Communities

Writing
Writing
Codidact Meta
Codidact Meta
The Great Outdoors
The Great Outdoors
Photography & Video
Photography & Video
Scientific Speculation
Scientific Speculation
Cooking
Cooking
Electrical Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Judaism
Judaism
Languages & Linguistics
Languages & Linguistics
Software Development
Software Development
Mathematics
Mathematics
Christianity
Christianity
Code Golf
Code Golf
Music
Music
Physics
Physics
Linux Systems
Linux Systems
Power Users
Power Users
Tabletop RPGs
Tabletop RPGs
Community Proposals
Community Proposals
tag:snake search within a tag
answers:0 unanswered questions
user:xxxx search by author id
score:0.5 posts with 0.5+ score
"snake oil" exact phrase
votes:4 posts with 4+ votes
created:<1w created < 1 week ago
post_type:xxxx type of post
Search help
Notifications
Mark all as read See all your notifications »
Q&A

Post History

71%
+3 −0
Q&A What are the advantages of a vapour barrier?

I was recently reading an article on UKClimbing by Andy Kirkpatrick about clothing in winter. It talks about vapour barriers: I’ve played around with vapour barrier socks over many years, and ...

1 answer  ·  posted 10y ago by System‭  ·  edited 10mo ago by Iizuki‭

#1: Post edited by user avatar Iizuki‭ · 2024-01-23T17:15:25Z (10 months ago)
Add a vbl tag
What are the advantages of a vapour barrier?
  • <p>I was recently reading an article on <a href="http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=6903">UKClimbing by Andy Kirkpatrick</a> about clothing in winter. It talks about vapour barriers:</p>
  • <blockquote>
  • <p>I&#x2019;ve played around with vapour barrier socks over many years, and
  • think just having a cheap thin shopping bag next to your skin, then a
  • good sock over the top, is a no brainer on any super cold, or extended
  • routes. Having it next to your skin means you don&#x2019;t end up with
  • stinking liner socks, and you also have a little more friction between
  • the layers when front pointing. You really get the advantages from a
  • vapour barrier system when your day becomes extended, say that 12 hour
  • winter route on the Tacul draws on to a 24 hour epic, where saturated
  • socks suck the heat out of your feet with the combination of nighttime
  • temperatures and fatigue.</p>
  • </blockquote>
  • <p>I don't really get this, I would of thought that keeping moisture next to your skin would be a bad thing. </p>
  • <p>What's the thinking behind this? When should they be used?</p>
  • <p>I was recently reading an article on <a href="http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=6903">UKClimbing by Andy Kirkpatrick</a> about clothing in winter. It talks about vapour barriers:</p>
  • <blockquote>
  • <p>I&#x2019;ve played around with vapour barrier socks over many years, and
  • think just having a cheap thin shopping bag next to your skin, then a
  • good sock over the top, is a no brainer on any super cold, or extended
  • routes. Having it next to your skin means you don&#x2019;t end up with
  • stinking liner socks, and you also have a little more friction between
  • the layers when front pointing. You really get the advantages from a
  • vapour barrier system when your day becomes extended, say that 12 hour
  • winter route on the Tacul draws on to a 24 hour epic, where saturated
  • socks suck the heat out of your feet with the combination of nighttime
  • temperatures and fatigue.</p>
  • </blockquote>
  • <p>I don't really get this, I would of thought that keeping moisture next to your skin would be a bad thing. </p>
  • <p>What's the thinking behind this? When should they be used?</p>