alt Hacker NewsMoved a year ago from California to northern Michigan. To add to this list, specifically regarding "Do NOT get wet and cold":
o If you're walking out in the cold, have many different ways to keep your feet and your hands warm, because usually, you'll have a good-enough coat and winter-pants that'll keep your core relatively warm, but it's the very ends of your extremities that get cold (just got a small amount of frost bite on my toes the other day).
o On top of really thick gloves and socks, can buy some battery-heated versions of both. These aren't just gimmicks, they work wonders! As do the standard handwarmers and toewarmers
o Get real winter boots, these are water proof and insulated, so your feet won't get wet, and will resist the cold for longer (didn't learn this one until recently. Yeah, once your shoes get wet enough to bleed into your socks, you feet start to freeze).
o For your head and neck, carry one of those head and neck covers with you in your coat pocket (called a balaclava). Because sometimes you misread the weather and suddenly you've got a 5 degree wind chill streaming over your neck and face.
o etc:)
And, actually, walking in the snow is really nice (so clean and pure), which is why a lot of us here do actually go outside.
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A big thing I would add is to strongly consider how much you'll be moving, especially when it comes to footwear.
Boots that are rated to -40 during light activity can leave you with cold toes if you're standing still in -10 for an hour.
Activity levels also dictate how you layer and how easily you need to dump heat. If you're hiking, snowshoeing, XC skiing, you want some layers with zips so you can quickly let heat out.
This guy has mastered the art of dressing for winter https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XG3WfCWU9D0
A buff works pretty well instead of a balaclava and can serve the same purpose and more. Essentially just a tube of stretchy fabric that you can wear around your neck and pull up into a close enough approximation of a balaclava.
Also remember to watch your sweat levels. As soon as you start sweating, start shedding layers to bring your core temp down.
Get boots a size too big to wear multiple layers of wool socks.
> battery-heated versions
all the ones I've seen when researching were lithium-ion from sketchy-looking brands, any brands you recommend?
Any recommendations about the boots? Or what to check for?
> thick gloves
Gloves are not for severe cold. They are for dexterity during limited exposure time - as no gloves can keep your fingers warm for very long no matter how well-made they are.
Look for mittens or "choppers" as we called them back in the day if you are going to be outside for a long period of time. These are outer shells (leather or gore-tex/etc.) with various types of removable liners. You basically layer your hands inside them. For folks outside all day you usually would have a few liners on hand to replace when they get wet.
Add a heat pack (iron oxide) to these on those super cold days and you'll be pretty much set.