Hey everyone and welcome back. Today we’re going to finally talk about clothing. This will be a longer video—and God am I not looking forward to how tough the editing is going to be—but for you guys, it’s all worth it. This is an important topic, so let’s dive in.

Layering: A Quick Primer

Clothing is obviously quite important in The Long Dark, but which clothes are being worn in which slot is also critical. The clothing inventory has multiple slots:

• Two head slots
• Four torso slots (two outer, two inner)
• One glove slot
• Two accessory slots
• Four lower body slots (two pants, two long johns)
• Two sock slots
• One shoe slot

Each group has inner (green) and outer (red) slots. A simple way to remember which is which is by looking at the layout—the closer to the survivor in the UI, the more “inner” it is.

The four-slot groups (torso and legs) are especially important. The game considers outer pants before long johns, so layering is top-to-bottom, outer to inner. Why care? Because your outermost layer affects bonuses such as windproofing and protection.

Attributes Breakdown

Let’s define the key clothing attributes:

• Warmth – Affects your ambient “feels like” temperature. Condition affects this: 50% condition means 50% warmth.
• Windproof Bonus – Shields against wind chill. Only outer layers contribute.
• Waterproof Bonus – Slows how fast clothes get wet and speeds up drying. Applies individually per item.
• Protection – Reduces damage from wildlife struggles, falls, and burns. Only outermost clothing matters (except accessories).
• Mobility – Reduces your maximum stamina. Every item contributes.
• Weight – Self-explanatory, though worn clothing only counts as 75% of its total weight.

Building the Best Loadouts

We’ll build three optimized loadouts: one for Defense, one for Mobility, and one for Warmth.

Shoes

Defense:

1. Combat Boots (10% protection)
2. Ski Boots (also 10%, heavier and less mobile)
3. Deer Skin Boots (7%)

Mobility:

1. Running Shoes (0% reduction)
2. Trail Boots
3. Leather Shoes

Warmth:

1. Insulated Boots
2. Ski Boots
3. Muckluks

Socks

Climbing Socks dominate. Every slot should use them. After that:

1. Wool Socks
2. Sports Socks

Long Johns

Only two options:

1. Wool Long Johns (better warmth/protection)
2. Thermal Underwear

Pants

Defense:

1. Wolfskin Pants (10%)
2. Deerskin Pants
3. Combat Pants

Mobility:

1. Combat Pants (0%)
2. Cargo Pants
3. Jeans

Warmth:

1. Wolfskin Pants
2. Snow Pants
3. Deerskin Pants

Gloves

Defense:

1. Tactical Gloves (7%)
2. Gauntlets (5%)
3. Work Gloves (4%)

Warmth:

1. Rabbit Skin Mittens (tie with Gauntlets)
2. Gauntlets
3. Tactical Gloves

Mobility differences here are negligible.

Inner Torso

Warmth + Protection:

1. Cowichan Sweater
2. Fisherman Sweater
3. Thick Wool Sweater

Mobility here is also negligible.

Outer Torso

Defense:

1. Moose Hide Cloak (20%)
2. Bearskin Coat (15%)
3. Tactical Jacket (15%)

Mobility:

1. Urban Parka
2. Mountaineering Jacket
3. Ski Jacket

Warmth:

1. Bearskin Coat (6°C)
2. Expedition Parka (4°C)
3. Wolfskin Coat

Headwear

Defense + Warmth:

1. Cougar Hide Wrap (6%)
2. Tactical Balaclava (5%)
3. Wolfskin Hat (4%)

Movement impact: none.

Accessories

Defense: Ballistic Vest (50% protection!)

Warmth + Movement: Improvised Insulation or Wool Ear Wrap

Note: The Ballistic Vest is heavy (6kg) and restricts mobility heavily.

Final Loadout Stats

Warmth Build:

• Max possible warmth: 44°C bonus.
• Only needed on Interloper or for blizzard survival.

Protection Build:

• Outer layers with max protection + Ballistic Vest = 103% protection.
• Add crampons for an optional 106% max.

Mobility Build:

• Best possible movement penalty: only 4%.
• Even with warm inner layers, total weight stays manageable.

Conclusion

You’re now equipped to survive and strut down the catwalk of Great Bear Island. Whether you want to outlast the cold, sprint across regions, or tank a bear mauling, there’s a perfect outfit for every occasion.

If I missed anything, feel free to comment. Thanks so much for watching and I’ll see you in the next one. Stay warm, survivors!