Heads up! I’m going to tell you about some outdoor clothing that will make you wish our winters were longer.

I was reading Backpacker Magazine last January, thinking about a trip I had planned with five friends to ski into Lower South Ranch Pond in Baxter State Park, when I came across an ad for Paramo Directional Clothing Systems. Their clothing is more than just breathable, it “pumps moisture away from your skin,” allowing you to maintain a steady body temperature and be comfortable, it said.

Some of the line is windproof, waterproof and breathable, while other pieces are just windproof. Others are reversible, allowing you to remain cooler in warm weather. It’s all designed to help the climate nearest your skin remain at a comfortable level and thereby keep you in the outdoors longer.

The 9-year-old company headquartered in England has built its success on “building your clothing system from the skin outwards.”

I was interested, but skeptical. So I checked out the company’s Web site (www.paramo.co.uk) and began scanning through the images and descriptions.

After a closer look, my skepticism faded and my curiosity got the better of me. I e-mailed the company and asked them to make a believer out of me. Fiona Park wrote back. She said the company would be glad to take on the challenge. Name the pieces you’d like to try, she said.

OK, make my day, said I, and send me an outer layer (top and bottom), a fleece top and a base shirt. That should give me a few options to conquer the elements, I thought. I could always supplement them with other, more conventional layers from the closet.

The clothes arrived just days before I was to depart for the Baxter trip. For the next few days I practically slept in the clothing (they’re so soft, quiet and comfortable you could sleep in them). I walked the dog morning and night, played in the snow with the dog at lunch and spent as much time outdoors in those few days as I could wearing my Paramos.

I secretly wished for rain so I could test the waterproofness of the Taiga fleece jacket, the Aspira jacket and Cascada trousers, or the moisture management of the reversible Mountain Shirt, but Mother Nature was not in the rain mode. Instead she sent me plenty of cold, snow and wind. I was impressed at the protection these items provided.

But, with such a short introduction before my trip I didn’t have time to build confidence in these duds, so I packed for the trip as though I didn’t have them. It turned out I packed in a lot of extra clothing. I could have survived comfortably in just the Paramo layers.

On the 111/2-mile ski into the park (temperatures in the 20s) I wore a “polypro” base layer, the Mountain Shirt and a pair of fleece pants. Whenever I stopped to rest I threw on the Taiga fleece. The shirt blocked wind infiltration and helped keep perspiration moving outward where it would condense on the outside and evaporate. Cold was never a factor.

The next day (windy and in the 20s) we spent exploring on snowshoes. I wore “polypro” as a base layer, the Cascada trousers for an outer layer on bottom and the Mountain Shirt and the Aspira jacket. The jacket and trousers are amply outfitted with zippers and snaps (called “poppers” in England) to allow ventilation. The pants have a full side zipper, while the jacket has a placket zipper and two front-side zippers that allow ample ventilation. The trousers have a drawstring and elastic waist (with belt loops, too!), zippered, on-seam side pockets and a fly.

The jacket has a hood designed with a wire-stiffened brim that allows ample protection from snow and rain. It turns with your head and is quiet. There are side adjustments and one at the back to keep it as snug or loose as you wish. Waist and hem bungees also provide the opportunity for snugging down the fit or loosening it up to allow mild ventilation. Ditto for the cuffs that have “poppers” and a hook and loop adjustment. There are vents at the sleeve tops (not pit zips) that can remain open to allow air to circulate when you want. In fact, Paramo says there are 27 different ways to make adjustments on this jacket. All zippers have fabric pulls.

There’s a big kangaroo pocket in front, and two upper chest pockets fastened with hook and loop. Inside the front, behind the kangaroo pocket, are two horizontal zippered pockets that I couldn’t find a use for.

Both jacket and trousers are two-layer garments (not bonded) that are breathable and waterproof because the Nikwax Analogy pump liner directs moisture outward. They stop wind like a brick wall. The fact that this clothing keeps you dry and comfortable would be enough, but every day I wear these clothes I marvel at how quiet they are. There’s no rustle or stiffness that you’d associate with some outer clothing. And even better, this stuff’s as soft as silk, and rugged as all get-out.

Bottom line? Comfort, durability and good looks. I find I reach for at least one of these pieces every day, and it’s now the middle of May! (OK, there were a couple of 90-degree days I didn’t.)

Do I have any nitpicks? One. The two-way zipper on the Taiga jacket has a left-hand pull. I have trouble starting it. I’m used to right-hand pulls and I can’t seem to master it.

Check out the company’s Web site and see what’s offered. You can trust what they say about their clothing. Write and request a catalog at: Paramo UK Head Office, Unit B, Durgates Industrial Estate, Wadhurst, East Sussex, TN5 6DF, United Kingdom.

Jeff Strout’s column is published on Thursdays. He can be reached at 990-8202 or by e-mail at jstrout@bangordailynews.net.