winter and how to deal with the cold

[opticalpath]

Hi All

some fantastic tips coming through 

i do a 50 mile round trip to work every on a 125cc moped and i use 2 pairs of waterproof over-trousers made by regatta over my not so waterproof motorcycle trousers and that keeps the wet and cold at bay plus they are light for £9.99 a pair you cant go wrong i also put strip or two of gaffer(duck)tape over the pockets to keep the rain out3

I think mine are Regatta too ... the lightweight ones that come packed in a very small draw-string bag.  Cheap but effective. 

Adrian

[rockystar]

I think being fashionable and having street cred needs to be firmly left for down the pub. Wrap up in whatever keeps you warm and don't care what you look like. I was out the other night, I had 3 pairs of socks, thermal vest, t-shirt, woolly jumper, coat, hoody hat and a neck warmer, along with a lanyard to attach my glasses too. Not the prettiest look, but it kept me out there for over 2 hours. Thermal long johns coming on next time too.

As for hands, I use astro gloves (got suckered into the marketing sales pitch at the astro show, but I love them), they only expose 2 fingers and thumb, so you can still manipulate equipment - what I did find out was when moving the scope (touching cold metal bits) use the protected fingers...

An astronomer friend of mine got some of these: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Andyshi-Winter-Outdoor-Cycling-Touchscreen/dp/B00MJQ5LJI/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1448369461&sr=8-7&keywords=neoprene+gloves

he said they were great: warm, freedom of movement for the fingers and still able to use a smartphone/tablet.

[Vox45]

From a previous post

First time in the cold last month made me realise that I was ill equipped..

- My wool hat was too small and did not cover my ears ... big mistake. Also, the head lamp elastic band was squeezing my hat which then slipped up and I ended up with a bunched hat on top of my head

- My hiking boots were too tight and the soles had the tendency to accumulate mud in the deep indentations. The muddy wet cold goo sticking on the soles did not help in keeping my feet warm. Also, I spent quite some time cleaning the darn soles the next day

- The fingerless glove were quite warm but I ran into a design issue: all fingers were exposed but the thumb was not. This made me realise the importance of the opposing digit in human evolution...

- I had the brillant idea of bringing a blanket with an insulated underlay to keep the humidity away .. But I also came up with the stupid idea to put it under the scope and not under my feet. Although the initial idea of the blanket under the scope helped when I dropped an EP on the blanket instead of the deep grass and mud, I should have brought 2 and put the second one under my feet.

So I did some puchases for my second night out in the cold:

- rubber boots (nothing to tie, easy to remove without putting your hands in god knows what) with smooth soles that I can wash in the shower when the wife is not looking. 1 size too big and a pair of wool socks

- a 'mad Bomber hat' that can be tied under the chin to prevent the 'hat on top of head' situation

- a simple sheet to put under the scope, a waterproof picnic rug under my feet

- scotch (nah, kiddin') ....

You Booze, You Lose (Heat)  Alcohol is a vasodilator and apparently caffeine has a similar effect !

Everything You Know About Getting Warm Is Wrong ... turns out I am wrong a lot !

[LukeSkywatcher]

Ive seen these in my local DIY store and i am wondering about the use of them.

It says on the packet that you get up to 10 hours of heat. Does this mean that once opened and exposed to air which activates them that they will last 10 hrs in one session, or can you close them and use them maybe for a few nights on the trot?. ...............say 5 nights in a row for 2 hrs each night?.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hands-Instant-Hand-Warmers-Pairs/dp/B000YF3DUA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1448391940&sr=8-1&keywords=hand+warmers

[BritAngler]

Ive seen these in my local DIY store and i am wondering about the use of them.

It says on the packet that you get up to 10 hours of heat. Does this mean that once opened and exposed to air which activates them that they will last 10 hrs in one session, or can you close them and use them maybe for a few nights on the trot?. ...............say 5 nights in a row for 2 hrs each night?.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hands-Instant-Hand-Warmers-Pairs/dp/B000YF3DUA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1448391940&sr=8-1&keywords=hand+warmers

Single use only.

[LukeSkywatcher]

Thanks for that. I wont be buying those then as my nights of doing 10+ hrs observing are long gone.

[BritAngler]

You can buy cheaper from Boots the chemist

[LukeSkywatcher]

The price is not a concern. I just wouldnt need them as i wouldnt be using them in one go for 10 hrs. I think in my local B&Q they cost about a fiver or maybe a tenner anyway. 

[jabeoo1]

Seal Skinz, inside walking boots. 

http://www.sealskinz.com/UK/xmas-gifts-26-50/walking-sock

http://www.sealskinz.com/UK/socks/trekking-sock

These are really very good, I wear them walking in the lake district on long cold damp walks.......they always win me over. 

[Knighty2112]

Apparently we've all got it wrong with gloves; what we need are glittens!

http://boingboing.net/2013/01/19/science-proves-that-you-should.html

Half glove, half mitten hybrid.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Winter-Fingerless-Gloves-without-194_Royal/dp/B015KM8J50/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1448393876&sr=8-12&keywords=glittens

Apparently our little fingers keep warmer when all huddled together, so these are the best of both worlds it seems! May snag a pair myself and test them out with the scope!

[LukeSkywatcher]

Ive tried "glittens". I was using and tweaking astro gear so much that my fingers were hardly covered at all for any length of time, so i found them useless.

[opticalpath]

I can recommend this as a reliable hand warmer

http://tinyurl.com/o6t56ns

Some up-front cost, but it's very nicely made, works well and is cheap to run on lighter fuel.

Adrian

[Knighty2112]

Ive tried "glittens". I was using and tweaking astro gear so much that my fingers were hardly covered at all for any length of time, so i found them useless.

The science sounded good. In practice though not so much I guess! Hehe! I'll give 'em a miss then!

[Knighty2112]

The science sounded good. In practice though not so much I guess! Hehe! I'll give 'em a miss then!

Not much more expensive than glittens! Hehe!

[rockystar]

The price is not a concern. I just wouldnt need them as i wouldnt be using them in one go for 10 hrs. I think in my local B&Q they cost about a fiver or maybe a tenner anyway. 

 can you get reusable ones that you heat up in the microwave?

Not want I was thinking, but here you go: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Magic-Gel-Reusable-Hand-Warmer/dp/B000MU4IJ2/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1448395465&sr=8-4&keywords=hand+warmers+reusable

[LukeSkywatcher]

The science sounded good. In practice though not so much I guess! Hehe! I'll give 'em a miss then!

I would too. Better off with a pair of fingerless gloves and a warm coat or top with pockets that you can simply slip your hands into to keep finger tips warm. With "glittens" or whatever you wanna call them...........too much time is spent releasing your finger tips and you do get annoyed with them and just end up leaving the top mitten part open all night.

[LukeSkywatcher]

 can you get reusable ones that you heat up in the microwave?

Not want I was thinking, but here you go: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Magic-Gel-Reusable-Hand-Warmer/dp/B000MU4IJ2/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1448395465&sr=8-4&keywords=hand+warmers+reusable

Now that makes more sense. I wonder how long you get from each use.

[Alien 13]

I find deep padded pockets with a few of those plastic containing liquid thingies with the clicky metal widget works for me.

Alan

[rockystar]

My wife used to have a hot "water bottle" that was filled with stuff and you heated it in the microwave, in was wondering if there were smaller versions, but they all seem to be this gel with the magic button in them now.

[skywatcher58gb]

The best things I have bought are knee length ski socks and thermal lined work trousers. Also got boots with thick air cushion soles and a work jacket wool lined with huge deep pockets, just brilliant to keep eye pieces in.

[cjdawson]

As a person with Raynauds.  I've got a few tips.

1. Layers.  Lots of thin layers are better than one big thick one.  The air gaps get warm and insulate.

I wear t-shirt, fleece and body warmer, or waterproof jacket.  The body warmer makes a huge difference.

On my legs, I've been wearing Jeans, am thinking about getting themals to put underneath - like you get at "Damart" and places like that.

Hat, gloves and scarf is a must.

2. Fingerless gloves are good, mittens are supposed to be better - the point about mittens is that the whole hand heads the air around, so they work together.  I can't see glittens working as the fingers are seperated.  I know for me they'd be pointless.   I'm trying out some astrogloves, I'm not expecting this to work completely, but they should help for my 4th and 5th fingers which will be fully covered.

3. Carpet! I've not tried this, it's on my xmas list ;-)  I'm sure that it will help.

4. Warm socks.  The socks that I'm wearing at the moment are rated at tog 2.3.  I've seen them for sale in Wickes, but my mum for me these for xmas last year, they're brilliant.

5. Hand warmers.

There are several kinds.

The cheap single use ones are good in a pinch, but lighter fuel versions are much better. - I keep some of these just in case I get caught out.  But once opened, they're done.

I've got 2 Zippo hand warmers which keep my hands lovely and warm.  For best results, I put one in each pocket, and keep my hands in there for a while to warm up,  The fuel is cheap, and they're much warmer than the single use ones.

6. Hot drink.

Take a flask of hot drink with you, tea or coffee works well.  Just don't burn yourself.

7. Move around.

Don't stand in one spot, move about - your body will give off more heat for you that'll help to keep warm.

If you get cold, realise which part of you gets cold and try to sort it out next time

[NotSoSuperNova]

I'm not too fussed about my hands to be honest. If they ever get too cold to function I have an emergency set of gloves on standby.

My legs and feet are the important bits. They're more difficult to get layers on and will get uncomfortably cold quite quickly. I wear a fetching pair of thermal trousers with jeans on top more often than not. I suspect a pair of lined walking trousers would be the upgrade on these. For my feet I have a pair of thick thermal socks and wear walking boots. This does that trick for me. 

I also have a decent hat and the expected body layers, and I take the obligatory flask out (coffee I'm afraid).

One thing I've noticed in this thread is that organisation and experience will triumph over the cold. People don't tend to be cold for very long before they do something about it. 

[Putaendo Patrick]

Scarlet flannel gifted by your aunt? On a light hearted note, this is an Edward Lear nonsense poem that I enjoyed in my childhood:

The Pobble Who Has No Toes
by Edward Lear

The Pobble who has no toes
Had once as many as we;
When they said “Some day you may lose them all;”
He replied “Fish, fiddle-de-dee!”
And his Aunt Jobiska made him drink
Lavender water tinged with pink,
For she said “The World in general knows
There’s nothing so good for a Pobble’s toes!”

The Pobble who has no toes
Swam across the Bristol Channel;
But before he set out he wrapped his nose
In a piece of scarlet flannel.
For his Aunt Jobiska said “No harm
Can come to his toes if his nose is warm;
And it’s perfectly known that a Pobble’s toes
Are safe, — provided he minds his nose!”

The Pobble swam fast and well,
And when boats or ships came near him,
He tinkledy-blinkledy-winkled a bell,
So that all the world could hear him.
And all the Sailors and Admirals cried,
When they saw him nearing the further side –
“He has gone to fish for his Aunt Jobiska’s
Runcible Cat with crimson whiskers!”

But before he touched the shore,
The shore of the Bristol Channel,
A sea-green porpoise carried away
His wrapper of scarlet flannel.
And when he came to observe his feet,
Formerly garnished with toes so neat,
His face at once became forlorn,
On perceiving that all his toes were gone!

And nobody ever knew,
From that dark day to the present,
Whoso had taken the Pobble’s toes,
In a manner so far from pleasant.
Whether the shrimps, or crawfish grey,
Or crafty Mermaids stole them away –
Nobody knew: and nobody knows
How the Pobble was robbed of his twice five toes!

The Pobble who has no toes
Was placed in a friendly Bark,
And they rowed him back, and carried him up
To his Aunt Jobiska’s Park.
And she made him a feast at his earnest wish
Of eggs and buttercups fried with fish, –
And she said “It’s a fact the whole world knows,
That Pobbles are happier without their toes!”

Seriously I have known people who lost fingers and toes due to extreme frostbite, and it's nasty. But they were mountaineers not astronomers....

[rockystar]

I just remembered that I have some fleece lined walking trousers that I used to use for cycling to work in in the winter, they were very warm and comfortable, so will try those next time: http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/craghoppers-kiwi-basecamp-winter-lined-trousers-p185839(you can probably get them cheaper elsewhere).

Socks & footwear is the next thing to upgrade.

[Psychology]

It's my first winter doing astronomy, i like the idea of a quilted boiler suit, like an outside onsie