The secret with 2 pair of socks, is to wear one thin pair, and one thick (wool) over the thin one. This is also a very good way to prevent calluses if you have new shoes.
A trick I learned while climbing cell towers is to wear nitrile or latex gloves under a regular pair of work gloves, it kept my hands warm while still able to keep the dexterity
Its funny I'm seeing this comment, I just started my cell tower job, and the reason I'm on this video is to research what I can do for those North Dakota/Minnesota winters.
I just started working a job where I’ll be outside 10+ hours a day, sometimes in extremely cold climates. No one has ever taught me how to layer so I’ve spent my life hating winter and hating being outside in the cold… but I think this is the beginning of turning the page on that. Thanks dude. I appreciate this. I needed this life lesson. 🤘🏻
@@raksh9 Oh, life is SO GOOD. Even though this is the warmest winter so far that I can remember in my adult life, on the brutally cold days, I'm relaxed and comfortable. It's been life-changing and a quality-of-life improvement that's done me more good than most anything else I've chosen to embrace in my adult life. I feel like it's even had a positive effect on my mental health.
It's much better to use several light to medium layers so you can remove a layer/s if necessary or add it back in as necessary. Natural fibers like linen and wool work the best at keeping you comfortable in different temperatures.
-35F in Northern Alberta working for an electric company. Learned to dress for success in the Canadian Airborne, weeks at a time living in a tent after jumping in to remote areas. One night near Goose Bay it was -51F with windchills in the -70s . I survived wiser.
Another benefit to wool, I’ve found, is that synthetic fabrics just don’t last over time. But wool, it’s relatives, and even cotton hold up much better in workwear.
For base layers, I've found it to be the exact opposite. I have synthetics kicking around since the mid 90s whereas I'm lucky to get a season with wool. But a good wool sweater will last years for sure.
@@Audeonpv I didn't know any better at the time, but their website says in huge letter "Wash Easily" and they then give you care directions that say to machine wash in warm.
I am a Security Guard who is currently reviewing my gear for work. Particularly in Canadian weather we often deal with standing in cold for a long time. So this is invaluable information for updates of my gear.
Hey if you are standing around for a long period of time look into a trench coat or the longest length overcoat/great coat you can find. Water proof if you can. That continuous wind break from your neck to your calves is fantastic
I lived my entire life in California and just moved to Quebec, Canada last spring. I’m a framer & im terrified of this coming winter 😂 I’ve never really worked in temperatures below like 60 degrees before. We’ll see how it goes lol
Shouldn’t be too bad, Quebec isn’t too cold compared to up north or the prairies. Best advice if it gets to -40 is layers and don’t have exposed skin, wear long gloves with no fingers and a balaclava.
I've been slapping nails for 25 years in northern WI and ya, you're gonna have a brutal acclimation period but your body will adapt. Get good boots, your feet get cold and the rest will follow shortly. Bring heat packs and just layer up. Personally I just run long underwear, double knee pants and than extra long sleeve and tshirt and than than two thick hooded sweatshirts and a thick vest most of the time with winter bibs and jacket for really cold days. Biggest thing is DO NOT get sweated up. Peel the layers down the instant you start getting hot and cool down and dry out and than relayer. You gotta move a bunch of lumber, peel the layers off before hand and so on. It's a constant dance of keeping your temp balanced. These are my favorite winter work gloves. Cheap but work great for bulk of work and you can wear a pair of light browns inside with heat packs on top of hands for those brutal days. Your back gets all sweated up and you get that icy chill that won't go away on your spine.........time to work harder for rest of the day because you are screwed. Noobs like to stay warm but always over heat and sweat chill out. Seasoned pro's know living on the edge of cold is the smart move. By spring you'll be working in the 30's in a tshirt sweating because it's so hot. www.menards.com/main/grocery-home/clothing-accessories/gloves/winter-gloves/rw-rugged-wear-reg-mens-fleece-lined-leather-palm-winter-gloves-assorted-colors/6601322/p-1444421918181-c-7085.htm?tid=-241955793172716794&ipos=10
Your doomed. I typically wear snow pants. Or flannel lined jeans with a thin type sweat pant beneath.. Wool is good under a coat. Wool socks can be the best. I get cold easy, but warm easy. Extreme cold with wind is bad. Motorcycle glasses are nice wind protection and look like normal sunglasses. $10 Boot chains usually make walking around in snow easy.
The battery jackets/vests are so underrated but the key is that you have to wear minimal layers underneath it or you will not feel the heat and it will be useless. They are very popular at work and in the winter are usually spot about 30 people using it on the job site, but the trick is to wear very minimal clothing underneath it To get it to work as its intended.
Thick wool socks are a lifesaver! Wool beanie is great tio if you don’t need a hardhat. Also, bamboo is a great alternative to wool for a base layer- really good at wicking moisture away, and like wool, it’s naturally anti-bacterial. Thanks for the video 👍🏼
This might sound ridiculous. But I started saving all my old wool socks that had holes in the heel or toe. I’ll cut the toe end all the way open to make a sleeve. In essence they become calf warners. I use them on my lower legs and wrists when it’s really cold. Doesn’t inhibit movement at the joints and works really well to keep the extremities warm.
i work in mining in the arctic and i swear by refrigiwear great stuff the irontuff coveralls and polarforce jacket and bibs combo got me through 16-18 hour days in -50 outside for everybit great stuff
I’ve somehow made it 4 years just layering up whatever discarded hoodies and jackets I don’t use anymore outside of work, but today I finally reached the point where I think I really need to gear up on some winter work gear. It’s not crazy compared to some of you guy’s weather, but I was working outside today in 20 degree weather driving a gator around a golf course, so quite a bit of wind. My chin and jaw got so cold I was having jaw and tooth pain for hours and basically working at 1/3 of my normal pace. It’s definitely time to gear up.
I go by the military ECWCS layering system but use work wear brands like Carhartt for mid and outer layers. I do use military issued level 1 and level 2. If it’s 20 -35 I wear polartec level 1 base layer. Carhartt fleece 1/4 zip and Carhartt medium weigh hoody. Below 20 level 1 and level 2 military issue, Carhartt fleece, Gilliam vest, Carhartt thermal lined hoody. If it’s windy I’ll wear my Carhartt Vortex set to protect against wind. This layering is very mobile and warm.
In Saskatchewan we regularly see -40 in the winter and I can attest to wearing 2 pairs of wool socks. I just use my red wing moc toes all year round and 2 pairs of merino wool socks is just as warm as dedicated winter boots.
Hi, I'm a avid outdoorsman and snow removal worker in northern Canada, I work up to -54c base temps. I'd highly recommend buying a pair of fur or wool gloves and a large leather sealer/trigger mitt for extreme colds. A sealers mitten is one where your trigger finger is left free to allow you to work better with your hands while keeping your less important fingers together for warmth.
I’m a tower climber and my biggest things that I personally struggle with is climbing light enough to climb, but at the same time warm enough to sit for upwards of 3 hours and obviously it depends on the temperature. But when it’s about 10 or below that I wear fleece lined jeans full body thermals fleece of course a good hoodie my big jacket overalls and insulated boots.
I'll never forget the morning my freshman year of college that it was -15 degrees out, plus wind chill. All the other schools in the area had cancelled classes, except ours. I ended up wearing 5 layers to walk to my 9am: a thermal t shirt a flannel, a fleece, my down jacket, and a waterproof shell on top. Those were the days before I discovered the marvels of wool.
Nobody taught me about layering and keeping warm when working out on the road, this had changed the game for me brother! We’re issued a uniform and jackets but the base layer stuff and general tips are great!!
Something I found to be great with keeping feet warm is wearing composite toe shoes. They get no wear near as cold as steel toe from my experience and still offer practically the same protection
I’ve been wearing a Duckworth base layer all winter after you turned me on to the brand in an earlier video. Their stuff is fantastic and I’ve been singing their praises to anyone who will listen. Much much better than the Smartwool stuff I used to wear.
East coast cold is a whole other level due to its humidity. I Lived in the pacific north west for a couple winters and the dryness prevents it getting to "chilled to the bone" type of cold. I still remember going out in pennsylvania during the winter and having 4 layers and still thinking holy Moly it's freezing 🥶 and it was only 20° not crazy cold. The same temp out in the west just doesn't compare.
during the Texas freeze last year I learned there is a such thing as too much warmth. I did not know sweating was an issue when it's cold out side if you have too much clothe on. Crazy what you learn.
I usually in winter times - in Sweden -18-20 celsius is normal - use the HH magni boa winter boots, just simply great with wool socks, the merino base layer up and down is a must as well as a winter work trousers - the Engelbert Strauss winter trousers are ace. In dry conditions above the merino one insulation and a high-vis softshell if enough, but for example in Poland where is the same cold, but much more humidity you need some serious stuff like an Arctic or Chelsea evo from HH, they're design for work even fit for skiing as well, otherwise you'll be freeze to the bones. For auxiliary heat i'll like to use these 10 hours heat pads, just put in your pockets - some socks already prepared for it-, and they're much more effective then any other battery based things.
Wool vs synthetics is night and day vs smell. I had some cool max socks, after a single shift they would reek, I could smell my feet while standing up, but when wearing wool socks (darn tough) my feet and socks didn’t smell after a 12 hour warehouse shift despite my boots being wet from sweat. Also for reference, the freezer is -10 usually, and we had people who worked in there with sneakers.
When it is below 15 degrees. I carry charcoal hand warmers somewhere between my over base layer and my outer layer. That will help keep my core warm. As long as the core is good. The rest will take care of itself
Kave Rock alpaca farm in Rehoboth mass has all the alpaca footbed liners, gloves hats and scarves that you need. Have used fingerless alpaca gloves for years winter trout fishing and just about everywhere else but using the snowblower, and my hands stay warm. Also natural wool will retain up to80% of it's warmth retention when wet through. Tested that once in February falling in the Farmington river, I was soaked but after the initial blast of 34 degree water I realized I was still warm. Thanks for the insight I like being warm
I work in a foundry doing maintenance. Every winter spend a bulk of my time outside thawing different parts of machines that need to be outside, anything you take into a foundry is basically ruined, and they don't provide the best cold weather gear. I always watch videos like this with envy that people can have the nice things to keep them warm and they aren't ruined in a month or 2 haha.
As a super skinny guy, I'll say 2 socks is awesome! The first layer usually being a good tight fitting cotton/poly sock, and the second layer being a slightly oversized wool sock. Besides warmth, this monumentally prevents chaffing. I use this tactic when ice skating!
Your video is filled with fantastic advice! I worked a job on a frozen lake in Canada for a short time - the high temp was -35F the windchill was -75. (Funny side note - the only way to keep the coffee warm-ish was to pop the hood of the truck and place it on the idling motor). Anyway, a lot of the guys were wearing exactly what you said, Cotton sweat shirts, Cotton socks, carhart duckbill outerwear and hunting gear and they were all freezing and uncomfortable. Their feet hurt from the cold. I was one of the few that understood how to layer up properly (learned from an outdoorsman friend) heavy weight bergalene/capalene (poly) long underwear, wool turtleneck, fleece top, windproof shell, thick ragwool socks and sorel boots, fleece gator and wool hat. It was brutal, but I was actually comfortable. I’ll never forget that job. It’s terrible to not be prepared, and worse to suffer in the cold.
If it's cold enough that you need toe warmers, I suggest putting them on the back of your calf somewhere in the middle. It warms the blood going down to your foot and don't cut off circulation from taking up extra space in the toe. I find it most useful with tight ski boots but still do it in my work boots.
Between "playing" (I was like 4th string) ice hockey (plastic toe caps), horseback riding and snowboarding all with Raynaud's since 14, I have found that you have to put the toe warmers on THE TOP of your toes to get the best benefit. Also, roomier toe boxes with snug tops of boots traps all the warm air around my toes; being that many brands don't go up to women's 12, my winter work boot war finally resigned me to men's loggers.
I’ve worked outside most of my adult life, New England to Colorado, I found the best way to protect against the cold is to move somewhere warm. I moved to southwestern NM , it can still get a little cold sometimes, so when that happens I’ll stay home turn the heat up and make soup.
This is my hubby's desired strategy 🤣🤣🤣. Having had issues with circulation for 18 years now, I only wear wool or synthetic socks, warm boots, synthetic base layers, my easy off overalls, down vests, and I make my own neck warmers.
coming from a motorcylist who rides through winter: these heated jackets or vests make an astonishing difference, if you know how to use them: you HAVE to wear them right above your base layer for them to work as intended. then a THIN isolater above it (fleece) and than a reflektive under jacket (aluminum lined) whole setup isnt much beefier then a puffy jacket but does the job of three puffy jackets. before discovering this i was driving to work every morning looking and feeiling like the michelin man. now im actually able to move around in what im wearing (which is kind of important on a motorcycle)
I do lawn care and snow plowing/ sidewalks in the winter the coldest it gets is -10 to -15. For the fall I wear a 50/50 shirt a long sleeve and a carhartt rain defender hoodie. If it’s really cold I will wear jogger sweats same upper half and normal bibs then cycle a duck style coat as needed. I’m moving quite a bit doing what I do so you stay decently warm. In the winter I will do bibs, sweatpants, tee shirt, long sleeve , hoodie and a beanie. Running a shovel or single stage snow blower keeps you warm. If it gets really cold we don’t turn the trucks off in the winter when we’re out, so I’ll just go sit in the truck for a minute and warm up. For gloves the normal rubber palm or winter option are my go to and I take them off between stops and put them on the floor to heat them up any dry them out.
Back when I used to live in NY I would wear a set of "long johns", flannel, jeans, 2 pairs of socks (my socks were thin), over my jeans sweat pants, and then over all this a pair of carhartt Yukon extremes bibs and a yukon extreme carhartt jacket, with my insulated Carolina boots, a balaclava with a base mask to keep moisture away and a ushanka fur hat just to shovel snow in the tug hill, I'd be outside for a good hour just to clear the walkway to the driveway, and then another good 2 hours to clear the drive for the family car and another drive for the semi truck
The two things that keep me warm in the winter as a Telco Maintenance tech are my insulated canvas jack and insulated canvas bibs (both AT&T branded). Never had an issue being too cold while up on a ladder working in a splice in the middle of January.
Carl great video . I am currently a lifty at a mountain that has night skiing , and I agree with much about what you said , and I’d like to offer my input . I wear a synthetic lower base layer , smart wool socks , and lined work pants (made by berne) . With a smart wool 125 base layer on top , a flannel , and bibs (again made by Berne) over the whole thing . This and leather gloves that have been sno-sealed (rough rider brand) for boots I have the ll bean snow boots with a healthy layer of snow seal . Cold days I wear the employee issued coat over it all, occasionally a fur hat and ski googles if it is windy enough to Need it . The flannel is the key to the whole thing, when I get working hard I loosen the buttons and I can dump heat before I sweat. All in all, great video , check out Berne workwear .
I use my long sleeve high performance fishing shirts (Koofin) as base layers in the winter for amazing wicking properties. I Love my Super Dux Carhartt outer jacket, mobility is off the chart. It's like cashmere compared to burlap, with old regular Carhartt Duck. And thanks Carl for showing me the Patagonia hemp button ups for mid layer. Awesome video as usual to educate is.
Northern Wi resident here 30 - 40 degrees just a sweater or wool base layer, gloves by personal preference. I really like 3 finger gloves 10 - 30 degrees add shell (with venting), most insulated gloves at this point work just fine, insulated leggings under jeans are fine here -30 - 10 down or fleece midlayer added, under gloves added, gloved changed out to Hestra fallines again 3 fingers, snow pants with venting, Venting is necessary moisture kills. Feet wise I’m typically fine with always wearing wool socks
I agree, the synthetic first layers get stinky really fast. I noticed this as a little kid, everyone called me crazy for calling the poly/nylon tees 'stinky' but I stood strong and finally someone else thinks alike.
as a Canadian construction work I swear by the two layer socks start with a thin synthetic dress sock then the wool sock stay warm and dry all day but that's just me
Started working in a open pit coal mine in the Rocky Mountains about 4 months back. Just got promoted to the pumps crew where we are pumping water out of the pit in super cold weather. Did not dare complain about how cold my feet were with the company issued cheap dunlops. Time to invest some money into some proper gear!
After working two summers at the South Pole Station I have a whole new application for our climate in Arizona .. I sworn an oath that I will NEVER complain about the cold again.
When I was a heavy equipment mechanic out of a service truck most of my winter antics were in the 5-20 range. I would wear under armor, flannel lined jeans, a long sleeve shirt, insulated overalls, a nice heavy duty sweatshirt, gator and a beanie. I stayed warm and had the mobility up top from not wearing a jacket. I had some fingerless insulated gloves for threading on bolts, nuts, hoses, etc. They were nice because they only had the first knuckle and a half exposed so they didn't get too chilly
I find the trick with the battery heated gear is to wear it as close to a base layer as possible. The more stuff you wear between it and you the less you feel it working.
There’s a reason I have silk and merino base layers in Texas… my dad is from Minnesota, and where I live (in a swamp), he says 32 here feels like 0 in Minnesota. That humidity is hell in both heat and cold. Glad to see someone knowledgeable explain this in such detail.
Theres a whole extra level of requirements once FR is required. Im a technician on a pipeline and the choices although getting better by the day are still super limited on base layers. Alot of people still have the misconception that as long as its FR as the outside layer base layers dont matter. I tend to gravitate to unlined bibs as my first layer when it gets just past "vest chilly" instead of a base layer.
Those maxiflex gloves are the best gloves I've ever used. Received a pair while working at the Conowingo Dam and they mold to your hand and fingers. Literally pull them off after they break in and they are molded to your hand. Good dexterity for handling little nuts and bolts and the cut resistance was really good with all of the glass we handled daily. Comfortable while driving/moving a high reach all day.
Not from NE but from Missouri and it gets cold here for sure. I’m a small guy and dislike being in the cold without good layers so I love this topic! Also thanks for your videos, just got a roundhouse denim bib after your video not long ago introduced me to their brand
And here i am in 0-10 degrees weather hooking up sets of triple trailers in Salt Lake City while its snowing in a tshirt jeans boots and insulated gloves 😂
as far as your boots go, take the inside sole thing out, get one of those heat reflector things that you put in your windshield, take a sharpie and trace out your sole on the reflector thing, cut it out, shove it in your boot and then put your sole back in. Will reflect heat back to your feet.
When I was in Scouts years ago The thin first layer was called Sliks Then the other layers. Feet great socks no holes over the calf. My boots are waterproof insulated steel toe 11" Wellington pull on boots. I work in sloppy conditions. I drive a truck I'm in and out all day long. Chemical plants steel mills railroads container yards.
Great video. I am also in the field i work outside often. One thing i find that works for me that you may have not tried is adding an extra insole to my work boots to separate my foot from the ground. This usually buys a few more hours to your regular work-boot. Especially a wool insole
My absolute favorite wool base layers are Woolpower from Östersund. I basically live in them once winter hits here in MN. If you've never heard of them, I'd highly recommend checking them out!
Upper body a headed mid-layer is 1000% worth the investment. Vest or hoodie. A jacket is good IF it has heated pockets or you are in/out constantly and need less overall layering - and it will run on one of your brick batteries so its not dead 2 hours into the job and your forgot to turn it off. In northern WI, I also highly value a hard hat liner or headband with an insulated hat. I use lightweight (Reebok Sublite) boots that I buy in pairs so I always have a dry set because with good socks having light boots not dragging you down is pretty huge at the end of the day. Neoprene/scuba gloves are also pretty handy.
T shirt, hot chillys base layer warm as hell. Arc’teryx cerium SL I like mine to fit a little small so I also wear my Atom AR on top with a storm proof shell, Sabre Jacket. I practically have no restriction in movement and I’m warm standing still with slight wind chill at 5 degrees 👍🏼
Two pair of socks is my go to summer and winter, Thin pair synthetic dress socks first and my woollys on top, It wicks the same way as the rest of your base layer. Keeps your feet dry and warm , cool and comfortable in the summer with work boots,
The lowest temps ever get where I am here in the UK is around -8C (17.6F). When I'm working in Winter, I usually wear a t-shirt with my Dickies Sacramento shirt over the top, then a hoodie and my Dickies Lakemont jacket over the top of that. As for legwear, I wear some cheap jersey joggers with my Dickies canvas pants over the top of them. Then for footwear, I wear a pair of cotton socks with some wool ones over them and my Dickies work boots. On windy days, I switch out the Dickies jacket for an Arctic Storm waterproof windbreaker coat.
As someone that is on a "naked" motorcycle often not only dealing with ambient weather but also extreme windchill I usually dress in four layers with one of those layers being my pads/airbag vest. A lot of my outfits have a lot of time spent of trying to moderate how much air circulation is allowed in and how to let it out without losing too much heat.
Great video! I work on a freight loading dock In Pennsylvania. Being in a big Metal as well as in and out of tractor trailers. Temperatures can get as low as -10 or -15. I love my pair of insulated bibs. I keep them in my truck as mentioned in the video.
I was a bike messenger here in Chicago and one day I was biking at -16 F. When you're a messenger you sweat like a dog even at sixteen below. It was tricky trying to stay warm and flexible at the same time. The brake calipers would freeze and the bottom bracket were so stiff that pedaling was very difficult. Working at night on the tracks must've been like working in Siberia as a gulag prisoner. You're never entirely warm when you work in extreme cold. I have the Refidgerwear extreme cold parka -60 rated, and yeah, I agree not good to sixty below. Even at 0 to -10 you feel the cold, not terribly, but definitely not good to -60. Brings back memories Carl. About the only thing good at working in extreme cold is the bragging rights that come with it. Lemme tell ya sonny, when I was a young buck ....Anyway, good video Carl!
I remember when I used to do some minor trail clearing and general woodlot maintenance, I would steal our charcoal paste and smear that stuff on as much of my body as possible, initially it was meant to deal with hand sweat and general hand wetness making my goatskin gloves become blister spawnpools It later became my go to thing for wicking away moisture and I'd even dust a bit of body powder on top for the harder days
Great advice. For camping I do like my real down jacket but for work I'd rather use a synthetic down/insulation vest so I don't have to worry about sweat and still keep my back warm.
Tree climber 30yrs+, discovered early on to wear 2 pairs of socks. I'll put on my arch support then put a medium thickness sock. Found my feet stay warmer
Here’s a couple tips for foot warmth in the winter from a heavy equipment field tech, I work outside for 12+ hours a day from +40 to -40, I might be swinging a sledge and breaking a sweat, then lying on cold steel in ripping wind and snow in the dead of winter. #1: wool socks, wool in general actually. Buy some stanfields and darn toughs. #2: Your wearing to much sock. Hot feet sweat, then they freeze. If your feet feel clammy, your over socked, and damp feet in thick socks will be colder than dry feet in less sock. Goretex and leather are warm on their own, be bold and start cold. #3: turn the foot heat off in your truck. Relates to lesson 2, hot feet sweat, then they freeze. #4: bama socks when it actually gets cold. Buy 2 pairs, these soak up foot sweat and keep your feet dry. Mid day swap and throw your wet ones on the dash of your truck to dry out(or freeze solid)
Hey Carl! Long time no comment for me. Been in the middle of RR training actually! I’m on my first few weeks of OJT right now, so I’m taking a TON of advice from this video for the winter next season. Lots of pieces in here I’ll be returning to. Thanks for the timing on this! (I know, I’m late)
Ahh welcome to the railroad. I remember my first winter, wasn’t cold compared to other parts of the country but 18 degrees in the elements from my normal way of life was still a little reality check! Good luck
I taped one of those mylar emergency blankets inside my jacket when I had 50 MPH wind chills in the desert. It doesn't breathe or wick away moisture at all, but at least you won't be cold. It was nominal 28 F; plus the 50 mph winds bringing it down to probably below zero.
