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Cold Nights but which clothing do you prefer

Kevdan

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MikeWilson

MikeWilson

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I use one of these (it's a zippo hand warmer) that I fill with alcohol, light it, pop it in it's bag and wear it as a necklace - it goes under my coat / hoodie and keeps my chest warm.

I also use two of these: Little Hotties Hand Pocket Glove Warmers Winter Season Bulk Pack - 40 Pairs: Amazon.co.uk: Sports & Leisure hand warmers which are absolutely awesome. They require no power or additional chemical fuel, are safe and they get extremely hot for >8 hours. A couple of those in each trouser pocket makes a huge difference to comfort. I'm considering popping them in my boots when it gets really cold.

However I am tempted by these Blazewear/Warmawear heated items. Perhaps a heated scarf or as Helen suggests, a heated body warmer. I quite like the sound of the heated body warmer - how thick is it? Ideally I like to keep my cold weather clothing as thin as possible and layer it. Presumably the body warmer goes on the outside and can fit over say a fleece?

All the best,

Mike

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dwc

dwc

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I have a pair of fingerless gloves that have a fold-over mitten as well. So for adjustments I use them fingerless, then cover up the fingers when observing. Made by Thinsulate, cost a few pounds from a local surplus store.

Interesting the hand warmers. When I was (much) younger and fishing, I was given a velvet-covered case that contained some kind of fibre, and a charcoal stick. You lit the charcoal so it glowed and put into the case, and that warmed through the velvet. Long lost I'm afraid, and haven't seen anything similar recently.

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MikeWilson

MikeWilson

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I have a pair of fingerless gloves that have a fold-over mitten as well. So for adjustments I use them fingerless, then cover up the fingers when observing. Made by Thinsulate, cost a few pounds from a local surplus store.

Interesting the hand warmers. When I was (much) younger and fishing, I was given a velvet-covered case that contained some kind of fibre, and a charcoal stick. You lit the charcoal so it glowed and put into the case, and that warmed through the velvet. Long lost I'm afraid, and haven't seen anything similar recently.

The mitten part sounds interesting. I have two pairs of standard Thinsulate gloves and I love them for general use in the winter, but I need fingerless for astro use. I'll probably get a pair without the mitten part as I can keep my hands in my pockets to warm them up.

As for the charcoal in the case - that's pretty much what the zippo handwarmer does, only it's lighter fluid and a catalytic (flameless) burner.

All the best,

Mike

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Strugz

Strugz

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I 've got a Ron Tompson specimen suit from an online angling shop . Bargain, came with thermal wellies and it's really warm. The hood proved useful for blanking out streelights as well!

Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk.

Skywatcher 130. 9mm 12mm 15mm 20mm 32mm revelation eps. Meade 10 x 50 bins.

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hemihaggis

hemihaggis

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Erm tshirt and fleece,everyone else seems to be dressing for an attempt on everest. I guess I don't really feel the cold that much.

yeah wiltshire is know for its cold climate , when was the last time you were out oberving at -20 for 3 or 4 hours ? in your t shirt and fleece :)

lol just done a quick check on the "cold" weather in wiltshire , lol it got to -13 there once in history lol .... it has the higest mean temps of anywhere in the uk." in the cold winter of `82 the temp dropped to -6 two nights in row " .... oh dear ...i wonder what our friends in northern canada would think lol ... i belive i know why you dont feel the cold in your t shirt and fleece ..... cause its not cold where you are lol

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MikeWilson

MikeWilson

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I'm gonna get one of these. They didnt have any in stock when I ordered my scope, as it was mid summer lol.

Is the body warmer better than the fleece?

There are a few different types of body warmer - the one FLO posted a picture of looks to be pretty good for astro use as it looks quite thick and warm, but they also do another one as discussed earlier - a red/black one originally designed for riders. That might be more appropriate as it can be worn under as well as over the outer layer so may be more useful during the spring/autumn when the temperature is more variable.

The fleece looks tempting too.

Do you know if FLO have stock? (I mailed them yesterday).

Oh, decisions, decisions.

All the best,

Mike

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MjrTom

MjrTom

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When the mercury is touching 0*C I don my hooded down jacket with a thermal long sleeved top underneath.

Legs wise it has to be ski pants again with long johns underneath.

I protect the extremities with fingerless gloves, thick walking socks and a warm hat.

Warm down to about -20*C :)

All the above packed for PSP2011 this weekend! Might need them!

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smudgeball

smudgeball

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Obviously first on my list is a SGL Beanie Hat !!:)

(kept me nice and warm last night)

I've got a nice mountain equipment down jacket.

It is handy as the pockets are lined with very smooth lint free material so ok if you need to pop an eyepiece in for a bit.

But I think trainers are out after last night, my feet were freezing !

Neil

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Helen

Helen

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My Blazewear vest is fairly chunky, but great!! I bought a bigger size to allow for a flecces underneath - warning to the ladies, these are fitted, so at least an extra size might be prudent! I have worn it under a standard waterproof jacket to good effect, and it regularly goes under my duvet jacket. As you can tell, I get cold easily (and stay that way!), particularly when sitting/standing rather than moving around. Its got a chunky padded hood too (non-heated) which can be useful, but also clips off if you don't want the bulk.

I think Steve has had some 'challenges' with supply at times, so I'd say 'book early'

Helen

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RikM

RikM

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I have a pair of fingerless gloves that have a fold-over mitten as well. So for adjustments I use them fingerless, then cover up the fingers when observing. Made by Thinsulate, cost a few pounds from a local surplus store.

Interesting the hand warmers. When I was (much) younger and fishing, I was given a velvet-covered case that contained some kind of fibre, and a charcoal stick. You lit the charcoal so it glowed and put into the case, and that warmed through the velvet. Long lost I'm afraid, and haven't seen anything similar recently.

I got one of the velvet covered charcoal stick hand warmers at Go Out doors last winter and I got about 40 fuel stick for it on ebay for a couple of pounds. I put it in my hoody hood left down so it sits just between my shoulder blades, then wear a thermal grey beany hat to cover up the thinning / greying scalp.

Just bought some snow boots and merino wool ski socks for this season because my toes still haven't forgiven me for last winter yet...

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hemihaggis

hemihaggis

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hi folks , i love my astronomy but i also love my hillwalking/mountainerring , i ride a motorcyle also . so i think i have some good testing grounds for cold weather gear !!! i have heard a few of you mention the heated vests , you can get very similar items from motorcycle stores , try www.busters.co.uk or www.exo2.co.uk .

my usual cold weather astro gear , for use in scotland (-20 is about the coldest it has been tested !) is a north face nuptse jacket or a nike cladera parka , this is a huge antartic style ,down filled parka with a big furry hood , its roasting !! , thermal undies from aldi , bridgedale summit socks (ask for a pair for christmas !) there are the only socks you will ever need , i have worn them for winter mountainerring in the cairngorms , snowhole for the night ! , and they are the best socks ever . i also tie a piece of string on to my gloves and thread it through the sleeves of my jacket , this stops me losing them in the dark .

kind regards :)

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dark knight

dark knight

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I used to suffer terrible cold legs but not any more.

If on a budget have a look around local charity shops, I got a pair of skiing salopettes for £10 and a goose down filled jacket for £15, by far the best £25 I have spent, never felt cold since no matter what mother nature has thrown at me, I also have some very good gore-tex boots.

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laser_jock99

laser_jock99

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I used to suffer terrible cold legs but not any more.

If on a budget have a look around local charity shops, I got a pair of skiing salopettes for £10 and a goose down filled jacket for £15, by far the best £25 I have spent, never felt cold since no matter what mother nature has thrown at me, I also have some very good gore-tex boots.

Chartity shop is a good idea- I got a nearly new North Face 'deerstalker' type mountaineering hat for a quid (I don't think they realised they're about £40 odd new.....).

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George

George

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I spend an hour or 2 in a blast freezer as part of my job, temperatures are a mind numbing -30C snot freezes in your nose and if your stupid enough to touch metal without gloves on can weld your hand to steel in seconds. But in our freezer suits we wear shorts they are that good and are very toasty.

Have a look on the ARCO website,

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