Cold Weather running gear?

With the 2014 Winter Challenge starting soon, what gear is recommended for runners in cold weather?

I figure for those of us new/returning to running in cold weather, recommendations from some of our more "seasoned" members could help save us tome time, money and chilly experiences.
Dutchie turned me on to Merino wool. I like the Icebreaker brand. It's pricey, but worth it. And you can layer it. It keeps you warm and dry and doesn't stink and feels great. I think you get a 20% discount for first time orders, although sometimes you can find their gear on other sites like Amazon, The Clymb, or Altrec at clearance. For pants, I got the tracer pants, which are outstanding. Everything else would be hard to recommend because it's a matter of taste, but I got the:

Pursuit Leggings
Tech T Lite Short Sleeve (great in summer too)
Tech Top Long Sleeve
Mens Original Long Sleeve Half Zip
Legend long sleeve jacket
Oasis Balaclava
Coronet Hat
Sierra Mittens
Quantum Gloves

For really cold days, I also got Sockwa G4 shoes, SmartWool socks, one of those velcro robber masks for my face, and deerskin mittens (http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00487O7N2/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1).

Embrace the elements!
 
I recommend Altra Adams, sized up to accommodate a warm sock-layer. Unfortunately they've been discontinued so, have to look for them on third-market sources such as ebay. Maybe your Winter challenge doesn't comport with footwear but, this is what I've been using.

As for clothing, any wool works well. Merino happens to be really soft but, that's only important if it's your base layer. Smartwool is nothing more than merino with some fancy (and un-neccessary) ingredients. Another soft, great fiber is alpaca.
 
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Thanks guys. I've been gradually building up my "Winter Wardrobe" but wasn't expecting the 5" of snow we received last week or the single-digit overnight temps quite yet. Most things I have figured out or have stuff that I can "make do" with for the time being. My main concern is footwear though, since I know my VFF's won't provide enough protection against the temps, even with socks.

Based on the majority of the favorable reviews here at the BRS, I put in a call to Sockwa, so we'll see if those might be a possibility. My biggest issue with finding footwear is fitting the width (9 length with 11.5 width..) without having to buy them several sizes larger and end up with the "Clown Shoe" effect. Hopefully, that won't be the case with Sockwa and I'll have a winter running shoe :)

Nyah - I did try out some Altra's a while back, but they won't work for me - Not wide enough and even their minimally cushioned shoes have too much cushioning for me.


It's frustrating, as that fresh snow just looks too inviting not to run on...
 
VFF Komodosport LS is surprisingly warm. Warmer than altra adams (both without socks). It's because it's not very breathy, which makes it wind resistant. And just enough padding to protect from cold underfoot. I have used them on something like -20...25 °C. I have no idea why they are advertised as gym shoes, I wouldn't wear them inside. Komodosport with velcro has more breathy upper, not so warm. Bikila LS was also ok, atleast for non-windy days, when it's just enough cold that snow isn't wet..
 
when it's just enough cold that snow isn't wet..
Sounds like the past week here...and a typical Dec-Feb stretch as well.

I thought about using my Bikila LS's, but between the low temps and the salt/snow-melt they put on the roads here, I'm not sure the thinner material would provide enough cold/wet protection. I've looked at the Komodosport LS before, but it looked like the material between the toes was the same lightweight and breathable material as on my Bikila LS's, which is why I passed on the idea of using them. Thanks for the suggestion though :)
 
For shoes I found I liked Soft Star Dash the best. They are all leather, so you can put on something like Sno-Seal (beeswax) to help waterproof them against the snow and slushy stuff. You can get them in wide, but not sure how wide (though I think you can have them do custom work). I'll typically wear either Injinji toe socks or a thin (liner weight) merino wool sock.

As far as the rest of my winter gear, nothing much too fancy. I have 2 pairs of tights, one is insulated, that covers me for 90% of my winter runs. If it happens to be below 20ºF and windy, I might put a pair of sweatpants or my waterproof hiking pants overtop the tights. I have plenty of long sleeve tech shirts from races I use for my base layer. And a very light running jacket. I rarely use a middle layer and almost everytime I've tried, I've ended up taking it off after a short warmup. Simple thin knit polyester hat and gloves. If its really cold and windy, I may need to double up the gloves or pick something else.

Of course a lot of this is going to depend on temperature. I'm guessing in Minnesota you may run in colder temps than I, and I usually pick the best weather days to run and run at the warmest time of the day. That usually results in running less though, and this winter I'm going to try and up my mileage, so may be experiencing colder runs.