I always wear snow pants over long johns with double socks and insulated EE Bean snow boots. Rag Wool Fingerless Convertible Gloves. Insulated long sleeve tee shirt under heavy flannel, under fleece jacket, under winter parka, add Knit hat and neck gaiter, Slip hand warmers into socks, in rear pants pocket and gloves about 11pm. I usually march around telescope and table every hour or so just to keep blood flowing in my limbs and brain.
OK, so I'm old and get cold easy.
I use a Push-to Dob with Nexus to locate Faint & Fuzzies, plus a red film covered Tablet for star pattern matching using Sky Safari. I'll bring a ANKER portable power pack with USB cables to charge NEXUS and Tablet as needed. Pocket Sky Atlas. Multiple red flashlights, emergency white light that I never use. Snacks and water. I sketch all my observations so I have at least two mechanical pencils in reserve, one soft graphite pencil, plus Pentel eraser and stumps for those faint & fuzzies. Always have extra, blank, observing forms, hate to run out at 2 am.
I used all this stuff last night during a ten hour observing session on BLM land south of Lake Havasu City, Az. Needed 4 wheel drive to enter and exit. Finally a beautiful night after almost 2 months. No bears or javelinas but some coyotes and BLM campers.....
Here in central AZ I was all set up to go out last night for the first time in months. Then a run of high clouds rolled in and it was all over before 7pm.
