Polar Vortex Preparations

[MossRoad]

Did you go out in the vortex? I am looking for better options for insulated clothing. I bought a Berne Insulated Coverall, but it is not insulated enough. What level of Carhartt do you have? I am looking for a one piece not a bib and jacket. Probably will run down to the Working Persons Store tomorrow and see what they have left in stock.

I'd have to look at my Carhartt apparel to see what style it is.

Yes, I went out several times. On Wednesday I went fishing. It was -6F. I left my shantie in the car and just took my bucket to sit on. I spent a couple hours out there and was quite comfortable. I wear flannel lined blue jeans, one pair of good socks, a long sleeve t-shirt, and a sweater. Over that I put on my Carhartt full coveralls (not bibs) and an extra large Carharrt jacket that fits over the coveralls nice and loose. I have some old Arctic Cat snowmobile boots that have removable felt liners. I wear a thick, double layer knit hat that has a face mask if I need it. When I'm not wearing the face mask, that makes it a quadruple layer around my ears. I carry an extra knit hat in case I have to put the face mask on to maintain the multiple layers on top of my head. I'll wear the jacket hood if it's windy. That's about it. For gloves, I have some loose leather gloves with thinsulate insulation most of the time. If it's really cold, I'll wear wool fingerless gloves inside of welder's mittens that go up almost to my elbows. I take several pairs of gloves in case my hands get wet, or they start sweating. But most of the time, if it's over about 15 degrees, I don't wear gloves at all while I'm fishing. I'm warm enough that my hands don't get cold.

Years past, I used to wear silk or polypropylene long underwear, but that was before I got my lined blue jeans. So now I don't need them.

I just don't get cold that easy. I'm bald, so hats are important. I also start a beard 1st of November, and that is amazing when it comes to keeping warm. It also holds the face mask off of your skin if you put it on, and that's another layer of warm air.

I have to be very careful to not overheat when I do outdoor activities. You start sweating, your clothes get wet, the moisture doesn't wick away, and you're screwed when that water vapor starts getting cold. It pulls all your body heat away. So I usually open my jacket and coveralls all the way and take off my hat and just keep the hood on lightly when I'm hiking across the lake pulling my gear on a sled, and also when I'm drilling holes. Once I stop sweating, I zip back up as needed.

Another thing that I do is in early winter I start conditioning myself to the weather. I don't get out my heavy coats and such right away. I'll wear just a hoodie, or a hoodie with an insulated shirt over it at the most. My wife and I walk a lot, so we work up a pretty good heat and don't need the jackets, just hoodies. We also cross-country ski when there's enough snow. Usually just a long sleeve t-shirt and a hoodie and my lined jeans. Even those can be too much.

At my job, my employer gave me a Berne jacket. It's almost too warm most days, so I rarely zip it. It is a very nice and comfortable jacket, it's light weight, and after two winters, it hardly shows any wear at all. I think my Carharrt is thicker and warmer, but I only wear this one at work. It's this model:
https://www.amazon.com/Berne-Origin...ocphy=9016277&hvtargid=pla-555474898931&psc=1

 

[edgarrian]

The key to staying warm when its cold is layering up. And not in the sense of wearing so many clothes that they are too tight. UA makes quality undergarments for cold weather. Simply buying a coat, neck warmer, sock hat, thicker socks and long johns will help tremendously. Cover alls are good option as well. Insulated boots. -6 really isn't that cold. -30 is cold. -6 a guy can work in that for most of the day depending on wind speeds. Im really surprised as to why this is such an issue!!!

 

[MossRoad]

Yep. I know a lot of people that put on too many tight layers. Not only does it squeeze the air out of the insulating layers, it cuts off your circulation. Especially two pairs of socks.

 

[Jstpssng]

I'd have to look at my Carhartt apparel to see what style it is.

Yes, I went out several times. On Wednesday I went fishing. It was -6F. I left my shantie in the car and just took my bucket to sit on. I spent a couple hours out there and was quite comfortable. I wear flannel lined blue jeans, one pair of good socks, a long sleeve t-shirt, and a sweater. Over that I put on my Carhartt full coveralls (not bibs) and an extra large Carharrt jacket that fits over the coveralls nice and loose. I have some old Arctic Cat snowmobile boots that have removable felt liners. I wear a thick, double layer knit hat that has a face mask if I need it. When I'm not wearing the face mask, that makes it a quadruple layer around my ears. I carry an extra knit hat in case I have to put the face mask on to maintain the multiple layers on top of my head. I'll wear the jacket hood if it's windy. That's about it. For gloves, I have some loose leather gloves with thinsulate insulation most of the time. If it's really cold, I'll wear wool fingerless gloves inside of welder's mittens that go up almost to my elbows. I take several pairs of gloves in case my hands get wet, or they start sweating. But most of the time, if it's over about 15 degrees, I don't wear gloves at all while I'm fishing. I'm warm enough that my hands don't get cold.

Years past, I used to wear silk or polypropylene long underwear, but that was before I got my lined blue jeans. So now I don't need them.

I just don't get cold that easy. I'm bald, so hats are important. I also start a beard 1st of November, and that is amazing when it comes to keeping warm. It also holds the face mask off of your skin if you put it on, and that's another layer of warm air.

I have to be very careful to not overheat when I do outdoor activities. You start sweating, your clothes get wet, the moisture doesn't wick away, and you're screwed when that water vapor starts getting cold. It pulls all your body heat away. So I usually open my jacket and coveralls all the way and take off my hat and just keep the hood on lightly when I'm hiking across the lake pulling my gear on a sled, and also when I'm drilling holes. Once I stop sweating, I zip back up as needed.

Another thing that I do is in early winter I start conditioning myself to the weather. I don't get out my heavy coats and such right away. I'll wear just a hoodie, or a hoodie with an insulated shirt over it at the most. My wife and I walk a lot, so we work up a pretty good heat and don't need the jackets, just hoodies. We also cross-country ski when there's enough snow. Usually just a long sleeve t-shirt and a hoodie and my lined jeans. Even those can be too much.

At my job, my employer gave me a Berne jacket. It's almost too warm most days, so I rarely zip it. It is a very nice and comfortable jacket, it's light weight, and after two winters, it hardly shows any wear at all. I think my Carharrt is thicker and warmer, but I only wear this one at work. It's this model:
https://www.amazon.com/Berne-Origin...ocphy=9016277&hvtargid=pla-555474898931&psc=1

That's a nice looking coat. We have a saying though; "Cotton kills." If you spend much time outdoors away from your vehicle, you need clothing which won't wick the wetness up your legs, or lose it's insulating properties when it does get wet. Wool, polypropylene, or Thinsulate are best. A coworker even has a dry shirt vacuum sealed, which he carries in his pack.
I mostly wear rubber boots all winter with one pair of socks, and rarely have cold feet.

 

[MossRoad]

The shell is cotton. The liner and filler are polyester. It feels a lot softer on the outside than my Carhartts, and the inside, too. I just use it at work, as it was provided. I don't spend a lot of time outdoors with it, just driving to and from work, and then between buildings and such. It is very comfortable. And I've never been cold wearing it. But I won't be taking it ice fishing to test it out. :laughing:

 

[Jstpssng]

Gotcha. The link indicated that it was 100% cotton.
I'm sitting on my snowsled waiting for a coworker,soaked to the waist from crawling through snow covered regeneration all day. I can attest to the value of not wearing cotton. :thumbsup:

 

[MossRoad]

Gotcha. The link indicated that it was 100% cotton.
I'm sitting on my snowsled waiting for a coworker,soaked to the waist from crawling through snow covered regeneration all day. I can attest to the value of not wearing cotton. :thumbsup:

Yeah, it's no fun having cold waters creeping up your legs. I was ice fishing last weekend. It got up to 41F. There was a couple inches of slushy water on top of the ice. I thought my boots were leaking from the bottoms, but it was the water soaking through the fabric above my ankles. Fortunately, I was warm enough that my feet warmed the water. They never got cold. I walked back to my truck and got some different boots. It was a mile round trip. I came back along the shoreline to avoid the water route... I came upon a small 8' diameter pool of water in the shore weeds with a big old swan giving me dirty looks. Then I realized that he was in open water and there was a creek entering the lake right there. So I turned away for safer ice.

 

[Reb954]

All this talk of proper cold weather clothing reminds me of years ago I was in Alaska on a spring brown bear hunt. The first night out it was pretty chilly, -10F. The guide and I had setup our small two man tent which had no heat so all we had was the gear we brought with us to keep us warm, or at least not so cold. I have always been careful to pick my gear for the conditions that apply. When we crawled in the sleeping bags that night I could hear the guide shivering, his teeth were even chattering. I was nice and warm in my goose down mummy bag with a wool blanket inside.

After a while of listening to him I couldn't help myself. I unzipped my bag quickly so he could hear it and said, "Whew", like it was hot. All I heard from him was "Smarta$$". I just smiled and quietly zipped my bag back up.

 

[shooterdon]

I can deal with cold and snow. Ice not so much.

I can spend weeks holed up if necessary.

 

[MossRoad]

Did you go out in the vortex? I am looking for better options for insulated clothing. I bought a Berne Insulated Coverall, but it is not insulated enough. What level of Carhartt do you have? I am looking for a one piece not a bib and jacket. Probably will run down to the Working Persons Store tomorrow and see what they have left in stock.

So I went and looked at my very warm Carhartt coveralls..... they aren't Carhartt :laughing:

They are Walls Blizzard Pruf Ultras. XL. I don't think they make that model anymore, but they still make coveralls. You can find them on the internet at Walmart, Amazon, etc.... They are highly rated. I like them for several reasons. 1. they are warm! 2. they have full-length two-way zippers on the side of the legs that goes ankle to hip. So I can unzip them from the top and reach into my pants pockets if I need to. Or I can unzip them all the way up from the bottom and put them on or off without having to remove my boots, or fight with long legs. 3. They have a snap flap over the full-length zippers, so they seal out any breezes or snow and ice. 4. They have two zippered chest pockets so I can put my car keys in there, zip em up and not worry about them falling out on the ice.

My jacket that I wear over them IS Carhartt. Model J130 in 2XL Tall. I got it 2XL so it would fit loosely over the coveralls and I got it TALL so it hangs down over my rear-end and provides extra warmth and keeps the wind off of my kidneys when I'm sitting on a bucket ice fishing.

Men's Sandstone Quilted Flannel-Lined Active Jac J13 | Carhartt

The coldest I've been out with this combination is -22 and fished on a bucket for several hours. I did not get cold.