75 replies to this topic

[CrazyPanda]

While I have a lot of warm clothes, it is amazing how quickly my interesting in setting up and using my scopes starts to sway dramatically the colder it is. What do you do to help fight the cold? My biggest issue is dexterity vs. warmness of gloves. Thinking of heated gloves, haven't bought any yet, though I wanted to see if this would be a good compromise. I do have some heated socks.

Gloves are my biggest issue as well.

 

As far as staying warm goes, I'm able to comfortably observe in 0F temps for several hours with the following:

 

1. Alpaca wool socks

2. Decent lined winter boots

3. Merino wool base layer (pants and shirt)

4. Fleece sweat pants

5. Fleece hoodie

6. Big, high quality cold suit from Refrigiwear - the key here is going a size larger than you think you need to account for your layers, while being able to move around comfortably. The air gap it creates also helps keep you warm. A tight fitting suit would be the last thing you want!

7. Merino wool neck warmer that I can pull up over my face if needed

8. Bomber hat that I can buckle under my chin (though sometimes I just wear a thick watch cap and use both of the hoods I have - one from the fleece hoodie and then the bigger one from the cold suit)

 

Gloves? Meh. I'm constantly taking them on and off because I can't find a good balance of dexterity and warmth. I think I really do have to grab a pair of Turtle Flips and see how they do with my thinner gloves/glove liners. 

Edited by CrazyPanda, 21 January 2025 - 05:40 PM.

[mikeDnight]

 I used to wear a one piece windproof suit with several layers beneath, and Yeti foam lined boots. With a thermal balaclava and woolly hat I was as snug as a bug in a rug. However, one evening in the winter of 2007/8 after spending about 3 hours out on a snow covered lawn observing with my NP101 IS, I realised that despite being warm bodily, the cold night air was affecting my breathing. I noticed I was wheezing when taking a breath. After that night I started to take a bit more care of myself by limiting my time out in sub zero temperatures. 

 On one memorable evening while observing with friends in my garden, and again with snow covering the lawns, my wife called from the kitchen "Would you boys like some home made Apple pie and icecream?" It was almost 3am and as we stood in the kitchen thawing out and eating hot apple pie with icecream, the conversation turned to how my friends wives never baked apple pie in the early hours. I told them that my wife did it all the time, which wasn't entirely true as she only did it that once because she couldn't sleep, but I'm sure it led to some interesting conversations with their spouse's the next day.

Hot apple pie even with icecream is a great way to warm up internally mid essay through an on serving session.

 Chrissy my wife was concerned about me playing out in the cold and had noticed the effect it was having on my breathing, so she decided, without any prompting from me, that I needed an observatory. She funded the build too, and I quickly set to designing a run-off roof observatory. I still need to dress up warm on cold nights but having walls around me makes a massive difference in restricting wind chill which can be crippling.  And when I close the roof an electric heater soon warms the room making things so much more sivilised.  These days I do most of my observing from home, so I think an observatory should come with a warning - It can make you soft! 

 

 

[rjacks]

Many layers, insulated snow-shoveling boots, hot chocolate in a thermos, occasional jogs around the observing field or old-fashioned jumping jacks. Avoid removing the gloves. I wear thin gloves specifically designed to work on phone and tablet screens, as I usually use skysafari on a tablet for navigation. If it's going to be a very cold night, I also switch to my refractor on a manual mount so that setup and takedown are quick and easy. I don't bother much with navigation then, just pan around the Milky Way and find old favorites whose locations I know by heart. If it gets really, really cold, then it's binoculars and nothing else. Also, shorter sessions. Don't be stubborn and become miserable. 

 

Of course if you are observing near your house, then just go inside and warm up!

[Jupiter71]

Huge winter coat - but the main point is to put a thick heavy beanie on and super thick winter socks. Works great don’t even need gloves in 20 degree weather this way.

[Nacoochee Boochee]

7.2v electric vest, head band.  Nothing beats it.  Keep your core and head warm with layers above the vest.

[BIG]

+1 on the electric rechargeable vest...you can find a number of them on Amazon as well as from Milwaukee Tools. As stated above, once you have your core warm, the rest is relatively easier to manage.

[tea_bird]

Still working on gloves (my hands get soooo cold fiddling with focusers and what-not even gloved) but I picked up a pair of insulated Berne bibs that I can throw over my clothes that really helps keep my warm. As long as my ears are also covered, I've done well.

 

Thermal shirt + bibs + coat + thermal pants + bibs  + earmuffs or hat or whatver. Wool socks and fuzzy boots too.

[jcj380]

Still working on gloves (my hands get soooo cold fiddling with focusers and what-not even gloved) 

Somebody puts a slice of foam pool noodle on their focuser, etc. knobs.

Edited by jcj380, 22 January 2025 - 04:31 PM.

[kasprowy]

I observe in my back driveway, ten feet from my back door. 15 minutes sessions then inside to warm up. Good to -25F.

[Nankins]

Just typical warm outdoor clothing and hand warmers works for me.  Plus having a short target list - can't stay out too long in zero degree weather which also happens to be when the sky is most transparent on clear nights.  Maybe toe warmers if I didn't put the right footwear on.  Can also pop back inside the house if I need to.  Otherwise I'm gtg.  Living on a small farm and having plenty of outdoor exposure and hobbies helps - I got used to being cold and knowing how to deal with it.  Don't like it too much when I think about going out, but once I'm out there, I can be out there anywhere from 5 minutes to an hour or so.  If you don't have the best circulation, then I have found that warm clothes put on properly without too many layers, while also leaving some room for air flow, really helps. 

[Nankins]

I really don't use my filters much in the winter - taking them out of the containers and screwing them on/off the eyepieces and what-not, added to the fact I want to keep them as clean as possible, means taking gloves off.  

 

Next week we should have night in the 20 degree temperature range - that will be the time to get outside. 

[Jack Ketch]

Tonight for 18f: UnderArmor base layer, wool socks, cycling tights, lightweight wool vest, sweatshirt, Carhartt jeans, Carhartt heavyweight hooded jacket with quilted lining, insulated hunting boots, Thinsulate gloves, Russian style insulated hat with ear flaps. I got all this on and went out to an incredibly clear night. Went in and got my equipment (the scope was already out tempering) and when I went back out the clouds had rolled in.

 

Not the first time and I guess not the last time. I went back in and poured a glass of Michter's.

[JayinUT]

Feet: base layer specific socking's as base, merino wool socks on top. Sorrel or Kline winter boots.  

 

Legs: Merino Wool thick base layer. sweat pants, wool pants.  Hunting Bibs winter good for down to -50 degrees. 

 

Torso: Merino Wool thick base layer, sweat shirt, wool sweater, the hunting bibs and a hunting parka good to down to -50 degrees again. 

 

Head: Balaklava, think hat on the top of the head. 

 

Gloves: Hunting gloves where I can pull them back and have my fingers out if needed with heat warmers (chemical or rechargeable as I have both). 

 

I've gone out to -15 to -20 and been good for 3-4 hours. If needed, I can hop in the car, start her up and get warm. 

 

Also, I always have hot broth or hot chocolate in a thermos as I find the hot drink mid way through the session warms me up really good on the inside. I also have bottled water in a thermos so I stay hydrated that I sip any season I am observing.  

[Paul Sweeney]

To survive in the cold, you need to understand a few basics.

You will lose a lot of heat through your head, so wear a hat. Cover your neck, too.

Hands and feet get cold because the blood has to pass over the wrists and ankles, where there is very little fat/muscle. Cover these well to avoid heat loss.

Wear thin gloves and good mittens. Try not to touch cold things with your bare hands.

Boots need to have a foam layer below the feet to keep the cold from reaching the soles of the feet.

Move around, but don't over do it. If you start to sweat, you will get cold quickly. If you have to exert yourself (shovel snow, push car, etc) remove your jacket. Replace it as soon as you stop working.

Do not drink hot drinks. Hot drinks do warm you up, but they also cause your internal thermostat to compensate by turning down the heat. You will quickly get cold.

Do not drink ice cold drinks because you can damage the lining of your throat. Keep drinks lukewarm.

Your body reacts to cold by eliminating excess water (less to heat), so don't be surprised if you need to pee.

[Spaceman 56]

I am an imager, and often I sit outside for hours while the subs come in, as I like to inspect them and delete the bad ones.

also I can adjust things like focus and guiding.

 

luckily I have a woodturner fire in my house, and where I image from is only about 10 meters away.

 

I come inside a lot to warm up, and hugg that dam fire, which I keep blazing with big logs.  

[star acres]

There's no contest here. Mother Nature wins. If it wasn't ugly enough, the salt trucks have made 10 passes a night, and the roads look like slug mucous. Right now, every morning is earlier, and in a few months, out comes the telescope and the fishing gear and car camping stuff.

[oldphotonm]

From bottom to top:

Thinsulate lined moon boots rated to -120 with a single pair of wool socks;

Fleece-lined jeans over a pair of hunters long johns;

My trusty heavy winter jacket with pockets for hand warmers, eyepieces, phone etc over a long sleeve lined plaid shirt over a fleece top over a hunters long john top;

Thick, cozy, fleece head sock w/ draw strings for my noggin because as some have mentioned, you lose a lot of heat through your head;

For my hands I can usually get away with a pair of fingerless fishermans gloves on almost any except the really frigid nights, and for those nights I have a pair of motorcycling gloves insulated with thinsulate.

 

I never ever drink alcohol when observing as even a single beer fugs with my vision but especially in cold weather as it does have negative side effects if you're trying to stay warm.

 

My cold problem areas - feet, if they get cold, I'm done; hands, if they get cold with the fishermans gloves, I'll pop some hand warmer packets into the m/c gloves.

My legs and trunk are not usually a problem.

 

I have observed with this kit in the past in below zero conditions and other than the snot faucet running quite a bit, I'm reasonably comfortable.

 

But as I get older the reasonableness of being out in the cold gets less and less tolerable.

[Universe XY]

I'm lucky as cold is about 40 deg here in S CA;;; Still the sky is not that great especially of late.

[HenkSB]

Here in Santa Barbara it doesn't get very cold, but I stopped heating the house during the winter and throughout the year.  Just living by myself, why put out all that CO2 when I can simply put on long johns under my clothes and a warm vest.  I did this last year, and it wasn't bad at all.  Same this year.  The house is cold in the morning, at 10 AM I open the sliding doors because it is warmer outside than inside.  But warm clothes get me through the winter just fine.

[Starman47]

Move to the Sunshine Coast of Australia. Cold on winter nights is maybe high 40s (F), and that is only for a few weeks. I only wear sweaters in winter for a few weeks. And yes, I just returned to OZ after a few years in the cold Appalachian Mountains. 
 

Maybe a few of you can come, but not everybody. We do not need the extra light.  It is Bortle 4, where I live. And I can get to Bortle 2 with just a 30 minute drive. Yes, I love Australia. 

Edited by Starman47, 30 January 2025 - 02:58 AM.

[kg7]

Of all the changes I made to my setup in order to stay warm during winter sessions, the best one was getting a wireless trackball to drive the computer with.  My hands never need come out of my parka pockets.

[Richie2shoes]

7.2v electric vest, head band.  Nothing beats it.  Keep your core and head warm with layers above the vest.

When icefishing, I used to use a thermacare back wrap to keep my core warm.  It would really help keep the rest of me warm.  

[Marcus1]

I now always read the instructions on the chemical heat pads, they are really serious about “Do NOT apply to bare skin “

[Universe XY]

Many layers, insulated snow-shoveling boots, hot chocolate in a thermos, occasional jogs around the observing field or old-fashioned jumping jacks. Avoid removing the gloves. I wear thin gloves specifically designed to work on phone and tablet screens, as I usually use skysafari on a tablet for navigation. If it's going to be a very cold night, I also switch to my refractor on a manual mount so that setup and takedown are quick and easy. I don't bother much with navigation then, just pan around the Milky Way and find old favorites whose locations I know by heart. If it gets really, really cold, then it's binoculars and nothing else. Also, shorter sessions. Don't be stubborn and become miserable. 

 

Of course if you are observing near your house, then just go inside and warm up!

Like the hot chocolate. Treat yourself to something good & allow yourself to be immersed into the great universal wonders that are welcoming us!!!

[Universe XY]

Here in Santa Barbara it doesn't get very cold, but I stopped heating the house during the winter and throughout the year.  Just living by myself, why put out all that CO2 when I can simply put on long johns under my clothes and a warm vest.  I did this last year, and it wasn't bad at all.  Same this year.  The house is cold in the morning, at 10 AM I open the sliding doors because it is warmer outside than inside.  But warm clothes get me through the winter just fine.

Santa Barbara Snob Hi!!! Only been there one time...It's nice...

Edited by Universe XY, 01 February 2025 - 02:01 AM.