Autumn is the best season on the trail: fewer people, clear air, colours everywhere. It is also the season when the weather changes fastest. A frosty car park can turn into a sweaty climb and then a windy ridge in a single morning. The answer is not one big warm jacket but three simple layers you can add and remove.
1. Base layer: move the sweat
Next to your skin you want something that pulls moisture away, such as merino wool or a synthetic tee. Avoid cotton: once it is wet, it stays wet and cold.
2. Mid layer: keep the heat
A fleece traps warm air while still breathing. A half-zip lets you vent on the climb without taking anything off. When you stop for a break, it is the layer that keeps you warm.
3. Shell: block wind and rain
The outer layer protects everything underneath. A water-repellent, windproof shell such as the Treeline Shell Jacket handles changeable days. On cold, windy ridges the high ventilated collar of the Fell Shell Jacket keeps the wind off your face.
Don't forget your legs
Shell pants such as the Scree Shell Pant block wind and light rain and move with your knees on steep ground. For long, mixed days, the light, quick-drying Tarn Trail Pant is hard to beat.
The simple rule
Start a little cold. Within ten minutes of walking you will warm up. Open zips before you sweat, add layers before you get cold, and always pack your shell, even when the sky looks clear.
See you on the trail.