I have been spending hours outside with the cattle and thought readers might be interested in what I am wearing.
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| This type of hat shines when the wind is blowing. Knit caps are not worth beans for stopping the wind. |
- Hat: Knit hat (orange) for zero F. Fur-lined, trapper-type hat with flaps for -10F and lower wind-chill
- Beard
- Common cotton Tee shirt next to skin, 1/4-zip fleece mid-layer, quilted flannel outer shirt, "Carhartt" type work coat outer layer
- A pair of "puffy" mittens on my hands most of the time. A pair of leather work-gloves in my coat pockets for when I need to work with wire on the fence. Rarely bare-skin.
- Quilted or "lined" blue jeans
- Compression sock on left leg due to circulation issue from accident
- Common athletic socks, polyester
- Mid-calf high, waterproof boots with felt liners on feet.
Most of my gigs outside are in the 60 minute to 90 minute time-range.
When I have to be out for multiple hours or I might have periods of inactivity, I add a pair of insulated, bib overalls. I used to be a fan of one-piece coveralls but I now appreciate the greater freedom of movement of the two-piece system. The addition of the insulated bibs means I can be outside from breakfast until lunch at -10F without stress as long as I don't have to sit-still very long.
This is far from the final word on the subject. I am pretty sure I have readers who have to brave far colder environments and/or stay out for longer periods of time.
I offer this snapshot because I think many places see -15F windchill and many of us either MUST do chores outside or we want to be prepared should the need arise.
The game changes if I get wet. Not only does my clothing lose insulation value but it gets much heavier!
The relative effect of working
Exercise is sometimes measured in Metabolic Equivalents for a Task. A MET of 1.0 is the basal energy requirement of sitting in a recliner, falling asleep watching TV. Walking on a flat surface at a normal pace while wearing light clothing is about 3.0 METs or three times the heat-generation of sitting in a deer-blind. Walking 50% of the time is 2 METs.
Running a 10-minute-mile on a flat, hard surface while wearing light clothing is 10 METs. I was told that some Fire Departments have (or had) an endurance standard where the fire-fighter had to be able to sustain 10 METs for 10 minutes on a treadmill.
Walking through snow while wearing cold-winter gear can be anywhere between 5 METs to 10 METs.
Working outside means your clothing needs to have enough range-of-motion and the ability to adjust for a 5X-to-10X range of heat production.
For a bit of background: I am in my mid-sixties and 50th% height and weight for a US male.
Bonus
I feel I am watching a episode of Twilight Zone when I see something from the W.E.C.. Bob in B.R.
ReplyDeleteSorry W.E.F.
DeleteWhats the MET for cross country skiing?
ReplyDeleteI can only speak for myself.
DeleteThe muscles used for cross country skiing are not ones often used for walking or other common tasks.
The few times I have been X-country skiing, my muscled tapped out before I could really "push" my lung capacity.
On one memorable trip our party got lost and we were out much longer than planned. We walked out along a set or railroad tracks and I got much warmer walking than I was skiing. That implies that my calorie burn was much lower while skiing that that could be due to my not being "hardened" to that specialized activity.
Why was Liz spitting lugies on those people hair?
ReplyDeleteExcuse me for being so rude but isn't that the almost famous shoot me in the head I'm a woodchuck hat?
ReplyDelete3 more inches of snow this morning ontop of the 8 inches we already had here in my Michiana area. For snowblowing I use the cathartic insulated coat & bibs for freedom of movement & they shed the snow good.
ReplyDeleteCurrently 21 deg which is so much better than the negative temps we have been having.
That's Carthart. Dang spell check. Haha
DeleteFrankly, I find "cathartic" to be perfectly accurate.
DeleteGetting a boat-load of cold-weather gear strapped on and tucked in right almost guarantees the need to undo it all to ...ahem, demonstrate the freedom-of-movement the two-part arrangement facilitates.
“Cotton T-shirt ... and blue-jeans”?! The ultimate no-no in any cold-weather gear (slow/never dries and zero insulation), poly is good for high exertion (assuming you either have access to a washing-machine, no sense of smell or close friends), but wool is best. Expensive I know, I wear Ullfrote or Brynje, but I also have some Sarma (from Varusteleka, much cheaper and nearly as warm and tough. They also do a full heavy wool hoodie jacket and pants that are good).
ReplyDeleteThick wool shirts (Swanndri from NZ are good and reasonably priced). Thick wool sweaters (I favour Austrian army Dachstein’s, or a British ‘Sub’ wool roll-neck bought from The Royal Navy supplier on the bay of e). I’ve sat outside at -20 in a base-layer, Swanndri Extreme (the wind-proof version) and a Dachstein sweater and been toasty.
I admit I have an apparent ‘wool fetish problem’ since I’ve been wearing Micklagaard Anorak and pants too (those, full base-layer, wool shirt and sweater, under Swedish Tank over-pants and a Lure of the North canvas anorak if the wind is up, and I’m good down well past -40). Add a massive over everything insulated jacket from Origopro (their Long Range Scout coat) for when at rest and I’m (hopefully) covered.
Boiled wool gloves (Dachsteins but also some from an English company called EDZ) under either Lars Falt leather work gloves from Hestra, or Canadian Army Arctic mitts (the absolute best, from the Quinn the Eskimo store in Saskatoon, they ship).
I have bibs and parka combos from Carhartt and Helly Hansen (workwear - Bifrost) but my issue is always they are all or nothing, either too hot or freezing (since you can’t adjust the layers to fit activity and weather). I only use them now on the snowmobile.
[I know, I've said it all before, but I'm a fanatic and probably searching for converts (or possibly trying to justify myself to ... myself)]
Oh and:
media.hypersites.com/clients/1235/filemanager/MHC/METs.pdf
according to their estimates (and that's all they are) cross-country skiing (slow or moderate, I'm assuming on easy, level, compact/groomed terrain) is about the same as jogging.
It is a matter of dancing with the girl I brung to the dance.
DeleteI have been out in -37F and -50F windchill and it holds no appeal to me. I was in my early-30s and just wanted to see what it was like. An hour isn't bad but don't make any mistakes.
Working around our place I am never more than a 1/4 from shelter. Our usual "walk" for exercise has us never more than 1-1/2 mile from home.
Different horses for different courses.
Thanks for the explanation ERJ. I do not live in a place where such gear is generally used for more than a few days a year; helpful to have real world feedback.
ReplyDeleteWhen I lived on the family farm in Vermont, we had some cold windy winters. Winter chores required proper clothing. Long underwear, layers and insulated overalls. Windproof outer layers if needed. Muck boots with one or two pairs of socks. Type of hat depends on how windy, but a sweatshirt with a hood is the minimum. I've got hats like the one in your picture. But I've got plenty of knit hats too. Gloves or mittens depended on what type of work I was doing - dexterity is more important for some jobs than others. I learned to love mechanics gloves if it wasn't too cold.
ReplyDeleteIf doing work that made you sweat, it was time to shed layers so you had something dry to put back on when you were done.
I recall coming home one winter weekend and finding the stock tank heater had failed, and I had a nearly solid block of 200 gallons of ice. Spending several hours, arms immersed up to my armpits in icewater getting it all chipped out and drained so I could replace the heater with a new one took hours. I don't think my hands were ever colder.
Waffle weave poly undershirts work pretty well. Tractor Supply is lot cheaper than carhartt for these. I wear a short sleeve u dear a long sleeve, add a vest, light or heavy, then a windbreaker. I know when clearing brush in December that I got really cold when sweating with cotton t shirts. Underarmour long sleeve turtle neck with a carhartt waffle over it worked really well too, but the underarmour is stupid expensive.
ReplyDeleteI'd suggest a consideration of polypropylene, the new merino wool t-shirts that are all the rage now (and to be fair, seriously rock) or other such fabric as and underlayer rather than cotton. Cotton once wet from sweat or such tends to stay wet, get clammy and cold and sucks the heat out. I've found that polypro or merino tends to wick it much better and I can be outside much longer as a result.
ReplyDeleteThere’s any number of ways to skin a cat, Joe, and any number of cats to be skinned. You are right about activity levels too. During moderate exertion your body will run generally 10% hotter than when at rest. Up here in Canada we call those “Mad Bomber” hats. They’re okay but I’ve since gone to the toque/neck warmer system favoured by the Uke and Russkie militaries:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.ebay.com/itm/225916729386
If you’re active that should take you down to -30C or maybe a bit more. -25C if you’re inactive…
Funny timing. I just dropped one of those hats in the cart at Amazon. Going to Optik at the BSA Boundry Waters Adventure Camp next month. Had to go expensive to get one to fit my punkin head. "One size fits most" leaves me out in the cold.
ReplyDeleteThat's Okpik.
DeleteI'm A fan of winter camping along with other winter work. Unless you are just sitting behind a wheel, you will start to sweat with any effort. You need layers that you can strip out of quickly while you work and quickly put back on when you are still. You see guys dressed like an Eskimo to work, they will sweat and chill within a couple of hours. Keep head, neck, hands and feet warm and dry and you can go deep on the thermometer with moderate physical activity.
ReplyDeleteMany years ago I bought a cold weather liner made to be worn under a hard hat. It does a wonderful job when worn over a knit cap. It blocks the wind from penetrating the knit cap without adding significant weight or bulk.
ReplyDeleteI would note for city softies who don't face -10° plus windchill regularly that ERJ is work and weather hardened. This level of clothing would be good for the average joe in weather of +20°
ReplyDeleteCabela's wool socks are the bomb so far as I am concerned, and not just for cold weather, but I wear mine all but July and August. They wear like iron--in 15 years I have worn holes in 1 pair, and keep my feet warm but not sweaty or stinky. And I could buy them for 3pair for about $10 bucks. I bought up a boatload of them, then Cabela's was bought up by Bass Pro. I have bought a few since.
ReplyDeleteSuz
My really cheap hat suggestion for cold and windy weather, is to wear a knit cap over the top of your baseball cap. Stops the wind on everything but your ears. Add a silk scarf or wild rag and you will stay much warmer
ReplyDelete