Hi everyone! This is my first post here. I’m in the process of deciding what cold-weather clothes to buy and just discovered this great forum, so I thought I’d ask for some advice/input. I’m a 25 year old female. Height: 162cm/5’ 3’’, weight 54kg/119lbs. The clothes will be worn on Elbrus next year, and Aconcagua and Denali later. I’m pretty cold so I’d rather go overkill than having to be cold.

This is what I’m thinking so far:
Base layer (Sorry about Norwegian link): https://www.brynje.no/produkter/ullunde ... uble-shirt
Mid layer fleece: https://www.thenorthface.com/shop/women ... oft-jacket
Mid layer wool (Sorry about Norwegian link) : http://www.ulvang.no/kolleksjon/3050/berg
Down jacket: http://www.backcountry.com/columbia-ala ... acket-mens
Shell jacket: http://www.mountainhardwear.com/womens- ... 50611.html
Down parka: Haven’t really decided yet. I’m on a student budget so I might have to buy this one used to get a warm enough jacket. This is on top of the wish-list https://www.mountainhardwear.com/mens-a ... M4775.html

For really cold weather I’ll be wearing the base layer – one of the mid layers – (down jacket?) – shell jacket – Down parka
For warmer weather I’ll just wear the base layer and one of the mid layers (plus shell jacket if it’s raining).

Any thoughts/advice?
Thanks in advance!

If you're cold do yourself a favor and purchase a Feathered Friends Icefall Parka. It is 650 bucks instead of 800 for the MH, so you will be saving a bunch of money and it is just as warm. I would also buy a better quality down jacket than the one you listed. That 700fp jacket doesn't list the fill weight of down--indicating it is likely not high quality. Most serious down manufacturers list that important information, otherwise it is impossible to guess warmth.

Here are my two cents.

Base layer: Mid weight synthetic or merino wool. Wool is nice because it doesn't trap odors like synthetics do. Make sure to make your top is a long sleeve, zip tee neck in white or similarly light color. The glaciers low on Denali and can be a veritable solar oven. A nice deep zipper and sleeves that can be rolled up when it is hot out is golden. .

Mid layer fleece: Much more versatile is an insulated wind shirt, like the Marmot DriClime. In cool, breezy weather it can be worn as an outer layer which sheds wind and light precip, in cold weather it layers much better than a fleece.

Mid layer wool: Skip

Down jacket: Use a 60 gram Primaloft insulated jacket instead (e.g. Patagonia Nanopuff), this layers better than down.

Shell jacket: The more breathable, the better. It will likely not rain so waterproofness is not much of a factor

Down parka: This is worth spending money on. Boutique brands like Feathered Friends, Western Mountaineering, and PhD are superior to the big box brands. Of the big names, Marmot makes the best down products. Whatever brand you choose, you want a baffled, hooded parka with at least 800 fill down that fits over all your other layers.

Fleece pants: 200 wt Power Stretch is the way to go, cat suits/farmer Johns are even nicer.

Shell pants. Something with side zips so layers can be added/removed while staying tied in.

Puffy pants are really nice. Something like the Patagonia Micropuff for both pajamas and for the summit day.

Some of this is overkill for Aconcogua or Elbrus but almost a necessity for Denali.

If you are still looking for advice on gear, I just finished making a gear guide for Mount Elbrus on my blog. I basically went through all the gear I used, and I went over what worked well and what didn't. I'm a 27 year old female, 5'3”, 115 pounds, and always cold, so it sounds like you and I are quite similar! You can check out the gear guide at http://www.greenadrenaline.com/blog/elbrus-gear-guide. I also wrote an extensive blog of my trip (including lots of photos) which you can view at http://www.greenadrenaline.com/blog/off-to-russia. I traveled to Russia solo and used Pilgrim Tours as a guide service. They were pretty inexpensive, and they took good care of me. Hope that helps! Feel free to message me with any questions.