How to Dress Warm for the Winter

When that winter "hawk" sets in and the cold winds are blowing with the streets and walks iced over and the wind chill factor is at 40 degrees below, you really need to dress warm if you plan on being outside.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 2 pairs of socks
• Waterproof boots, above ankle height which are 1/2 size larger than your normal shoe size
• Thermal long underwear, top and bottom set
• Heavy sweatshirt that is tight fitting around neck and wrists
• Hooded sweat shirt
• Standard short sleeve T-shirt
• 2 small size plastic bags (optional)
• Heavy material ski cap that pulls down tight over your ears and doesn't have loose knitting
• Heavy ski gloves or 1 pair of thin cloth gloves and another slightly larger pair that will fit over the thin ones
• Heavy wool scarf
• Overcoat that is long enough to cover your hips and closes up all the way up to your neck, ideally with tight fitting wrists and hood
• Tight fitting strap T-shirt

1. Strap T, regular T-shirt and regular underwear go on first, followed by your first pair of boot socks, the thinner ones.

2. 
    
   Common plastic bags put over your first pair of socks!

   Long underwear set, with the ankles pulled over the boot socks. Now your heavy boot socks over the long underwear bottoms. (If you do not have waterproof boots or simply want extra protection, now is the time to put the plastic bags over your first pair of socks followed by the heavy socks.) It is critical to keep your feet warm. They are prone to get cold quickly and once they do, you have pretty much had it.

3. 
    
   Regular sweatshirt and hooded sweatshirt that ties at neck.

   Heavy Jeans or Corduroy pants next, followed by your first sweatshirt. Ideally tuck the sweatshirt into your pants. Follow this with your hooded sweatshirt left to hang out over your pants. Sweatshirts should fit tightly around your neck and wrists.

4. 
    

   Scarf draped over your shoulders and chest up close to your neck, heavy coat, gloves, hat pulled over your ears, followed by the hood on your sweatshirt and coat hood if you have one. Part of the objective is to not let any cold air in right from the beginning. Also, by you dressing fully while you are inside you will retain your body heat rather than leaving without your hat on for instance, which will let your body heat escape quickly once outside in the cold.

Tips & Warnings

• For very extreme conditions you will be best off wearing a ski face mask to keep your face warm, rather than standard pull over head cap.
• Once you get back inside but plan on going out again soon, you can simply remove some of the layers so you don't get over heated.
• Layers are important because each layer gives you an additional barrier from the cold and allows you to retain your body heat, whereas with a single layer, once the cold air gets past it, it will penetrate quickly.
• None of your clothing should be very tight on you or it will prevent normal movement and not work as well in keeping you as warm as when wearing slightly loose layers.
• Avoid wearing polyester and silk in the cold weather.
• Never wear "steel toed" boots, your toes will get cold very quickly and frost bite can set in!
• If you are going to be driving a car while fully dressed, be sure you have comfortable and proper movements as needed.

[danielzrib]

on 1/7/2008 AAhhhhh... I feel warmer just from reading this. All great suggestions!

[MidniteWriter]

on 1/3/2008 Wonderful ideas and suggestions. Layering always works wonders, I say, having to deal with this myself. Thanks for writing this!