cold running Archives - Miles of Abbie

Tag Archives: cold running

Review: Hoodie Thermal BUFF

Posted on January 17, 2016 | 5 comments

Disclaimer: I received a Hoodie Thermal BUFF to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

If you saw my post yesterday about winter running, then you know I’m not a huge fan of it, and a big task for me is trying to keep my ears/face/head warm without having to wear a full on balaclava. When I heard of the opportunity to review a BUFF Hoodie as part of the BibRave Pro program, I jumped at the chance.

What I received to review

1 Hoodie Thermal BUFF in Graphite/Black

From the website

Hoodie BUFF is a stylish and superbly comfortable hooded garment made for cold weather protection with a double layer of fabric at the neck for extra insulation. Long enough to cover the nose and mouth but a little less technical than its stable mate Hood BUFF Hoodie BUFF is brighter, funkier and very wearable.

The Good

It’s definitely super warm. There is the actual hood part, the buff neck piece, and then another piece of buff fabric that you can pull up over your mouth. The hood is a thick, knitted Polartec Thermal Pro that is soft and warm. The neck and mouth pieces are made from naturally anti-microbial Merino wool, so not as thick, but still soft and warm. The materials wicked sweat without getting wet and kept me warm and dry during my runs.

I really like that there are two Buff pieces in addition to the hood – the one was easy to tuck down into my jacket to keep my neck warm, and the other piece was easy to pull up around my mouth. It was thin enough that I could easily breathe through it, but was enough to keep my breath (and my lungs) warm.

The Hoodie has two drawstring pieces so you can cinch down the hood and make it tighter on your head, which is helpful if you have a smaller head like I do. Making it tight also pulled it around my face to keep my ears warm.

Even though it’s not specifically designed to be windproof, I wore it on a run with the wind was gusting up to 22 mph, and another day when it was a steady 6 mph, and it still kept me warm.

The Not-So-Good

The Hoodie is a one size fits all, which is great because it will fit anyone, and you can wear it looser if you just need a little protection, but not-so-good if you have a small head like me. Even cinching the hood super tight leaves some space in the back that makes it a little cooler than it would be if it was totally tight against my head. That being said, it wasn’t a huge difference, and I just pulled up my jacket hood to seal everything in.

The Bottom Line

I love this thing and I wear the Hoodie Thermal BUFF pretty much any chance I get. I have worn it just around my neck, as a loose hood, as a tight hood, with the mouth piece up, with the mouth piece down, in windy conditions, and in pretty cold conditions (a 30-degree run). The Hoodie has not let me down. It has kept me warm and wicked sweat without becoming too wet, sweaty, or stinky.

I highly recommend the Hoodie Thermal BUFF for runner, hikers, snowboarder, bikers, or pretty much anyone who wants to stay warm in the winter. The retail price of $45.99 feels very reasonable to me, considering I will wear it every winter for a variety of activities. There is also another version that isn’t quite as insulated, the AW Hoodie BUFF, for $37.50.

5 Comments

Posted in Reviews

Tagged buff usa, cold running, cold weather, hoodie thermal buff, review, winter running

A Cold Girl(or Guy)’s Guide to Winter Running

Posted on January 16, 2016 | 4 comments

I should start off by saying I grew up on the cold, snowy east coast. I never really liked the cold, but I could deal with it. Then I moved to Southern California and it ruined me. Now that I’m in Colorado, I spend most of my time during the winter trying to stay warm. So when I need to get in a run outside, it can be tough to figure out what to wear to stay warm (but not too warm once I get going).

I think I’ve got a pretty good system, so here are my best tips for when the weather is around 30 degrees. And obviously, try out different things to see what works best for you.

1. Check the weather.

Surprisingly, it’s not as simple as just looking at the temperature. Cloudy is going to be colder than sunny. Windy is going to be colder than calm. Humidity or impending snow can also affect how cold it is, so instead of looking at the main temperature, you want to look at the “feels” like temperature.

2. Wear two non-cotton layers.

Don’t wear cotton. When it gets wet, it stays wet, and you get cold. I like to wear a long-sleeved technical shirt and a light jacket (though sometimes I’ll wear a wind-resistant fleece). You will be cold when you start, but for me, two shirt layers feels just right once I get warmed up.

3. Wear full-length tights with a liner.

Tights with a warm liner are going to keep you warmer than other pants that might have more air circulation. I’ve been wearing the Hyoptik tights by 2xu, which not only are full-length with a liner, but have compression as well. The compression feature is supposed to promote blood flow and help your muscles warm up faster, too. Make sure you wear a pair of socks that comes up at least a little higher than the tights or you will have some cold ankles!

4. A note about socks.

Again, you may want to stay away from cotton so they don’t get wet and cold. I like running in wool socks (such as Smartwool) in the winter because they give me a little bit of extra warmth, but technical socks like Feetures are also nice.

5. Don’t forget a hat and gloves.

Whether you go for an ear warmer headband or all-out with a Buff Hoodie, a warm head = a happy runner. Sometimes I pull my jacket hoodie on overtop, just to seal in the warmth. I really like my newest gloves because I can still use the touchscreen on my phone with them, a feature to consider whether you want or not.

6. Packs.

I use a Spibelt to hold my phone when I run because I don’t like holding it in my hand. When you hold your phone in your hand, you also can’t do tip #7! Same thing with having to hold a water bottle, except holding water could also make your hands cold. I know several other BibRave Pros highly recommend Orange Mud hydration packs, and I am a fan of Camelbak packs.

7. Pump your fists.

Even with gloves, your hands might get cold, especially if you hold them lower when you run. By pumping/squeezing your fists occasionally, you get the blood flowing and can warm them up.

8. Spikes (if there is snow/ice).

After a particularly precarious run last year, I don’t plan to run on snow/ice without some sort of spike in my shoe. I haven’t needed any yet, but Kahtoola is a highly recommended brand. I’ve tried YakTrax, and they are a built bulky and interfere with my natural gait, so they didn’t work for me. Maybe they would be better in a bit deeper snow instead of just a thin layer on the sidewalk.

9. Keep your running buddy warm, too!