advice obsolete. Layering is about being able to take off or add layers to adjust your comfortable temperature. You don't have to do that with a super breathable jacket, and it's awesome not to have to stop to take off layers, and awesome not to have a pile of sweaty layers to wash when you get home. The only thermos regulation I might do is flip the hood on or off, zip/unzip slightly the main zipper, and maybe take gloves off if things get warm. Things like pit zips, which I always thought were awkward and relatively useless are also obsolete.