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How do you keep warm outside.


SirFoo

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isn't it remarkable just how quickly you can develop a dislike for people? :p

LOL Kev :) I have done my apprenticeship bit, sat at a laptop screen or eyepiece at silly temperatures. As others have said plenty of layers to trap the air and pay attention to your feet and head. I wear salopettes and a good ski coat that overlap well so you dont get any drafts on your back. I also use reusable handwarmers in my pockets in a waistcoat under the ski jacket when doing an allnighter at star parties.

Regards

Kevin

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I find the Thinsulate range of clothing to be pretty good, and for an extra boost on the hands, camping shops sell hand warmers with charcoal sticks. PJ's under my trousers, and thermal t shirt, then thermal jumper, then polo shirt, then jumper, then body warmer, then windproof quilted jacket. Lovely and snug, I work outside all day and never get cold really :)

I just bought some Hoggs boots as well for working in, but they are the warmest pair of boots I have ever owned, waterproof too.

If you can keep your body, legs, and head warm, your body will allow more warming blood to hands and feet.

It's probably worth adding the warning to watch out for these extremely cold nights. When hypothermia sets in, one of the first things to go is your mental capacity to evaluate and remedy your situation. Take care out there folks!

Hypothermia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Very apt thread, due to the present weather. :)

One tip I'm sure some of you may know of is....raiding the wife's drawer and using a pair of her old tights. Ye I know what this may look like but I can assure you it works. (and it feels kinda ok:p), used this when I was instaling TV and SAT systems over the colder winters many years ago.

Alan

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good wicking base layer, and then mid and fleece with a Combat jacket to top it off, decent pair of craghoppers, sometimes with fleece liners, good boots with thick socks, always best to wear a hat, it keeps the feet warmer lol.

I also have an old camp mat I use to stand on when the ground is very icy, helps to insulate the feet. or some old carpet

oh and I also get the missus to keep me well stocked with hot drinks.

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merino wool long johns, thermal trousers 2 pairs of socks winter walking boots base layer tee shirt, polo neck jumper.either fleece and goretex jacket if theres a bit of a breeze or down ski jacket if its still. neoprene fishing gloves and a ski hat it works for me and flask of coffee.

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Female version:

Warm clothes to start with, then Furry coat and body warmer. Leggings under trousers, under ski pants. Thick socks (with trousers tucked in) and either furry or wellington boots depending on whether it is wet or snowy. Fleece type balaclava. (I look a sight, but I don't care). Gloves, but these go on and off.

Also I do have an observatory and networked laptop indoors, but it still gets very cold in the obs as it's a POD and half the dome is open.

Pop in for a cup of hot soup when I have left it running.

Carole

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Hi

Here is my layering

Bottom half - Morhino wool long johns, fleecy long johns on top, North face walking trousers, if it is really cold ie -10c and below my waterproff golf trousers on top of those

Feet - two pairs of thick walking socks, goretex walking boots

Top - Tshirt, sweat shirt, Annapurna down jacket by Mountain Instruments (good to -50c apparently)

Head - Thermal hat and hood from jacket

Hands - thermal gloves that allow use of a laptop

Apparently Mountain equipment do down trousers of the same rating as the jacket at about £140 (jacket is £230)

With this gear I have stayed out all night at -15c and I have been as warm as toast even having the occasional sleep in my garden chair. If you are spending long periods out in the cold this thermal gear is money well spent as it will last for years

Drink wise I have plenty of hot filter coffee (black) with an occasional large measure of whisky in it. My longest session outside like this has been from 4:30pm to 8am the following morning after packing everything away

From a medical point of view you should avoid alcohol as it lowers the core body temperature but sod that! an occasional dram is very welcoming and sensible consumption will not do any harm

Best wishes

Gordon

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I Don't find keeping the body warm too much of a problem. For me it's ears and fingers so it's a thinsulate wooly hat and for hands it's silk gloves under very thin fleece gloves so I still have felling and dexterity.

Dave...

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Are there decent heated gloves or something like that? Being an "older gentleman" my blood pressure tablets have the effect of reducing the circulation in my hands and I get white fingers which get so so painfully cold outside. Any ideas?

Maplin were selling electrically heated gloves and other electrically heated clothes. They run off batteries and so you'd need some rechargable cells.

Heated Gloves : Maplin Electronics

Regards,

Bob:)

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In really cold weather like this I wear Helmsmans Gloves by Gill (yachting clothing manufacturer). They're great quality and cost about £30 - £35 on ebay which is a fair bit more than what looks like the equivalent in say, Decathlon, but they really keep my hands warm.

I don't wear just the gloves when I go outside :) but I thought they are worthy of mention as they're so good.

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I wear three fleeces, two pairs of ski socks and "wooly" boots, trapper hat, walking coat with fleece liner (the walking coat has silky pockets that don't shed lint and are ideal for keeping eyepieces in) and pair of Thinsulate gloves - my hands are the weakest link with the cold, as the gloves have to often come off for studying star map books...

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I've just bought some North Face E-Tip gloves and they are very warm and work well with my iPhone. As well as the gloves I usually tog up on Berghaus clothing from walking boots, socks tight up to a nice warm hat. I usually wear a few thin layers instead of one thick one.

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Thermal longjohns, a pair of jeans and a pair of combats on top of that, for the top half a thermal tee and normal tee, a fleece, and a big quilted jacket on top of that. Feet, big thick kilt type socks and a pier of cat boots, hands a pair of fingerless gloves.

And then to top it all off, a pair of charcoal pocket warmers in the jacket pockets, this heats my hands quickly when not actually tinkering and also keeps my body temp up......

Oh, and one of them furry dear stalker type hats.##

Gary

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Wow Phil, the thought of you in one of "those" hats with the ears...all credibility now gone:p:D..

cheers

Dave

Dave, Credibility, whats that? Mine went years ago.:p:)

As for a wee dram cant stand the stuff meself, sometimes have been known top have a glass of wine in the obs when everything is on auto and behaving itself. I usually find that my patience reduces after the a glass so end up packing away early so I try and avoid it before during but not after:D

Philj

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I went down the Army surplus store and got some nice thermal leggings and some quilty over trouser things. Getting a pair of Moon boots in a couple of days time to try and sort out my cold feet problem along with a pair of seal skinz socks. My jacket is knitted and fleece lined and made in the Himalayers, so I figured they know a thing or two about cold weather and it's lovely and warm.

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"Ice fishing boots?? We don't have those here! Tell us more..."

"why would anyone fish for ice?"

:) You're kidding, right? Bass Lake (down the road) has been frozen for two weeks already. There were three ice fishermen out there this afternoon, and in a week or so the ice will be thick enough for them to haul their ice shacks out with their trucks. Hasn't anyone seen the 'Grumpy Old Men' movies? It's like that. :p

Do your lakes stay liquid all winter?

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