Staying warm

Now that winter is upon us in the midwest, it is getting kind of "nippy" after many hours outside. I'll open up to the forum any suggestions or ideas for a quick (let me say that again for emphasis...QUICK) shelter from wind and cold. My primary activity is photography, so there are long periods of time when the cameras are running and usually I would just sit in my truck and keep warm. But with gas at a buck eighty to 2 bucks a gallon I would like another idea. I've thought about making some type of open top PVC structure that would have room for a couple of chairs and a heater, but this seems like a lot more "stuff" to haul around, and not so quick to set up and tear down either. Ideally, something open on top would be great to be able to allow air to vent from the heater. Any ideas out there?

Mike

Maybe just a tent of some kind would be easier to use?
Heaters are dangerous if not ventilated properly though.
Floyd

Unrelated to the topic... but nonetheless...$1.80 a gallon??!! Try $2.49 out here in Sunny So. Cal. Consider yourself fortunate.

Hi Mike,

I have seen a a kind of "umbrella shelter" that vendors use at street fairs. These seem to unpack and go up very quickly. If you could get some side panels, that would maybe make a nice shelter, but using any kind of non-electric heater might raise some serious ventalation risks.

David Simons

Mike,

If you go to Dolan's, just tell Bruce to bring one of those catalytic heaters for his trailer. You guys can use that as a warm room!

Doug
Midway, FL

A simple shelter that keeps your body from "seeing" the sky and can be set up to act as a wind break would be good. Also, a layer of something to insulate your feet from the ground - I believe some folks use the stuff designed to line truck beds.

As far as clothing goes, if your toes and feet are cold it means your brain has decided it is short on heat and is sacrificing the extrmeties. I found a second winter hat kept my feet and hands much warmer. On the coldest nights, when away from the house, I put a couple of hand warmers in my pockets.

To be honest, I'd much rather move somewhere warmer .

Clear skies, Alan

Mike,
Move to South Texas. Warmer temperatures and gasoline currently at about $1.72 a gallon.

I also wear lined, quilted coveralls - makes for a much warmer evening - but when it's REALLY cold, like where you live, probably wouldn't be enough. So move to Texas. 8)

I have done quite a few REALLY cold observing sessions where I was the only one to stay out all night (everyone else in the club wimped out). Here are some of the things I do:

Clothing:
-Thermal underwear ... get a good pair, they make a huge difference against your skin.
-Sweat pants... these hold a nice warm pocket of air in the cotton
-Skiing pants (or heavy wind pants)... duh, they stop the wind and keep your warm air in

-2 layers of medium weight socks. 1 heavy layer isn't as effective for me.
-GOOD BOOTS. I laugh when people show up in tennis shoes... if your feet get cold, you get cold.

-Thermal underwear top
-Extra long t-shirt (short sleeved) ... this one baffled a few people until I explained it. I don't like all the layers binding my arms up, I feel like the kid in A Christmas Story that can't move his arms! But I tuck the thermal underwear top into the thermal bottoms, and the long t-shirt into the sweatpants. This gives me 2 layers that are tucked in and really help keep those drafts from moving in/out at my waist when I bend/move around.
- Sweat shirt
- Good heavy ski coat (stop wind and wetness)

-A pair of those light cotton or neoprene gloves
-A heavy pair of ski gloves or mittens (my favorite). That way I can take my hands out o the mittens for changing eyepieces and things and not expose my hands to the air. Everything else I can do with the mittens on, and mittens keep your hands warmer than gloves by not isolating your fingers.

-Hat, Hat, Hat, Hat, Hat... if you don't have a thick cotton hat on, you might as well go home. Your head, neck, face, and brain have more blood vessels and muscles per inch than anywhere else in your body... they use and lose a LOT of heat. Cover them well.
- Scarf, tuck this into your jacket and when you are just standing around you can pull it up onto your face/nose and it'll make a huge difference. An alternative is a face mask hat, but I don't like those myself.
- If your coat has a hood, pull it up! This will block the wind on your neck and ears and also blocks some light!!



Other stuff:
-Big thermos with hot chocolate/coffee
-One of those portable cooler/heaters that run off a 12v battery to keep food warm. I take hot ham and cheese sandwiches, warm bread and maybe left over pizza or something. Those heaters keep the food hot and a warm snack is wonderful

- Park your car upwind and setup behind the cover of it, or use a tree/shrub line to block wind. Plan your observing to look the other way.

- Get one of those "fire blankets" that are sold for emergencies. They have a fabric insulation with a plastic wind blocking layer. I keep this near my chair and while I'm sitting down, I wrap up with it. If I sit for 5 minutes with this, I barely feel the outside!!


Last but not least, when you are not looking at something, move around! Do a few jumping jacks, some high knee lifts or a short walk. Walking around a bit for 3 minutes lifting my legs high really gets my blood moving and also kind of wakes me up a bit.


Sorry for it being so long, but I am able to stay out all night in pretty much any weather condition for observing and haven't really been cold. I've been chilly, but not ever to a point where I was cold and miserable.

One for the APO crowd:

http://www.mgear.com/pages/product/product.asp/level1_id/56/level2_id/75/level3_id/76/item/102218/level2_title/Men%27s+Technical+Wear/level3_title/Down+and+Insulated+Tops

Mike,

I don't have any problems staying warm without spending a fortune on Goretex down insulated suits. I can go 4hours easy without a warmup break or warm drink. Layering is key. Each layer adds another dead air space. This is what keeps you warm.

For unreasonably cold nights-
First layer-polyester mesh t-shirt, light stretch polyester long johns, thick synthetic thermal socks, or smart wool. Tuck everything in to seal out drafts.

Second layer, sized slightly larger than the first, stretch polyester thermals, mid weight, or expedition weight to pull an all nighter. The thermal tops sometimes will have a zip turtle neck. These are the best to get. I prefer polyester to most others as they resist damage in the dryer.

Then, chamios shirt or sweater, no cotton. Cotton absorbs moisture, and moisture conducts heat. Then, head band, synthetic stretch cap. If need be, all that will go under the final layer's hood.

Final layer-$100 Down Parka, $40snowmobile bib leggings. Or $149snowmobile suit. Snowmobile gear is designed for folks with windchill up the ying yang, and plenty of inactivity (sitting on a snowmobile)
Insulated boots. I've got an old pair with wool felt liners. There are better ones out there. But mine do fine. Oh yeah, I have a stretch Goretex sock over my thick thermal socks. Also avoid standing on bare ground, use a carpet, or plastic welcome mat or similar.

Gloves, fleece mittens with removable thumb and fingers. Got it mail order from Bikenashbar or Performance bicycle. Some models have windblock fabric sewn in. Light and flexible.

I set up in front of evergreen trees in the north, which block the wind. Perfect. You may need a windscreen of some kind.

If I want to sit down, I followed Floyd's lead on a cover for my Stardust chair. Thanks Floyd!

Jerry Kuchera