Cold Weather Clothing System

Rick

Your system looks pretty good.

I have gone completely to Merino Wool in the long underware/baselayer dept. though. Now when I try to wear poilypro it feels like I'm wrapped in a plastic bag.

I just finished up an anorak/bushshirt fron a blanket. I modified a pattern I found in Backwoodsman magazine for a blanket capote. It came out pretty good. Now to pick up another blanket and make a mk2 model.

Check out the woolpower 400 gram baselayers. A bit pricey but they are excellent in extreme cold.

I use those same U.S. arctic mitts and liners. They make it easy to dump heat by just removing the shells when on the trail.

Have a blast!
 
Hi Magnussen,

Nice to see a man well educated in ecw. Thanks for sharing!


A few questions/opinions...what do you consider extreme cold weather (ecw)? Ideas on what makes extreme cold might not be universal.

Do you use mittens with gloves inside? If you do, is it warmer in your opinion than with just mittens or combo outer + inner wool liner mittens? Im obviously trying to say that in ecw gloves are bad and mitts are good. If one layer of mitts isn't enough then get inner merino liner mitts with outer mitts. No gloves+mitts combo because the warmth from fingers is isolated to individual heat cells with gloves and the inner of a mitten doesn't warm up as is it's function. Only very light (for example silk) well breathing gloves work. My opinion... your thoughts?

Would you prefer that acrylic (acrylic is crap in my opinion for extreme cold weather) over a merino neck gaiter because merino neck gaiters are out there in numbers? Acrylic ecw performance is just poor. Wind resistance even poorer than average wool manufacture and not warm enough.

How do feel about wool versus fleece?

And last... why no trooper/trapper fur hat? It's the head gear for ecw in my opinion. Superior to anything in functionality in various weather and activity. Im pretty sure you have had one so there must be something with it...please share.


Thank you for your thoughts by the way. Regardless if we agree I enjoy this thread after a butt and extremes freezing work day out in the cold :)
 
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Rick, I still need some help understanding your system. Can you post a picture of you, just in the polypro bottoms? I think it would help.

Oh and tonym said it would help even better if your shirt was off.

on a more serious note: at what point do you feel the need to use gloves/mittens? Just when your hands or cold, or do you have a set temp where you really think about taking them out?
 
knifenut1013 said:
What no love for carhartt? ;)
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I think Rick's set-up looks great, but I am a fan of Carhartt too. I wear the Extreme bibs and a flannel-lined hooded jacket, it is the warmest stuff I've worn. I wear the same mitts as Rick, very warm too:thumbup:.
 
Great stuff Rick.
Odd question maybe, but what does it weigh?

Totally different from what I wear out there when climbing the Alps in winter. To me freedom of movement is very important, as is speed of drying .. but 1 little spark from a fire.. :D

This system looks like it will last a lifetime.
 
Hey Guys...

Rick...

If you count the Hammock, The Banana Hammock,,, That would be 6 Layers, Not 5..


rickbanana.jpg


rickhammock.jpg


notasgay.jpg


LMAO

Nothing like F-ing up a Perfectly Good Thread...

Eric
O/ST
 
Hey Joe

Joezilla said:
Rick, I still need some help understanding your system. Can you post a picture of you, just in the polypro bottoms? I think it would help.

Oh and tonym said it would help even better if your shirt was off.

on a more serious note: at what point do you feel the need to use gloves/mittens? Just when your hands or cold, or do you have a set temp where you really think about taking them out?
Click to expand...

Taken Care of !

Eric
O/ST
 
Watchful said:
By the way, if you can't spot Rick in this picture, he's the guy with hat, anorak and goatee.
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What is the guy wearing on the far right? it looks really comfortable.
 
Martin...
You can't beat the weight to warmth ratio of synthetics... that's for sure. My choices in clothing are for several different reasons. Durability is one of the major factors. Heat retention when wet and versitility. I can use my anorak like a sleeping bag, a ground sheet, a tarp, a hammock, etc... Something we rarely discuss is emotional/mental attitude when it comes to gear. I think the feeling that a particular piece of equipment gives you plays HUGE part in its effectiveness as a tool. Natural fibers, leather, steel and the ability to "get down and dirty" is what gives me my drive out in the woods. I don't go strictly traditional or "period correct" but the extent that I do go, makes me feel like a Mountainman/Longhunter/Native.... and I like that. It works where I live and it works for me. I would love to go mountaineering in the Alps.... and I'm sure my gear choices would change.

Joe...
I don't really have set temperatures in which I use particular clothing. I just try to remain aware of weather, terrain, time and activity. For example: I may catch a chill or have cold fingers right now... but in a couple minutes I'll need to collect wood, check traps or get water... the movement will probably get my temperature up, so I'll hold off on bundling up. So instead, I make some balsam tea. It gets my hands warm, my belly warm and hydrates me for the approaching task.

PatriotDan...
Extreme cold for me is anything above -30C. I know that some of you in Alaska and the Northern Provinces and Territories see much lower temperatures than that, but -50C is about as cold as its going to get where I train. Where I live only gets down to -20C.

I usually wear a pair of high-dexterity mechanic's gloves under my mitts. If I have to take them off to grab something its better to not do it with bare skin. I once took my mitts off to take down a folding saw and the moisture on my hand froze to the aluminum body of the saw... that sucked. Though I do agree that gloves inside mitts doesn't work as well. I sometimes keep a pair of thin wool liner gloves inside my mitts to have at the ready.

Yes, acrylic kinda sucks... that neck gaiter is a relic from "Winters Past" and I should change it out, but I really haven't had a problem with it yet. I have tried a few different types, but can't for the life of me wear a trapper's hat. My head heats up WAY too much. I shovel snow in a T-shirt and jeans with no hat. In the woods, I use either a thin knit cap or a basebal-type cap with ear flaps. I like hoods because they capture the heat that escapes from your collar. Wool vs. Fleece?.... winner, WOOL!

Joe(again)...
The guy on the far right in wearing an anorak made from an Italian army blanket.

Normark...
Ass.




Thanks
Rick
 
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I was curious about the wool blanket w/ hood outer layer. I have seen this done a few times now but seems like it would get in the way or catch on underbrush. Does this ever become a problem?
 
Lukeeson111....
I haven't had a problem with it catching on brush or dipping it campfires yet.

Rick
 
Rick

""Normark...
Ass.""

LMAO


Joe...

You're Hereby Placed under "Homo Suspicion" for even knowing who those 4 Guys are... LOL

Eric
O/ST
 
....Four years after coming through the wormhole, this interpid group of Berzerkers had thoroughly assimilated themselves in the "modern" world.
class_ends.jpg



On a more serious note. The machanic's gloves. I have had nothing but pain from them. I have a pair of "coldworx" and I h-h-hate them. It feels like the fingers are too tight. I would think a wool glove liner would be your preference.
 
Magnussen said:
Ever tried to swing a hawk with a wool glove? Pretty slick. I have worked in mechanic's gloves for years... I like em.



Rick
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True that but to me they're just not warm. Kind of like wearing tight boots. Give me a pair of ropers. Granted it does not get nearly as cold around here but what works for me is either a bare pair of all leather ropers down to about 20F, then a slightly larger pair with a wool liner. I've not experienced any issues with grip or cold.
 
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