Dress right, winter's not such a beast

Twenty-five degrees on the mountain this morning. Forecasters say it should be around 13 this time tomorrow. 

Glad I've added to my winter clothing line the past couple years, especially since I'm spending more time where there's more than an outsider random risk of deep freezes, snow and ice over winter.

Here's a run down of some of the things I've come to depend on, or have recently bought to stay warm outside in wintertime (Not a complete rundown, but it should highlight most critical areas): 

Been wearing Henley style thermal long-sleeves under button-up shirts most days since fall's colder weather set in. And I'm not embarrassed to say I've grown accustomed to long-john style drawers as well for cold days.

I don't care much for the long-john bottoms found in most retail stores. Some are a cotton and poly mix, and I prefer to eliminate as much cotton as possible in deep cold, especially if there's any chance of getting wet. There's polyester base layer stuff for sale at some sporting goods stores, but those I found were a tad to clingy to be a favorite. Upon discovering military surplus drawers of the LWCWUS variety a couple years back, I became a fan. Not as cheap as two years ago, but often still a good buy can be found if you go looking online.

And I wear wool socks year round, they seem to keep my feet cooler in the summer, warm in the winter. They wick moisture. My feet are  happier.

My wife bought me a name-brand polyester-nylon coat last winter that's not much for warmth on its own, but with a couple layers underneath, it's pretty awesome down into the mid-20s. For really cold days, I drag out my M-65 Field Jacket  (bought at a thrift shop over a decade ago) with a fleece liner.

I picked up a polyester Ushanka style hat off Amazon, and it's doing a super job of keeping my head warm on really cold and wet days. Cost about 12 bucks. If it gets wet, I toss it in the dryer, and it's ready to go again in no time.  I also found what seem to be a nice set of insulated waterproof boots on big box closeout right before Christmas, but I've not had opportunity for any field testing yet. Gloves, for now, are Thinsulate lined leathers work gloves picked up at Walmart.

I've found winter's really not such a beast if you have the right attire. Even if the roads are closed by snow or ice and you have to walk off the mountain.