Quote Originally Posted by Triskeliongirl View Post

Do you guys think adding a hooded shak, and perhaps a mideweight rather than lightweight base, woolies long johns, and of course a more substantial hat and gloves and neck gaitor will get me to the 20s or high teens.
YES.


Are jeans and woolies enough on the bottom
No.

Is double shakking really weird and overkill? Is it as warm as a down sweater with less bulk?
No. Yes.

I've always worn insulated coats in this kind of weather, so I wanna know if I should leave my primaloft coat at home, or pack in just in case as it doesn't take up a huge amount of room (North Face Boulevard Jacket). I did wear this coat in DC in the 30s and was comfy, over a shak and base and wool pants.
Just bring your new parka and all your merino layers. Jeans are not going to be your friend in the cold, so wear a two layer combo of warm tights or ski-type pants instead. If you can squeeze a thin merino base layer tight under your SheBeest WindPro tight (I have this and it's WARM!)- that would be PLENTY warm for anything down to zero degrees. Or a merino base layer tight under some ski type pant or wind resisitant Ibex pant.