Warm enough to keep working.

Three layers, each with one job. A baselayer next to the skin to move sweat away — not cotton, which holds it. A mid layer for warmth: fleece, sweatshirt or a padded gilet. An outer layer for wind and rain: softshell for most days, a proper waterproof when it is set in. Getting cold in winter is usually a baselayer problem, not a coat problem.

A softshell, for almost all outdoor work. A fleece is pure insulation and lets wind straight through, so it only works as a mid layer or indoors. A softshell blocks wind, sheds light rain and still breathes, which is why it is the layer most teams end up wearing from October to April.

For anyone outdoors all day below about 5 degrees, they make more difference per pound than anything else you can buy. The key point is fabric: a synthetic or merino baselayer moves sweat off the skin, a cotton t-shirt holds it and then chills the wearer the moment they stop moving.

A thermal-lined grip glove rather than a thick insulated one. Bulk kills dexterity, the glove comes off to handle fixings, and then the hands are bare in the cold — which is worse than a thinner glove worn all day. Look for a thermal liner with a coated palm.

Not the class, but it affects which garment carries it. Winter means more layers, and the certified hi-vis has to be the outer one — a jacket over a hi-vis polo hides the polo. In practice that means buying a hi-vis winter jacket rather than adding hi-vis underneath.

Two things matter: waterproofing and insulation, and they are separate. The S3 class in EN ISO 20345 covers a water-resistant upper, and the 2022 revision added S6 and S7 for fully waterproof versions. Insulation is a separate marking — CI for cold insulation. A waterproof boot is not automatically a warm one.