Good Coat for Montana (travel, snow, water)

[gold west]

I've been here four years, and I always wear a coat. But layers are the way to go. I always have on silk pant liners and silk undershirt, a turtleneck, another shirt if it's very cold, and flannel lined jeans. Silk is the best and warmest underneath. That way, just about any coat will do. Everyone is right about it not seeming as cold here. I'm cold-natured and I can stand it easily. The weather is one of the draws here along with the view.

[mthawki]

About the only time there's any humidity to speak of here is when it's raining, snowing or low cloud cover. You'll find yourself "collecting" coats for the changing weather here though. A good extreme cold coat, a general winter coat, wind-breakers, spring/fall jackets, etc. You'll acclimate just fine, so take a deep breath and look forward to the excitement of your move. :-)

[VirginiaGirl]

Originally Posted by mthawki

You'll find yourself "collecting" coats for the changing weather here though. You'll acclimate just fine, so take a deep breath and look forward to the excitement of your move. :-)

Don't say that! I have enough coats already! My family will kill me if I come home with 6 more. I am fond of sweatshirts though.

And I'm taking lots of deep breaths. I just got the Montana tourism magazines in the mail yesterday and they did a lot for my excitement levels. It looks like ya'll have a beautiful place out there. Definitely geared toward skiing in the winter though! Not so great if you have absolutely no coordination. But the rest looks wonderful.

[gold west]

Yea, the skiing is the best kept secret out here! I don't ski, but I take my kids about an hour away to Discovery, outside of Anaconda. It's cheap and no lines!

[lorelei2873]

I think the other thing to remember is that you really don't need extreme wicking and windbreaking apparel just to run errands or go for a short walk around town. However, if you're going to engage in outdoor recreational activities or are going to be working primarily outdoors, you would want to invest more in these items. I've lived in Montana since I was a tiny tot and have never had to wear a wool shirt or moisture wicking socks or long johns on a daily basis. However, I have had to wear these things while icefishing. I work in an office. I wear a regular clothes and a long wool coat to work. I wear nylons and closed-toe high heels and get along fine...but I wouldn't recommend what I wear for working on a ranch!

[VirginiaGirl]

Originally Posted by lorelei2873

I wear a regular clothes and a long wool coat to work. I wear nylons and closed-toe high heels and get along fine...but I wouldn't recommend what I wear for working on a ranch!

I'm sure that would be quite a sight! I think you're right. I'll be in an office some of the time but do plan on doing some of the outdoor stuff as well. I think, because I live in the South, that I've been trying to prepare for some little ice age or something. But I've been realizing, I'm not going to be living in a snow bank! Just around them. At least I don't have to buy a completely new wardrobe (not that I could afford it), just some additions.

[Reziac]

Humidity doesn't necessarily mean it feels the same everywhere. Here in the SoCal desert, the humidity may be as high as 50%, but it's so dry it makes your nose bleed and your eyes turn to raisins. Yet in Montana, 10% is comfortable, and 50% starts to feel like a sauna -- even at the same temperature.

As to temps in Browning... -65F wouldn't be the least bit unusual for a brisk January night. The coldest temp I ever saw in MT was -72F, and I walked a mile to school at 5am that morning (I had early shift).... and LIVED!

OTOH, when a chinook wind comes down the east slope of the Rockies, it can easily go from -50F to +50F in a matter of hours. Winter in mid-MT isn't the solid Nov-thru-March deepfreeze that it is in places like Minnesota.

If you spend much time outdoors, you'll learn to dress in layers, and to love wool underwear and down-filled jackets.

Also, be aware that gloves, no matter how fancy, will NOT keep your hands warm in below-zero temps; you'll want to invest in a good pair of fleece-lined or down-filled mitts (you wear thin gloves inside the mitts, and briefly remove the mitt if you need to manipulate something). And a nice warm wool cap (NOT earmuffs) and scarf. Keeping your head and hands warm can be life or death if you get stuck somewhere.

I carried a sleeping bag in my truck (still do in fact). I never got stuck anywhere, but if I had, I wasn't gonna freeze. Always carry a jug of water, too.

Also, when you get here, have someone teach you how to apply tire chains. It's really easy if you do it right (I got to where I could put 'em on my truck in 30 seconds flat) and you've got some wheel-well clearance on your vehicle. Can be tough if that's short on space.

~REZ~

[Reziac]

Unless you're in Billings... one time when I was there overnight, the LOW temp for the night was 103F. Of course it's far enough east that it sometimes gets the eastern plains' weather pattern.

~REZ~

[Reziac]

Check out used clothing shops -- think of 'em as "try before you invest". You can get some great deals on winter clothes there.

[VirginiaGirl]

I was worried that I might need tire chains. I don't think I've ever even seen tire chains much less had occasion to use them. Are they expensive to buy? I was going to wait until I got out there before I bought too much in the way of winter clothes. And I was definitely going to head for the used clothing shops. It may turn out that what I have is fine, although I doubt it. Thanks for the advice.