Warmth and Affordability

I received the following email recently:

Who or what sites are best to look at
for the warmest clothes that are
also affordable? I've looked on Ebay,
North Face, Patagonia, Spyder, etc....

So who manufactures, in your opinion, top
quality coupled with comfortability and
economically affordable outerwear????

In all honesty, I'm not very aware of any
retailer other than L.L. Bean. This is
probably because I was born in Maine and
still live here.

I just recently purchased a long long winter
coat from L.L. Bean that reaches down to
the center of my calf muscles. It is very
very warm. I got it for a discount because
I went to the factory discount store that
they run just slightly off-site from the
main store in Freeport, Maine.

At the same time, I bought a spring jacket
at the same discount store. It is also
very warm --- for spring, not winter.

Both purchases are to replace a coat and
a jacket that are something like 8 years
old and have seen heavy heavy use. The
stuff the L.L. Bean sells does tend to
last. If not, they give you your money
back. At least, that's my understanding.

I understand that there are many good retail
stores that sell warm clothing. I've just not
had the opportunity nor the inclination to visit
them.

Ed Abbott

Choosing aGood Warm Work JacketFor My Boyfriend

 
A few days ago, I received the following
email:

I very much enjoyed reading your article
about the 12 tips to staying warm.  I
wonder if you could give me some help
in picking out a good work jacket for
my boyfriend.  He will be outside working
from time to time on gas wells and needs
a fair amount of mobility in the sleeves. 

He will also need something that doesn't
tear easily.  I've looked at the Carhartt
jackets but they don't look warm enough. 

The Craftsman jacket looks warmer and also
there was a Dickie jacket that was very
interesting.  They all had what I think you
call a duck material outside but were quilted
inside.  I'm sure your tips on layering would
be necessary.  He is a short, 5'5" and very
stocky guy (lifts weights) and, of course, has
probably shorter than most men's arms. 

I'm thinking a large jacket will work but I'm
also concerned about the length of the arms.
 
Any more advice you can offer me would be
greatly appreciated. 

Thanks. 

--D 

Hello D,

Thank you for your email. Sorry to be
a bit slow replying.

I feel that the ideal solution for your
boyfriend may not be a jacket at all. It
might be coveralls to cover his body the
same way a farmer's overalls cover a
farmer's body.

Coveralls, or overalls, can be made out of
winter fabrics and will insulate quite
nicely. I have a pair of winter coveralls
myself.

In many ways, winter coveralls look like
a winter jacket for the lower body. The
material that the coveralls are made out
of is thick and warm.

In the North, winter coveralls can be bought
off the rack at any large clothing retailer.
I'm not sure how it is in the South. Sounds
like you might be from Louisiana, Oklahoma, or
Texas. I'm just guessing based on the fact
that your boyfriend works on oil and gas wells.

Here's some of the advantages of coveralls:

1. They cover well over 50 percent of the
   surface area of the body. It is probably
   closer to 80 percent.
2. They allow the uppermost part of the body
   to breath
3. If your boyfriend gets too warm, he can
   always take his jacket off. Under those
   conditions, the coveralls should be more than
   warm enough.
4. The biggest problem when doing labor
   in cold weather is temperature regulation
   and being too warm or too cool. Coveralls
   can help.
5. Coveralls allow more careful temperature
   regulation because they allow the jacket to
   be completely taken off and the body still
   retains substantial heat when working
6. When working in coveralls only, the upper
   body is free, particularly the arms. This
   can be very helpful as trying to work and
   wear a jacket at the same time can be very
   binding on arm motion

I love warm winter jackets. However, they
may not be a comprehensive solution when working
outdoors. When working outdoors, getting rid of
heat can be as much of a problem as retaining it.

In terms of staying warm, it's all over if you
work too hard and get sweaty and wet. It's hard
to stay warm when your body is wet.

For this reason, having layers of clothes that
you can strip off and put back on can be very
helpful. I experienced this today.

Today it was about 27 degrees Fahrenheit when
I woke up. Today is Sunday and I went for
a walk. I walked to the local high school.

I walked up and down two flights of exterior
steps. I did this 25 times.

Around the 12th time up the steps, I was getting
warm. I had on a down jacket.

I unzipped the down jacket all the way and took
off my gloves and wool hat. I exposed my head,
fingers, and front mid-region to the cold.

I was now losing enough heat not to sweat. That's
what you have to do. You have to start taking
things off as soon as you feel the least bit
warm.

Hope this helps!

Ed Abbott

Silly Wool Skullcap Is Very Warm

 

I received an email from a man who
tells me that his skullcap is very
warm:

Hi Mr. Edward:

I just want to thank you for the
nice article about

12 tips to help you
choose warm clothes


I never thought that my hands and
my feet get cold because I was losing
heat at my head…lol.


And I agree with you when you say
that the dumber you head-gear
 looks, the warmer It is. Recently
I bought a skullcap make of wool. I
look very silly with it but it is
really warming.


Finally, when you say that we must
prioritize which part of our body
we wish to keep warmest, I have
your same opinion because I
consider the torso is the most
important part to maintain warmest,
for the reason that it provides
safety for all our vital organs

Best regards,

Jorge           

This is a heart-warming email,
no matter what the time of year
or the temperature outside.

Ed Abbott

                

Keeping Legs Warm

 
Got the following email from someone
this morning:

Hi there,

I feel cold always in my legs
and if I put too many things on
then my body itches badly. It
feels like some one is pinching
me with needles.

I wonder. Is this a problem with
wool? Some people itch when they
put wool next to their skin.

Another possibility is that the fibers
of the clothing placed on the legs does
not breath properly. Skin breaths and
so does fabric.

If the fabric you are wearing does not
breath properly, it can be uncomfortable.

Anyone have a better idea? Has anyone
else had this same experience? If so,
maybe you would be willing to comment
below.

Since I have not experienced being
pinched with needles as the
writer describes, any answer I might
attempt would probably not be very
accurate.

Ed Abbott

Salvaging Old Coats Science Project

Some time back, I got a letter
from a high school student who
wanted to salvage old winter
coats as a science project.

I wrote back and made a suggestion.
I'm not sure that my suggestion
was all that good, quite frankly.

However here is what the student
wrote and here is how I replied:

How Does Insulation Work?

Perhaps someone out there has
a better idea than mine. Maybe
I should have suggested needle
and thread and left it at that.

It's not always clear to me what
the right trade-off is between the
pursuit of an ideal and practical
do-ability.

Ed Abbott

Stay Warm Withthe Right Winter Clothes

This is a new blog.

Got the following email
from someone in France.
The author of the email
was responding to this
article that I wrote some
time ago:

12 Tips to Help
You Choose Warm Clothes

Here's the email sent
to me from the man in France:

When I get up in the morning I would
like to slip into a warm multi
layered one piece tracksuit - a good
looking piece of house clothing -
so that I can mooch about having
my first early morning mug of tea
and sit at my computer for an hour
or so before thinking about getting
washed and dressed.

My house is too cold in the morning
during 6 months of winter for an
ordinary dressing gown, which is OK
for the summer. I put on several
layers - thermal vest (ski underwear),
tee-shirt and woolly jumper, tracksuit
bottoms, and then a dressing gown socks
and and slippers, which is ok - but
I'd prefer a well designed warm one-piece
jump suit - don't know what to call it -
which would be more practical.

Have you any idea if such garments
exist - a well designed tracksuit
piece of house clothing.- not
for outside use. It could be used
as well in the evening after a
bath or shower to relax during the
evening.

Closed around the neck, the wrists and
the ankles, with the option of a woolly
hood!

Anyone have any ideas? If so, you might
post below.

Kind regards,

Ed Abbott