? 4 my Yankee Bretheren . . . .

[crtreedude]

Just giving you what worked for me...

Taxes, hmmm - I think my tax rate is 15% down here - but there is a value added tax of about 13% I believe too.

Property tax is very low - I think on over 300 acres we pay about 400 dollars or less per year.

[PineNut]

Paul_H mentioned about a hat. I have found that the first place I get cold is my feet. I find that if I keep the rest of my body warm, then my feet will usually be warm if I have a reasonable protection for my feet. The hat is a very important part as your body will keep your head warm at the expense of your extremities. But still the best way is a warm climate.

[rebocardo]

Well, if you are not sloshing through stuff, here is what I use to wear in MA, NH, ME for the winter. Two all cotton socks, heavy thick syn. wool type sock, water proof leather boots with thinsulate (no leather boot really is waterproof). If going through slush etc. skip the wool type sock, and wear pac all rubber boots (no zipper or seams) with thinsulate (sp) booty liner. L.L. Bean has some nice ones good for -30.

When weaing these socks do not wear tight ones! The socks should be loose so they do not cut off blood on your leg or toes. I have big legs so what I do is put a cut in the top of each sock. If the sock leaves lines on your legs, it is too tight.  As someone mentioned if you can not wiggle your toes they are too tight.

What you do NOT want your feet to do is sweat enough so it pools in the boot if you are outdoors exercising.

If you are female and have the skin disorder (forget what it is called - where your skin turns blue) you pretty much can not keep your skin feeling warm during winter.

If sitting around inside what you want to do elevate the discomfort is ditch shoes, boots, slippers, etc. Where a pair of thinsulate booties for the Pac boots and a thick syn. wool sock underneath it. Eventually the metallic material will wear off the bottom though you can still pad around in them.

[Don_Papenburg]

I wear my regular shoes with one sock either cotton or wool . Then if it is real cold I wear a pair of rubber boots that are two or three sizes larger than my shoes . That leaves an air space . Tight fitting overshoes transfer cold very fast.  Another thing to do is buy coveralls that are also two or three sizes larger than you need .

[Tom]

Which foot do you put the sock on, Don?  :D

[TexasTimbers]

I wore those Wally World Boots (Brahma) climbing all over those rafters, decking the 24' x 24 add-on (32 x 26 on the roof) and those clodhoppers like to have killed my back.
Didn't have nothing to do with the fact I was hefting the OSB across the roof and putting it all in place alone, I have done it many times (in my youth :). Didn't have nothing to do with my age I am still 21 and vigorous ( nose getting real long :D).
They wore my back out from having to use muscles to balance that i normally don't have to use when framing because I normally wear marine deck shoes framing, almost like hopping around bare-footed. So that is a downside but now the roof is decked ( 8)) so that is no longer a factor.
As far as the warmth, my feet were sweating like hogs and bordered on the verge of getting cold all the time, but the boots are insulated just enough I guess that the heat could not escape as fast as the cooling effect was that was trying to take over from the perspirition, hate that word, sweating and evaporative cooling effect that was trying to  take place.
I have been told about these fnacy schmancy electric socks enough that I think I have to try them.
I know about heat loss through the head (like 90%!) but have never worn a hat hardly unless it is extreme like sleeting etc., but today, I wore two hats; one right over the other. That made a big difference. It is a two-hat combo and it is pretty effective and looks cool too.
Thanks for all the tips and info.

[Corley5]

I wear Rocky Blizzard Stalker steel toes with 1200 grams of Thinsulate and Goretex lining for waterproofing and my regular cotton socks.  I just ordered another pair as after several winters these aren't as waterproof as they used to be but still keep my feet warm.  They're going to be my forwarder operating footwear  ;) ;D  The key to boots without removable liners is a Peet or similar boot dryer.  I'd don't like pac boots anymore. 

[jon12345]

I got a pair of boots with thick felt liners and usually wear a pair of them big socks that are grey with red around the top or carhartt socks.


Sometimes instead of a hat I'll wear my helmet liner, especially if its windy. I used to wear old army hats with a flap  that could be folded inside the hat if it wasn't that cold, those weren't too bad but my head is bigger than the person I got them from so they don't fit anymore  :D


What is considered 'cold'  ???

[TexasTimbers]

What is considered 'cold' ???

If there ain't no skeeters peckin at ya and no butterflies flappin around it's too DanGed cold. 

[Furby]

That would be T-shirt weather Kevjay. :

[TexasTimbers]

Oh, yeah. :-\ : A man can dream though. 

[jon12345]

Yes, when the mosquitoes stop biting is definitetly tshirt weather.  

What will really warm you up is spending a couple weeks in the -20 to -30 range,  then when it does warm up to around freezing you will be nice and toasty.  :

[Furby]

It's HARD getting use to the cold in the fall, but what was cold in the fall, feels nice in the spring after having colder days during winter. ;)

[DanG]

That about sums it up....if it ain't t-shirt weather, it's cold!

[leweee]

DanG cold :D :D :D



I wonder if he's wearing a T-shirt? :D

[gary]

You can try putting anti -persperant on your feet . My feet sweat all the time in cold weather I will change my socks about every 2 hours . I don't tye my boots untill I have too then I tye them loosely so that I get some air in my boots.

[Burlkraft]

Is that a picture of the outhouse in The UP  ??? ??? ??? ???

I hope that ain't Da Boss sittin' there........ :D :D :D

[leweee]

snow sculpture at the CNE Toronto ON. :D

Real close to yooper country. ;D

[Paschale]

If you are female and have the skin disorder (forget what it is called - where your skin turns blue) you pretty much can not keep your skin feeling warm during winter.

There's also Raynaud's Syndrome.  My ex-girlfriend had it, and her hands were cold and white all the time, but men can have this too.  A colleague of mine has it, and he functions well be always wearing huge mittens and warm socks and shoes.

My favorite kind of socks are Smartwool.  Comfortable, and they wick away the moisture better than cotton, if you ask me, and they'll keep you more warm than cotton if and fact your feet do get a little wet, though of course that's best to avoid, as everyone's said.

[thecfarm]

I use to have a hard time when I was up on ladders and walking on rafters all day.Now I don't have that job and mine feet stay warm with white socks and a heavy pair of stockings.Now about my hands,that is another whole differant story.Heated handles on the Husky keeps them nice and warm.

[logwalker]

You might be surprised what a little cayenne pepper sprinkled in your socks does for cold feet. You also might try a small aspirin a day to improve circulaiton. Its good for the heart as well. Joe

[Don_Papenburg]

Tom I put the sock on the cold one ;D :D

[Gary_C]

Corley5 has the right answer. 1200 grams of Thinsulate and a good boot dryer every night.

Pac boots do not work for me anymore either.

[Minnesota_boy]

Wet feet are cold feet.  It takes more than overnight to really dry out the boots, so buy another pair and wear them every other day.  In extreme cold, buy a third pair and wear your boots on a 3 day rotation.  Heat travels best when there is direct contact, like through the sole of your boot.  Can't fix that when you are standing so improve the insulation on the boot bottoms by putting in wool felt liners.  Wool wicks the moisture away from the sole of your foot which helps keep them warm.  Wool socks help too.  Make sure they have  a high percentage of wool.   I've seen socks advertised as wool with as little as 15% wool.  I like mine to be 90% wool, 10% nylon because they don't wear out quite as fast then.

I've given up on leather boots.  They get wet through too easily and crack when they dry.  Make mine Cordura.  Waterproof is good, Goretex is better.  You need to get rid of the sweat or you have wet feet. (see above about wet feet)  If it is really cold out or you have to work in slush, nothing will wick the moisture out quick enough, so change boots and socks when you start to feel wet feet or cold feet.  Remember the part about more than one pair of boots?  I have 6 or more.  I'm going to wear them out an will need to replace them anyway, why not buy several pair right away and have comfortable warm feet.  I change boots frequently.

Keep moving if you can.  Walking keeps the blood circulating to your feet which helps keep them warm.  Keep all parts of your body warm if you can so you have nice warm blood flowing to your feet.  Hats help.  Hats with ear flaps help more.  Ears make such efficient radiators.  ;D

I find that I can keep my chest warm and my legs warm by walking and stacking the wood, but my belly was getting cold, so my wife made a wool liner for my coveralls that just wraps around my middle.  It would look funny but I put it inside the coveralls so nobody sees it. :D  I only need that if it gets more than 10 below zero F.

[Sprucegum]

If you are away from the house when the weather turns bad, so you can't get to your dry boots with the correct socks,and your feet are starting to get cold enough to bother you.
Stop work for 5 minutes, if Paul will let you,
take off your boot,
take off your sock,
swing the sock around your head 10 times
put your sock back on,
put your boot back on.

Now your foot feels warm again  8)  So get back to work!