cold weather clothing?

What kind of “cold”? Dry, wet, windy, deep snow? Also, much depends on your activities. Backpacking in the cold is different than setting up a stationary camp in the cold, and once you start talking open-fire, that can change some of your clothing choices.

As for me, it’s all about layers and your activities really dictate the choices for optimum thermoregulation. Outside of requiring snow shoes for deep drifts, basic layer looks something like this:

Base-layer either synthetic or merino wool (synthetic if I’m really active)
Mid-layers vary. If I’m hanging around a fire off and on, I may have a wool sweater. If I’m backpacking in a wetter/cold environment, I like a synthetic puffy jacket to don and doff during breaks. Fleece is a great economical option, but I typically don’t care for the bulk. Some of the micro and grid-fleece options are actually much better for active layers as well (some can be used solely as your base layer).

Often misunderstood is a windshell. These aren’t necessarily waterproof, but help block the wind, breath quite well and dry quickly. I’ve come to love these shells for high exertion activities and a windshell is a staple part of my packing list almost year-round.

For colder, mostly dry weather, I prefer soft-shells. Again, they aren’t waterproof, but they dry fast and offer great wind protection…most importantly they breath far better than most other materials. I’ve actually moved away from Gore-Tex jackets. They’re okay when you’re static and in downpours, but once you add activities that generate body heat or humidity jumps, they lose their value. Even if I have a soft shell, I typically include a simple rain shell. These aren’t worn often and rarely when you’re on the move, but when static, they do their job quite well.

For pants, same base layer options: merino wool or something like Polartec’s silk-weight synthetics for more active stuff.
I don’t do much in deep snow, so I don’t have any dedicated or quilted snow pants. I do have some mid-layer fleece for really cold temps when I’m sitting around, but they suck if I’m doing any significant activity. I still like surplus wool pants for work in varying cold conditions around the house, but I go with synthetic pants for backpacking; soft-shell pants are my choice for real cold activities and I’m not relying on a fire for cooking or warmth. If it’s a wetter cold, I actually still like the Gore-Tex ECWCS pant shells. I can wear them by themselves, over my merino long underwear, over my pants or tripled up for maximum cold-weather layering. My legs run hot, so I actually will wear shorts when backpacking down to the mid-20’s and while I hate Puffy-pants (down or synthetic), they are a great layer when immobile to retain heat while on breaks or in the sleeping bag/quilt.
I avoid doing much in a downpour or heavy precipitation; I would rather put up or seek a shelter and wait it out that get soaked.

My focus for thermoregulation is to dress down as far as I can where I’m just below the threshold for comfort…as you move and get active, you’ll heat up. Staying dry is critical and why you put layers on and take them off often; having fast drying clothes is important as well. I love wool, but not wet wool regardless of their ability to still insulate when wet…once wet, they will take forever to dry and to generate heat you have to move which sucks carrying an extra five pounds of water-drenched wool. Even when I use wool for hunting, I carry rain gear to keep them dry. Wet, wind (convection), conduction, radiation, dehydration, and perspiration all calculate in how you thermoregulate your body with respect to the weather conditions and your activities. Along with keeping your clothing dry, keep it clean. Dirt, body oils, sweat/salts, all degrade natural and synthetic materials’ abilities to insulate and “breathe” or stay dry.

As to “accessories”, I like merino or fleece watch caps, gloves vary, but just make sure you match the conditions. For really cold temps I have them layered so I can use a gun. Outdoor Research type shells for rain/wind protection and under is a fleece "glomitt" that acts as a mitt that can fold back to expose my fingers when needed. Socks are almost predominantly wool. I like wool and synthetic buffs and Shemagh’s are a pretty awesome garment in dryer cold conditions.

More of a primer than specific choices…sorry…

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cold weather clothing?