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