Paul in PA, post: 303640, member: 236 wrote: Keeping Warm - Feet First
5 buckles:
The temps are not really the problem, I work in temps down to -25F. The wind though is a killer, seriously. It will freeze exposed skin and snatch the heat right out of you. Yea, you have to have the right gear, but you've also got to be smart about how you work. Know when conditions are dangerous and stay out of it. Hypothermia can and will kill. I learned to carefully pace my efforts to keep perspiration to a minimum. It's easy to feel like you have to push hard to get something done but end result is you get sweaty under all that gear, then you slow down and the moisture on your skin begins to pull heat out just as your body is cooling down from less exertion. The trick is to pace yourself, keep moving and don't be in a hurry. Don't over heat under that gear or at least be able to strip off some layers. It's as much about staying cool as warm. Metal and plastic are much more prone to cracking and splitting at low temps so go easy on the equipment as well as your body. Also drink twice as much water as you think you need. Cold dry air sucks the moisture out of you from just breathing and dehydration doesn't help things. I'll be working outside all this week in negative temps and it beats the heck out of sitting in the office all day drafting. Embrace the suck and make it your friend.
Just because I'm paranoid, doesn't mean they aren't out to get me.
Williwaw, post: 407504, member: 7066 wrote: ..Embrace the suck and make it your friend.
So true.
I have lived and worked in some hostile winter environments. An important part of getting along safely and comfortably is to know your gear and what is comfortable. I have seen a few folks jump out in the cold with a lot of silly (expensive) and possibly unnecessary gear.
Know yourself, your limits, your gear...and when you're through...drink some more fluids.
The cool part of tracking 3 or 4 miles in snow at -20 is living to tell about it. 😉
I have heard very good things about the merino wool undershirts from Icebreaker.
My cousin was up cutting christmas trees this year with us in the snow and he had the merino wool shirt and a light windbreaker and was very comfortable in 30å¡F temps. I think it would make a great base layer for working in colder temps.
http://www.icebreaker.com/en/mens
Layers, layers, layers, thin gloves with overmittens, goggles, waterproof shells, and good boots (Mickey Mouse boots if you are only standing or riding), hand warmers for the DC (and to throw into your boots and mittens) and a way to hook up a charging cord in the field either with the 4-wheeler or the truck, and a spare charged up battery pack.
Williwaw, post: 407504, member: 7066 wrote: The temps are not really the problem, I work in temps down to -25F. The wind though is a killer, seriously. It will freeze exposed skin and snatch the heat right out of you. Yea, you have to have the right gear, but you've also got to be smart about how you work. Know when conditions are dangerous and stay out of it. Hypothermia can and will kill. I learned to carefully pace my efforts to keep perspiration to a minimum. It's easy to feel like you have to push hard to get something done but end result is you get sweaty under all that gear, then you slow down and the moisture on your skin begins to pull heat out just as your body is cooling down from less exertion. The trick is to pace yourself, keep moving and don't be in a hurry. Don't over heat under that gear or at least be able to strip off some layers. It's as much about staying cool as warm. Metal and plastic are much more prone to cracking and splitting at low temps so go easy on the equipment as well as your body. Also drink twice as much water as you think you need. Cold dry air sucks the moisture out of you from just breathing and dehydration doesn't help things. I'll be working outside all this week in negative temps and it beats the heck out of sitting in the office all day drafting. Embrace the suck and make it your friend.
I will be working near Fairbanks next week and the forecast is a high in the negative teens (towards the end of the week).
...of course I am working down at the river where the temps will be 10-20 degrees colder, I hope my base station works
AKsurveyor, post: 407591, member: 2161 wrote: I will be working near Fairbanks next week and the forecast is a high in the negative teens (towards the end of the week).
...of course I am working down at the river where the temps will be 10-20 degrees colder, I hope my base station works
Sorry... all of my electronic gizmos batteries just don't work in those temps. Staying inside where I am supposed to be. Should be catching up but instead wasting time on the internet. UGH!
AKsurveyor, post: 407591, member: 2161 wrote: I will be working near Fairbanks next week and the forecast is a high in the negative teens (towards the end of the week).
...of course I am working down at the river where the temps will be 10-20 degrees colder, I hope my base station works
My oldest son will be in Fairbanks for a week or so. He got there tis morning after spending the night at SeaTac. He flew up with all his x-ray equipment and 5 A&P mechanics. They've got a huge list of freight aircraft that are grounded due to improper inspections on various parts. They also have grounded planes in Canada, South America and Africa. He thought he was being smart by letting his passport expire. Fairbanks seems fitting.
He moved from Denver last year to Phoenix because he was 'getting tired' of the winter dragging on. When I told him the expected 'high' in Fairbanks might still be below zero he let me know the planes were hangared and not on the tarmac. I told him to take some warm clothes anyway...something tells me a 'warm' hangar in Fairbanks might be a relative term to someone from the lower 48.
Clothes:
1) New stuff: Under Armor does a great job of wicking away perspiration form digging, picking, and jack hammering preventing the cold from being worse later. Williwaw is still right about pacing yourself, but the under armor gives me a little bigger margin for error.
2) Old Stuff: Pac boots or Mickeys, lots of wool in my socks, on my hands, and head to stay warm at the extremities. A few of the chemical hand/toe warmers stuck in the socks and gloves.
3) A couple three sweatshirts all under insulated bibs and long winter coat.
4) Depending on the style of hood I have and the severity of the cold I will either cinch the hood down until I have a peep hole or wear a face mask with the hood a little more open.
5) Climatize. If you've played on the beach in Florida all winter and today think you're going to "embrace the suck" good luck
6) Petroleum Jelly- I coat my hands and feet every night before bed and morning before work with petroleum jelly and it helps a lot.
Personally, I would rather work at 0 degrees without wind than 25 degrees with a 25mph wind.
Steve
sjc1989, post: 407598, member: 6718 wrote: Clothes:
1) New stuff: Under Armor does a great job of wicking away perspiration form digging, picking, and jack hammering preventing the cold from being worse later. Williwaw is still right about pacing yourself, but the under armor gives me a little bigger margin for error.
2) Old Stuff: Pac boots or Mickeys, lots of wool in my socks, on my hands, and head to stay warm at the extremities. A few of the chemical hand/toe warmers stuck in the socks and gloves.
3) A couple three sweatshirts all under insulated bibs and long winter coat.
4) Depending on the style of hood I have and the severity of the cold I will either cinch the hood down until I have a peep hole or wear a face mask with the hood a little more open.
5) Climatize. If you've played on the beach in Florida all winter and today think you're going to "embrace the suck" good luck
6) Petroleum Jelly- I coat my hands and feet every night before bed and morning before work with petroleum jelly and it helps a lot.Personally, I would rather work at 0 degrees without wind than 25 degrees with a 25mph wind.
Steve
this whole thread sounds like a lesson in how to wipe your a@@
do people really have to be told this every year. if your too stupid to know how to dress you probably shouldn't be doing the work
The coldest I felt was when it was about 30å¡ out with a 25MPH wind coming off of LI Sound...the dampness just went right thru me.
i also agree that its the wind that is the killer. And it does get tot he point when you're not productive enough outdoors to make money.
Cold winter on the great plains. I need a new pair of super warm gloves or mitts. Anyone have something they are in love with?
I have carhart artic coveralls and 2000 gram cabelas pack boots, and a pair or 800 gram danners. So the hands are my weak link.
rplsntx, post: 407474, member: 8904 wrote: i got a bunch of hand warmers and carry six when the temps under50. only carry 2 when it's under 60-50.
peacock handwarmers seem to be the best.
Under 50??? Only 2 when it's 50-60?!?!! HA. sorry. Last week we had a day 58, unseasonably ridiculously warm and I was in my t-shirt again.
Rich., post: 407663, member: 10450 wrote: Under 50??? Only 2 when it's 50-60?!?!! HA. sorry. Last week we had a day 58, unseasonably ridiculously warm and I was in my t-shirt again.
Temps are apparently a relative thing. When I was a kid in the middle of the Sangre De Cristo Mts. at 9000' we were in shorts when it made it above 32 degrees during the day. Lots of Memorial Day pictures charcoaling burgers in shorts, t-shirts (and sunglasses) with the last two or three feet of snow on the ground that had yet to melt.
When it is that cold I grease my hands and face with some kind of body lotion for a waterproof barrier.
Wool or fir lining would be a must.
Well starched outer to resist the wind and water.
Dry skin and eyes are a hazard of freezing temperatures so stay hydrated and catch up at night while by the fire.
I wear DeWalt (smoke or clear) googles to protect my eyes.
Tomorrow, Friday will be the coldest of this winter 22F low and 33F high with chance of snow or other something to make ice on the roads tomorrow and tomorrow night.
At the moment it is 9 and feels like 2. High of 20 planned with a 10 mph breeze. Not horrible but I still have plenty of indoor work to kick out today. Next week is scheduled to be 50 or better.
4å¡ F Outside - Decided not to go out today after all---
By golly, there still are a few intelligent people left in this world. Sounds like a great plan.
Does the same principal apply when we get into the stupid hot/humid nasty garbage? :grinning:
Currently, it's -24 F.... not wind chill, just the air temperature. I don't go out if the temp is below zero. It's just not worth it.
It doesn't make sense, but the warmest my feet ever were is when I wore regular running shoes and then 5 buckle overshoes (like B. Ott posted above) over that. I don't know why, but my feet were warmer than in regular snow boots. I think the air gaps between the layers is the key. Like all cold weather, many thin layers is better than a few thick layers.