Warm in winter

[AKScott]

Couple ideas, supposed to hit -40F in Fairbanks tonight.

*** on sock liners. I have tried, well, all of them. I am stocking up on the Smartwool (tm) white wool liner socks, all the other stuff as headed for the trash at the first excuse.

Second, toe warmers. Similar to hand warmers, you shake them and they bake you. I think I have "Little Hotties" in stock right now. They are tombstone shaped, pretty thin, with adhesive on one side. Put the flat base of the shape towards the inside edge of your foot, under your bigtoe and the ball of the foot, adhere the sticky side to your smart wool liner socks, the rounded end should fit pretty well under your little toe, without bunching up in front of your foot inside your shoe.

Wool outer socks (I am a huge smartwool fan), I use the expedition weight under about -10F or so.

Next, I wear a full size larger boot in winter compared to summer. You need the loft in the socks to trap air. If you compress them, you are losing insulation value. Half size up? I am guessing you have to deal with regulation oversocks. Maybe SW liners, SW exhibition weight outersocks and then enormous regulation socks over that into bigger boots?

From there think about some cross-over underwear, shaped liked boxers but with lycra/spandex whatever so they fit pretty close. You can duct tape regular handwarmers to those, right over the femoral arteries is a good spot ;-)

From there I would look at a windstopping layer. Maybe you can find grey goretex pants? Cut the knees out, wear the loose ends under your socks and the "shorts" under your kilt.

From the waist up if the short coat just doesn't cut it I would duct tape handwarmers into my armpits. You do want a layer of cloth between the warmers and your skin at all times, so outside of your undershirt for this one.

I lived in Schenectady for years, I don't think I would choose to wear a kilt there this close to winter solstice.

A start anyway.