If you’ve never felt below-freezing temperatures, congratulations! But as a born-and-raised Angelino who moved to Chicago, my first Midwest winter was a wakeup call. Either adapt, or freeze off some body parts I really wanted to keep. In an act of desperation, I bought my first pair of long underwear from a nearby Uniqlo. That was 2021. Five years later, that exact set of long johns is still the most underrated piece in my closet.
For the skeptics out there, don’t worry. Modern long johns do not look like old-timey pajamas. Uniqlo’s HeatTech long johns are absurdly thin, basically invisible under denim or corduroy, and insanely effective in keeping core heat from bleeding away. If you’re the kind of person who needs extreme insulation, Uniqlo’s Ultra Warm iteration exists for that niche. But for everyone else, the standard pair hits the sweet spot of stealth warmth and everyday wearability.
In case you were wondering, the phrase “long johns” isn’t something people made up recently. It’s a term whose precise origin is debated, but it’s widely associated with heavyweight boxer John L. Sullivan (aka “the Boston Strong Boy”); printed references to “long Johns” as a two-piece underwear set appear in English texts in the late 19th century. Sullivan’s garment of choice in cold New England gyms helped popularize the style, and at this point, when I call the bottom half “long johns,” pretty much everyone gets what I’m talking about. When it’s cold out, I talk about them a lot.
Photos via Uniqlo
Anyway, back to the present. Uniqlo’s HeatTech fabric absolutely works. The company was founded in Yamaguchi, Japan, in the late 1980s, and their philosophy focused on simple, functional essentials (see: their white t-shirt, this snazzy raincoat). HeatTech is the same—simple and functional. It uses a blend of fibers designed to both trap body heat and wick moisture, essentially turning your body into its own micro-heater. The payoff with this is that, unlike thick wool or fleece, you don’t notice them when you’re dressing, and you do notice the absence of that creeping chill when you step outside.
There is one unintended side effect, though. Once you start wearing them, it’s hard to stop. They’re warm without being suffocating, soft without feeling delicate, and comfortable enough that “just keeping them on” becomes the default. Working from home, making coffee, lying on the couch pretending you’re about to go outside—suddenly the line between underwear and loungewear gets blurry. I’ve caught myself wearing them deep into the evening for no reason other than the fact that they’re pretty darn cozy.
Photo via Uniqlo
I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that most dudes don’t talk about long johns as often as they do watches or whiskey or even where to see the tallest free-standing totem pole on Earth.
That’s probably as it should be, but try asking your cold-weather friends if they have an opinion on long underwear. I guarantee you it’s going to get heated (heh).
That enthusiasm is partly practical and partly communal. Winter forces a kind of honesty on dudes who otherwise like to pretend they’re immune to discomfort. When it’s ten degrees out and the wind feels actively hostile, everyone suddenly has opinions. Long johns are less of a confession and more of a flex. You’ve figured something out. You’re warm, and you don’t look like you’re trying.
What makes the Uniqlo pair especially effective is that they don’t demand lifestyle changes. You don’t need to size up your jeans or rethink your silhouette. They disappear under whatever you’re already wearing and quietly improve your entire day. From walking to the train to standing around outside a bar, to waiting for a lift that’s definitely running late.
And the math is hard to ignore. You can spend big on winter gear—coats, boots, gloves—but those only work when you’re actually outside. A base layer works constantly. Indoors, outdoors, commuting, sitting still. Dollar for dollar, a ~$20 pair of HeatTechs might be the highest-ROI cold-weather purchase you can make.
So no, long johns aren’t glamorous. But neither is shivering. And there’s something quietly satisfying about moving through winter comfortably, without dramatics. If you live somewhere winter actually shows up, and especially if you came from somewhere it didn’t, this is the invisible upgrade that changes everything. Put them on once. Then notice how rarely you think about the cold again.
