packing for the cold - a look back

[indigo_rose99]

What did I pack wrong and right?

It was always bitterly cold while we were in Canada. Snow was falling about half of our visit (or trees were shedding snow, a similar effect.)

• Outdoor fleece lined pants from Duluth Trading company. Win! They are comfy. Fit over silk underwear and leggings. And still have pockets.


• Size M heavy underwear shirt. Lose. So tight I had trouble bending my arms.


• Size M underwear pants (same brand!). Win. Felt like silk. Layered well. Good movement.


• Vasque snow boots. As the only non-Sorel  person on the trip, my feet felt a bit naked.  But I can easily imagine wearing these again in cold weather. Quite comfortable. And for really cold weather,  the feet heat packs work well with them.

My boots are the shortest ones.

• My regular shoes. I love them, but it was a waste of space to pack them for Canada. I am not sure it was possible for me to imagine this in advance, but I wore only the snow boots outside the entire trip.


• Full head balakava. T bought this for me. A reluctant win. It was a good idea, but I felt that it didn't meld well with the rest of my clothing.  Or perhaps that is just my dislike of the buildup of moisture when I breathe through cloth while outside. It did keep my nose and cheeks warmer when I wore it.


• SeV trenchcoat. J and I disagree on this one. I wore it on the plane - acts like an extra carry-on that they don't take away from me. It is not too heavy for wearing on the plane. It is loose, so I can wear many layers under it. Water and snow resistent. The only drawback for me is that it doesn't have a hood. I wore many layers,  so I never felt torso-cold with it. J felt that I should have worn my ski jacket. He indicated that I could have worn fewer layers of shirts with it. I'm bewildered why this would be a good thing. The ski jacket would have been a hassle on a plane. Either I'd  have to pack it or carry it on board. Outdoors in Canada I'd have to remove shirts from my indoor standard to be able to fit into the jacket. Plus it has few pockets. Perhaps I'm missing a key element of J's argument. The ski jacket does have a hood. Perhaps the hood was his focus?


• Ski goggles. Win. I didn't miss sun glasses and the goggles helped with the sun reflecting off the snow. Plus my breathing didn't fog them.


• Hand and feet heating pads. Win.


• T's huge snow boots. Win.


• T's longhorn hat. Covered his ears.  Win.


• T said he packed too many layers. His thicker underwear also didn't work out.


• Gold glove liners for holding the heating packs. Win for me, lose for T.

Comments

[apel.livejournal.com]

Interesting that the Duluth clothing worked for you. I get their catalogue and their stuff looks great but I'm just intimidated by the women models in it. Irrational, I know but there you have it. You're the first person I know who wears it. Maybe I should try. The noga pants looked good.

Duluth clothes

[indigo-rose99.livejournal.com]

I wear a LOT of Duluth clothing. I love their long-sleeved t-shirts and turtlenecks in the winter. In the summer I use their short-sleeved t-shirts as work shirts under business jackets.

I have not tried the NoGA pants. I have tried the souped-up sweatpants. I had to hem them (typical for most pants) and they fall down if I put anything in the pockets. I like the runabout knit pants much better (waist tie!). I have the runabout knit pants, yoga length and as shorts. I love them for working out because of the pockets.