Gear for riding in the winter?

A while back, I scored some snow pants via LL bean which (like everything else I get at the store) were returned a couple of times, so the cost was minimal - plus I found in my travels a floatation jacket - which you wear like a coat (it is a coat!!) - that, plus boots and a good woolen hat keep me roasty toasty when kayaking below 30 degs F....

Realize this is a little off topic, but I'm always warm no matter how cold - or wet - I get.
Under everything, a thin gortex 2 piece suit....

Good luck, watch for frost bite from the wind !!
And Stay Hydrated !!
 
Dead horse said:
Full body thermals
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Seriously. I also want to add, not sure if some of you are like me but I have this aversion to certain fabrics and textures of materials. Thermals are one of the worst for me, the elastic bands around the thermal pants waist is fucking aweful and the thermal material itself is itchy. Shirts are even worse as my upper torso seems to be more sensitive than my hairy ass legs which sometimes don't feel it as much. I've bought pair after pair of thermals looking for a brand that somehow got it right. I was in one of those over-priced workwear stores and noticed Carhartt had a line of thermals. I grabbed the package and instantly just looking at the material I could see they were on another level of comfort as far as thermals go. I bought a black crew shirt and black pants as well. I bought those in 2004 and I still rock them just about every winter day and there's not a sign of wear on them what so ever. They're simply amazing, the material they use is very soft and nice and warmer than the average thermals I should add. The elastic bands even have an almost cotton like weave through them making even the worst part very comfortable. They were $24.99 each, 50 bucks for a thermal set seems a bit high but almost a decade later still with this strong pair of thermals, I know it was money well spent.
 
the ideal thing to do would to have a fresh, warm carcass on hand at all times.
about to get on a train?
BAM
buffalo
getting off a train?
BAM BAM!
unicorn

the more endangered the better

real talk, underarmor
 
slurricane said:
the ideal thing to do would to have a fresh, warm carcass on hand at all times.
about to get on a train?
BAM
buffalo
getting off a train?
BAM BAM!
unicorn

the more endangered the better
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dont need no unicorns....just gotta peruse the rideboard and meet-up threads on here....maybe look at the travel sidekicks threads on digihitch....plenty of warm and cuddly newbs available for human spaceheater purposes ;)
 
cotton is a killer. neoprene rocks if it gets really cold, you can a wetsuit at just about any starvation army on the west coast. also i like synthetics.
 
bryanpaul said:
dont need no unicorns....just gotta peruse the rideboard and meet-up threads on here....maybe look at the travel sidekicks threads on digihitch....plenty of warm and cuddly newbs available for human spaceheater purposes ;)
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but can i cut them open and crawl inside of them?
 
slurricane said:
but can i cut them open and crawl inside of them?
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well with the green revolution and all...i've been trying to reuse mine to cut down on landfill waste.....you just gotta keep 'em somewaht fed.......some of them even come with handy little penis/hand warming pockets for those cold nights......
 
Ah winter riding..I gotta say I love it but it can getting fucking dangerous if your not prepared. My biggest savior is my military sleeping bag which I use with a bivy. It can be a real pain in the ass due to its size but I never cut corners when it comes to the cold.
Warn jacket, gloves/mitts and hat or course, but if you have the funds a propane stove can make life a fuck of a lot easier. My only downfall is my footwear. I still only wear docs and my feet always freeze..snow melts into them and then I'm fucked...so proper boots are a must if you like your feet.
When your running after a train in knee deep snow with all your winter gear you'll be cursing but frankly when your warm and not fighting for your life it will be worth it.
Personally I wouldn't recommend any real crazy winter rides if your new to the past time. There are a lot of different variables above that can come into play with riding and winter is no time to fuck up.
 
Wind chill is a serious concern: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/os/windchill/index.shtml

^ index
calculator: http://www.csgnetwork.com/windchillcalc.html

For instance, if the ambient air temperature is 32' f the windchill going 60.mph would feel like -3' F. Using the chart above, exposed skin at these temps can become vulnerable to frostbite in just 10 minutes. Add rain or moisture from perspiration to this situation and it becomes very dangerous. That's why dressing in layers of wool/ synthetics is so important. Very important to find a way to get out of the wind when you need to. (sleeping bag, tarp, bivy, poncho, etc.... whatever traps body heat and isolates you from the wind & rain.
 
Lets not forget how cold the actual train gets..the cold can work its way through most materials pretty fast when lying/sitting down.
 
Poly pro union suit. Basically the hill billy looking thing with a butt flap except not cotton. Jeans whatever, thick flannel, fleece jacket, carhart arctic bibs (black lining), Carhart artic coat, ski mask, and the military issue modular sleep system. It's two bags an intermediate and a light weight bag that button into each other and then button into a bivy. The bivy ups the temp a little and is wind proof. Sleep with your water. You can't drink it if it's frozen. I also have an MSR stove which I boil my water pour it into a nalgene and throw it in my bag. I use snow if it's around. Keeps you amazingly warm. I've hit -17 in Illinois and and -15 through missouri and kansas on a 2 + day ride and was fine. It's an expensive setup but I'm not relegated to southern states in the dead of winter. Oh yeah a mat. All that gear goes to shit if you are on cold steel directly. The basic army surplus closed cell foam mat for 5 bucks is plenty.
 
DO NOT OVERDRESS IN A SLEEPING BAG--- Were Under Armor (NYSE Stock Symbol UA) and or Gore Tex (http://www.gore.com/en_xx/) . Some kind of pad should be between you and the bottom of the car floor. I use yoga mats from Wal Mart 10.00 (NYSE Stock Symbol WMT 57.00 a share). Rides- Look for Canadian Grain Hoppers and Open Boxcars with padding inside of them (rare these days). IM stacks with wells can get very cold because of drafts under the containers. 3 packs articulated ribbed 53 have porches at each end with some cover as the first generation SP Stack Cars.
 
Redd Capp said:
DO NOT OVERDRESS IN A SLEEPING BAG--- Were Under Armor (NYSE Stock Symbol UA) and or Gore Tex (http://www.gore.com/en_xx/) . Some kind of pad should be between you and the bottom of the car floor. I use yoga mats from Wal Mart 10.00 (NYSE Stock Symbol WMT 57.00 a share). Rides- Look for Canadian Grain Hoppers and Open Boxcars with padding inside of them (rare these days). IM stacks with wells can get very cold because of drafts under the containers. 3 packs articulated ribbed 53 have porches at each end with some cover as the first generation SP Stack Cars.
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Charming. I couldn't find a way to describe my particular setup without using brand names. I also couldn't find enough cardboard, dental floss and dumpstered fabric to construct a DIY set of winter bibs or bivy or sleeping bag. Sorry for all the brand placement. What I mentioned works and sometimes I do too. I also like to ride empty lines when everyone else has snowbirded south.
 
I usually try to wear a unit. I hear girls are warm, but some guys prefer dogs for some reason. Take one of those $10 foam sleeping pads with you that will keep your body off of the steel. I can tell you for a fact that the steel will suck every bit of your body heat from you long before you begin to make it warm. Lupc449wleft
 
TBone said:
Charming. I couldn't find a way to describe my particular setup without using brand names. I also couldn't find enough cardboard, dental floss and dumpstered fabric to construct a DIY set of winter bibs or bivy or sleeping bag. Sorry for all the brand placement. What I mentioned works and sometimes I do too. I also like to ride empty lines when everyone else has snowbirded south.
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Also Michaels Fabric and Hobby Lobby are great corporations to dumpster for fabric and I find Walgreens floss to be superior to CVS or Rite Aid brand floss. This is also being typed from a Hewlett Packard lap top using a Logitech wireless mouse while wearing a Fruit of the Loom t-shirt and Levi's cuts offs. Just wanted to get down to the specifics. Upper crust for life.
 
Avoid cotton anything. Like mentioned, polypro or polyester long johns work great and even insulate when wet. They wick moisture instead of soaking it up like cotton, which keeps it against your skin and could potentially cause you to get hypothermia. They hold odor pretty bad though. The military issues them in their extreme cold weather system (ecws), and you can get them at any army-navy/surplus store pretty cheap. Target has some that are 88% poly / 12% wool and they're pretty nice, but too pricey. Merino wool and silk are real nice, but hard to come by on the cheap. Although not long johns, old german military surplus pants are usually wool. cotton kills.

Walmart has a coleman fleece 'sleeping bag' that would actually work really well as a sleeping bag liner, around $16 I think. Or you could find those older fleece swiss military ones, even cheaper from most places. But honestly for your sleeping bag, you can't go wrong with lining it with a woobie blanket. It's the army issued poncho liner, best warmth to weight ratio. Those blankets in the backs of uhauls are easy to 'acquire', but they're pretty heavy. Harbor freight sells them pretty cheap too.

Size boots large enough to wear two pairs of thick socks. Always keep something on your head. Remember the saying, "Cold feet, put on a hat". Balaclavas are great when sleeping.

Emergency blankets are one of the best things to have in your pack, I keep two.

And also as mentioned, use a pad under your sleeping bag or bed roll. Those blue walmart ones or G.I. both work good, and are worth their weight in gold (there are lighter options, but more expensive). The cold ground or steel sucks the warmth right out of you.

I could go on forever, I love winter.
 
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