The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Community => Coffee Lounge => Topic started by: Womble on February 02, 2015, 11:29:43 pm
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Personally I love the cold weather we're currently having. Crisp winter days with sunshine and low humidity - I could walk about all day outside wearing just a fleece and a waterproof.
However, Mrs Womble isn't so lucky. She's only ickle, and though she comes out wearing eighteen fleeces, plus hat, gloves etc, she can't stick it out for long and soon has to retreat back to the wood burning stove!
I'd love to help her with this (or at least call her bluff as I currently have to do all the work! :P ). So to all those coldies out there, what do you do to keep warm when working outside in this winter weather? Is there some sort of skiing / polar explorer suit I could buy her that would help do you think?
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Good thermal long johns and long sleeved vest under everything and two layers of socks. One thin and one thermal thick. A hat, long coat to cover most of the leg and warm thermal wellies/boots and a thermal hat. Those along with a good layer of comfy clothing is my routine. Warmth is the key :thumbsup:
Then a good deal of muscle power helps keep the heat up :sunshine:
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Keeping your head, feet and neck warm is a great help. Plain wellies are a disaster as the soles are so thin - I wear Muck Boots which are heavy but cosy, or winter walking boots, plus woollen socks.
If there's any amount of wind, I wear a long windproof jacket on top of a fleece - those silly short bum freezers are a waste of space. I wear a fleece lined Buff round my neck and over my nose (discussed elsewhere on TAS) -plus a normal scarf, and a big thick Norwegian type hat with ear flaps. If it's snowing a blizzard I wear ski goggles
Gloves are a problem for me as my peripheral circulation is shot, so if I'm not going to be doing mucky stuff then I wear electrically heated gloves, plus thinner liners - the batteries don't last long, but I'm going to try rechargeables. When I'm doing mucky stuff and have to wear thinner gloves, my hands are soon in agony.
Under that lot I wear wool, wool and wool. One of my two vests is wool, the other synthetic, thick cotton knit shirt, then one or two chunky jumpers (hand spun :spin: and hand knitted :knit: from my own cosy sheep of course).
For my legs, I currently wear leggings, normal trousers and fleece overtrousers, plus waterproofs if it's wet, but woollen tights also work well as a base layer, or long johns as Mammyshaz says.
And again, keep doing stuff, as standing around is bound to be colder than working.
Just as well I'm not bothered with looking glamorous :roflanim:
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I find this dry cold much easier to bear than a slightly higher temperature but damp, unless I'm handling anything wet I don't even bother with gloves, Woolly thermal hat is nice, body warmer under thicker jacket, thickish proper 'workmans' trousers.
I have some handwarmers, gel things with a bit of metal inside that you bend, then they heat up, put it in my trouser pocket and it helps keep blood warm and moving. just pop them in hot water to go fluid again for next time.
Only time I feel really cold is when I've been on the computer, sitting still for any length of time my feet and hands get cold, when you move this 'cold' blood is taken into your body, cooling the body core down. (Search and rescue chap told me that). so keep upper body moving (ie mucking out, digging, lifting bales etc etc ;) )
long sleeve thick shirts, vest (don't know the name for it, but material has lots of little holes that trap air next to the body for insulation),welly inserts.
Have you tried telling her she mustn't be working hard enough :sofa:
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Keeping your head, feet and neck warm is a great help. Plain wellies are a disaster as the soles are so thin - I wear Muck Boots which are heavy but cosy, or winter walking boots, plus woollen socks.
If there's any amount of wind, I wear a long windproof jacket on top of a fleece - those silly short bum freezers are a waste of space. I wear a fleece lined Buff round my neck and over my nose (discussed elsewhere on TAS) -plus a normal scarf, and a big thick Norwegian type hat with ear flaps. If it's snowing a blizzard I wear ski goggles
Gloves are a problem for me as my peripheral circulation is shot, so if I'm not going to be doing mucky stuff then I wear electrically heated gloves, plus thinner liners - the batteries don't last long, but I'm going to try rechargeables. When I'm doing mucky stuff and have to wear thinner gloves, my hands are soon in agony.
Under that lot I wear wool, wool and wool. One of my two vests is wool, the other synthetic, thick cotton knit shirt, then one or two chunky jumpers (hand spun :spin: and hand knitted :knit: from my own cosy sheep of course).
For my legs, I currently wear leggings, normal trousers and fleece overtrousers, plus waterproofs if it's wet, but woollen tights also work well as a base layer, or long johns as Mammyshaz says.
And again, keep doing stuff, as standing around is bound to be colder than working.
Just as well I'm not bothered with looking glamorous :roflanim:
Did you know fleecewife is only a size 10 but has to buy size 20 outerclothes to get them on on top of everything else :roflanim:
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I love the cold too, often the coldest days are the best days of the year.
For working outside nothing beats a thermal boiler suit. I actually don't wear mine that often as I overheat if doing much work.
For hands some crappy rubberised gloves with a fleece pair inside.
For feet normal wellies but with ankle welly socks which keep your feet warm and stop your normal socks working their way under your feet and getting really annoying.
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I'm lucky (I suppose :-\) in that I don't feel the cold unless it's way below zero and I've forgotten my hat and gloves. I usually wear a short sleeved T plus a long sleeved one, one of Jim's jumpers (covers my bum!) a boiler suit and a fleece on top and on the bottom cotton trousers plus the legs of the boiler suit, Jim's thermal socks and wellies. Fleecewife, I know I live in the south west of England and you in the frozen north but how do you WALK in all that, I'd be flat on my face in the mud ;D ;D
The problem for me is hot weather. The two long, hot summers we've had, though great for the main crop spuds have been a torture to me. It's easier, I think to keep warm than cool?
Anyway, everyone keep warm as well as you can, only a few weeks now 'til summer ;D ;D
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welli am still in bed.. in a winter sleeping bag with a 10 tog duvet on top, hot water bottle on my feet, wooly hat, dressing gown with hood up and a padded waistcoat on.. I will emerge shortly and wear heat holders tights, a fleecy pyjama bottoms(couldn't afford fleece'trousers'.. )waterproof tousers, two pairs of socks, muckboots. a thermal vest, t-shirt, fleece jumper, fleece lined waistcoat, and as I'm not doing much work today on my day off I will wear a big thick padded jacket and a wooly hat. depends on wind I will pull the jacket hood up over the hat too.
this is my normal dress code from about October to may..
who says summer is only a few weeks away?? really? here we will wait about another four months for about three hot days then its back to the thermals again... lol
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Keeping your head, feet and neck warm is a great help. Plain wellies are a disaster as the soles are so thin - I wear Muck Boots which are heavy but cosy, or winter walking boots, plus woollen socks.
If there's any amount of wind, I wear a long windproof jacket on top of a fleece - those silly short bum freezers are a waste of space. I wear a fleece lined Buff round my neck and over my nose (discussed elsewhere on TAS) -plus a normal scarf, and a big thick Norwegian type hat with ear flaps. If it's snowing a blizzard I wear ski goggles
Gloves are a problem for me as my peripheral circulation is shot, so if I'm not going to be doing mucky stuff then I wear electrically heated gloves, plus thinner liners - the batteries don't last long, but I'm going to try rechargeables. When I'm doing mucky stuff and have to wear thinner gloves, my hands are soon in agony.
Under that lot I wear wool, wool and wool. One of my two vests is wool, the other synthetic, thick cotton knit shirt, then one or two chunky jumpers (hand spun :spin: and hand knitted :knit: from my own cosy sheep of course).
For my legs, I currently wear leggings, normal trousers and fleece overtrousers, plus waterproofs if it's wet, but woollen tights also work well as a base layer, or long johns as Mammyshaz says.
And again, keep doing stuff, as standing around is bound to be colder than working.
Just as well I'm not bothered with looking glamorous :roflanim:
Did you know fleecewife is only a size 10 but has to buy size 20 outerclothes to get them on on top of everything else :roflanim:
If only about the size 10 :eyelashes:
devonlady - I can't move :roflanim:
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I really feel the cold. The key is definitely to get moving. If I sit in front of the wood burner for a while then I don't want to play out in the cold for long either. What works for me (including lots of layers) is to take the dogs for a brisk walk before tackling any outdoor jobs. Within 5 mins of setting off I have usually thawed and often get home with my hat in my pocket. Then I can clean out the chickens, bother the sheep etc for ages as long as I keep moving.
Oh, and Womble....hugs help too :hug:
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Pretty cold here too .
I wear wellies , thin cotton socks , cotton undies , jeans , cotton t- shirt , cotton shirt , fleece/jumper , and wax cotton coat outside . Rarely do the coat up as i get too hot . I have started to wear a wooly hat at indoors , lol . The sun is out today ahhhh !
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I've always felt the cold but, since being less mobile, feel it even more. I simply can't move very fast or very far so never get a chance to warm up. I do wear lots of layers, starting with a thermal vest - a man's one as the women's ones I found were all very pretty with low cut, lace trimmed fronts. Not a lot of use really.
To go out to the goats, I have a fleece over vest, tee shirt, and a jumper or two. I find leggings under trousers help a lot and I bought some brilliant socks in Primark that are thermal. The only problem is they are so think that I can't get most of my shoes on over them. Two pairs of gloves.
When I do my voluntary work which involves being out until 5am, I have gel hand warmers which are great although they don't keep my fingers warm. I have a hot water bottle tucked in my vest.
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I can get quite uncomfortable wearing so many layers.. but haven't found an answer to it.. unless you can go off to an expensive outdoors shop and spend a fortune on what they have to offer...
and as I'm in this outfit all day everyday it does get somewhat wearing... I'm just sitting contemplating getting dressed and not too happy about it.
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You can get thermal boiler suits too - very warm.
The cold aside - I love this weather too. You can walk over fields without sinking in the mud etc. Give me a hard frosty day over a cold and damp day anytime.
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Yes, Mr F wears a padded boiler suit. His favourite is one he got at the Army Surplus store, which has the added benefit that I can't see him due to the cammo pattern ::) He genuinely merges into the hedges. A boiler suit is quick and easy to get on and off compared with loads of layers, but I'm not sure you'd find a good one small enough for Mrs Womble.
PS it was minus 8 last night and minus 9 the night before and we haven't had a day above freezing for ages. I too love it when it's cold and still. I much prefer that to cold blizzard hail, sleet and snow coming in horizontally. I usually find something urgent to do indoors on days like that :innocent:
For the gardeners amongst you, don't forget that in these conditions you can sweep up sheep pellets from the surface, all nicely frozen and full of hay, then keep them as pelleted manure to sprinkle round your plants for a summer boost. Lidded licky buckets store them beautifully.
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We recently got some long sleeved army surplus norwegian tops from ebay and they are much better than just a normal long sleeved top - so good we went and bought some more.
Also in the army surplus line, you can get fleecy tank crew overalls, however after having bought a set and deciding that they look like a telly tubby suit I havent worn them yet - not that Im fashion conscious or anything just that the kids would have a field day taking the mickey !!
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As a fellow cold sufferer I find the important things are to keep ankles, wrists and neck warm ..... leg warmers don't add to thickness of socks, top with long cuffed sleeves and polar buff are all important.
Shop at army surplus as suggested or proper outdoor activity shop such as Cotswold outdoors.
Helly Hanson merino base layers for extra cold are great .... no sweat and can be worn several days without smelling!
Oh and for cold feet I recommend liner walking socks which wick water away under 4 season walking socks ... boots must not be too tight.
Lastly ensure the first job she does outside is an active one .... gets circulation going sawing or chopping wood is good .... and fires up that woodburner!!!
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I got some fleece lined waterproof trousers in Cotton Traders sale - about £17.50 as I recall. Originally they were intended for rugby match watching as I go with my Dad who is in a wheelchair. He is an ex-player and doesn't seem to feel the cold but I make him wear thermal long johns under his trousers and put a rug over his knees.
However I have been living in them on the croft. I think they work particularly well as they are a couple of sizes larger than my normal. My size was sold out and it was more important to get long enough ones than sleek fitting :innocent: Some of the best gloves I've had were army surplus officers' gloves which are leather with neoprene lining. OH originally got them from eBay for doing work weeks with Trees for Life, so doing tree planting, fencing, fence removal and small scale felling. That was nearly nine years ago and my favourite pair are still going. Their only drawback is that they are not waterproof. For wet - another serendipitous find was a pair of ski gloves in a Go Outdoors sale. Too thick for fine work - but cosy.
Another tip is to scour charity shops in posher areas for wool and even cashmere pullovers.
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Night duty, outside, standing guard :cold: :cold: :cold: To survive - thermal long johns and long sleeved vest (preferably wear 2 sets under outer clothing), thick socks and thick-soled boots, fleece or wool scarf, hat. Practice tap-dancing. Sorted :thumbsup:
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In the coldest weather or when I'm camped out in the lambing shed for hours on end I wear a one piece foundation garment under my fleece and body warmer in the form of a Musto thermal cat suit ( must have come from a rather large cat!) It's blue and looks a little like a wet suit. Its thermal properties are great but its greatest feature is the curved zip at the back ( known as the cat flap) which allows me to answer the call of nature without taking all my various layers off.
I have worn it every winter for about the last 27 years so they may not even make them anymore. But if they do they will probably cost about £40 I think.
I havent worn a coat yet this winter though let alone thermals but then your reading a post from someone who lets the chickens out wearing only her Jamas all year round so I may just be a little less sensitive than your OH!
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I found the cold the hardest thing about being up here. I came from Exmoor, which isn't a warm place in winter, but I really had no idea what proper cold can be like. (And of course anyone from Iceland reading this is thinking, "She still doesn't." ;))
After much trial and error I have found the key things are:
- forget polyester 'fleece' (*) and other so-called revolutionary manmade materials, what you need is wool (and/or alpaca)
- the single most important key to not getting cold is to not get cold. Not a tautology - stay warm indoors; have a hot water bottle behind or under you when you're sat reading or knitting or whatever, warm your clothes before you put them on, get changed when warm in a warm place; keep the wellies somewhere warm so they're dry and warm when you put them on, ditto hat, gloves, scarf and coat(s). The other side of this coin is to not get sweaty in clothes that don't breathe - another reason for using wool ;)
- it really is better to have several thin layers than one thick one - at least two of the layers should be wool (or wool/alpaca) and personally I have no truck with manmade materials no matter how 'hi-tech' (*) - IMO natural fibres are best. So my next-to-skin layers are cotton or silk or wool.(*)
- I use the most woolly (as in are made of wool) tights I can find under a thin pair of jogging/leisure pants under an outer thicker trackie bottoms - and am plotting to make my own handspun handknitted wool overtrousers for the really cold weather
- the most important bits for keeping warm (because you are starting warm now, right? ;)) are hat, neck, hands and feet. And in my case, because I get chilblains there :o, backside!
(*) the exception to forgetting polyester 'fleece' is the Polar Buff. I haven't found anything better for around the neck and over the nose if you still want to be able to breathe and work! Although I am sure if someone ever does make something similar from fine wool it will do at least as good a job.
And the other 'hi-tech' manmade I don't dis is that I will happily wear Coolmax socks under a wool pair
Someone mentioned boiler suits for small people - farmers' sons (and daughters) hereabouts wear boiler suits like Dad's, so if Mrs Womble is small, the kiddies' sizes may be the place to look ;)
Sometimes it is a balance between being a roly poly Michelin man and being able to move and work - so then I concentrate on being warm before I start, only putting on warm (ie., pre-warmed) layers, and making sure I wear a good woolly hat, something in my neck (usually the Polar Buff), plenty of wool layers inside the wellies (Bamas (http://www.mccloys.com/bama-welly-socks) are brilliant if you don't have handspun handknitted socks and welly-liner slippers), at least two layers on my legs, a good thick layer down over my backside and upper thighs (men's jumpers are longer if you don't make your own ;)), a wind-cheat layer (I have a wonderful Toggi body warmer that is thin and light as a feather but stops the wind - I wear this under my outermost layer) and my never-have-to-take-em-off two-layer woolly gloves. (Which you can't buy ones as brilliant as the ones I make myself, but you can get gloves which are fingerless gloves with a flippy-back mitt-top, which are the next best thing perhaps.)
And other things that help include having the right food for cold weather. Porage for breakfast, a hearty soup for lunch, that sort of thing.