What To Wear Snowshoeing? Clothing & Gear You Need + Checklist

What to wear snowshoeing? Snowshoeing clothes and gear

Going on a snowshoeing tour for the first time and wondering what you need for snowshoeing?

If you are looking for what to wear snowshoeing and which snowshoeing gear you need, you are at the right place.

While the winter sport is pretty straightforward, there are a few things to consider to have a great experience in the snow.

In our Snowshoeing Clothing & Gear Guide, you will learn about the best snowshoeing outfit to wear, the equipment for snowshoeing, and the best shoes for snowshoeing so that you are fully prepared for a fun time in the snow.

What To Wear For Snowshoeing

Table Of Contents

Snowshoeing Equipment
Clothing For Snowshoeing
Shoes For Snowshoeing
Additional Snowshoeing Essentials
Printable Snowshoeing Packing List

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What Do You Need For Snowshoeing?

To be well prepared for a snowshoeing tour you need to think of three main things (aside from the route, etc.):

What clothes to wear snowshoeing?
What shoes to wear for snowshoeing?
What gear do you need for snowshoeing?

In order to address each of the questions, we sectioned this post into the following:

Snowshoeing Equipment

Clothes For Snowshoeing

Footwear For Snowshoeing

Additional Snowshoeing Essentials

Jump to either section by clicking the links above or start scrolling for the complete post.

At the end of this post, you will find our printable snowshoeing checklist that you can download to your phone or print out.

Snowshoeing Equipment

Snowshoeing Gear

What do you need to go snowshoeing?

You don’t need a lot of equipment for snowshoeing. That’s one of the reasons why this winter activity is so popular among a lot of people. And unlike skiing and snowboarding, the snowshoeing gear is also fairly inexpensive.

The most important equipment needed for snowshoeing is really only the snowshoes. Things like snow gaiters and trekking poles are nice to have and very useful but are not absolutely necessary equipment for snowshoeing.

3 Types Of Snowshoes

Recreational Flat Terrain Snowshoes

Terrain: Flat for casual users
Modest traction
No heel lift

Rolling Terrain Snowshoes

Terrain: Flat to rolling hills
More aggressive traction
Heel lift for steeper slopes

Backcountry Snowshoes

Terrain: Icy, steep terrain, deep snow
Maximum traction system
Heel lift for steep slopes

Snowshoes


Aluminum All-Terrain Snow Shoes	Lightweight, Easy-use Snowshoes

Light Polymer Snow Shoes for Advanced	Advanced Snowshoe Hard-Pack Conditions

Gaiters For Snowshoeing

What are gaiters for snowshoeing?

To protect your feet and leg from the snow you can use snowshoeing gaiters. You simply wrap them around your shoes and legs to keep the snow away.

However, if you own snow pants with integrated gaiters on the inside, you may not need the extra snowshoeing gaiters.


Waterproof Adjustable Snowshoeing Gaiters	Waterproof Zipper Snowshoeing Gaiters

Snowshoeing Poles

Do you need poles for snowshoeing?

Snowshoeing poles are not absolutely necessary, but they can be very helpful. Especially, when going up and down slopes or traversing. Using poles also makes snowshoeing a little bit easier.

On flat areas you can totally do snowshoeing without poles, we have done this many times.

You can use special snowshoeing poles (see below) but you can also use ski or trekking poles for snowshoeing if you own any.


Carbon Fiber Snowshoeing Poles	Aluminum Snowshoeing Poles

Snowshoeing Sets


Lightweight Snowshoes Set Multiple Colors	Lightweight Snowshoe Set

Goggles For Snowshoeing


Oakley Snow Goggles	Smith Snow Goggles

Snowshoeing Gear List

Equipment For Snowshoeing

Snowshoes
Snowshoeing Gaiters (optional)
Snowshoeing Poles (optional)
Snow Goggles For Snowshoeing

Clothing For Snowshoeing

Snowshoeing outfits: The right clothing for snowboarding — What to wear snowshoeing?

Best Clothes For Snowshoeing

The question “what to wear snowshoeing” is answered pretty easily. Dressing for snowshoeing is no different than how you dress for skiing or snowboarding.

You really don’t need different clothes for snowshoeing than for skiing and snowboarding and vice versa.

So if you already have ski clothes you should be good to go in regards to your snowshoeing outfit. The only exception may be the snowshoeing footwear and gear itself, but more on that a little later below.

Layering For Snowshoeing

Like with skiing and snowboarding, layering for snowshoeing is important to keep you warm, especially on those cold winter days.

How To Layer For Snowshoeing?

Typically you wear three layers of clothing. A base, a mid, and an outer layer.

On warmer winter days, two layers may be enough. Below, we’ll go over each of the three layers in more detail:

Clothing Layers For Snowshoeing

Base Layer
Thermal, skintight & breathable
Mid Layer
Keeps body heat to stay warm
Outer Layer
Shields from snow and wind

Outer Layer Snowshoeing Clothing

Snowshoeing Jacket


Women’s Heated Snow Jacket	Obermeyer Women’s Jacket

Burton Snowboard Jacket Women	Burton Snowboard Jacket Men

Winter Coat For Snowshoeing


Hooded & Fleeced Winter Coat	Alpine North Vegan Down Parka

Snowshoeing Pants

What pants to wear snowshoeing?

To complete your snowshoeing outfit you will need some insulated and water-resistant pants. Ski or snowboard pants are really the best pants for snowshoeing.

If you own snow pants already you don’t need any other pants for snowshoeing, in fact wearing those warm and insulated pants is the way to go.

Snowshoeing Pants Women


Burton Ivy Over-Boot Pant	The North Face Snow Pants

Men’s Snowshoeing Pants

Mid & Base Layers For Snowshoeing:

Fleece Long Sleeve As Mid Layer


Columbia Full Zip Soft Fleece Jacket	Under Armour Men’s Fleece

Thermal Underwear: Best Base Layer For Snowshoeing


Merino Wool Base Layer Set	Merino Wool Thermal Set Men

Shoes For Snowshoeing

What shoes to wear snowshoeing?

Don’t wear regular shoes for snowshoeing! We recommend wearing good boots for snowshoeing.

With good we mean the snowshoeing boots should be waterproof or at least water-resistant and insulated. After a while of hiking in the snow, your shoes will get wet and you don’t want any wet and cold feet.

Winter Boots For Snowshoeing

You can wear your regular winter boots for snowshoeing if you have some already. This is what we do! Just make sure they are waterproof and keep your feet warm enough.

Women’s Boots For Snowshoeing

Sorel has some of the most popular and best winter boots for snowshoeing and is our personal favorite brand when it comes to winter boots.


SOREL Boot Waterproof	Sorel Shortie Snow Boot	SOREL Waterproof Boot

Men’s Snowshoeing Boots

Sorel’s Men’s winter boots are also some of the most popular and best boots for snowshoeing that we can highly recommend.


Columbia Men’s Snow Boot	SOREL Men’s Winter Boots	Sorel Hiking Winter Boots

Hiking Boots For Snowshoeing

The same principle regarding warmth and water resistance goes for hiking boots for snowshoeing.

If you have hiking shoes already you can wear these boots for snowshoeing as well, they should be waterproof and warm, however. If you can, layer multiple socks to add some insulation to your shoes.

Additional Snowshoeing Attire

Socks For Snowshoeing

The best socks for snowshoeing are the ones that keep your feet warm and dry at the same time. Merino wool does that.


Merino Wool Winter Socks	Merino Wool Thermal Socks

Snowshoeing Gloves

You will definitely need gloves for snowshoeing! There is absolutely no way around it.

If you are looking for gloves for snowshoeing you should make sure they are waterproof and well insulated to keep your fingers warm. Getting good-quality gloves or even mittens will go a long way.

We personally find that Hestra has the best gloves for snowshoeing, skiing, and all other outdoor activities in the snow.


Hestra Leather Glove	Hestra Mittens	Hestra Leather Mittens

Neck Warmer


Turtle Fur Fleece Neck Warmer	Merino Wool Neck Gaiter

Knit Hats & Beanie


Beanie Hat With Faux Fur	Slouchy Knit Beanie Fleece Lined

Additional Snowshoeing Essentials

What to bring snowshoeing?

We’ve now gone through all the necessary gear and clothing for snowshoeing.

In this section, you will find some more additional things for snowshoeing that are nice to have and really useful.

Backpacks For Snowshoeing

Small Backpack For Snowshoeing

A snowshoeing backpack is great to have if you want to bring things with you on tour.


Small Lightweight Backpack	Dakine 12 L Heli Backpack

Rechargeable Hand Warmer

A rechargeable hand warmer is a great gadget to bring for snowshoeing, especially when temperatures are very cold.

Rechargeable Electric Pocket Warmer

Sunscreen & Lip Balm

When it’s a rather sunny and warm day, we recommend bringing sunscreen and lip balm with SPF!


Neutrogena Ultra Sheer SPF 100	Sun Bum Tinted Lip Balm SPF 15

Insulated Thermos

To stay hydrated during your snowshoeing tour, we recommend packing a thermos so you can bring a hot tea or coffee with you to warm up.

YETI Rambler 18oz

Snowshoeing Packing List

And last but not least, here’s our snowshoeing checklist with what to pack for snowshoeing so you don’t forget anything.

You can download it with a right-click and print it out or save it to your phone to have a digital checklist for later.

Snowshoeing Checklist

What To Wear Snowshoeing?

Snowshoeing Clothing & Gear

That’s it! We hope you found our Snowshoeing Clothing & Gear Guide helpful and now know what to wear snowshoeing and which equipment you need to have a great day hiking in the snow.