What do you guys prefer?
I like the Carhartt bib overalls with the red insulation, along with a sweatshirt down to the mid 20's. Below that I use Carhartt coveralls with the black insulation. They will keep me warm to far below zero but I hate em...so heavy and bulky. Would like to find something a lot lighter in weight.
Tom...you need not reply. :D
I like he Carhartt bib overalls with the micro fiber no matter how cold it gets because of the ease of movement. If it gets real cold, I just layer up better. I don't know, Tom may have a good opinion looking at the temps in Florida the last couple of days!!!!!!!!!! Tonto.
Quote from: tonto on January 08, 2010, 01:57:52 PM
Tom may have a good opinion looking at the temps in Florida the last couple of days!!!!!!!!!! Tonto.
It's pretty DanG COLD here in Florida. How cold you ask................ It's so cold I have to wear socks with my birkenstocks!
Stanfield's wool (made in Canada) all the way, under my cotton work wear. An insulated Carhartt coat for real cold ones. Not them denim ones, I find they are too stiff. With these Larry, all you need is those light cotton overall's in your kind of cold or you'll be too hot if your working any amount. ;D
I could sleep in a snow bank with these and a decent coat on. ;D
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11009/SD_Stanfields-wool.jpg)
If that ain't warm enough, slap these babies on. Big Bill's Wool Pants (made in Canada).
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11009/SD_BigBills-wool.jpg)
I have even heavier ones from Winnipeg Fir Exchange. ;D
SD, I've always heard that wool will keep you warm even when it gets wet...any experience with that ???
Running a brush saw in all kinds of weather I can without a doubt verify that claim as 100 % guaranteed. You don't even know your wet, aside from your feet feeling like walking on trout in your boots. :D
What kind of winter activities are you trying to dress for? Hunting, logging, truck driver etc,? I am a logger and I wear Riggs Workwear pants with thinsulate lining and a light pullover windbreaker with a polar fleece over that.
I wear thinsulate insulated Jeans from wrangler. Idon't wear long johns under them. not so bulky then. Regulat red carhartts and I am go to go till about 20 below then I break out the arctic carhartts. Don't forget to wear good gloves and a good hat most of your heat will go out though your hands and head. It will make your whole body feel warmer. Also wear pac boots so your feet don't get cold.
Stonebroke
I like the bib underwear from sportsman guide and buy the merino wool sweaters from target when they go on clearance in the spring for the top
the merino wool does not itch next to my skin. I also use the merino wool socks.
Add uninsulated carhart bibs a wool shirt and a thin labcoat to keep the shirt clean and I am comfortable to 10 degree F
you guys are going to laugh. thin long johns, blue jeans(not lined), summer socks, hiking boots, denimshirt, 1 reg sweat shirt, 1 hooded sweatshirt, no hat, thin craftsman work gloves.can go all day. my kid keeps telling me, dad don't be dumb you need to get a coat.
I have an Ice Armor suit. Wind proof, water proof. It's made for ice fishermen and blows Carhart out of the water as far as warmth. Maybe too warm for strenuous work but great for those of you who sit on loaders all day. I don't work with logs/lumber anymore, don't know how it would hold up.
Before this, I had an Arctic Armor suit. Just as warm but lighter. It got stolen though and I didn't have time to order another over the internet. Hard to find them in stores.
i wear a long t shitr a sweat shirt and a blanket lined carhardt with long john bottom and wool pants im never cold but always sweaty
Well, I've lived long enough to see SwampDonkey's underwear..... :o
Because Cowboy Bob is in and out of the truck all day, he layers long underwear, with jeans and sweat shirt, topped by a flannel shirt (regular weight) then his carhardt bibs (red lining) then a heavier lined flannel shirt, with carhardt vest (red lined). When it's really cold, he trades in the red lined carhardt's for the black carhardt body suit. If he gets to warm, he just sheds a layer.
I just work harder, keeps me warm.
Cold weather clothing has improved so much that it dosen't take big bulky layers to keep warm while working. We sawed a lot during the last two winters and long johns and carhartts were plenty down to the low 20s. I choose not to work very much below that. But hunting is a whole nuther thing...where you mainly don't move much. My hi-tech insulated bibs and jacket, thinsulate boots and over the ears hat keep me toasty for hours. Pretty cheap too when bought after the end of hunting season.
Edit: While I was writing about how good the new stuff is, I was also thinking about how warm it was in my 1950s down filled "fart sack". I slept outside in the snow with temps in the teens many nights in complete comfort.
As you might have guessed, I have lots of cold weather gear. I will have to grab the brand names off the heavy duty stuff later. I wear Carharts, lots of layers, bunny boots, good mittens/gloves, fur hat, and for exceptional cold (colder than -40 F), I have a huge down filled parka and bib. It has to be very cold to wear that stuff, though, otherwise I sweat.
I am a big fan of wool.base layer of helly hansen pro wool underwear top and bottom, husky saw pants(summer)wool sweater,fleece vest,and light fleece on top.
Wool coat(Codet) for work stoppages and lunch,my mother in law buys me socks made from alpacas,they work real well.This set up works till about -20.When hunting it is wool from top to bottom.So you might say I like wool clothing.
I love fleece long underwear. Wool would make me itch. The fleece wicks away the moisture and I do get moist !!
For outerwear : I have some winter chainsaw pants but they are kind of bulky so it's usually some snowbibs I got at the dump store and chaps over them. Jacket could be anything from another fleece shirt to a winter jacket. Layers work best for me.
Love my Arctic Muck boots . Still hunting for just the right winter gloves. I always wear a hat and carry extra clothes in my truck.
Quote from: red oaks lumber on January 08, 2010, 09:26:25 PM
you guys are going to laugh. thin long johns, blue jeans(not lined), summer socks, hiking boots, denimshirt, 1 reg sweat shirt, 1 hooded sweatshirt, no hat, thin craftsman work gloves.can go all day. my kid keeps telling me, dad don't be dumb you need to get a coat.
Not really, I wear layers all the time. Only when it gets real cold do I want a heavy coat on and something around my neck. But I couldn't wear denim, the coldest thing invented and too restrictive for us high steppers. Denim pants would play me out just wearing them. One fella I seen on the job (pre-commercial thinning) had a pair of them denim Carhartts and he had the lower part of the pant legs worn out in a couple weeks. I just wear cotton/poly work pants and they last for ever. What does it is the chaulks on your boots catch... rip, also short stumps can snag on the tears and soon you got "riches to rags on your legs". :D
I wear my long johns, cotton work pants and shirt, and Carhartt coat like what I got from the forum. My dad would wear just a regular ball cap when we was cutting wood in the coldest of days. I even gave him a wool cap with tabs and wool shirt and he never wore it. He just wore thin uninsulated overalls to with a shirt and wool vest under it and maybe long johns under that. When your working, especially running a saw you make a lot of heat. He used to drive that old tractor with FEL up to the woods 2.5 miles away in the coldest weather and no cab on no tractor neither. I've seen guys on loader truck darn near freeze to the levers because they never moved much sitting there. We ourselves never had no loader truck we used tractor and peevey, so ya wasn't cold. ;D
I consider myself lucky to live in the age of polarfleece, thinsulate, longtail mock turtlenecks, and Irish Setter boots.
I do pretty much as the rest here but my hands is what I have the most problems with keeping warm. How many of us when we were young used those stupid jersey gloves to keep warm and frost bit our fingers. Mine will start hurting pretty quick with this below zero weather we've had. If I go to the heavy ones then I can't use my hands as they are so bulky and I hate mittens.
I think the only answer is to move to Larry's where it's nice and warm.....bet he's putting in an extra bedroom just in case. ;D
I can't get warm in fleece unless it's a bed sheet, in which case the ambient temperature in the house is usually 75-90 degrees, so not much chance of freezing to begin with. My uncle told me before Christmas the same, "I'd freeze to death with a fleece blanket" and reached for his Hudson Bay wool point blanket. He said, "you see this wool traps the heat, that darn fleece lets it escape. I like to be warm." A great big 64 year old kid. ;D :D
I myself am lucky.Usually when it gets into the single digits I head for the house.But am outside in them numbers some.I just wear layers.Nothing fancy,no name brands.T shirt,long john top and bottom,2 sweatshirts, and green wooleys parts and I'm good to go.Everything,but the pants are big.Hate to bend over and have my bare back stick out.Sweats shirts are 3X when I only wear a 1X when we go out to town.
If you find your hands are cold when running a saw in the winter,check to see if the underside of your wrists are exposed when cutting.You would be amazed at how wearing a shirt with very long sleeves,or a coat with long cuffs makes a huge differance.
Look at how close ro the surface of your skin the blood flows on its way to your hands,leaving this area exposed
pre-cools the blood before it get s to your hands.Cutting the top of old wool socks makes a great wrist band.Oh and make sure you turn the switch for the heated handles on,they work much better then ;D
Cold weather clothing if working means for me, getting comfortable while I am sweating (and I do that at all temps ::)).
I start out with silk underwear top, light or heavy wool shirt next. Then down vest with windbreaker over that. The key for me is to start removing layers before I start sweating. But will soon be down to the wool shirt over the silk. The sweat just freezes on the surface of the wool shirt then, but I avoid being chilled if pausing to rest or am riding the tractor to pull in a turn of logs.
Hat is hard hat, with red kerchief over top of bald head and under band to soak up sweat. If not in need of hard hat, then a wool hat is used.
Hands start out with mittens if real cold, then insulated gloves, followed by the jersey gloves (like those the best and go through many pair, to keep dry ones on). Will use silk glove liners in leather gloves at times.
Not working but in the cold will mean a different layering of wool shirt, down vest, jacket, and hoodie. That takes care of tractor work just sitting, like plowing snow (no cab). If blowing, put the snowmobile helmet on for that. ;D (and at 10 deg F with 15-20 mph wind yesterday, that felt pretty good).
I checked the brand names on the extreme cold weather gear. Like some of the other guys, I agree with moving away from cotton for extended periods in extreme cold. Especially if there is any chance you will fall in water or otherwise get wet.
Last year, I bought a pair of "high-falutin" long johns. They are made by IceBreaker and are 100% merino wool. Wasn't sure if it was just hype but let me tell you, they work well. Takes a bit of getting used to, as it actually made my skin feel a bit cooler at first but when you are working, it regulates your temperature very well. And any wool will be much better than cotton if you've gotten wet from falling in water or even from just sweat. For extreme conditions, cotton is considered a killer.
The heavy duty parka and bib I have is made by some company called SnoHawk. They may not be around anymore. These things are very thick and stuffed with a lot of goose down. I can't wear them unless it is colder than -40, otherwise I sweat too much. These are the old style of parkas that the Alyeska pipeline guys were forced to buy and wear while working on the pipeline back in the day. I consider myself lucky to have gotten these from a friend at a good price when he retired them. They are usually very expensive.
The wool I use is Lane wool, it's heavier wool than the merino, which I find to be thin. Stanfield's make the merino in cream white and the heavy lane wool is gray, same with the wool pants, lane wool and heavier knit than the long johns. Some people can't take the heavier lane wool, they itch. I love it. I've never been able to wear the stuff out. 8) The best pair of wool pants I bought was in Hyder, Alaska...$20 to, army surplus I think at the outpost there. They looked like Canadian Army issue from WWII. :) It's beside Stewart, BC. My Winnipeg pants are a bit heavier still and my brother got those I think.
I just checked and the Hyder ones where Woolrich, but made in Mexico. The Winnipeg ones where Johnson's Woolen mills in Vermont. The Johnson ones are better quality, but the Hyder ones are nice to. :D
Long underwear (cuddle duds :) ) at all times is required from about November through March. Around the farm the Carhart bibs over sweat pants and a hooded sweatshirt (if above -20 F), or over jeans with a heavy jacket if below -20F. My gloves are thick fleece-lined leather if I am working....mittens if I am playing.
If I am going to town and it is below -20F I break out the long fur coat (coyote to the ankles); however even at -20F that coat is almost too warm. Last year I wore it to do chores. My chickens went ballistic when they saw the gigantic coyote coming into their pen! :D
Military Green thermal underwear, Heavy denim jeans, hoodie, wool socks, Sorell boots w/-100 liners, Tough Duck Heavy Denim thinsulate bibs and jacket, Moose hide "Mountie" cap, Double moose hide mitts. Good to -58 ;D ;D ;D
Our local tractor supply has Carhart lined jeans on sale for 1/2 off. They were $48.00,now $24.00. If you need them and they have your size its a good deal. I just do not know if your local has them.
Like most I opt for the layered look.
The most important piece of cold weather gear that has the most payback for me is a balaclava. Fits well under the hard hat. After that it is good gloves. When cutting I wear a pair of kevlar gloves under a good pair of leather gloves and as long as I am active my hands stay warm. Of course good thermal socks in good breathable high ankle safety toed boots are a must. I avoid steel toes, opting for lighter weight fiberglass/kevlar units.
If I take a break for lunch or any other extended rest I change to a dry set of clothes.
Quote from: sprucebunny on January 09, 2010, 12:03:03 AMStill hunting for just the right winter gloves.
Joan,
My wife has trouble with cold hands and is a huge fan of these silk gloves inside what ever glove she's using,, and the price is right... http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/guide-gear-china-silk-clothing-.aspx?a=40252 A friend of mine won't use anything but Kinco Cold Weather Pigskin Work Gloves,, he claims they last forever http://www.amazon.com/Kinco-Weather-Pigskin-Gloves-Large/dp/B0026KXR0C
My brother and his boys really like the Muck boots too,,, I'm gonna have to break down and get me a pair I guess :) I've been using the Baffin rubber boots with the L.L. Bean hunting shoe liner ( kinda like a Dr Scholl insert) inside for extra insulation from the ground with a pair of the heavy Merino wool socks ...
http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/baffin-minus-40degf-swamp-boots.aspx?a=467770
I really like the fleece wear too ,, but I also wear a polly tee shirt underneath,, gets the sweat off ya skin, Under Armor stuff is to pricey for me :o and a big Wear Guard top coat.. A fleece neck warmer with a ball cap and a rabbit hat to top off the head...
For pants I like insulated Carharts with a Gortex shell pant on top or when it's really cold I got a pair of water proof Microfleece bibs...
I also like to dress in layers cause I can always remove a layer when the heat starts to get to me, then when I starts to cool down the layers go back on... 8)
Gloves were mentioned as an issue. If they suit your work (many they may not) I try to find a good pair of two part gloves. Inner pile liner, outer nylon with synthetic palm. The major brand is OR (Outdoor Research), although there are other brands out there making this type glove. You can pick mittens, three finger or full finger in the OR brand. The liner can be dried over time by placing them under your jacket on top of your shoulder. Mountaineers and ice climbers tend to have REALLY good glove selections. Two part boots are great for the same reason, remove the liner and helps dry it out quicker.
I do some mid winter auctions, and for standing around in the COLD COLD, I bought a Carhart Extreme coverall. They are the black Cordura ones, WOW is it nice for inactive use.
Can anyone tell me where to find REALLY good liners for my 11" (read tall) LaCrosse boots. I bought 8 pairs at Gander Mtn many years ago and I am now having to replace liners in my "fleet" ::)
Ironwood
You mean felt liners? I can't really tell ya where to get'm but shoe stores that sell your boots can get them if you order them I believe. I used to get those rubber boot liners for my Nokia rubbers, whole foot and up the shin.
Yeah, full liners. I want really good ones, wool, felt, or sythetic, whatever is the thickest and the most durable. I have been underwelmed by the "average" ones out there. Any leads online to REALLY nice ones.?
Ironwood
I just got two new pairs of pants last week. One was Wrangler 100 gr. Thinsulate jeans. The other was Cabela's 200 gr. Thinsulate.
I know that we don't get that Zeroo and below stuff, but for below freezing weather, I did good...... :)
I like the silk longjohn pants and long sleeve shirts then flannel shirt, Filson wool vest, carhart insulated bibs then sweatshirt. Filson wool hat w/storm flaps!
My toes are always cold, I think b/c my feet sweat too much... I've tried silk socks then cabelas wool socks, wool socks w/o the liners, mid weight socks, heavy weight socks and yep even light weight socks. So maybe its the boots, I like my whites smokejumpers b/c I cant seem to run a chainsaw wearing mucks, yes I know the smokejumpers don't offer any more protection but in my head they do ::).
woodsteach
Cabela's has a Gortex Thinsulate sock for boots, you can turn them inside out to dry if they get damp. I have a pair from when I was on the west coast, couldn't wear them out. It wasn't that cold out there like back east though. I wear wool socks year round, the Wigwam brand that comes from the US. We can get them here and they also sell them in most shoe and men's and sportswear stores in Maine.
I wear a Carhartt T down into the 50s, then I wear a Carhartt hooded T. That's usually about it, unless I'm going to be out in the low teens or colder for extended periods of time, then I have a Carhartt vest. Haven't owned a coat in 20 years. I wear uninsulated Redwings down into the 40s, then I have a pair of Rocky Snowstalker Extremes. Most of the snow makers at the ski area wear them, and they are great. I wear work gloves too, but don't own a hat.
Here in North Carolina in can be 20 deg. in the morning and by noon it,s 50 deg.. So you have to start in layers and as the day progress start peeling them off. By 2:00 PM your down to your shirt sleves.
I keep an extra shirt, vest, windbreaker, and heavy coat in the truck.
In the Summer, I carry two extra T shirts. I change to a dry one at lunch, and another before driving home.
I change out clothes in the summer after work to, it's always raining here. Feel like a new man with dry clothes to ride home in. ;D