Paul, Useful advice. Thanks!
JP On Jan 3, 7:21 pm, "Paul Jost" <[email protected]> wrote: > thanks. Also, I usually use midweight socks even in the coldest weather. > With socks, bigger isn't better and don't wear socks over socks. With heavy > weight or multiple socks, the fabric compresses or slips down with use over > the day of hiking. That leaves air gaps that cool off the feet and reduce or > stop the moisture wicking action of the synthetic fabrics. You are better > off with midweight socks and good, snug fitting, heavily insulated boots, > whether thinsulate or foam/felt-lined. > > Paul > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: [email protected] > To: [email protected] > Sent: Sunday, January 03, 2010 4:50 PM > Subject: Re: [ENTS] Re: Cold is good > > Paul: > > I like your insights on the value of thinsulate. > > Russ > > -----Original Message----- > From: Paul Jost <[email protected]> > To: [email protected] > Sent: Sun, Jan 3, 2010 4:17 pm > Subject: Re: [ENTS] Re: Cold is good > > James, > > I used Danner boots for most winter hiking. They used to all be > American-made, now only some of the most expensive models are. I use Sorel > style LaCrosse Icekings for really cold weather only, since the removable > liner boots are bigger and clumsier than thinsulate insulated boots. The > rubber traps too much sweat in the lowers and holds water if it gets wet and > the felt soaks it up so that you have to change them to dry them out. > Gore-tex thinsulate boots will dry themselves out if you have snug moisture > wicking socks and proper fit with the boot with not too much slack space > around your foot. If you don't "overdress" your feet and use synthetic > socks and lighter more breathable boots, then they don't get wet. I highly > recommend Wigwam socks formerly called Ingenius but now called Fusion brand > which are multiple layer synthetics that wick feet dryer than conventional > socks. My feet are warmer and dryer with those than with any other > combination that I have tested over the years. Our bogs freeze over up > here, so surface water is not normally a footwear issue in winter around > here. > > Paul > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "James Parton" <[email protected]> > To: "ENTSTrees" <[email protected]> > Sent: Sunday, January 03, 2010 12:49 PM > Subject: [ENTS] Re: Cold is good > > Russ, > > I like your recommendations, especially on the Sorel boots, in which I > just looked up. They look like good winter boots with well above > average ratings. On the Sorels that have the rubber bottoms have you > ever had the rubber to crack or split? I had a pair of rubber bottomed > boots and that is exactly what happened, plus they froze my feet off > even with the 400gr Thinsulate insulation. Dad had a pair of rubber- > bottoms that split as well. > > My current two pairs of boots are Herman Survivors. Back in the 1980's > HS was a very credible and fairly expensive boot. Wal-Mart aquired the > company in the early 2000s and they are now no longer made in the USA. > They still have some decent boots but are getting worse year by year > and their selection of good outdoor hiking/hunting boots is becoming > less. I cannot even find the style I have in my hiking boots that I > have by them anymore. I have had them for six years and walked the > crap outta them and they still have lots of wear left. On my insulated > Hermans, they have 400gr Thinsulate and have done well so far. I have > not tried them much in really cold weather though. One thing is for > sure. They are waterproof. I slogged around in the muddy water of > Congaree Swamp last year measuring cypress knees without a leak! > > James Parton > > On Jan 3, 10:31 am, [email protected] wrote: > > Paul: > > > I, like you very much enjoy extreme cold ....there is something perversely > > enjoyable about being outside at temps close to zero or below with a > > gentle wind that feels like a laser on your cheeks. As I've gotten older > > and reached the point where I am almost always working alone, I no longer > > go out for more than six or eight hours in the woods if the temperature > > isn't going to get above zero. > > > I agree about layering and how you mix them is so incredibly important. > > The general availability of good mixed material boots like Sorels with > > removable felts makes many aspects of extreme weather much more enjoyable > > today than 30 or 40 years ago. > > > I'd like to offer a tip for heavy physical effort and perspiration in > > extreme cold weather. In almost any circumstance where I am going to climb > > up a big mountain or expose myself to a substantial period of serious > > effort in very cold temperatures, I'll carry a spare T-shirt. At the point > > where I decide that the period of most severe effort has ended I will > > immediately stop in as calm a point as possible and strip down my top > > layers down to bare skin and take off the wettest bottommost layer of my > > shirts and completely dress back up with a dry shirt on the bottom. Such a > > change has always been refreshing and nearly always prevents me from > > developing a chill. Also, if I plan it carefully and I am able to make the > > wardrobe change before my body starts to recover from the strain of the > > climb and begin cooling off I have an extremely good chance of remaining > > comfortable at whatever the temperature is for several hours. > > > One question, for everyone who spends a lot of time in the woods during > > the coldest part of winter....have you noticed that there is a time in the > > afternoon when something changes to make the air suddenly "feel" colder. > > In Western Massachusetts during January I usually found that time to be > > between 3:15 and 3:30 on the coldest days. Other people were the first to > > point this change out to me and it seems to be most readily noticeable in > > forested locations that are on north or east facing areas (out of any > > sun). > > > Russ > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Paul Jost <[email protected]> > > To: [email protected] > > Sent: Sat, Jan 2, 2010 2:30 pm > > Subject: Re: [ENTS] Cold is good > > > Bob, > > > As I get older, I also have reduced tolerance for the cold. The key is to > > have proper clothing and to keep moving. Conventional cold weather gear is > > woefully inadequate. It is a significant investment to outfit one's self > > with the proper clothing. From years of deer hunting, moving slowly or not > > at all for several hours at a time in subzero weather, I have evolved a > > clothing arrangement that allows me to do so relatively comfortably. Few > > people that I have come across in winter are dressed in winter clothing > > other than what is available in the typical chain store or department > > store. It's good for urban living but not rural stomping. Even most > > hunting clothing traps too much moisture. My cold weather midyear and > > outerwear, boots and socks come mostly from Cabala's, thermal underwear > > and glove liners from REI, glove-mitts and knit caps from anyone that has > > them. > > > Paul > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: [email protected] > > To: [email protected] > > Sent: Saturday, January 02, 2010 1:21 PM > > Subject: Re: [ENTS] Cold is good > > > Paul, > > > I salute you my friend. I never thought about the dvantages as you have > > described them. However, as one ages, tolerance to cold diminishes. At > > least, that is true in my case. I am becoming a real wuss. > > > Bob > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Paul Jost" <[email protected]> > > To: [email protected] > > Sent: Saturday, January 2, 2010 1:38:21 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern > > Subject: [ENTS] Cold is good > > > I disagree. The best time to search some sites is when it is below zero, > > as > > long as the wind is nearly calm. About 10 years ago, I spent a three day > > weekend in fresh snow in the Cathedral Pines and Giant Pine Groves in the > > Nicolet National Forest. It never got warmer than -10F and was mostly -15 > > to -20F. The cold weather kept all people out of the woods (except for one > > individual on the December bird count survey day) and the fresh snow > > allowed > > me to track a real viewable grid pattern through the entire Cathedral Pine > > grove without having to refer to a GPS the whole time. This freed up my > > hands and eyes for quick on the fly rough-estimation scanning through the > > grove. The lack of other people due to the cold allowed me to refer to my > > footsteps in the snow for ensuring a thorough scouting of the grove. The > > lack of wind allowed me to not be burdened with a heavy winter coat. I > > generated enough heat by walking in the knee deep snow and crossing > > blowdowns. I wore a light sweater, light vest, and light jacket with light > > gloves and a cap. It was refreshing to be dressed lightly and out in the > > brisk weather crashing through underbrush. However, if I stopped for more > > than a few minutes to measure a tree, I soon got too cold. I kept the > > laser, GPS, and camera one layer deep within my clothes. Any more would > > have made them too warm and condensation would have damaged them after > > their > > periodic exposures to the cold air. The circumstances allowed me to find > > tall skinny 133 foot white pines whose crowns had been 25-35' higher but > > had > > at some time been bent horizontal by heavy snow loads. All of those trees > > have since fallen since then due to subsequent snow loads in combination > > with their arching bent over habit. Additionally, I covered an area that I > > normally would have ignored, but went into to stick to my regimen of well > > defined grids in the snow. As a result, I found 147' and 150' tall white > > pines adjacent to each other outside the main grove. Those are the tallest > > trees that I have measured in Wisconsin outside the Menominee Reservation. > > Both accurately laser measured in -22F weather in the dusky twilight and > > reverified within a half a foot on a 95F midsummer day the following year. > > That time, the grove was filled with tourists and nesting great blue > > herons, > > as well as mosquitoes! I preferred the colder day. > > > Paul > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Lee Frelich" > > ... > > read more »- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - -- Eastern Native Tree Society http://www.nativetreesociety.org Send email to [email protected] Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees?hl=en To unsubscribe send email to [email protected]
