When you need an extra layer

Short answer: There are three situations where you need one more layer: when you stand still, when it is windy, and when you walk into air conditioning. Once you know them, you can plan your day and have the right thing with you before you start to feel cold.

When you stand still

Activity is your main source of heat. When you walk, cycle or carry something, your body produces warmth all the time. When you stop, production drops to a basic level, and suddenly a layer is missing. That applies on a platform, in a queue or on a bench. Even the innermost layer counts, such as soft bamboo panties.

When it is windy

Wind strips away the thin layer of warm air your body keeps forming next to the skin. Once it is gone, it feels colder than the thermometer says. An outer layer has to replace it, and it does not need to be thick. A bamboo hoodie for women can go over a top when the wind picks up.

When you walk into cooling

Air conditioning can be twelve degrees colder than the street. In summer you move from warm air into shops, offices and trains that are suddenly cool. If you have sweated a little outside, it feels even colder. Remember your feet too, as they often get cold first. A pair of bamboo socks for women in your bag helps.

Thin is enough

The extra layer does not need to be big. A light layer that stops the wind or traps air does more than a thick one that is hard to carry. What matters is that you actually have it with you. A thick layer left at home because it takes up too much space warms nobody on the platform.

Put it on in time

Many people wait until they are cold before adding a layer. But once the body has cooled down, it takes time to warm up again. It is easier to keep warmth than to win it back. So put the layer on when you know you will be standing still, not only when you feel the cold.

Take it off again

It is just as important to take the layer off when you start moving. If you sweat in an extra layer, you get damp, and then you feel even colder the next time you stop. It sounds like a lot of on and off, but it only takes a moment and makes a real difference over a whole day.

Plan around the stops in your day

Think of the day as a series of movement and pauses. Where will you wait, where will you sit, and where will you enter cooler rooms? That is where the extra layer should be easy to reach. Keep it at the top of your bag so you do not have to search. Then it becomes a habit rather than a chore.

A layer that suits the rest

Choose an extra layer that suits what you are already wearing. Then it feels natural to put it on in a shop or an office as well. A calm, soft layer in a colour that fits the rest of your wardrobe gets used far more often than one that only makes sense outdoors.

Frequently asked questions

When do you need an extra layer

When you stand still, when it is windy, and when you walk into a room with air conditioning. In all three situations the body loses heat faster than you notice.

Why do you get cold when standing still

Because movement is the body's main source of heat. Without activity the body only produces basic warmth, and the clothes you are wearing are suddenly not enough.

How big should the extra layer be

Thin is enough. A light layer that stops the wind or traps air does more than a thick one that is awkward to carry around all day.