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Dealing with the cold?

beans4

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SnakeyJ

SnakeyJ

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We used to get aphetemines in our arctic survival packs - though pretty sure this will stopped now. Lots of layers is the key thing - tights are good as a base layer, not at all kinky below -20C ;)

typed on my mobile with Tapatalk

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faulksy

faulksy

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But it's not cold!! And besides, I did wear a coat, my winter one, even. :D

are you

We used to get aphetemines in our arctic survival packs - though pretty sure this will stopped now. Lots of layers is the key thing - tights are good as a base layer, not at all kinky below -20C ;)

typed on my mobile with Tapatalk

related by any chance

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scarp15

scarp15

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Camping in the arctic circle northern Finland, Sweden, Norway and Russia in mid winter. Total riot. Recommend it highly great fun.

Yep would like to learn more - how were you travelling skidoo / four wheel drive? I have ski toured in artic Norway / Sweden (early Spring time), yet we stayed in moutain huts, did meet some hard core people who were camping out (with huskies). Yet as mentioned it is wind chill that needs to be guarded against and in UK we do not have a dry cold but the damp bone chilling - penetrating type, so hot drinks n' snacks to at least keep the bones from freezing over! :smiley:

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Naemeth

Naemeth

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The key is layers. In a cold wind though, I found even my 8 layers (including thick coat, but in the middle of nowhere so no wind protection) weren't enough after 3 hours or so. Once you start moving, it gets a bit better... but you need to make sure everything is well insulated, after those 3 hours my feet started to go numb - not a very comfortable cycle home..

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Kirscovitch

Kirscovitch

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Midwest is a broad term lol. 

Tonight was well below 0 (F) and I was out for an hour and a half. Only reason I came in was the scope started to frost heavily. Other than that I was almost too warm with what I put on.

On my feet I wore extra thick wool socks designed for steel toe boots. Nice extra padding in the toes. Boots were the ones I wear hunting, Lacrosse Icemans.

Legs were my undies, a pair of thermal underwear, blue jeans and a pair of snow bibs used for snowmobiling. 

Top was a t-shirt, sweatshirt with hood, flannel shirt and a wind proof jacket.

For the hands I used a pair of fold back mittens so I could expose my fingers for switching ep's and what not. I put a set of "hand warmers" in the jacket pockets for extra warmth.

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Swedeman2013

Swedeman2013

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Canadian winters are challenging and we find any insulation works fine, as long as it's down! I find the biggest issue is finger dexterity and controlling knobs and changing eyepieces becomes more of a hassle, but there's no damn bugs and darker nights so I'll take it!

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fondofchips

fondofchips

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Had to to a have a night out in Sherwood forest as part of my basic training for the RAF sleeping rough.  We were recommended women's tights as a good way of keeping warm.  No prizes for guessing how many of us took up that option.

Seriously though any all in one garment is good as one of your layers, it covers the gap between the top & bottom half of your clothing, overalls, waterproof motorcycle gear etc.

Overlap layers as much as you can to avoid wind getting in.  Motorcycle balaclavas have a long neck so it can be tucked in well to keep wind off your neck & they are cheap.

Fingerless gloves are best, you don't keep taking them off & losing them in the dark.

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itmo

itmo

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problem with normal tights is that if it gets cold enough they are doing more harm than good since they dont absorb or transfer moisture , instead it stays on your skin. In the worst case they might freeze on your skin and in the less worse case they are just transferring heat with the moisture. Better option is to use proper "technical" undergarments which manage body moisture properly.The "old" way of doing this is to have cotton and wool and keep drying them to stay warm. If you  are talking about nylon tights, it is pretty hazardous to dry nylon on an open fire,while wool and cotton dont burn that well. You smell them before they flame up. =) 

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beans4

beans4

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All great advice! I live in Northern Illinois (USA) about a stones throw from the Wisconsin border. I am sure it is not as bad as my Canadian peers, but I do admit the wind is the worst. I live in a rural area with a mostly flat landscape. I have a cornfield for a backyard and am privy to some very dark skies for the region. I really want to make the most of he winter skies but last year after I got my telescope I had a hard time staying out for very long and bungling through my first polar alignment in 0 degree weather wasn't fun.

I assume that it is safe to follow the same cool down procedure before viewing as well, or would everyone recommend letting a reflector sit longer when it is cold out before use?

Thanks again everyone!

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jetstream

jetstream

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All great advice! I live in Northern Illinois (USA) about a stones throw from the Wisconsin border. I am sure it is not as bad as my Canadian peers, but I do admit the wind is the worst. I live in a rural area with a mostly flat landscape. I have a cornfield for a backyard and am privy to some very dark skies for the region. I really want to make the most of he winter skies but last year after I got my telescope I had a hard time staying out for very long and bungling through my first polar alignment in 0 degree weather wasn't fun.

I assume that it is safe to follow the same cool down procedure before viewing as well, or would everyone recommend letting a reflector sit longer when it is cold out before use?

Thanks again everyone!

Great location beans!-32' C here last night when I went observing with my dob.I put it in the truck a couple hours early to cool it down,but my little mirror fan was still needed on Jupiter to contol the thermals,what a difference.Nice thing about the dob is it is so fast to set up and is very comfortable to use,no problem observing for 3 hrs last night.I used my HJC snowmobile suit (best one yet),no longjohns needed for me,with a balaclava and trappers hat.You are absolutely right about the wind....a snowmobile suit is designed to keep us warm blasting around at 90mph though!In other words,they work

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StuartJPP

StuartJPP

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As already mentioned layers but not too many that you constrict blood flow...a hot water bottle...fingerless gloves...

I am no expert (i.e. I have only spent about 5 hours at -10°C), but I believe that if you are standing on cold ground you need to insulate your feet, I wear my Muck Boots (neoprene wellies) with an extra inner sole lining and thick socks, very toasty. I know some people who swear by standing on a kneeling pad.

I take stuff off if I am moving about a lot during set-up, I don't want to be sweating with everything on then once I am finished moving about, wrap up to keep the heat from escaping.

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AndyWB

AndyWB

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I am no expert (i.e. I have only spent about 5 hours at -10°C), but I believe that if you are standing on cold ground you need to insulate your feet

When I've been mountaineering I've been warned by guides that crampons can act as heat sinks, and my own experience showed some truth to this; insulating your feet from the ground probably makes sense.

Otherwise, layers, with the exception of anything down. There is very little on this planet you can wear as insulating as what you pluck from a goose.

This winter I shall be testing, with curiosity, Zippo hand warmers. But I doubt we'll see negative double figures.

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Pappy Nick

Pappy Nick

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I'm lucky enough to own a North Face Nuptse hooded jacket which is very warm, very light and windproof. I tend to wear a baseball cap underneath the hood as it stops it from flopping across my face. I bought some uber cheap (£12) insulated walking trousers from Aldi the other week and they're very toasty when worn over a pair of trackies. For my feet I usually wear thick socks and trainers, or snow boots when it gets really cold. I keep a foam sleeping mat draped over the garden bench for when I fancy a sit down. My good lady wife also keeps me supplied with hot drinks in an insulated mug.

Sorted ;-)

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ursamajorro

ursamajorro

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I never use synthetic materials for keeping me warm. Fleece synthetic shirts keep warm, but if you sweat, you're doomed! I use cotton clothes instead: cotton drawers underwear, wool pullover and ski jacket outside. Obligatory gloves with fur. Natural. And no need for gel warmers or something like this. But it requires hot drinks: hot tea, boiled wine or even boiled romanian "tzouika", something like brandy made of fruits. Not recommended to the drivers... :D

On the other hand, I had rather problems to my instruments: ice on the secondary mirror, drained batteries etc. And the "tzouika" didn't help... :)))

PS: excuse my poor english.

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