The Best Winter Running Gear

Here in Alaska, I easily spend 6 months of the year running in the cold/cool weather. I’ve lived in Alaska for 11 years now, and prior to that I lived in Minnesota, so I’ve never not run in a cold, snowy, icy, windy winter weather conditions.

The coldest I’ve ever run in was a bitter cold, windy morning in Moorhead, Minnesota at -40*F. I sure wish that was a typo, but it is not–that’s negative sign. I think I had three pairs of pants on, and I never warmed up that day. It was crazy, silly, and not necessary, but I hated running inside. I was on the track team and we had an easy run to do that morning at 6:00 a.m., so outside I went. Since then I’ve done a few runs at -30*F as well (all in Minnesota), which I’m pretty sure I just did to prove to myself I could do it. These temps were due to the crazy windchills that the plains of Minnesota can get.

The coldest I’ve run in in Anchorage has been about -15*F. Let it be known, if you live any place north of Anchorage, then you’re probably run in much colder temperatures with Fairbanks easily having temps -20, -30, -40*F during the winter.

I’ve tested a lot of gear over these 20+ years of running during the winter. Some have been flops, but I’ve also found a lot of awesome gear. They say there are no bad weather conditions, only bad gear. (I half believe that.)

Ear Warmer/Hat Neck Warmer

Let’s start at the top.

When it is in the 20s and 30s, I need something covering my ears. I have a variety of ear warmers I’ve collected over the years. Most are fleece, which helps them stay put and wick the moisture from my head. Some are thinner while others are thicker.

I have a Nike ear warmer, one from Asics, but I am currently obsessed with the Skida headbands! The Skida Alpine version are fleece-lined and perfect for temps in the 30s and even into the upper 20s. They stay put, have fun patterns, and are reasonably-priced. I own three different ones and wear them all the time!

They also make a non-fleece lined version called the Nordic, and they are just as great–no slipping, great for sweat-wicking, and fun colors. I personally opt for the Alpine ones because I am usually running in the 20s and 30s, but if you lived some place warmer and don’t need something so warm, the Nordic ones would be perfect.

Once it drops down into the low 20s, I need something warmer for my entire head rather than just my ears. I’m personally not too picky about a hat. I’ve used everything from a cheap fleece $1.00 hat from Wal-Mart to a nice Lululemon hat.

The $1.00 fleece hat from Wal-Mart I bought in college!

I do like this Oiselle Lux Beanie that I purchased recently. It feels very similar to the Lululemon hats I’ve owned and is comfortable, made from really soft material, and sweat-wicking.

My favorite hats in terms of their looks are my ones from Lululemon. If you are familiar with Lululemon’s inventory, you know they rotate through things very quickly, so neither of these hats are still available for purchase. (You might be able to find them on Poshmark or E-Bay.) I love this Lululemon Run and Done Toque because it is nice and thin, not too tight, and the dots are reflective.

This Lululemon hat I purchased a couple years ago is fun  because it has an opening on the top that allows me to put my hair up in a bun rather than wear it down. It is the Top Knot Toque and can be converted from a hat to a neck warmer. I’ve never worn it as a neck warmer, but I love it as a hat. (FYI – The hat was too tight on some people’s heads, but it fit great for me.)

Hats and ear warmers I would recommend:

Skida Alpine Headband (fleece-lined)

Skida Nordic Headband (non-fleece-lined)

Oiselle Lux Earband (There is also a version that has reflective dots all over it–> Oiselle Firecracker Earband.)

Oiselle Lux Beanie

Lululemon Cross Chill Run Beanie

If you want $20 off our Oiselle order, click HERE!

My face can be difficult to keep warm, and I need something for my cheeks when the temperature drops below about 20*F. I’ve found that a neck warmer is the best and the fleece ones are about as good as any. I do have a Buff merino wool one does a little better with moisture-management, but I don’t find myself wearing it as much.

I don’t love breathing through the fleece material while running, but I haven’t found anything else that keeps my face warm. I often have to pull the neck warmer up over my face, and then pull it back down when I get tired of breathing through it or when my face warms up. I repeat this back-and-forth many times throughout my run doing so until I’ve gone crazy. I will also rotate my neck warmer once the front area builds up with moisture and ice–turning it to the back, so that I have a new, clean, dry section of material to breathe through again. It’s complicated, yes, but it works, and it’s the best I’ve found. (You can add this to my running list of: ‘another reason why I dislike running in the winter.’ Ha!)

The only neck warmer I didn’t like was the Lululemon Run It Out Neck Warmer. It worked okay as a neck warmer, but when I would pull it up over my face, the material was so thin that I would suck it into my mouth when breathing in. Sounds odd, but it was really annoying.

Neck warmers I would recommend:

Skida Tour Neck warmer

Buff products

a basic fleece neck warmer like this one

Oiselle Flyte Gaiter

Oiselle Lux Gaiter

If you want $20 off our Oiselle order, click HERE!

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Hands

I think I got the most questions regarding mittens, gloves, and keeping your hands warm.

I feel like I’m pretty “average” in that I will start using a thin glove when the temperature dips below 40*F. I have thicker mittens for temps in the low 30s/upper 20s, and then I’ll move to a warmer mitten when the temps are below 20*F. I have about four different thicknesses of gloves and mittens that I’ve accumulated throughout the years. I have one pair that is convertible and it starts as a mitten and then I can pull the mitten part back to reveal a glove.

I don’t think there’s any magical way to keep your hands the perfect temperature throughout an entire run. My hands will start warm from being indoors, but it’s not uncommon for them to chill a little bit into the run. Once I hit a mile or about 10 minutes, then they will usually warm up, but its also very common that I’ll have to take them off, then put them back on, take them off, put them back on, etc. (One time I paid attention to how often I was doing this on a really cold run and literally every 60 seconds I was either putting them on or taking them back off.) (Still adding to that list of reasons I dislike winter running. 😉 )

I will use the throw-away hand warmers on a long run when it is really cold, which can really help. Unfortunately, all of my gloves and mittens are old, so I don’t have any current products that I have personally used that I can link, but the items I do recommend, I think are reputable products.

Gloves/mittens I would recommend:

Oiselle Super Puff Insulated Mittens (a really warm option!)

Brooks Threshold Glove (converts from a mitten to a glove)

Lululemon Run Fast Gloves (convertible)

Oiselle Power On Gloves

Oiselle Power On Mittens

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Base Layer

A good base layer can make or break the comfort of your run. Raise your hand if you’ve worn cotton on a run? Yep, me too, and it was not enjoyable. Good thing there are now awesome sweat-wicking layers that are comfortable, soft, and much more enjoyable to wear.

Truthfully, I’m not too picky about a base layer. As long as it comes from a reputable running brand (Oiselle, Brooks, New Balance, Lululemon, etc.) and is not 100% cotton, it will probably be a pretty comfortable to wear.

I do love my Oiselle Lux Layer tops. They are thicker than most of my other layers, so they work great under a thin, windproof jacket, and it will still keep me warm. They are also incredibly soft and have thumb holes–you can never go wrong with thumb holes. Oiselle doesn’t make the shirt anymore (The closest is their Lux Funnel Neck.),  but you can still purchase them from Amazon.

Oiselle Flyte Long Sleeve

I also like my Oiselle Flyte Long Sleeve and my Lululemon Swiftly Long Sleeve. Both are similar in that they are a snugger fit (but not tight), have thumb holes, and ample length in the torso and the arms (which isn’t always the case for someone like me who is 5’7″.) The Oiselle Flyte Long Sleeve is a little thicker and the sleeves aren’t as tight. The Lululemon Swiftly Long Sleeve is made from a thinner material (which can be good or bad depending upon the weather conditions), the sleeves are a snugger fit, and the torso length is longer.

Lululemon Swiftly Long Sleeve

The one base layer I need to try is wool! Sadly, I have never worn wool as a base layer. I know wool is really warm, but it does retain more moisture than the synthetic fibers, so I’m looking at getting the Kari Traa Rett, which is a polyester and wool blend, so you would have the warmth of the wool but the moisture-wicking properties of the polyester. (Side note: the Kari Traa is a new we just started carrying at Skinny Raven.) I have also been looking at the Oiselle Wazzie Wool Funnel Neck too, which is a wool and spandex blend. (The black one looks nice enough to wear casually.) And a friend purchased the Track Smith Harrier Long Sleeve, which is 100% merino wool and said she really likes it.

Base layers I would recommend:

Oiselle Lux Layer

Oiselle Flyte Long Sleeve (another link to the same shirt but with free shipping)

Lululemon Swiftly Long Sleeve

New Balance Seasonless Long Sleeve

Kari Traa Rett (wool/polyester blend)

Track Smith Harrier Long Sleeve (100% wool)

If you want $20 off our Oiselle order, click HERE!

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Jackets

For far too long, I would run in three layers: a sweat-wicking base layer, a lightweight fleece or a thicker mid-weight layer, and a windbreaker jacket. This works, but boy was it bulky. Now I live in my down Lululemon jackets with the temperature dips below 20*F.

I cannot express how much I love these Lululemon jackets. I love them so  much I own THREE of them–two pullovers and one full-zip jacket. I first discovered the Down for a Run Pullover and Down for a Run Jacket three winters ago, and I have never found anything else that compares. I have recommended this jacket countless times to friends and other people, and they all love it as well.

In full disclosure, this jacket is WARM! So if you tend to run warm, this jacket might be too hot for you. However, if you are like me and are always cold, this is perfect! I wear this jacket when it is 20*F and colder. I have worn it in the 20s, but depending upon the other weather conditions (sunny versus overcast, windy versus no wind, a ‘wet’ cold versus ‘dry’ cold), I may or may not choose to wear it at that temperature. I tend to wear the jacket in the low 20s but don’t need it in the upper 20s.

The pullover version has a bigger/taller neck, which is nice, but the pull-over version can be a little harder to get on over your head. The zip-up version has a  big hood, but truthfully I rarely use it–and never when running.

Lululemon did revamp this jacket this year, and it is now called Down for it All Jacket and the Down for it All Pullover. I did go try both versions on in the store. They are very similar, but they did change up the material they used. The front is a little “tougher” material versus the slick, sleeping-bag-like material in my versions. The underarm and side-body sections are also a different material. I thought both versions were more snug, so I would size up if you wanted a looser fit. It looks very similar to the jackets I have–I would just read the specs closely before purchasing.

pullover in the black color

full-zip in the olive green color

A lightweight, wind-resistent jacket I like is the Brooks Canopy Jacket. Des Linden actually wore this jacket at the Boston Marathon this past year, and if you followed along, you know how horrible the conditions were (rain, very cold, and lots of wind). When the temperatures are in the 30s, then I’ll wear a jacket like this, plus one of my favorite base layers listed above.

Jackets I would recommend:

Lululemon Down for it All Jacket or Down for it All Pullover

Brooks Cascadia Thermal Jacket (similar to the Lululemon down jackets but without down filling)

Brooks Canopy Jacket (rain resistant, wind resistant, and comfortable)

Oiselle Vim Jacket (windproof and water resistant)

Nike Shield Running Jacket

If you want $20 off our Oiselle order, click HERE!

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Pants

My legs are the hardest part of my body for me to keep warm. Once the temps drop below 20*F, they freeze.

I do have two pairs of fleece-lined tights from Lululemon the Fast as Fleece Tight that I purchased last year and the Fresh Tracks Tight that I got the year before. They are okay and I will wear them down to about 15*F, but I can’t say my legs are warm by the end of my run. I even wore the one pair on a run at 30* F a few days ago, and my legs were still red by the end of the run. (Go figure!) As always, Lululemon, changed things up again, and this year their fleece-lined tight is the Keep the Fleece Tight. I have not seen this in person, but I’m guessing it is similar to the other two fleece-lined tights I have, which are warmer but not that warm.

I do want to try the Oiselle Flyout Tights, which are supposed to be their “warmest tight to date,” and New Balance has their Winterwatch Tight, which at least sound warm.

I have a pair of the Craft Essential Winter Training Tights, which provide a lot more warmth than the (lightly) fleece-lined tights from Lululemon. They have windproofing down the front of my thighs that then stops right below the knee.

By far the warmest, running tight out there that I am familiar with is the Craft Storm Training Tight 2.0. It is a very thick, fleece-lined pant with windproof material on the thighs down past the knees. It is not tight-tight against your legs and fits more like a pant. This might be a little annoying for running but probably worth it. We sell numerous pairs of these pants at the running store I work at, and I need to buy a pair for myself this year!

Tights I would recommend:

Lululemon Fast & Free 7/8 (my favorite tight but not suitable for cold days)

New Balance Impact Tight (some areas have mesh, so not as warm)

Lululemon Keep the Fleece Tight (warmer but not the warmest)

Craft Essential Winter Training Tight (warm)

Craft Storm Training Tight 2.0 (the warmest!)

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Shoes

Living in Minnesota, I used my regular road running shoes year-round. Since moving to Alaska, I’ve had to buy studded running shoes because we have far too much ice. The city/municipality does not get out and plow very soon after a snow fall, so the roads get packed down with snow, which turns to ice, and I’ll easily spend half the winter running on packed snow and ice. Whereas in Minnesota, the snow plows get out as soon as it starts to snow, so I ran on dry pavement during much of the winter. Plus they use salt to melt the ice on the roads.

Since discovering studded running shoes, it has made a big difference in me feeling confident running on the ice. With studded running shoes I don’t worry about slipping, I can run at my normal speed, take corners at a 90 degree angle, and feel very confident going downhill as well.

At Skinny Raven we sell two different models of Icebugs for running as well as shoe by Salomon called the Speedspike. I haven’t tried the Salomon studded shoe, but I have worn three different pairs of the Icebugs and cannot say enough amazing things about them.

The two models of Icebugs I have are the DTS4 BUGrip GTX (GORE-TEX) and the DTS4 BUGrip .(DTS = Distance Training Shoe and BUGrip means that they have the carbide studs in them) The biggest differences is that the DTS4 GTX is full waterproof, and it also had the Boa lacing system, which is a dial that you turn to tighten the shoe laces. That particular lacing system is a selling-point for some people, but I personally didn’t love it because I don’t feel like I can get the bottom of the laces as tight. The GORE-TEX feature is definitely nice to keep your feet dry and warmer in the winter, so you’ll have to weight if it is worth the extra $30 for them to have GORE-TEX.

The DTS4 (non-GORE-TEX version) is more roomy, so it fit my foot a lot better. The GORE-TEX model was more narrow through the toe box, and it felt too tight on my feet. The heel cup also hugged on the non-GORE-TEX ones also fit my heel better, which I liked.

I did have to go up half of a size from my normal running shoe size. (I normally wear a 9.5 in running shoes, but I wear a 10 in both of these models of Icebugs.) I’ve noticed the past couple of years the shoes have run short.

There are several slip-on traction devices for your shoes to help battle the snow and ice too. I recommend these to people who only want one pair of shoes that they will be wearing inside and outside. At Skinny Raven we sell quite a few of the Kahtoola NANOSpikes. They will help you grip on the ice with the studs on the bottom, but I have heard that the plastic piece can slide around under your foot and the part that wraps around your toes can cut into the top of your feet uncomfortably.

Kahtoola also makes a MIRCROspike, which is a step down from a true crampon. For those people hiking (or running) in deeper snow–say in the mountains–then these would be perfect for that situation. However, the MICROspikes would be too much for most people running around town on pavement.

I have used the Yaktrax Run traction device. I used them before discovering the Icebugs, and while they are better than no traction device, they were not very comfortable. On the ice, I could feel the coils under my foot, which was really uncomfortable, and I didn’t get as much traction on the ice since the back half was coils. I’ve had previous pairs of Yak Trax too and the rubber does eventually break. But this may be a great option for those who only gets ice or snow only a handful of times throughout the winter.

The other studded option is to put screws into your shoes. We stud shoes for people at Skinny Raven for $10, and the screws we use are a harder, sharper screw than what you can buy at the hardware store. (We special order them from Maine.) They work really well on snow, but they do not bit into the ice like an Icebug will on the sheer ice that we can get here in Anchorage. Once again, this could be a great option if you battle mostly snow and very little ice where you live. The screws can be taken out come spring time, and you can continue to use the shoes with only a pin prick hole in the bottom.

You get what you pay for, and the $180 price tag on the Icebugs is a bit steep, but for someone like myself who runs outside 5-6 days a week, they are totally worth it. I will also opt for my Icebugs over studded shoes every time because you never know when there will be an icy patch under snow or it’s too dark to see the ice.

Lighted Gear

For years I ran without any lighted gear. I was bad, but I’m glad I have found pieces that are comfortable. lightweight, and help me to be seen now because we all know some drivers are not very cautious when behind the wheel.

Nothing (NOTHING!) beats this lighted, reflective, and neon bright vest for running. It is super light weight, the lighted cords don’t flop around when running, and you can be seen on all sides when out walking, running, or even walking the dog. This Tracer 360 vest by Noxgear is currently on sale on their website for 20% off (plus free shipping). Or you can purchase it through Amazon here.

The best overall brand for lighted gear is Nathan. They have a wide variety of accessories that can be worn on your arm, the heel of your shoe, a bright flashing light, reflective vest, or a hand-held flashlight. I have used a lighted arm band, which worked fine, but I’m not sure how much people could actually see it. I have also seen people use the heel spur, but I know they can slip off. (I don’t think it happens too often, but I know it can happen.)

My headlamp is one from Petzel that Craig got for me 12 years ago. I like using a headlamp so that I can see where I am going, but I know it also helps cars see me as well. Nathan has running-specific headlamps with a wide range of prices and features that I would recommend.

Me and my sister after a run in Minnesota.

Notables

Most of all, invest in some quality running pieces. For example, Lululemon has a lot of quality tights for working out, but my favorite tights for running were running-specific things. I also purchased a pair of casual New Balance tights, and they also fell down in the back when running.

Stick to the running-specific brands. Most of my running gear is from Lululemon, Brooks, Oiselle, and New Balance. (I have a few pieces from Nike, Saucony, and Rabbit as well.) I’ve never purchased anything from Track Smith, Senita, and Outdoor Voices, but they look like a reputable running companies, and I’ve heard good things about them.

I am a firm believer in that you get what you pay for. I personally avoid purchasing brands such as Under Armour, the lower-priced Nike items, even Old Navy and Gap items. I think those brands can have good items, but I find it is more hit-and-miss. For example, I purchased a pair of tights from Gap, but they fell down in the back while running. (I’ve had other friends who had the same issue.)

Someone asked about my pace during the winter, and let’s just say there is a lot more slow running. Running in the cold easily adds 30 seconds to my minuter per mile pace because my muscles don’t work as well. (It’s like trying to stretch a cold rubber band.) And then if the roads are slippery or there is fresh snow that I have to plod through, that easily adds another 30 seconds to my pace, so I am usually doing my easy runs around 8:30 – 9:00 pace instead of 7:45 – 8:20 in the summer. I don’t like it, and I tell people there’s a reason professional runners don’t live and train here. I do use the treadmill for fast workouts or the indoor 400 meter track, but I can’t (and don’t want to) do that every day.

Phew! This may be the longest post I have ever done! I probably could have split every category into its own post, but now it’s done, and I hope that was helpful.

I will continue to update this post as I come across new items I love, as suppliers change, prices change, or things go out of stock, so if you see things switch around when revisiting this post, that’s why!

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Please comment below with any questions, other suggestions, or items you love for winter running because it’s a lot more complicated than throwing on a tank top and shorts in the summer time!