Your First Winter - Just for Laughs!!

[CharlieD10]

My husband swears by Sorel and Baffin brand boots. I also have a pair made by Caterpillar (they make boots, who knew?) which are warm, somewhat heavy and a bit stiff when they are brand new but absolutely fantastic at keeping you on your feet on icy pavement and parking lots. My snow suit is made by Choko, not sure if they are a Canadian brand, but very warm and even manage to be somewhat fashionable, haha!

One of my personal peculiarities is that my feet have to be warm for me to be comfortable, and I've known this about myself since I lived in Jamaica, LOL. For indoor wear, my husband picked me up a pair of rabbit-fur moccasins, from our local trading post. (Those still exist, who knew?). I LOVE them, and am never without them in the house. Fleece clothing is also my new favourite fashion "trend". I can't get enough of fleecy PJs, socks and scarves. I even told everyone who asked that fleece clothing was at the top of my Christmas wish list.

Layering is a very important skill. I have to say my husband has guided me a lot in this area, but listening to him only took me so far. Why do I say that? Because he's Canadian born and bred, so he has more tolerance for the cold than I do, so when he says "wear this and this" I'll add another layer for my own sake because I'm from the tropics, so I don't have an acquired tolerance. To give an example, the house is set to about 68 *C right now, and he's wandering around in shorts and a tank top. I'm wearing a long-sleeved t-shirt and a light sweater on top, and leggings and socks under my yoga pants. If I were to dress as he did, I'd be freezing!

Another important thing: get a lot of exercise. Yep, I mean that. Take care of your health if this is your first winter or the first one in a long while. Around Sep my husband bought me a treadmill ($100 at a garage sale, it doesn't need to be fancy or expensive) and some weights ($40 at Canadian Tire) and I have been working out and running 5-6 days per week since then. 30 minutes a day, that's all it takes. I am happy to say that I haven't even had so much as the sniffles, when ordinarily I have a cold or the flu every November (yes, even in Jamaica). Exercise can build up your immunity and keep you from being easily susceptible to viruses.

 

[lunas]

This thread is really helpful. I am so cold blooded as a reptile :-X

 

[steaky]

To give an example, the house is set to about 68 *C right now, and he's wandering around in shorts and a tank top.

Are you kidding? 68 *C or 68 *F? Eggs in water can be cooked at about 65 to 68 degrees celsius! Your heater/thermostat must be very powerful then to set 68 *C! Even outside temperature is 9 *C this morning, I still wandering around in shorts.

 

[CharlieD10]

Haha, 68 *F, sorry! I still get confused over the conversions, because even though we used C in Jamaica, most times we still reverted to F to make sense of it because when I was very young we used to use F! :-[ It's 19 *C in the house.

 

[bagelbagel81]

Thanks for the stories and advice everyone! I am going to take the layering advice when it comes to staying warm. Coming from Australia, I am also another one of those people that is used to nothing less than 5 degreec celcius at worst in winter! My fiance absolutely hates the humidity ( especially at the moment) and I must be the only one to secretly love it! I too am one of those cold reptile people who ALWAYS has cold hand and feet- so I know if they are relatively warm, then I will be set!!

I am really looking forward to having a white christmas, but really not looking forward to being cold- and I refuse to hibernate!!! Let's see how it all goes!

 

[amikety]

Thanks for the stories and advice everyone! I am going to take the layering advice when it comes to staying warm. Coming from Australia, I am also another one of those people that is used to nothing less than 5 degreec celcius at worst in winter! My fiance absolutely hates the humidity ( especially at the moment) and I must be the only one to secretly love it! I too am one of those cold reptile people who ALWAYS has cold hand and feet- so I know if they are relatively warm, then I will be set!!

I am really looking forward to having a white christmas, but really not looking forward to being cold- and I refuse to hibernate!!! Let's see how it all goes!

I'm always cold as well. My hands and feet are like blocks of ice. However, I hate the heat. I'd rather be cold anyday.

 

[aerogurl87]

I'm always cold as well. My hands and feet are like blocks of ice. However, I hate the heat. I'd rather be cold anyday.

My feet stay cold too, but I hate cold weather. I'd rather bask in the sun all day when it's 38° C, than spend 5 minutes outside when it's -15.

 

[bagelbagel81]

My feet stay cold too, but I hate cold weather. I'd rather bask in the sun all day when it's 38° C, than spend 5 minutes outside when it's -15.

oh me too!
I went to get my ring resized on a 33c day last week and the woman behind the counter grabbed my fingers and said " why are you so cold when it's so hot!?l" i dunno - lucky, I guess. Haha. But even during Australian winters if I don't keep my hands and feet warm they literally go white with numbness and I can't feel them. Takes a good 20 minutes of kinetic energy to get them back to life... Oh dear, I don't think I will survive outside during a Canadian winter unless I have a full body electric blanket to walk around in!!

 

[Canuck20]

For all you folks with cold feet problems this might help. The first rule is to keep your feet dry. If your feet get the least bit wet they will get cold. Good boots is important but so are the right kind of socks. Don't wear those cotton socks you might normally wear. They keep moisture in. Wear a sock made of wool or fleece. "Wigwam Socks"or "Thorlos" are great. The other trick is to wear a sock liner next to your skin. These are very thin lightweight silk or nylon socks that moves away moisture from the skin. Keep your feet dry. That is key.
For your hands it is best to wear mitts as opposed to gloves. If you need to wear gloves there are kinds that are gloves and mitts all in one. The mitt part over the fingers folds back and your fingers are accessible but still covered.
Another key to staying warm is to wear a hat of some kind. A ball cap with a headband works but not as well as a toque or fur lined hat. Heat escapes out of the top of your head so a hat is a must.
For those who are really desperate there are always the disposable heat packs for your feet or hands. These can be used and then pitched. You can usually find these at Canadian Tire and they are not real expensive.
There is so much to enjoy during a Canadian winter and you don't have to be cold to enjoy it.

 

[bagelbagel81]

For all you folks with cold feet problems this might help. The first rule is to keep your feet dry. If your feet get the least bit wet they will get cold. Good boots is important but so are the right kind of socks. Don't wear those cotton socks you might normally wear. They keep moisture in. Wear a sock made of wool or fleece. "Wigwam Socks"or "Thorlos" are great. The other trick is to wear a sock liner next to your skin. These are very thin lightweight silk or nylon socks that moves away moisture from the skin. Keep your feet dry. That is key.
For your hands it is best to wear mitts as opposed to gloves. If you need to wear gloves there are kinds that are gloves and mitts all in one. The mitt part over the fingers folds back and your fingers are accessible but still covered.
Another key to staying warm is to wear a hat of some kind. A ball cap with a headband works but not as well as a toque or fur lined hat. Heat escapes out of the top of your head so a hat is a must.
For those who are really desperate there are always the disposable heat packs for your feet or hands. These can be used and then pitched. You can usually find these at Canadian Tire and they are not real expensive.
There is so much to enjoy during a Canadian winter and you don't have to be cold to enjoy it.

Wow, thanks for the advice! So in terms of sock liners made of silk or nylon - these are easy to find? I have a feeling this might be the key to my warmth happiness...
also the disposable heat packs... what is the deal with those? Do you warm them up in the oven or something? (Sorry, dumb question) .... and how long does the warmth last.... all these tidbits of information are giving me some courage for the cold!

 

[lunas]

Just so you know ...I am taking notes on my phone. I'll keep my eyes wide open next time I go shopping for winter stuff.
I don't own any wool socks, that's must as I have some bamboo/cotton blend socks that didn't help AT ALL last time.

 

[shells]

My fiancé just told me this evening.. But I'm a bit skeptical coz he's from Regina (very different definition of "cold" from me).. Said that if i wear thick boots and a long jacket, then I can just wear tights.. Don't need to wear thick pants and long johns. I shiver like hell easily.. Anyone here tried that? Is it true? :-[

 

[Canuck20]

Wow, thanks for the advice! So in terms of sock liners made of silk or nylon - these are easy to find? I have a feeling this might be the key to my warmth happiness...
also the disposable heat packs... what is the deal with those? Do you warm them up in the oven or something? (Sorry, dumb question) .... and how long does the warmth last.... all these tidbits of information are giving me some courage for the cold!

Here is a link to the heat packs with a little information about them :
http://www.bittenstore.com/site/945873/page/398278
They can be found in Walmart, Canadian Tire....usually in the Sporting Goods Dept. they are very popular with ice fisherman, hunters, skaters and golfers....lol...yup...for those late in the golf season addicts...I confess to being one

 

[Canuck20]

Wow, thanks for the advice! So in terms of sock liners made of silk or nylon - these are easy to find? I have a feeling this might be the key to my warmth happiness...
also the disposable heat packs... what is the deal with those? Do you warm them up in the oven or something? (Sorry, dumb question) .... and how long does the warmth last.... all these tidbits of information are giving me some courage for the cold!

Forgot to give you info on the sock liners. These can be found at Sears and any Outdoor Sports store like Mountain Equipment Co Op, REI, Sail etc. here is the link to Sears :
http://www.sears.com/lands-end-mens-silk-nylon-sock-liners/p-039LE323000P
These are the men's version but there are ladies as well.
I use these in my skates and they work great.

 

[Canuck20]

My fiancé just told me this evening.. But I'm a bit skeptical coz he's from Regina (very different definition of "cold" from me).. Said that if i wear thick boots and a long jacket, then I can just wear tights.. Don't need to wear thick pants and long johns. I shiver like hell easily.. Anyone here tried that? Is it true? :-[

Regina takes "cold" to a whole new level....lol. You are brave. He probably is right as long as your coat and boots meet each other. There are silk/nylon tights (like the sock liners) that are great and can be worn under lined jeans. Again the idea is to keep dry and take the moisture away from your skin.
The only other colder place than Regina might be Saskatoon or the corner of Portage and Main in Winnipeg