At -50 'F, How do you *QUICKLY* layer up, 5 times a day ?

Siberian76Siberian76
in General

So, this isn't a question of "how to layer up". I got a polar gear (and I could sleep in the snow at that temp just fine) , but I won't put it on and off 5 times a day just to walk my Husky for 30-60 minutes each session.
Question is how can you layer up in under 60 seconds, as that is the most time I am willing to spend on this activity.

It's a very current question, as I just walked her for half an hour in -27F air / -48F wind-chill. That's -33 'C / -45 'C. Nice bite when you take a deep breath :)

I currently have a pair of 32Heat Warm Underwear that worked just fine even just with my summer jogging pants.
For top, I use a puffy vest under my windbreaker. Since I just lost 30+ pounds in last 4 months, I got lots of spare room in my clothes (not necessarily the best thing for winter, though, as it blows under it if it is not snug - so this doesn't help, but it is what it is and till I know my final weight, I won't buy new winter gear just yet, as my weight still keeps dropping, albeit more slowly now).

If we get hit by the western edge of the vortex (later this week), we might get down below the -60, which admittedly, I don't have any experience with, as we usually max only at around -50 'F.
I guess that might warrant spending 30 seconds more on layering up. Purely theoretically, -60 shouldn't be that much worse from -50, as it's merely 10 degrees difference, right ?

You gotta love the silence and serenity of completely empty streets - it's almost like it's abandoned :)

I would like to ask you to share your location and length of time spent there so I can calibrate your answer accordingly.

Comments

  • GallowglassGallowglass

    Minneapolis, MN. I just spent 1 hour at the outdoor farmers market. It's 5F and windy.

    I have what I call a snowmobile suit. It's insulated bib-overalls. Sometimes if I'm extra lazy, I will just throw them on over my house clothes/pajamas and go. I also wear a hooded sweatshirt, open-mesh tennis shoes. It's quick to get into.

    I will layer socks & boots, an outer jacket, hats, gloves, scarves etc, depending on how cold it gets. Layering is the key.

    At the market, it was cold enough for hand sanitizer (alcohol), to freeze. The wind is the killer.

  • Siberian76Siberian76

    Snowmobile suit ? Interesting idea. Will look into that, thanks.

    Because of how I have to double leash my Siberian Houdini, I can't have a very thick sleeve layer, as my arm goes into the leash and I lock the leash behind my elbow, thus being sure she can't just catapult herself away once a random rabbit/fox/cat/squirrel/butterfly dares to promenade in front of her.

    That severely limits anything with sleeves. I know for a fact that 5 thin long-sleeve undershirts trump anything else I got at home, even at -50F and I don't even need the vests. But then my arm won't get through the leash, so it's a useless exercise as the primary reason for all this is to be able to walk my Honey.

    I'm currently toying with idea of getting tank / sleeveless undershirts (always hated those and threw them out long time ago) as those won't affect the ability to put my arm through the leash, but will keep my core warm, hence in theory I should need less of those long-sleeve ones and could have one layer less of the sleeveless vests. Then again, those vests only take 10 seconds to put on, so not a real win. But, it's a step in a right direction.

    I suspect (in theory), that just like the 32F brand of long underwear trumps using skiing pants (this is the single greatest win - not having to put those on five times a day), there would be a brand of long-sleeve undershirts where just one of those could be as good as 2 or 3 I have currently. But I've been burned in past on spending $100 on brands that didn't deliver so I don't just want to order yet-another-useless one based on marketing,

    Of course, a -40F rated wind-breaker would be the best thing here, but I'm really glad I didn't spend $400 on one a year ago as it would have been already too large (thus basically useless, if it's not snug). Once I stabilize my target weight I will get one of those for next winter. But right now, especially next 2 weeks of the Deep Freeze, I gotta roll with what I got.

    There's people (not many, admittedly) that are also happily frolicking outdoors at -50 F. They must wear something proven...

  • GallowglassGallowglass

    @Siberian76 I have something like these. You can get differing levels of insulation. Lots of places, especially farm supply, have lot of options. This is just an example:
    https://www.carhartt.com/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&langId=-1&storeId=10201&productId=3074457345617671671

  • Plato33Plato33

    This is a seriously out there (in more ways than one) thread! But interesting as I've never experienced temperatures anywhere near as low as you.
    Guess you aren't into anything like this!

  • GallowglassGallowglass

    I have a friend who on a daily basis, in the winter, sits outside for 40 minutes or more, only in shorts and socks.

  • Siberian76Siberian76

    https://www.carhartt.com/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&langId=-1&storeId=10201&productId=3074457345617671671

    @Gallowglass
    Dang, that's a great find! I have been eyeing the Carhartt brand lately (for gloves), it appears to be somewhat local to MT/ND/MN region (I moved here from MT only about a year ago). I will be perusing the site for few days.

    They even have a model that is 6'2" ! I'm a bit taller than that, but at least I know I am not looking at a over foot shorter guy (as they usually are) so it shouldn't result in a standard clusterf*ck upon delivery!

  • GallowglassGallowglass

    If you have "Fleet Farm" in your area, they carry Carhart, the brand I'm now using, and others.

    Some are bib-overalls. (You frequently mentioned sleeves being an issue.)
    But they also have full one-piece suits that cover everything in a zip-up, one-piece, piece. Peace.

  • JasonCuddlesJasonCuddles

    As a canadian in a city that is currently -22 my suggestion is just throw on some more shirts and/or pants. If I am going to be out for a while and it's cold I will just put on my PJ pants under my other ones and wear a few shirts under my jacket. I will tend to over wear clothing as it's easy to take off my jacket/shirts but if you don't have enough it's sucky.

    I totally know what you mean by feeling the peace of a cold winters day. It's really quite nice, especially if there is a little light snow happening.

  • GallowglassGallowglass

    imagination candy

  • Siberian76Siberian76

    Guess you aren't into anything like this!

    @Plato33
    Not really, that's a bit extreme for me, as much as I enjoy arctic temperatures.

    I do, however, enjoy Thermal Shock from leaving 100 degree Finish Sauna and jumping into ice cold water. That is one phenomenal experience. If you can handle a bit of initial pain, your body will reward you 1,000 times :)

    Hold your breath, jump in, completely fully submerged (head below water level) and just float. A billion cells in your body letting you know they exist. Priceless :)

  • Siberian76Siberian76

    I totally know what you mean by feeling the peace of a cold winters day. It's really quite nice, especially if there is a little light snow happening

    @JasonCuddles
    I've recently experienced growth in a spiritual area and few months ago discovered Serenity. Completely new concept in life for me. Required substantial healing, but it's totally worth the effort.

    Serenity, combined with -40F outdoors hike is an amazing life experience [for me], I must admit.

    Also, I had my first Sun Dogs sunset few months ago. What an incredible light show!

  • Siberian76Siberian76

    one-piece, piece. Peace

    Quote Worthy :)

  • Siberian76Siberian76

    This morning confirmed the reason for a biberall after all. Despite multiple bottom layers, they proved comically insufficient.

    -27 air and -50 wind-chill

    It's a very curious feeling when your face is on fire. First few breaths are somewhat painful.
    I've also confirmed my suspicion that loosing 30 pounds of seal blubber affected my general cold sensitivity. I did not have the same issue last year at -47

    Honey didn't appear to be affected, she was rolling in the snow like it's -20, but I had enough after 20 minutes.

    I wonder if there are some proven ways how to comfortably transition from +70F into -50F within 5 minutes of waking up...

  • GallowglassGallowglass

    FWIW: https://expertvagabond.com/winter-survival-tips/

  • SpooniesBackSpooniesBack

    This is why I live in Los Angeles.

  • GallowglassGallowglass

    Dress like an Innuit? Inner layer, fur-facing in. Outter layer, with fur facing out.

  • Siberian76Siberian76

    FWIW: https://expertvagabond.com/winter-survival-tips/

    Great blog. Eric's running a Polar Training Camp.

    Would be useful for a South Pole Trek. Those are quite expensive these days with the full travel insurance.

    They don't allow you to just die there anymore, you must have a satellite phone, daily check in and a prepaid rescue mission.

    I'm still debating whether to return to corporate world to pay for it or leave it off my bucket list...

  • Siberian76Siberian76

    This is why I live in Los Angeles.

    Gimme -50 F any day of the week, just not the LA weather...

  • Siberian76Siberian76

    Well now, I just got a regular working pants from Costco for $17 and they are significantly more efficient than $80 ones from Scheels (that have all kinds of Sub-Zero ratings).

    It's -30 air and-50 F wind-chill, so this is probably the best test scenario I will have for a while.

    At 3am it should get down to -37/-58 but I am not sticking around for that :-)

    Looking at the weather map, looks we are quite lucky as barely an hour from here, they're getting full arctic blast reaching -70 F and I am not sure if I could walk my Husky at -70.
    Now that would actually warrant a full polar gear...

  • pmvinespmvines

    @Siberian76 so what made you decide to move to such a harsh environment? So many people.live there because they are lifers and it's all they know. You are from Colorado. Why ?

  • Siberian76Siberian76

    You are from Colorado

    No, I'm actually from Europe, lived there about ~30 yrs. I worked, lived and traveled in about a dozen countries in Europe, so I kinda have a pretty good idea about the environment I feel good at.
    I really loved working in Oulu (Finland), half an hour from the polar circle. That was phenomenal, but I always joked that by moving there and quadrupling my salary I would reduce my living standard by a factor of 4x. If you're born there, or are independently wealthy, sure - but their taxes are catastrophic. Most things are WTF-priced, kinda like in Iceland.

    so what made you decide to move to such a harsh environment?

    I lived in 5 states in U.S., initially Chicago, then NewYork, latest being Montana.

    I liked Montana a lot, it's really like Antarctica in winter (pure NatGeo p0rn), but it's too expensive for my semi retirement. North Dakota gives me the same -40 C in winter [and back-to-back blizzards for about 5-7 days each winter] for -literally- a fraction of price. I now realize I don't need to burn through money like I did in past [in NYC] to be happy, so there's no point in just throwing money out the window anymore [for me].

    While I don't have local nearby hikes (ND is totally flat), Montana is only 7 hrs driving away. If I want a good winter hike, I just drive a bit. Since I have confirmed last winter that I can comfortably sleep in a car with my Husky even with engine turned off at -25C, driving through blizzards or winter conditions doesn't bother me at all. Probably the longest continuous drive through blizzards was a 10-hour drive in Newfoundland. Never experienced anything like that. The next longest was 4-5 hours, which is just pure fun (before it becomes hard on your eyes).

    Why ?

    My Siberian Husky gave me a gift of more life. Thus, it only makes sense that I move to a place where she feels as happy as possible. She is miserable in climates with tropical winters. I traveled cross country with her many times (coast-to-coast - both east-west and north-south) and the dry climate of the Montana/Dakotas region is the best for her. Short, mild summers, long cold winters, lots and lots of snow.

    I did a research while in Montana, making excel sheet with all pertinent data : historical climate, average minimum/max temps, regular min/max temps, taxes, distance to nearest Walmart, etc. North Dakota was unbeatable :)

    And, I grew up in a local microclimate of a smaller mountain, with only slightly warmer temps (down to -30 C instead of -40 C), so I feel at home at these temps.

    Anything above freezing temps in winter feels extremely unnatural to me.

    Both of us love this weather. What's not to love :) ?

  • MrKinderMrKinder

    I would move. I'm not being a jerk, it's my genuine answer.

  • pmvinespmvines

    @Siberian76 ah gotcha that makes sense

  • ChefKateChefKate

    @Siberian76 I can't quite figure out how to word this....ummm...

    Move to a warmer climate!

  • Siberian76Siberian76

    Move to a warmer climate!

    Uhm, I just moved here, about 18 months ago , after a careful selection :)

    So, I just needed some advice on how to navigate the -50F wind-chill territory as that is different from where I grew up.

    Nobody around here walks their dog like I do. Locals just proposed to let my Husky out and then let her back in. Completely oblivious to the fact it's a Husky.

    Hence this thread.

  • [Deleted User]DarrenWalker (deleted user)

    It's a good thread. Since I just moved here myself, and I gotta walk to work every night... well, I've been taking notes!

  • deefinedeefine

    Wow, this thread just got super-relevant for mid-America storm bearers.

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