8 tips for posties on how to dress in an open vehicle

The Product Director for Workwear at Helly Hansen, Andreas Pohl-Larsen, is sharing his best tips on how to dress if you are a postman or a postwoman driving an open vehicle. He sees several benefits for postal workers driving open vehicles, including avoiding large temperature changes many times a day.

How to dress on a cold winter day?

1. The 3-layer principle is extremely important to stay warm throughout the day.
2. Base layer – this is the foundation of your clothing and its only real purpose is to keep your skin dry. If your skin is dry, you significantly increase your chance of staying warm. The main mistake people make is to use cotton, which has no technical value and should never be used as a base-layer when it is cold outside. Our most common base-layer is Lifa Merino, which has a 2-layer construction- Lifa against the skin and merino wool on the outside.
3. Mid-layer – this layer is there to provide warmth but also to give a layer where the moisture from the base-layer can be absorbed into. This can be a fleece or a mid-layer with down or synthetic insulation.
4. Outer layer – this layer is mainly there to protect you against the elements. It should be waterproof, windproof and it can have insulation if the weather requires it.

How to dress on a rainy day?

5. The points above are relevant on a rainy day too.
6. When it rains it is important to stay dry from the inside. A good technical base-layer and a mid-layer will allow this. A breathable and waterproof outer-layer will allow the moisture build up on the inside to escape while keeping the rain out at the same time

How to dress on a day with changeable weather?

7. Again the 3-layer principle is key, but in this instance ventilation becomes important so you can cool down faster to prevent sweating. Then you then can close the ventilation if the weather becomes colder.
8. The 3-layer principle also allows you to remove one layer if needed. If you are working hard and/or it is warm outside, you can easily take off either the outer layer or the mid-layer to adjust to the outside temperature.