As the summer begins to fade away into fall, we start getting hyped for the baseball playoffs and the start of the college football and NFL seasons. While you may be excited to watch your favorite teams in person, tailgating with friends and screaming at the referees, the weather doesn’t always cooperate. Just a few weeks into the season, some stadiums experience downright frigid fall weather and only get colder as the winter settles in. By halfway through the season, fans in many stadiums are battling icy conditions and struggling to stay warm for the whole game. That is why ensuring you have only the best and most effective cold-weather game-day outfits is important.
Here is the trick to nailing the right outfit: mastering the art of layering. While you will be extremely cold sometimes, you are around upwards of 50,000 people, and the temps could elevate with all that body heat. Therefore, once you get the base layer set up with the all-powerful henley and jeans, it is on to the outer layer. Here is what you should be wearing at the stadium this fall.
Essential cold-weather game-day clothing
The mid-vest
Before getting into your heavier pieces, a great trick to staying warm is to start with a lightweight layer that helps trap the warm air closer to your body. Timberland has a wonderful option that isn’t only perfect for insulating you and keeping you warm/cool/breathable, but it is also easily packable. If you want to keep anything secure, a great zipper pocket is on the chest.
The shell
The next layer is designed to be the go-between from the mid-vest to the parka. This could be the top layer to keep you dry and warm in the transition months before the frigid temperatures that can drop below zero. When choosing a shell, Aether Apparel is top-notch. Not only are they great on the mountain, but they are also your go-to for your Apres wear for the season. As a bonus, you can add matching pants over your jeans when the temperature drops to warm your bottom half.
The parka
Whether you are a Patriots fan, a Jets fan, or stomping into the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field, the weather will get colder as the season goes on. And if you are going to be a real fan, standing in the bleachers and cheering on your guys, you can’t be the guy who wants to leave early because of Arctic-like weather. Therefore, you need to pick up the perfect parka. Canada Goose is one of the tops in the game, and who knows cold like the Canadians? Rated for the cold, the wet, and everything in between, this parka is the perfect top layer.
The fingerless gloves
Gloves are the biggest thing that men forget. We’re not sure if this is one giant collective oversight among the entire population or if it is a macho thing, but for some reason, men don’t like to wear gloves. There is a middle ground that you can walk between weather that is too warm for full gloves and a little too cold to go without. These fingerless gloves from Aran Sweater Market will keep most of your hands nice and toasty while still allowing you to use your fingers, whether texting your friend to taunt their team or trying to eat popcorn.
The over gloves
Forget the ego. When you are cheering on northern teams like the Green Bay Packers or the New England Patriots, it can get unbelievably cold. The average temperature can get as low as 20 degrees. As a matter of fact, the coldest game in history was in Green Bay in 1967, when it dropped to -13 degrees. For the people in the stands, we can only hope they had gloves for the day. If Green Bay wants to break the record, The North Face has some great ski mitts for the occasion. You may not need these if you are a Miami fan, but these are a must up north.
Cold weather hat
Even if your shell or cold-weather parka has a hood, the hood just won’t be enough if the wind blows hard. You will want to protect your ears as best you can; a good skull cap is the number one way to do that. Whether you go with a thick stocking cap or a thin one that can fit under another hat, blocking the wind from your ears allows you to stay until the end of the fourth quarter. This option from Heat Holders is the perfect mix between the two. It isn’t so bulky, won’t fit under a hood, and is not thin enough for the wind to push right through.
