In Ottawa today, the weather stations are warning that with the Wind Chill the temperature today might drop down to -40°. That's the unfortunate point in temperature where Fahrenheit and Celsius meet. In case you ever have the "pleasure" of travelling somewhere where the temperature is below -30°, here are a couple clothing tips to keep in mind.

The Show Must Go On

The actual temperature didn't drop below -25°C so my dogs wanted to keep up their regiment of walks. They have furry paws and a double coat. Over the years, they've demonstrated that if the actual temperature isn't below -30°C, they don't mind the cold. So, off for our usual walk we went.

This picture wasn't take today, but that's the path we take on our walk. When I took my iPhone out today, it was too cold so it had powered off. :-(

Preparation is key

When I got back from my walk and was taking off my layers, I wondered how many steemians had spent much time outdoors in -40° temperatures. So, I thought I'd write a quick post showing the clothing I usually wear when I walk the dogs below 20°C

Here's a quick rundown.

Under Where?

Sprinkle a little baby powder in places where moisture naturally builds (feet and groin) Talcum powder may cause cancer. Moisture wicking underwear (Cotton absorbs moisture, it does not wick it). Moisture wicking socks. I've had the best results with wool.

More Underwear

When you are dealing with the cold, everything that touches your skin should be moisture wicking. You also want to make sure that there are multiple layers between your skin and the cold. For this reason, an undershirt and long underwear are a must.

Heat Retention

If you were trekking in the wilderness, I would strongly recommend against cotton. In this case, I am walking less than a kilometre away, so I feel safe in jeans and a sweatshirt that are both cotton. But more wool socks. If water gets in through your boots, you want the socks to wick as much as possible. (The chance if finding water at -25° is very low.)

Outer wear

For the legs, the last thing is wind pants. Once the wind is gone, the layers you have on will be more than enough. A balaclava will cover your head and leave a hole for your eyes. For long treks, you'd want a balaclava with a mouth hole to allow the moisture to exit when you exhale. The neck tube will add an extra layer of warmth around my neck and mouth.

Hat, Mitts and Eye protection

Even though it's not the most trendy style in hat, I like the faux fur lined hat with ear flaps. It blocks the wind and keeps the ears warm. With the gloves, make sure that the cuffs are surrounded by an elastic to seal the perimeter between your gloves and your jacket. Most people seem to forget about eye protection. Your eyes can get frost bite too.

The Jacket

Having a jacket with two layers allows for a lot of flexibility in warmer weather. But when it's cold, a good shell that protects you from the wind and a good liner are key. NOTE: Marketing will tell you that down filled are the only way to go with liners. I've have multiple polyester filled liners that can easily handle -40°. Poly filled liners are usually quite a bit less expensive than their down filled equivalents.

Boots

Boots need to keep your feet warm and dry. The one thing I like is having the laces as close to the top of the boot as possible, this should reduce the chances of getting snow/water in the top. If possible, you should pull your wind pants over the tops of your boots. This will further reduce water and wind from getting in.

The Finished Product

I could walk all day when dressed properly. As I mentioned above, my iPhone was too cold to take any pictures while I was out today, so I'm reusing a picture I took the other day when it was a warm -23°C

Keep Warm and Steem on!!