Today there was no wind, it was very strange and very very warm, it looks like summer is finally arriving. Now that it has been a month, I'm starting to figure out how to wear my Extreme Cold Weather (ECW) gear so that it works for me. I still look like a the kid from A Christmas Story almost every time I go outside, but it keeps me warm.
This is what it looks like when I check the weather before I go outside, it is on the south pole intranet.
All of the temperatures I will talk about below will be the wind chill temperatures in Fahrenheit. Every body uses their ECW a little differently but this is what I've been doing for the past month and it seems to be working, I rarely get cold. I think I get a little too warm more often than I feel cold for the most part. I always keep a pack of hand warmers in my big red in case I get cold and need to activate one to keep my hands warm. I've used them twice, both times it was below -55. I've also used them to keep my radio battery from dying when it's really cold outside. I always carry my radio with me, comms announces the incoming flights and any other station announcements over the radio and it makes it easier to get a hold of people. I also have to wear the booties with the FDX boots so that they fit correctly, the booties are less about staying warm and more about making sure my feet aren't swimming around in my boots. I'm sure in winter I'll need them for warmth as well though.
This is what I wear when it is colder then -40. I wear jeans or sweatpants, Carhart pants, wool socks, booties, FDX boots, glove liners, work gloves (I substitute the work gloves for mittens sometimes), long sleeve shirt, hoodie, big red, neck gaiter, goggles, hat and big red. When it was below -60 I also wore a pair of sweat pants over the jeans as well, but I've gotten more used to the cold now so I probably won't need those until it gets significantly colder again.
This is what I wear when its warmer then -40 and colder than around -25 sometimes I sub out the booties for the wool socks depending on the amount of wind (more wind=wool socks instead of booties). If its in the twenties I can usually get away with normal hiking boots if I won't be outside for too long as well. Here I'm wearing jeans or sweatpants, snow/wind pants, long sleeve or t-shirt, socks, booties, FDX boots, glove liners, gloves, thin neck gaiter (but if it's really windy I'll go with the thick one), goggles, hat and big red.
This is what I wore today, no wind, warmer then -25. Just jeans, little socks, hiking boots, glove liners, tank top (I even took off the flannel shirt I was wearing in the station), UV protection sun glasses, a hat that covers my ears and big red. Big red was too hot though, I probably would have been okay with a hoodie and thinner jacket, I had to unzip big red on the way back to the station because I was too warm and even took my hat off. The sun felt very warm and it was a beautiful day!
When I test fuels I generally go with the Carhart jacket, a different blue neck gaiter, and a different hat, snow pants, FDX boots, jeans, and whatever I'm wearing that day in the station under the jacket. I keep that set of ECW gear down in the fuelie coat room and don't wear any of my usual gear to take fuel samples so it keeps it clean and not smelling like fuel.
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