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What does a southerner need to know about winters up north?

I know this request is a bit vague, but sometimes the things you don't know that you don't know are the most important...

I get cold really easily

What are the wardrobe staples?

If you had to pick one all purpose pair of winter shoes that will keep your feet warm and DRY through the whole cold weather season, including the snowy parts, what would they be? (my idea of winter shoes used to be clogs with a pair of thick socks )

Which types/brands/materials of coats keep you the warmest? When I was up here for a weekend last winter, I brought a coat that I bought from an outdoor store that was rated for 0-20. I don't think it got below 20 while I was here, but I was still f'n freezin'

What do I need to do to my car? (I figure I need an ice scraper and to change out my windshield wiper fluid for something that doesn't freeze)

We live in an apartment, so maintenance issues aren't our problem. But is there anything I need to keep around the house?

Anything else I should know?

pema wrote:Which types/brands/materials of coats keep you the warmest?

I have a leather coat that's seen better days but I used to wear it almost every day going to work in the winter. I walked from Penn Station to my office in the morning and back to Penn Station at night, it's 15 blocks each way, and never felt cold. Now my hands, that's another story. I could never find a pair of gloves that kept my hands warm on the rare days that the temp got down to single digits.

pema wrote:What do I need to do to my car? (I figure I need an ice scraper and to change out my windshield wiper fluid for something that doesn't freeze)

I've never done this, but it might be a good idea to keep a snow shovel in the trunk so you can dig yourself out in case you get stuck.

GO BACK SOUTH ASAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!
RUN, DON'T WALK!

Can you tell, I also hate to be cold

Uggs pre-treat them.

Erin, You will need winter windshield wiper blades. Water and some granola/powerbars, extra blanket dry shoes and gloves to keep in the car.Incase you get stuck in traffic during a storm.
( a few years back it took me 10 hours to drive 30 miles home afterwork during a storm.)
Also you will need long underwear..Tops and bottoms..They sell them at Kohl's .. You want Silk
or the synthetic breathable stuff... I need these for cold days in my office.... Wear layers..It gets warm as the day goes on and colder again after dark. When buying boots keep in mind you will be walking on snow and ice so heels are not a good idea.

Boots - not those frilly high healed type but BOOTS that have nice warm linings and are easy to walk in. Uggs were mentioned, I perfer more of the hiking type boots. A couple of pair can be helpful so you won't have to put on boots before they are dry.

Socks - lots of socks. Sometimes I wear 2 pair

Long undewear like has been suggested - basically EVERYTHING Me'Shell'Lei suggested and then double it.

Gloves, Scarves and extras of each besides those to keep in the car.

Vitamin D and a maybe a sunlamp (I still haven't gotten a sunlamp and every winter I often wonder why)

Rock salt/kitty litter combo. (don't trust the apartment complex to salt your walkway)

windshield de-icer to go with the ice scraper. And be sure to get the car "winterized" ie have the anti-freeze checked.

you might want to consider getting some chains and learning how to use them. (I haven't yet but have asked myself why before)

Plastics.

It depends, I don't know where you are but layers will keep you warm. Get a good ice scraper and you will be fine. As long as you don't live in the middle of nowhere, worst case you might be snowed in at most 36 hours. In the Philly area 24 hours is the worst I have experienced. If you haven't driven in the snow before, head out to an empty parking lot and practice slides, turns and stopping. Keep a bag of kitty litter in the trunk and a shovel. Cold doesn't bother me so unless you are looking for a good set of leathers for riding a motorcycle in freezing temps, I couldn't help you there. The Northeast winters are more hype than anything else. In philly I believe the supermarkets are colluding with the weather readers when sales are down. (As soon as snow is forecast, Milk, bread, eggs fly off the shelves) Midwest, brrrrrrrrrrr now dats cold.

How far north are you going?

spartan1979 wrote:How far north are you going?

Central Ohio

The good thing about Columbus is you do not as much snow as here but tend to get some ice events.

Just as you wouldn't go hunting without having at least fired your weapon at a target once or twice, neither should you try winter driving without a little practice too. Too many newbies to the Great White North — as well as a lot of natives with short memories — seem to feel that the white stuff that's on the ground is just beach sand. It ain't!!

After the first snowfall, go with someone you trust (and who has lived there before) to an empty parking lot, preferably one that hasn't yet been plowed. Let that person throw your car into various skids and slides in the parking lot while you ride shotgun, and show you how it feels when you first start to lose control and skid/slide, how to correctly and safely recover from them, and proper driving techniques to prevent them from ever happening. After a while, trade places and do it yourself. Get a feel for what the car is doing. Once you get comfortable with what is happening, you will be a much more confident and safer driver.

The other key to winter driving is to BE DEFENSIVE!!! As mentioned above, there are those people who forget that snow turns into ice, especially at intersections, and that ice is slippery — then they look surprised when try to stop but instead slide through the intersection into a snowbank or another vehicle. By watching for and being ready for this sort of stuff, you can avoid becoming their victim.

One other thing: four-wheel drive, while useful, is overrated as far as winter driving is concerned. If you don't have traction, it doesn't matter *HOW* many wheels are turning.

-"BB"-

-"BB"-

As a native Southern Californian, I shouldn't know cr@p about cold weather...
but others in my family have moved into colder climes, and I have learned a lot in these past years.

The only thing i could add to all the items I've seen offered above would be to get some synthetic glove liners.
I spent last Christmas in Salt Lake City and it was just above 0º, and once your fingertips start getting cold, you're hatin' life.
I use the glove liners inside my ski gloves, and when I was out and about in the freezing night.

Warm hands sure make everything else you're trying to do out in the cold a lot more tolerable...

I have a leather jacket I wear when it is between 25 and 50. Anything below 25 as a high, I will wear my down jacket. Just have a sweater ready too.

ph4ever wrote:you might want to consider getting some chains and learning how to use them. (I haven't yet but have asked myself why before)

If you mean tire chains, they might not be legal. I know you can't use them in NY, or at least on LI. If you don't mean tire chains, I don't think I want to know ...

OK, this is Canada weighing in, even though our Maritime climate is not as brutal as, say, Quebec's, Ontario's or other western provinces. Even if you hate getting flattened hair, wear a hat. The face, head and chest are more sensitive to changes in temperature than the rest of the body, making it feel as if covering them up does more to keep us warm.
I agree about leather being good at breaking the chilly winds, but fabrics like Goretex are also water(snow) resistant but breathable.

LIPH wrote:

ph4ever wrote:you might want to consider getting some chains and learning how to use them. (I haven't yet but have asked myself why before)

If you mean tire chains, they might not be legal. I know you can't use them in NY, or at least on LI. If you don't mean tire chains, I don't think I want to know ...

I thought maybe in the Lakes region it could be legal??? Not sure though.

mittens keep my hands warmer than gloves do

Studded tires are legal in NS, but have to be on and off by certain dates; chains on industrial or agricultural vehicles only.