Practical cold-weather essentials you can find anywhere—men stay warm but might feel a little shy wearing them

▲ Tights aren’t just for women—they can also help men stay warm in winter. (Photo/ Illustration, screenshot from ??琵衫? fan page)

By Chen Ruizhong, Taipei

As winter arrives, the climates of popular travel destinations among Taiwanese such as Japan, South Korea, and Europe & America continue to drop. For people in subtropical Taiwan, “staying warm” has become an important consideration when traveling.

Winter essentials like woolen hats, scarves, down jackets, gloves, and thermal wear are common sights on travelers during the cold season. Xiao Liu, a tour guide who frequently travels to Northeast Asia, says that women have a variety of lower-body clothing options for winter warmth, such as trousers, long skirts, leggings, and thermal pants. In contrast, men usually just wear regular trousers and long socks, which offer relatively less protection. But apart from thermal pants,“tights” can also be an excellent warming option for men.

Xiao Liu explains that while many assume tights are strictly for women, they were originally designed for both genders. Moreover,tights are warm and lightweight. Many men prefer wearing fitted pants or formal suits, and adding thermal pants underneath can often feel too tight and restrict movement. Switching to tights not only provides warmth but also maintains the shape of the pants and allows for ease of movement.For more discerning travelers, male-specific tights can also be purchased on Japanese shopping websites.

Tights are compact, easy to buy, and can be restocked as needed while traveling. What’s more,cleaned tights can even double as “flexible storage bags” to wrap clothes and reduce packing volume, or be used as elastic straps to secure luggage.They’re truly full of advantages. So if you’re a man traveling in winter, don’t be shy—give “tights” a try and discover their handy benefits.