Burr cold, need warm cloths...

[Boondox]

Sunglasses! Great point! On sunny winter days if I forget mine my eyes feel all scratchy and my whole head aches.

Yes, don't forget the shades!

Pete

 

[BobReeves]

Boy, you guys are great.. Thanks for the info, now to do some shopping.

One item I already have thanks to my dear departed Mom is a Russian Cossack hat, great for keeping the ears warm even if I do look like Elmer Fudd.

 

[dmccarty]

Bob,

My heavy wool shirt looks JUST like Elmer's. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

The hats I have are not going to put me on the Best Dressed List either but I am WARM! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Later,
Dan

 

[Slamfire]

If the temps get down around 0, you'll want something to breathe through, to keep your lungs from chilling. That's were items like the baclava come in. Some folks use a scarf to wrap around their nose and mouth.

 

[hazmat]

Dan,

You might want to give fleece a try to replace your smelly wool. It has better "performance" - weighs less for given insulation & dries faster. Be sure to look for the polypro based stuff (polartech) vs. the acrylic.

Other's have mentioned it, but haven't stressed it enough

<font color="red">NO COTTEN!!!!!!! </font> Once wet it stays wet & you will be cold.

Another thing to consider, if your job is active, look for a shell with ventilation options - pit zips, or big pockets on the front that can be opened to facilitate moisture removal. GoreTex is great, but there is a time-constant associated with how fast moisture will pass thru it.

 

[hazmat]

Forgot to mention. A couple more sources for performance outerwear

REI

Eastern Mountain Sports

 

[Egon]

Fivestring:

I've had mixed feelings about goretex. If it's less than -15 centigrade I find that it can't evaporate sweat fast enough and there is a build up of ice on the inside. Its fine if you are not sweating. The vents and so forth do not work for me.

As an example: Crosscounry skiing at -35 centigrade my hands would get cold after an hour when wearing the heavy Gortex mitts with the heavy liners and long sealable cuffs with drawstrings and also fasteners that hold the mitt on to your arm when you take it off. These were $150.00 Canadian 10 years ago. Also got the same type of gloves. A pair of $15 thinsulate gloves worked very well and kept my hands warm.

When skiing/working in cold temperatures your clothing must wick persperation away from the body and to the outside. For me gortex doesn't work and my outside layer has wind resistant properties but will let moisture through easily.

But in my back pack reside a thinsulate insulated gortex jacket and the same type of pants. Also insulated gortex hat and mitts as well as a down vest. These are for emergency use or when stopped. Even carry all this on just a short day trip in warm weather.

That's my penny's worth. Everybody has given great advice.
Egon

 

[fivestring]

I've had moisture moments like that also.
That's where the pit zips come in handy. 90% of the time, my pit zips are wide open, no matter how cold. Even with those open, sometimes moisture can't get to the outside.
Hopefully, one day, someone will come up with the ultimate breathable/waterproof shell. I'll gladly plop down the cash.