cold weather gear

[jillybean]

The cold got to me today, I had to wait around for a while and hadnt put my heavy duty Merell midwinter boots on. It made me wonder how other swoggers deal with the very cold weather? What is your extreme outfit? Do you prefer fleece or wool? Are the chaps all in tights? well maybe thats a question too far !

[RichardKing]

Some years ago I did a winter mountaineering course & as a result got some expert advice on what gear to buy.

Boots - mine are Scarpa Mountaineering boots, Made of plastic with rubber soles. They have an inner foam & leather boot which you put on & lace up first. Then the outer boot.

Clothing - Buffallo (a British made brand) mountaineering sallopets & top (they call it a mountaineering "shirt", although its outer wear. Goes over your head, with a hood.

This Buffallo clothing is worn next to the skin (I am not joking) for maximum benefit.

If its heavy rain you would want a breathable waterproof on top. I have walked through a blizzard in the Cairngorms in that & stayed warm, even in danger of overheating untill I opened the vents. Wore it the other week, very warm, despite my normaly suffering Raynauds Syndrome in my hands.

Obviously this gear is unsuitable when chainsawing.

[Solar Wood]

Hello

You never get bad weather only the wrong clothing!

Have a look at SNUG PAC website who have sleeping bags that are superb and other clothing that is recommended

Also ROHAN that we have been wearing for years. I have a 20 year old pair of Rohan Bags that I cannot wear out

[Meadowcopse]

I'm 150 miles east of Aberdeen at the moment (57.00n 2.00e) making sure the UK has enough gas for roasting Xmas turkeys and boiling sprouts over the festive season...

After a chilly November, this trip I brought one of my technical walking layers with me - it's a slinky sleeveless one-piece number that has a material that can only be described as fine fleecy lycra (there's probably clubs in major cities where people have a night out in this gear, so I'm told...)

Anyway, it works as an iso-thermal base layer. 'Mountain Equipment' and 'Rab' are common makes - it's a bit like winter cycling gear without the anatomical cut and padding one would have on a bike.

[Exeldama]

Drink lots of fluids, get a sleeping bag that is up to spec... etc etc... but for me when im working in the wood, i can do so in a t-shirt.. (the blessings of a fast metabolism, and grafting).

[JamesMio]

I did a bit of research into this a few months back - some of this is obvious & common sense (to most people at least!) but might be of interest?

http://www.clarkforest.com/ask-clark/how-to-keep-warm-during-winter

[RichardKing]

Yes it highlights the problems of sweating when you are wearing lots of clothes in layers.

Thats why single layer systems like Buffallo or Montane are so successful. Much lighter, easier to move about in, just open a vent for cooling.

[docsquid]

It depends on the type of weather, but I usually find I'm kept very warm using a combination of Icebreaker thermals, Rohan socks, and an old pair of ski trousers and ski jacket. For boots I use a pair of Magnum Stealth Force waterproof boots with protective toe caps and they are amazingly warm compared with my other boots because they are designed to provide protection against heat - but obviously this works against cold too! I've spent a whole day out there in freezing temperatures with toasty feet in these.

If chainsawing, I find the same, but with Stihl chainsaw trousers are pretty effective. Icebreaker merino wool thermals are expensive, but very thin, lightweight and you can wear them for days and days on end without them smelling. I usually wear leggings, a base layer and one or two mid layers under the ski jacket. The advantage of layers is that you can remove one or more if you get hot, and the Icebreaker ones are very fine so you have no problem of sweating or bulking up. I also use them for outdoor fitness classes.

[RichardKing]

One of the best things I ever did was to spend that extra fifty quid to buy chainsaws with heated handles. When the temperature is freezing & my hands are in danger of going numb, I just flick that switch.