What type of cold weather gear? (Mountain: buying, pharmacy, price)

[MiltyNC]

Having been born and raised in the south, I have little experience with cold weather. +15 degrees is considered very cold here, and I have never experienced negative digits. To further exasperate my cold weather tolerance, I spent the last 6 years working in Iraq. I am currently out of work, so I will be forced to gear up on a tight budget so Carhhart might be out of my price range.
What I need to know is; what type of clothing would you recommend for some one that would be spending a minimum of halve there time working outside, and how many sets of this type of clothing would you expect one needs.

Any information would be greatly appreciated

[JanND]

I wanted to suggest that you might read several of the posts made in
November, or do a quick search "Winter gear" or a whatever. There are several threads that deal w/ this topic, many posts that would be helpful to you, some w/ very lengthy specific items and brands mentioned. Have you gotten a job w/ housing?? Make sure and update us when you have time Good luck and be safe.

[eiafjam]

The type that keeps you warm would be my guess

[jasperhobbs]

Originally Posted by eiafjam

The type that keeps you warm would be my guess

Really? I was planning on buying a lot of fishnet clothing.

Jasper Hobbs

[eiafjam]

Fishnet clothing lets the air thru LOL

[MiltyNC]

Originally Posted by eiafjam

Fishnet clothing lets the air thru LOL

I have plenty of ventilated clothing from my days in the desert, what I really need to know is this. Will I freeze to death wearing Guide Gear 100g Thinsulate work jacket and bibs?

[itsMeFred]

Not so long as you have other layers, also.

Think fleece or silk for primary layers so that it wicks sweat away from your skin. (Cotton long handles really aren't the best if you can find anything else).
Then your usual clothes. Then a spring/fall weight type of jacket. THEN your insulated bibbies and coat.

Layers allow you to pile on or off as needs be...

[rickydink63]

I bought plenty of cold weather gear before I arrived from North Carolina. My employer then provided me with even more gear. They even provided me with the -148F Baffin boots for the coldest of days. I think most employers provide cold weather gear as a safety requirement.

[ElkHunter]

I wouldn't purchase a lot of foul weather gear. Most employers furnish what you will need. Also, most positions requrie a Fire Retardent material and what you find in most stores are not rated properly, even though they say "Fire Retardent". I don't remember the code, but a neighbor bought $500 worth of gear and then found out he can't wear any of it on the job. However, his employer furnished everything needed from boots, to bibs, to parka, to gloves.

What you can buy in advance is the layers. I'm not in the Oil Patch but I am in the Big Horn Mountains of Wyoming. I wear a type of silk feeling long johns, blue jeans, denum shirt, pull over sweat shirt, then a insulated hoodie and a regular hoodie and then a jean jacket. I'm good to about -30 while feeding the horses.

The hardest parts to warm, are the most important. Your head will loose 40% of your body heat so cover it well. Tie a kerchief around your neck to stop drafts. Good set of boots. If you can get by with mittens, they are better then gloves. If you have to wear gloves, get good gloves and make sure they are big enough to put liner gloves inside (again, layers).

Something that really helps the feet. Go to a pharmacy and get diabetic socks. They go up to the knee. They are compression socks and they increase and help circulation. Better circulation, more warmth. Then pull on a good set of wool socks over top of the compression socks. By doing this, I get by wearing regular boots, not insulated boots. But I'm not out there all day, only a couple hours at a time.