What and how are you ‘cold weather state’ guys wearing…and still staying warm?
It gets to around the teens here for low temps.Sometimes I’m down to the last beltbuckle hole with sooo much stuff on.
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I didn’t do it….the buck does NOT stop here.
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Where I am, the outside guys will work at way below zero, and layers is the name of the game. Plus those Grabber McCool chemical hot bags you stuff in your gloves and boots, when it gets really ridiculous.
At the coldest, the first layer is silk, top and bottom. Next, we'll do polypropylene, then fleece, more fleece if necessary, then a windblock of some sort.
My favorite work jacket in the cold is a Carhartt waisted rancher, which pinches tight at the waist, and then has thigh-length "skirts" hanging down. Allows the tool belt to go on easy, and not foul by the lower length of the coat.
Alternatively, a one-piece zip-up might be preferred, and there are many choices. The problem in cold weather is the tool belt, combined with some kind of a short jacket. They don't work together.
I like the layers personally because when the weather swings or the work level increases, you can strip off something and still be comfy.
Where do you get the silk undies? Sounds like the cat's pajamas for comfort. I wear the polypropylene but the silk underlayer would definitely add a luxurious touch.I wear cushion sole socks - sythetics in the summer but nothing beats a wool blend for cold weather. Costco has had some good wool socks for the last couple of years for considerably less than the $7.50 to $14 per pair at the sporting good store.When I was in Barrow, AK, I was surprised how light weight the jackets were that the Native Alaskan's wore. Didn't see any of the old time all fur jackets on the street, but most jacket hoods in Barrow had hoods with fur around the opening - reportedly helped trap a layer of air by the face. The cold up there was dry - I have been colder in San Francisco at 36 degrees than in Barrow at about zero...It hasn't gotten to the long underwear stage for me yet in the Portland, OR area. However, I am still amazed at all the young ladies taking their smoking break outside in mid-30 degree weather, with a chilly breeze blowing, and still hewing to the fashion of low slung pants, high water shirts and jackets, and a 2" bare strip of skin around their waist to make sure their navel is clearly displayed...
think probably out of wifes undies drawer?lol i dont know i live in florida and work inside but sometimes its real cold for my wife to start the truck for me at 5:15
Casey, there used to be a national host of a CBC (same as NPR) radio named Peter Gzowski. Smoked himself to death, but that's another story.
Anyway, he was once interviewing a visitor from out of the country about impressions of the far north: visitor mentioned that according to his observation, there was a terrible prostitution problem in Iqaluit.
<http://www.city.iqaluit.nu.ca/page.php?user=Business&page=locnunavut&mabout=1&mcounc=0&mdept=0&mnew=0&msuser=0>
This is in a city of about 5000.
....Incredulous silence........
Peter: "In Iqaluit"? with a voice rising with total disbelief
Guest: "That's right. Around every office building entrance (2 floors, maybe 3, at the time) there were all these attractive young women, standing around in the barest of clothing, smoking".
If you click on the link, you will see how far north, and how cold the place must be..
AaronQuality repairs for your home.
Aaron the HandymanVancouver, Canada
The best gear I've ever had is my leftover military polypropylenes. They're that super trendy brown color (like you care) but comfy, very very warm, not too bulky . . . and as mentioned, windbreak over them and you're good for some very cold conditions. I can be outside in 0's with a T, the poly, a flannel shirt, and a goretex jacket for extended periods. Keeping my giraffe neck and my fingers warm is always the challenge.
"If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man." - Mark Twain
Ok, it is going to sound funny to have a guy from Florida making suggestions as to how to dress warmly. On the other hand with 90wt blood designed to run cool when the temperatures are sucking up to 100F and the relative humidity is about 100% I get cold quickly.
Around 60F I'm looking for protection. It gets into the low twenties, sometimes high teens, round here but to me it is 40F cooler. And warmer temperatures don't always translate into comfort. 37F with a misting rain and a gusty 25 mph breeze can send folks used to 0F folks but no moisture or wind running for cover.
Base layer is polypropylene or Captaline stretch long underwear. Bottoms early and top as it gets colder. Poly socks a given. Poly balaclava and liner gloves as needed.
Poly fleece mid-layer insulation. Used to be to get the good stuff you had to go to a trail shop. Now you can often find decent stuff for cheap, fleece and poly, at Target and Wally world. Fleece socks, balaclava, neck gaiter, and gloves help.
Wind and rain shell are outside. Gotetex, or any of the better brand names with the same idea of keeping water, rain and ice melt, outside while letting the vapor, from sweat, through, are ideal. Even better if you can get ones with ventilation zips. The best ones designed for mountaineering are quite expensive, often over $400 a set, but very adaptable.
Any more I find myself using cheaper non-membrane rainwear, Stearns is a widely available name for about 45$ a set, and just work the cuffs and openings to keep the inside from steaming up. They also make a sub-mountaineering quality breathable sets for about $100 a set.
I have outer layer work gloves and a good bomber hat with flip-down ear flaps. I also keep a down vest in the truck.
Only when it was a very rare bitter cold morning at about 12F, on the ground, and I was six stories up on a scaffold in the wind did I actually wear the full rig with long undies, fleece, down vest, balaclavas, liners and work gloves and rain suit. I was warm. A high standard for a Florida boy under these conditions.
I figure this rig ought to get a Yankee, with thin Yankee blood, down to 10 or 20 below zero. Not that any sane human would willingly live anywhere that got that cold.
"37F with a misting rain and a gusty 25 mph breeze can send folks used to 0F folks but no moisture or wind running for cover."True. Lots of times we fly out of Anchorage in Winter and land in Seattle. Might be 30 or 40 degrees warmer btu feels the same.-9 this morning.David Thomas Overlooking Cook Inlet in Kenai, Alaska
I've lived and worked in some pretty extremly cold climates and it's always layers.
Who Dares Wins.
Cotton kills, the key to staying warm is staying dry and cotton holds moisture that will make you cold.
I like thin poly pro next to my skin, then E.C.W.S weight poly pro, then a poly fleece vest or top, and my Carhart. My bottom half gets thin and ECWS poly pro and usually overalls (less drafty).
The awful thing is that beauty is mysterious as well as terrible. God and the devil are fighting there, and the battlefield is the heart of man.
- Fyodor Dostoyevski
Doubling the gloves is the horror, I always seem to nail the outer pair to the wall.
me .. I gotta have cotton ...
100% next to the skin ... of I feel like I'm suffocating
then I start sweating ... then freezing ...
for me ... a layer of basic thermals ... even KMart does the trick ...
then an outter layer of carhart insulated bib's ... my legs never get cold ...
but I gotta have good boots ... but not too insulated as that'd make the feet sweat too much ...
with a top of a t shirt ... maybe an old tight sweat shirt ...
then a flannel ...
plus a big flannel or big thermal shirt ...
then a short jacket .. like my carhart ...
and gloves.
that way ... as the top half gets warm ... I can adjust.
I also wear a tossle cap ... which I hate ... because like I always told my Mom ... my head never gets cold ... but like she says ... sure ... because I always make U wear a hat! So I figure the uglier the better ....
Have worn sweat pants over/under jeans as a last resort once or twice ...
I actually dress warmer for salmon fishing at Erie ...
Jeff Buck Construction
Artistry in Carpentry
Pgh, PA
OK..I'll never hear the end of this..ever.When I was an avid hunter (deer) all the old timers swore by pantyhose...yup, panty hose. I tried it one December day, and by God I stayed warm.One day bear hunting in a swampy area, the hummoks and ice gave way and I was waist deep in fridgid water..I managed to get unstuck and walked 2 miles back to camp, my pants were frozen solid (it was about 10 degrees) and my boot laces had to be cut to get them off..my lower extremities tho' stayed warm.Have not worn em since tho'. for the record.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.
Could you post a picture?
being as I was 15, that would make you a sicko..and subject to prosecution and persecution.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.
Ok, but could you still post a pic?
No! geeze..ya prevert..some people..sheesh.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.
Given your recent posts about trying to stay warm.And the fact that your wife and step daughter probably wear them. And your a pretty resourceful guy........And your freezing. And it's worked well for you in the past.And....................your feezing.........I'd say your all dressed up pretty again.
Not that there's anything wrong with that.Who Dares Wins.
hmmmmm...the step daughter's might fit..but the dw is a queen size..one size does NOT fit all. Besides I have a hard enough time getting into pantyhose the OTHER way. LOL
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.
Dont feel like you were the only one, thats an old military trick before polypuke.
I just work inside until its march. lol
Hey, don't feel bad.
I once heard that the motorcycle cops here rode with pantyhose, so asked one, once.
He never answered, just smiled.
I ride with 'em, on told, clear, unicy days.Quality repairs for your home.
Aaron the HandymanVancouver, Canada
I used to ride bicycles with a guy who carried a pair of pantyhose in his saddlebag just in case, one day a couple of years back I got caught out on a job as the sun disapeered and the temp. dropped which is way to early in the day up in the northern states so off I went to the store but man ya gotta buy those big girl sizes and clip your toenails if you don't want blowouts.
Layers, base layer of something hydrophobic [I think that's right?] that moves moisture away from the skin,4lorni's thread covers that,fleece, light wool sweaters off the discount table[$6.00]. Really nice mountain stuff like down jackets or synthetic fill will just get destroyed if they don't have a tough outer shell....The surplus store can be a find particularily military glove liners,there uni-hand so a couple of pairs can survive a few seasons. The tough one for me is footwear above freezing you can change socks often and use insulated liners,make your own out of that thin aluminum faced insulation at the box store, below freezing sorel pacs with a spare pair of liners at home and swap them daily. Vapor barrier liners whether plastic bags or or something manufactured. A mountaineer friend turned me on to this.... put a good deoderant like mitchum unscented on your feet ,followed by thin synthetic sock, followed by a neoprene sock[I got mine from http://www.nrsweb.com]. This works really well for extreme cold...activity level really determines how you have to stay warm I can work all day looking like the mitchelin man and go skate skiing after work in a thin pair of tights,light synthetic top, and a nylon vest. If your warm when you walk out the door your too warm for work and never,never break into a sweat no matter how often ya gotta stop and peel those layers on and off.
Get yourself one of these military sweaters they are the best. Just put it over a t shirt but don't put it on until you get to the job because you'll sweat in it in the truck. Then put whatever you need on top. I dress in layers and always wear black.
http://www.fatiguesarmynavy.com/store/item/US9998
Merry Christmas!
I live in MN, so we know what cold is around here.
Insulated boots and layering is the key, of course, but for me the real problem is gloves. I haven't found anything that is thin enough to work and yet warm enough to keep your fingers from going numb with the cold.
I am anxious to know how other cold weather types have solved the glove problem.
hehehehe....hate when that happens! Specially those brown jersy gloves for a $1.00.
Was wondering if anyone else wore 'wool'sweaters,I've got one sorta like that Joe.I tried a pair of 'liner'socks under the wool ones and they aggragated me all day, they'd keep slippin down and crease up under my foot.
Hmmm, will have to check on some polyprolene stuff today...have been wearing mostly cotton stuff as the first top layer.
I didn't do it....the buck does NOT stop here.
I wear coveralls that are two to three sizes too big . It's like wearing a drysuit when you go ice diving. Then I wear thre cheap yellow rubber boots that are about three sizes larger than my shoe size . that works better than the isulated or sorrel type boots ,for me.
I put my polypropylene bottoms on first and then pull my socks over them. you have to get the long socks that cover your calves and they will never fall down or put the socks on first and pull the poly bottoms over them. Try both ways. I also tuck a nice long turtleneck inside the poly bottoms and then your back will never be exposed unless you have a Big Beer Belly waiting to bust out.........;-)Joe Carola
Tiz,
I like to wear carhart pants sized one or 2 sizes big. You might think at first that this is an attempt by me to appear "urban", but it is not :-) I wear them big because they are comfortable and in the winter I can wear long underwear. The best I've used is Capilene by Patagonia. I wear them snowboarding too. Here is a link to the kind I've had now for about 4 years.
http://www.patagonia.com/za/PDC?OPTION=PRODUCT&merchant_rn=7385&cgrfnbr=366040&sku=44602&ws=false&promo_cat=&promo_cat_id=
http://www.patagonia.com/za/PDC?OPTION=PRODUCT&merchant_rn=7385&sku=44692&ws=false
It isn't cheap, but it's lasted a long long time. My cousin and brother-in-law love under armour http://www.underarmour.com/ua2/ua/default.asp .
I love fleece. I buy the cheap stuff for outer wear. That bright orange fleece that I was wearing in the pic of the barrel ceiling was from WalMart for $15. I bought it a size bigger than I need. If it is really cold, then I'll wear another fleece underneath that orange one. I have a black Nike fleece that I bought about 5 years ago for snowboarding and it is really nice. Also Jasen keeps finding North Face fleece on sale for $20. I've been trying to steal them for awhile.
Oh and one other thing, wear your rain coat. I have the Grundens pull over rain coat and when it's cold or really windy, I'll wear that as a wind breaker. I get too hot in that though.
I'm in Minnesota, too. When I was a kid, my dad got some Army surplus shooter's mittens at the surplus store - they had a wool inner liner with a leather/canvas outer, along with a trigger finger that stuck out the side of the mitten part. When your trigger finger gets cold you can pull it back inside the main mitten to warm up. They were pretty bulky but they always kept my hands warm.
I see they're still available at this website: http://www.fatiguesarmynavy.com/store/item/US0514
nikkiwood,Just picked up some gloves by Hotfingers, Ride Side model RS2 (http://hotfingersgloves.com/). They seem to have a good bit of dexterity, with fair amount of insulation ( Im hoping they keep my fingers warm into the teens). Not sure where you'll be able to find them though.Only thing that gets cold on me usually is my fingers and toes ( helped in part to a good frostbite when I was younger).-m2akita
Layers are good, the one thing I found really important is to have a one piece something, overalls, that covers your back so that when you bend over there is not a separation between your lower torso and the upper, no bare skin. good foot wear, I cut the fingers out of gloves and wear those and always wear a good hat, baseball (Boston) for not so cold and a wool toque for real cold.
I am working inside these days, sun rises at 9:30 sets at 4:00 this time of year in the Yukon, the framing crews have halogen lamps set up, start later and finish early. The cold isn't so bad but when the wind comes up it really shuts things down.
Framer T
I have lived in Quebec & Manitoba and that is why I now live in British Columbia. Warm & raining Xmas day. The U.S. Army did a cold weather test in the Arctic using their best cold weather equipment, vs. all the best climbing & mountain gear vs. Inuit parkas and gear. Guess who won. They were taking off the Inuit gear as they were too hot. They also layer, the Cariboo hair is like bamboo in that the hairs are hollow with blocks along the shaft. The problem was in warmer climates every dog in the neighborhood came to visit.
I have not heard any one mention eiderdown. As long as you don't get it wet it is light and unbelievably warm.
Cheers
Mac
Well darn,Tim...no pic of you modeling your thermals?hehe. Sorry,too much eggnog today.
I didn't do it....the buck does NOT stop here.
It is true. For real cold-weather performance, it is hard to beat Mother Nature's own. I have a fur hat my wife brought back from a trip to the USSR in the 80's. With the earflaps down, that thing is so warm it is unbearable above 20 degrees. I saw a show on PBS about this town on the north Siberian truck route. Everyone wears fur in winter, nothing else. I think the kids stay home from school when it goes below minus 60 degrees or some similar figure. What a life.I used to work in the Colorado mountains, and I found the best hand treatment was to start with extra body and head insulation. Get so your fingers are the only place body heat can exit, and let your circulation do the rest. I would wear thin polypro gloves inside fingerless wool gloves. Mittens nearby for jobs not needing dexterity. After a day at sub-zero temps, I'd come inside and my hands would be on fire for some minutes until they were convinced that it was safe to relax. Now I live in sunny Southern California, and it all seems so distant...BillEdited to spell out "degrees." Prospero turned my symbol into a question mark both times.
Edited 12/26/2004 1:40 am ET by Bill
don't get outta bed...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
I've worked to about as low as -10. After that I have to question how much work actually gets done. I might have viewed it differently but consecutive days below -10 are pretty rare around here.
I always start out with a nice Duofold Union suit type long john. Next is a regular K-mart type generic Thermal top. I wear Jeans (Usually LL Bean, they just fit right with all that extra stuff under them) and sweat Shirt. Over that goes a Hooded Pull over sweat shirt. I'm not much for wool so I wear a pair of tube socks with a pair of thermal socks over them.
I can add more thermal shirts as needed and everything is sized for that. The hooded seatshirt always goes last. I keep a hat handy but I prefer the hood. Plain brown gloves. I used to keep about a dozen pairs in the truck.
Carhart overalls (Non-Insulated) in place of the jeans for really cold days. It's really important to keep that cold from working it's way in between those layers. That's why I like the union suit.
Insulated boots with an extra pair in the truck. I hate any of the rubberized ones so I just kept an extra pair handy.
Some guys miss the simple stuff and that makes life much harder. Cold is relative. I know a ton of guys who get in the truck and crank the heat up as far as it will go on the way to work. Then they get to the job and hop out of the 80 dgree truck and into the 5 degree air. That just makes it that much colder. Also, I used to start my truck in the morning and let it warm up. I would put the heat on low and drive to work wearing just what I needed. When I got there I would pile all the rest on. That way you have layers to adjust with when it's really cold. It might be all in the head but putting the extra stuff on in the cold always seemed to keep me warm.
As of late Uncle Sam has dumped tons of Polypro and Goretex winter stuff on me. I'm not sure any of it is worth what it costs. more than a few winters I've found myself trying to make sure the sleeves of my Blue Union suit didn't show past the cuffs of my uniform.
What do you do,I peeked at your Profile....nothing. We never get below 0 here. Do air guns work at that level? Have seen guys eat lunch in their trucks with heat blasting,with all their stuff on. Air condition in summer,too.Jump back out in the 90 degree heat.
I didn't do it....the buck does NOT stop here.
Some of the Bozo's that I've worked with over the years drive to work fully dressed heat blasting at 50000° and then get out of the truck and complain that it's FREEZING.Some guys I've worked with would light fires in a barrel and stand in front of it and then walk away and complain that they're FREEZING. For me I would rather stay away from the fire or go sit in my truck with the heat on. If I did do that all my clothes would come off first. Learning to dress right and be smart seems to be difficult for people so all the advice on this thread is well worth it.Joe Carola
I'm in the Pennsylvania/New Jersey Border area. Right now I do as Uncle Sam tells me to do. thats what i'll be doing for at least two more years. I was a framer for a long time. I ran crew for someone and had my own as well. I've also trimmed and done much finish work.
It doesn't get below 20 around here very often but you do have a cold snap every now and then. I'm a firm believer in what the Thermometer says. Wind Chill My###. What does the thermometer say right where you are. I can show you places around here where it might say -12 in one spot and two miles away it might say+20.
Yeah you can get guns to work below freezing. They make a few oils with anti-freeze in them. Also keep the tank and lines dry. At the end of the day I used to run the compressor with the drain open. That way any condensation was forced out. Also, I used to put my guns behind the seat of the truck during a cold snap. That way they would get nice and warm on the way to work. When not in use like at break time or at lunch time we used to put them in the plywood shelter we built for the generator and compressor to keep warm.
In a few weeks I'll be getting a letter and a set of orders that will move from a line company to a battalion level operations NCO. I would still rather be out in the winetr framing. Oh well.
Duluth has some great winter gear. They have an awesome pair of winter gloves with the option of bic cuffs to keep the wind out. For the past couple of years I have been wearing flannel lined jeans. Carhart seem to fit me the best. I got them from Dututh Trading also. If it gets too cold I can use long underwaer with the jeans.
Dress loose and light and keep a source of heat nearby. At the first sign of cold, warm up.
blueWarning! Be cautious when taking any framing advice from me. Although I have a lifetime of framing experience, all of it is considered bottom of the barrel by Gabe. I am not to be counted amongst the worst of the worst. If you want real framing information...don't listen to me..just ask Gabe!
I'm from New Jersey and we get a few cold days in winter. It's not like the frozen north but we get single digits and teens. I have more trouble with the hot weather in summer than the cold.
Maybe I have antifreeze for blood but I don't feel cold until it's in the teens or the twenties with a stiff wind. Like everyone else said, layers and a good wind proof layer.
How do you work in the extreme heat and sun? As soon as it hits 12:00 in June, July and august, I'm ready to quit. That sun kills me. Makes me sick to my stomach, I stop working til 3:00.
How do you do it?
>how do you stand the heat> I bitch and moan about it all summer...absolutely despise heat & humidity.
I didn't do it....the buck does NOT stop here.
Jemcon,
Where in Northern N.J are you?
Bergen County. How about you?
I'm just west of Allentown P.A. . I used to work in Moriss and Somerset counties as well as the Princton area.
How is work up your way? and What is most of your business? Framing? Remodeling?
I've often thought that If I were to go back to the trades I would work more out your way.
Works good. I do remodeling/repair work. Try to get decks in spring and fall, basements in winter, repair in the heat. Alot of my work is handyman work nobody else wants. I work alone most of time and it's easy work. I charge right and do work for alot of older people. As long as I make money I don't mind.
My parents are in Hackensack. My dad alwyas told me to go for the small jobs no one wanted and charge enough to make it worth it. I never listened. Oh well.
I'm in South Hackensack. Small world. If there catholic and go to ST. Marys church I may know them. Feel free to e-mail me if you want.
My Dad is Catholic but i don't remeber the last time he was in a church. They're on Prospect Ave in a high rise. Iwas just down your way. Looked a chopper at that shop downtown.
BCC ( Bergen County Choppers ) Nice Choppers. Maybe someday I can afford one. Not right now.There is another company, not local, called something Jacks, Made for the working man to afford.
Just got my Order from Gemplers.com.
3 Pair of themals with a acrylic fleece linings...comfy/cozy!!!
three pair of the thermal lined latex dipped gloves....nice and warm and I canstill nail with them on!!
and a pair of the HD H2O proof insulated gloves for sno blowing and shoveling and general outside gruntwork.
in the real cold I go to my coveralls.
I got the Blue fabric ones from wearguard.
No break-in time compared to carhartts.
a good wool cap is a must
as well as a good heavy hooded sweatshirt (pull-over,not zippered)
not having the gap at you neck or waist makes a big difference in retaining heat.
Mr T
I can't afford to be affordable anymore
Its all about the socks, if your feet are warm and happy, its all good. I have found smart wool mountaineer socks to be the best (http://www.smartwool.com) When it gets really cold I will add either a capilene or polypropelene liner sock and I am very happy. I have also found that OR (outdoor research) guillotine gloves called digital this year
http://www.orgear.com/home/style/home/handtools/gloves/work_gloves/70245
to be great for limited exposure to really cold conditions to use power and hand tools.
OR has a pretty tight windstopper hat that works great to keep your noggin warm
Jeff