Oh, baby, it is cold outside! Have you ever wondered how soldiers in foxholes or sailors at sea cope with frigid temperatures? They stay warm by trapping air in pockets around them and insulating their bodies from the outside air.

Many winter clothes are now made with new materials such as Thinsulate, but even they need some help in keeping us toasty warm. Standing next to your 8” telescope for 2-3 hours at night in the dead of winter can be like standing artillery duty in Korea at Christmas. Astronomers viewing the universe and military personnel standing watch tend not to move around very much. When we are inactive, our bodies do not generate enough warmth to replace the heat that is lost; we need to cover our bodies in layers, including head, trunk, hands and feet, in order to minimize our heat loss.

Dressing in Layers.

1. 1st layer — long underwear (both top and bottom).
2. 2nd layer — sweatshirt, thermal shirt or sweater.
3. 3rd layer — heavy pants such as jeans (not polyesters).
4. Final layer — a pair of one-piece insulated coveralls, hunting or snowmobile suit.

The major portions of your body are now covered with at least three layers of insulated clothing, you will not be getting admiring glances from the opposite sex, except maybe your spouse or significant other. So now that the major areas are protected let us progress to the extremities, starting at the top.

Your Head. Enormous amount of heat is lost from our heads. Your metabolism is designed to keep your two most important organs, your heart and brain, warm and functional. When you are cold, your circulatory system pumps warm blood to your head to keep your brain working. An uncovered head functions as a radiator, giving up heat to the cold air!

Your Toes. The hardest part of the body to keep warm in wintertime is your feet. They are the farthest extremities from your heart and your footwear is in direct contact with the cold ground. Wet feet get cold quickly. So a good pair of insulated fur boots is important when walking around in dew-laden grass or snow.

First, remember that wet feet are cold feet and apply powder liberally to your feet to help keep them dry. Put on a pair of thin socks and then a pair of the thickest wool hunting socks. This is the minimum you should wear to keep your feet warm and dry.

Remember, the best way to insulate your body from the cold lies in trapping air in layers. Try to dress with thin layers at the skin and gradually build thicker layers outward. My suggestion is be flexible and you can add or change anything you wish, such as more shirts, hooded overalls, neck warmers, thinsulate socks, etc. But do not depend on anything by itself to keep you warm: build layers. A loose fit is important. You will want to be able to bend over and move easily and be able to maneuver in the restroom, too! Just do not forget your mukluk boots to keep your feet toasty warm.

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Tags: fur boats, Mukluk boots, womens fur boats

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 13th, 2008 at 11:07 pm and is filed under Fashion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.