Inexpensive gear for winter

[silenthunterstudios]

What do you do when you're knife poor and need to toss a few blankets, a tarp and other accessories in your truck? Go to the flea market and Harbor Freight. After work I'm stopping at Harbor Freight to use my coupon on a couple moving blankets (like furnaces in the winter) for my truck and at home. I'm also getting a tarp and a few other items for the truck. There is a large farmers market in York PA, where I've gotten quite a few deals on old gear, and a bushcraft brother told me he found some Army wool blankets there for dirt cheap (he also found a Bark River for 50 bucks there, lucky bastard, I've been going there for ten years or more, and found a few old slipjoints, that's about it).

It's getting chilly, time for me to take my old Columbia parka out of the cedar closet and toss it in the back of my truck. Some moving blankets, I'll be toasty as can be.

 

[LukeTheSpook]

Winter gear is tough on a tight budget. Gonna be heavy. Good thing a mora is $12

 

[leghog]

Don't worry about brand names, particularly in clothing. Worry about material. For base layer, go Target and/or Walmart. For mid and outer layers, surplus stores, Salvation Army, Good Will, and other thrift stores are very good places to find outdoor synthetics and wool at extremely good prices.

 

[baldtaco-II]

I totally agree on the “properties of things” approach. Look outside the rut. Bushcrafters and survivalists are no different from any other hobby fanatic in that they tend to get a very narrow world view of what is good or useful. Cliché, but think outside the box. Instead of seeing what they do as a refinement drilling down to a right answer be suspicious. In many cases it is rather more of a self inflicted myopia. It's painfully obvious when they do it with knives, but it is also true for other things just as much. Take from everywhere you can and absorb it into your Borg,

Suppose I want a jacket that is good to -10C. If I approach that as a roofer I will get a very different answer to a bike racer and so on. I've got no intention of climbing Everest or working as a meat packer but I'll assimilate all that and more to frame the problem. It enriches your understanding of the market. You never know what gems you might come across. For example I've spent a lot of money on gloves over the years. Not so much now. My most used winter gloves for holding an axe or handlebars I found in the commercial fishing industry for processing and packing fish below decks with your hands in icy water for hours on end. They cost me a third the price of a packet of tobacco. I've spent at least 10* that on a pair that work less well. Get out the rut, absorb and assimilate, absorb and assimilate. Learn the properties of things, it is all that matters.

On that note I'll chuck in something I found on a hammock forum, [I have zero intention of sleeping in a hammock in my home county]. While I was there I saw them all cooing over some cheap down throws they were turning into under-quilts. Yay, they have them here on UK Amazon. I've pointed a few people that don't make their own gear to them now. Sure they are thin, but a 700 fill power down quilt for the price of 4 pints of beer is not to be sniffed at. Hell you could consider them disposable props for debauching on the beach and still come away with a bargain. Look to youtube and you can see Cosco has thrown in some gems for the imaginative to play about with. 1lb sleeping bag booster that packs tiny anyone…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bej9rMq7ISg

https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/106873/

 

[Mikel_24]

When winter comes (and where I live winter is quite mild, we rarely go below freezing conditions and being so close to the sea we don't get snow unless you go up in the nearby mountains) I always stock up my van (California Syncro) with some winter clothing and equipment. I keep a full clothes changes (underwear, mid layer, outher layer, warm waterpfoof boots, gaiters, gloves, hat, etc), a syntethic sleeping bag I don't use for anything else (too old, too heavy) and make sure the LPG, gas tank, water tank, etc is full. Chains, saw, tow straps, showel, etc are standar issue in the van.

It is higly unlikely, but if I screw up and get stranded in or off road in nasty weather I would be more than confortable!

If we are talking about carrying stuff in a truck... anything goes. Weight and bulk is not an issue. You can use ANYTHING! Now if we are talking multipitch multiday alpine climbing... that's a whole different story! It only takes some more room... but it is well worth it. Even if not for a one in a lifetime experience of wilderness survival... extra clothing will come handy if you get soaking wet while changing a flat tire in nasty weather.

The van has an additional heather which runs with the engine stopped as long as you has diesel and battery (and it is connected to a 150Ah leisure battery which is also connected to a 120W solar pannel). BUT, for those vehicles not equipped with such luxuries, keep in mind that a car/truck/cargo van is nothing but a metal box. It is non insulated AT ALL (even my van which is somewhat insulated gets freeeeeezing cold overnight when we go ice climbing) and in a couple hours (if not less) the inside is going to be as cold as the outside. So bring something to heat the interior slightly. Candles are a great option, they will provide light and heat (you don't need much of a heat source to keep such a small space warm. BUT USE COMMON SENSE AND INSURE PROPPER AIR FLOW! Or you will die suffocated.

Stay safe!

 

[ChadHahn]

Go to thrift stores. There can be some good stuff had cheap. I once bought my wife a pair of Canadian made Sorel boots for $5. I also got a nice Vietnam era winter parka for the same price.

Chad

 

[leghog]

Field clothing -----

In the last couple of years I bought an M-88 OD Belgian field jacket for $10-$15, a surplus M-59 Swedish Parka with liner for less than $20 (this is akin to a barn coat with removable liner), and some U.S. M-51 Artic trousers with insolated nylon liner and suspenders for less than $25. For an extra insulating under layer you can get any nylon quilted button-in field jacket liner and sew a few buttons along one side by that sides button holes. I also bought a couple of old U.S. M-44 wool sleeping bag liners with sleeping back covers for about $25 each. Those I put in each car as part of winter emergency kit. I also bought a wool Navy deck sweater and some U.S. surplus wool artic socks. All from surplus stores.

I also bought a few fleece button up collared shirts for a few bucks each. All from thrift shops.

For fancy, I did buy some Peruvian alpaca wool items but they too were very inexpensive for what they are -- these from alapacanation.

At a gun show last weekend, I saw an old but complete and functional Svea 123 stove for $25 (pre-haggle). These make excellent winter stoves. Very tempting but didn't haggle/buy since I already have one.

 

[leghog]

Me last winter in surplus store and thrift shop clothing. The only clothing not surplus or thrift store buys in these pics were my drawers, fleece mittens, and boots.

 

[Mikel_24]

Me last winter in surplus store and thrift shop clothing. The only clothing not surplus or thrift store buys in these pics were my drawers, fleece mittens, and boots.

Cool pics leghog! However I would like to point out that my previous statement stating that "anything goes" is limited to car emergency kits, car camping and short (in length and time) easy walks. I think that modern garments provide more insulation, morre protection from the elements, better sweat wicking capabilities, more conmfort (stretchy fabricks) at the fraction of the weight and bulk.. at many many times the cost of surplus gear. The problem with surplus gear is that, like any military gear, is built bombproof. Which is not bad, but also means that things are HEAVY (with capital letters).

Something is always better than nothing... but I wouldn't want to be doing my kind of hikes and climbs in surplus gear!

 

[Skidoosh]

Many fabrics that started out as high end exclusives are now available at lower cost in mass quantities. Poly-fleece used to be high end but now there isn't a big difference if you get it from wal-mart or another high end outdoor place. I shop the sales and prefer to spend more to get more, especially on winter things. I've found that a bigger issue is learning to take care of your gear so it holds up. I avoid wool, except for socks when I camp because it takes so long to dry out.

 

[Mikel_24]

..I avoid wool, except for socks when I camp because it takes so long to dry out.

My experience with top of the line alpine climbing wool socks is that they... suck. They are warm, stretchy and confortable... untill they start loosing loft and in a season of ice climbing (like 10 days at most out there) they don't resemble the new ones any more. I am talking about a certain model made by Lorpen which has silicone dots under the toe balls to prevent slipagge inside the boot. Great when new, truly bad when worn out... and they do it very very quickly.

I use now wool/poly blends or fully sinthetic.

Mikel

 

[leghog]

Cool pics leghog! However I would like to point out that my previous statement stating that "anything goes" is limited to car emergency kits, car camping and short (in length and time) easy walks. I think that modern garments provide more insulation, morre protection from the elements, better sweat wicking capabilities, more conmfort (stretchy fabricks) at the fraction of the weight and bulk.. at many many times the cost of surplus gear. The problem with surplus gear is that, like any military gear, is built bombproof. Which is not bad, but also means that things are HEAVY (with capital letters).

Something is always better than nothing... but I wouldn't want to be doing my kind of hikes and climbs in surplus gear!

Not all surplus gear is heavy or not suited. Those arctic pants and their liners are synthetic and light weight. There's a reason they are so popular with snow boarders. The wools from most militaries are often excellent too. If you want inexpensive, yet appropriate outdoor clothing, even technical clothing, do not overlook either surplus or thrift shops. There are good products to be had very inexpensively.

Regarding socks for outdoors in the winter, I've been wearing wool or mostly wool blends for 40 years now. I've tried other materials but will stick with wool.

 

[Mikel_24]

Thanks for the heads up! I am talking about my limited point of view regarding surplus stores (i lived 1 year in Wisconsin as an exchange estudent when I was 16, that's like 18 years ago).

..., do not overlook either surplus or thrift shops.

I wish I could... we don't have them in Spain!

 

[neeman]

I went to Army surplus stores when I started out winter camping
Very effective and very inexpensive

 

[22-rimfire]

You can get wool pants and so forth that are new or nearly new at places like Sportsman Guide at relatively low prices. I was never a big fan of army surplus stores, but I have bought the wool glove liners for my military leather gloves there. I just don't generally enjoy sorting through a bunch of junk and that includes "bargain bins" at big box stores.

I keep winter survival stuff in my truck during the winter months and it usually includes a wool blanket (army surplus style or somewhat better), a couple of tarps, boots if there is snow on the ground for emergency walking, A shovel almost always. Enough food to make me comfortable over night if I need it. There is usually a coat that breaks the wind and is warm, especially with layers. Seldom wear coats like this in normal life. They are mostly worn in the woods if it is that cold.

If I am making a longish drive during the winter months, I usually have a few more things with me just in case and usually do a bit of an inventory before I venture out. I also check the weather forecasts regularly and usually want to see where the fronts are located so I can make my own judgement on the weather. I tend to carry more cash with me during the winter months also and usually enough to pay for just about everything that I intend to do with cash if needed.

 

[gadgetgeek]

The great thing about wool gear is its got a pretty decent shelf life. even wool suit pants from a thrift shop can be decent as a mid-layer if they are "winter" weight. I've got a pair of really ugly Aussie army dress wool pants that are actually pretty decent in the cool and wet. Overalls can be a good cheap option for an additional layer depending on your climate.