Cold ... and dealing with it

There have been a number of threads on the cold weather, and how what some people think is cold, other people don’t. These responses have been spread out over a number of threads, and I’d like it, if it’s not imposing too much on the board, if we had a bunch together, just to try and understand what is too cold …
Example, on some thread, someone has already scoffed at anyone who thinks temps above 0 F is cold. Someone else has mentioned, don’t drop your keys at -15 F, 'cause you’ll have to take your gloves off to pick them up, and you fingers won’t work anymore, once you’ve got them. That’s the sort of MPS, I’d like people to share.

My example, it has been 15-18 F where I’m at. I walk one mile to work. I wore my usual cotton dockers, and my legs were a little cold, but I kept moving. I wore an ordinary coat, not super thinsulate gortex microfleece whatever. A wool hat, and I wrapped my scarf about my face, to keep from getting my nose cold. That was something of a mistake – my breath fogged up my glasses, and sometimes I had to stop and wipe, because I really couldn’t check if traffic was coming my way, or not. My wool gloves were nice, but I was warmer if I kept my hands in my pockets. This was the coldest I’ve been out since I was a kid, back when I probably didn’t care about how cold I was, or maybe parents and teachers were looking out for me I don’t know.

So how cold is it for you, with what you have to do, and how to you deal with it – clothing, exposure duration, and mannerisims (what can you do outside at what temp.)

Layers layers layers. I went out in the 5 degree air this morning wearing leggings, socks, wool pants, wool tshirt, long wool sweater, wool jacket, wool coat, fur mittens, wool scarf, wool hat and two hoods and fur boots.

It was bearble for the half hour it takes me to walk to work.

Walking is good. I spent some time walking outside last night in 17-18* F weather and after walking two or three blocks hardly felt cold at all. I was bundled up and wearing lots of wool, which helped.

It was -17 earlier this week. I didn’t bother to wear gloves going from the parking lot at work into the building - the door was really cold when I had to grab the handle to open it and I probably should have grabbed gloves - but they weren’t in my pocket. Kinda stupid. But I only park about four rows of cars back - it isn’t a half mile walk or anything.

Layers. I wear a t-shirt, mock turtle neck, wool sweater and a jacket over that. I have a fur hat too which is a huge help.

When I was out yesterday it was still below zero, but the air was still and the sun felt warm. It was really a very beautiful day. Just remember to bring your hat and gloves.

If there is no wind, the sun is out and there’s snow on the ground to reflect it, you feel a lot warmer than it is.

I see a lot of people around here wear footwear that probably leaves their feet very cold. Not a big deal since most urban dwellers including myself don’t stay outside long enough to matter, but if you are working outside, you should wear proper footwear.

Your feet are the furthest points from your core with the worst circulation, so they tend to get cold the fastest and warm up the slowest. Here is the key to keeping your feet warm: **MOST OF THE HEAT IN YOUR FEET IS LOST THROUGH THE SOLES **, via conduction from the soles to the cold ground. Any kind of footwear with thin and/or hard soles will be terrible in the cold, regardless of how much fluffy furry insulation there is in the upper.

These are what we wore in the (Canadian) army. They look ridiculous and are cheaply made, but the key feature, which you can’t see very well in the picture, are the insoles - 2 were used, a harder mesh one and a thick felt one on top of that which together were about 1" thick, both designed to trap the maximum amount of air between the soles and the ground. These were tricky to wear comfortably for long marches, because the thickness and softness of the soles played havoc with people’s feet that were use to more arch support and more snug fitting boots, but they were the only way to keep from getting frostbite on your feet. I understand the Russians wore something similar to this as well.

So there you have it. If you are going to be outside, ignore the silly looking boots with the furry uppers that look like Yeti’s feet, and instead have as much insulation as possible between the soles of your feet and the ground. Especially avoid shoes that look well insulated but have hard plastic soles that freeze quickly and become perfect heat conductors. Leather boots with hard soles are the absolute worst thing you can wear in the cold - you might as well be in flip flops.

I was just talking to my sister today, and she mentioned that she just can’t stay warm in the mornings. She warms her car up, but it just doesn’t help. She is in her early 50’s, very slim, and has a touch of arthritis in her toes.

She said that her feet get cold the most. Is there anything that I can get for her to help her stay warm? Are there certain socks that work best? Her work area is sometimes a little chilly, too.

A work buddy gave me a really great scarf - it’s nice and warm. It’s surprising how one extra item makes all the difference in how long I can handle the cold.

purple haze: No cotton socks. Wool or special manmade fibers specifically designed for cold weather. I wore handknit socks made from 75% wool under my nice warm boots during our -10 F to at least -20 F temps this week.

I have a history of minor frostbite on my fingers (not to mention moderate on my feet) and my cheap gloves from Target, which had mostly been doing OK this winter, completely failed during our two super-cold days this week. They didn’t have any real insulation, just a fuzzy lining under the outer shell, and my fingers started getting numb after less than two blocks’ walk outside. I picked up some nice gloves today rated at 100 grams of Thinsulate lining.

My face was partially exposed because if I wrap my wool scarf around my face such that the scarf tucks up under my glasses, then my breath ends up frosting up my glasses. If that happens and I pull the scarf away, then my face is exposed, and it’s moist from my breath, and the skin rapidly gets painful due to the cold’s reaction with the moisture. So my nose and cheeks were a bit tingling by the end of my 5 block walk.

I wore a down jacket, polarfleece zip-up thin jacket underneath, stocking cap, wool scarf, gloves, long johns under my slacks, and the aforementioned wool socks plus tall boots (with very thick soles). My legs weren’t bad except for the second cold day; I should have worn my wool-blend, lined slacks intended for winter wear instead of a lighter weight pant.

Layers are good. Even in gloves. I hate those enormous stiff ski glove horrors, so I wear a pair of those cheapie little twofer-a-dollar stretchy gloves under a pair of wool “shooters mittens” (they’re fingerless gloves with a mitten over-pocket that allow me to pick up my car keys without pain or suffering and still have enough dexterity to insert the key into the ignition.

At thirty below, one mustn’t dawdle, of course.

ETA: what did I screw up in Picassa to get those wee tiny little pictures?

I’m a cold-lover - I consider it too cold to go for a long walk outside at around -40ºC. Anything above that is still walking weather for me. My cold weather gear:

  • Layered gloves if it’s really cold - I pull my fingers into the body of the glove until I warm up from the walking, then my fingers go back out to radiate the heat out of me.
  • Longjohns under my thick-ish pants.
  • Turtleneck shirt or sweater under my parka. If I wear the sweater, I’ll have a t-shirt under that.
  • Long, warm scarf. Useful for wrapping around my neck most of the time, and around my face and head if it’s windy. I just take my glasses off when I have to cover my face.
  • Good winter boots like these Sorels. These are very similar to mine.
  • I don’t bother with a toque or hat, but I do wear a knitted headband over my ears and forehead. I get hot from walking, so I like to be able to radiate heat off my head.
  • Stay dry. Brush all snow off immediately before it melts. Wipe moisture off my face if I have to cover it with a scarf.
  • If it’s really cold and you want to warm up fast, jog a half block or so. You’ll be toasty in no time.

I dunno; if people who aren’t used to cold, I guess feeling a little nip in the fingers or cheeks might scare them. A little nip doesn’t bother me, because I know it’s just a little cold, and not actually damaging my fingers or cheeks. I have a pretty good sense of how cold I am and where the lines are.

I’m not leaving the house if I can help it if the temps go below 25F. It has been around 17F the past couple of days. SO to deal with the weather inside the house, I’d already put up thermal drapes across the one huge heat sucking french doors, but last night I nailed to the wall 2 old blankets between the first and second and second and third floors. It helped a great deal, but i still don’t want to see the con ed bill next month.

I baked yesterday and made bread dough, so I can bake that today. The next cold day will see me turning on the oven for a self-clean. Everyone’s wearing sweaters, socks and their slippers. (which is unusual, since if my kids had the choice they’d be practically naked all the time)

If I had to leave the house on a day below 25F, I wear double pants, a shirt under my sweater, and double socks, as well as normal winter gear (wool coat, hat, scarf, gloves). If I had to pick one thing that makes me a wuss, it would be the cold.

Below -15 C I prefer not to backcountry ski on my own, due to reduced survival rate if I get seriously hurt. Below -25 C I do not cross-country as frequently because the snow is very slow; at that temp I try to remember to plug in my vehicle’s block heater. Below -40 (C or F) I still happily telemark at my local lift area, but often they usually close the lifts on me when it gets that cold – at that temp I also do a double check for survival gear in my vehicle.

Pac boots tend to pull my regular socks off, so I end up walking with my socks bunched up at my toes and balls of my feet. High (full calf length) ski socks work for me. Swapping in dry socks, liners and insoles is a tremendous advantage over other types of boots. Happy feet!

How do I deal with the cold? The same think I do every day, Pinky. I try to take over the world!

Seriously, I just try enjoy the good things that come along with cold weather – skiing, kite skiiing, and snowshoeing (unfortunately, ice skates hurt my feet, so I only occasionally go skating, and I don’t have a snomobile). Physically dealing with the cold is simple enough – just have a look at what the temp will be and dress accordingly, and have a good battery and block heater in the vehicle. Mentally dealing with the cold is simple enough – just look forward to cold weather activities.

And with that, it’s time for me to wander over to the ski hill. (For folks who are not familiar with skiing, just try to imagine something that on a good day is better than sex.)

One of the most important things to remember about cold weather survival is don’t overheat.

In very cold temperatures, sweating is very dangerous. If you sweat, you will become extremely chilled as soon as you slow down your physical activity.

Dress in layers of synthetic materials and remove layers when you start to get hot.

Don’t get all bundled up before you are ready to step outside into the cold.

It really depends on what I’m doing. If I know I’m just going from the car to the gym, back to the car, etc., then I just wear the leather coat I wear at any other time of year, along with jeans and street shoes, and a pair of gloves to keep my hands from getting too dry. Once it drops below zero, I wear a more serious winter coat just as a precaution in case the car breaks down or there’s an accident.

Otherwise, for more extended outdoors time, it’s layer up and wear mittens and head/face protection. Since I frostbit both ears back when I was 18 and stupid, I make sure they’re protected now, as it’s the gift that keeps on giving.

I highly recommend polypropylene for a first layer material, whether socks, gloves or long underwear. Very thin, lightweight and supple. Instantly wicks liquid away from the skin, produced by the body or from external source.
My wife has Raynaud’s syndrome and I once worked for utilities in any and all weather; it serves well.

I hate the cold. Almost as much as the cold, I hate wearing layers. BUT I’ve discovered that those cute vintage tees they sell during the summer are far less annoying as a layer than just about anything else you can wear under a sweater. I recommend them for fellow layer-haters.

Sing it. We went up to a winter lodge last year for vacation and bought some of this for just that purpose. Wearing that stuff, then jeans over it, then waterproof/windbreak (and thin) overpants worked perfectly for going snowmachining or any other extended outdoor activity.