WINTER IS COMING

For those of you reading this from a warmer southern state, or perhaps even a tropical locale, you may never have to deal with a brutal midwest winter, but for all of the readers from Michigan and further north, you know what we have coming our way! With this onset of cooler weather, we thought we'd provide some ideas for cold weather gear that will help keep the frigid air from sneaking in and chilling you to the bone!

FOR YOUR LEGS

The biggest complaint that we hear from people wearing chainsaw pants is the fact that they are too warm in the summer months. Well, guess what? Right now is a perfect time to be wearing chainsaw pants because they will totally help keep you warmer. And, of course, they will make you and your ground workers safer while cutting on the ground! Chainsaw pants are great cold weather gear because they don't tend to melt as much snow as a pair of blue jeans or something along those lines. I can easily kneel down in the snow to flush cut a stump or work on equipment without my knees immediately getting soggy, which results in me being cold the rest of the day. Also, since most chainsaw pants have built in gaiters around the ankles, they help keep the deep snow from creeping into your boots!

FOR YOUR CORE

Another great cold weather gear item ideal for winter-time work is the Solidur Hi Vis Polar Fleece Cob shirt. This shirt has a cobbed style fabric that helps insulate the body by trapping warm air in small pockets, keeping it close to the skin. It also has well placed mesh vents in the arm pits that help get some of that moist air out of the shirt, which helps keep you dry. The biggest thing to remember when hiking in the back country in the winter time is 'If you sweat, you die!' This is great advice to heed while working in the winter months. Not to say that you will die if you sweat, but you will surely be really uncomfortable! This shirt will be sure to keep you warm and comfortable all winter long!

FOR YOUR FEET

One of my most hated things to deal with in the winter time is cold, wet feet. There are not many things that are more uncomfortable than feet that are freezing cold while you are trying to make it to the end of a long day spent dreaming about the warm wood stove at home! A great way to get around those cold, wet feet is to simply keep them dry! Salewa has been making boots for mountaineering and backpacking for a really long time, so they know how to design a boot to keep your feet dry and comfortable! The Gore-Tex lining creates a waterproof, yet breathable, membrane in the boot that will help keep water out, but also pushes moisture out of the boot. This cold weather gear item helps keep your feet dry all day long, which makes your day WAY more enjoyable!

FOR YOUR HANDS

If you are one of those climbers that hates wearing gloves, but also hates the cold, I might have a cool trick for you! If you are used to wearing hoodies for the winter months, you can clip the waist belt of your harness together inside of the pouch pocket on the front of your hoodie. Now instead of that pocket being trapped underneath your waist belt, it is open for you to put your hands into and at least get some of the wintery touch off of them! This also gives you a pocket to store a pair of gloves in that you can wear or take off at your leisure. Hopefully, this little trick helps keep your digits a bit warmer this winter!

GREAT FOR LAYERING

When the weather really gets cold, I would recommend some of the shirts that Kuhl has available. Their shirts are made with some awesome wool blends that help insulate your body while you are out working in the cold. Wool is great because it doesn't absorb any moisture when you are sweating; therefore, it helps keep you warmer. All of Kuhl's synthetic down jackets are excellent cold weather gear items as well. These garments are capable of taking an absolute beating and will help keep you warm as well. I have beaten my Kuhl Spyfire jacket to a pulp and it still stands strong all winter long without any rips or tears! You can't beat that!

ARE YOU READY?

Hopefully, this little guide can help you pick out the right cold weather gear for the coming winter! You are going to be much better off if you are prepared for the cold weather instead of having it sneak up on you! With the right gear, you can easily make it through the cold spell that Michigan is getting ready to throw at you'even if it is six months of winter!