Winter Warming Strategies

[T510]

[skippydiesel]

From another Forum: An Australian pilot : 

 

" I used battery powered Ororo branded socks for a while but found them uncomfortably narrow on the foot and tight around the calves. Over the last few years I’ve used stick on toe warmers available at most pharmacies. I find them to be effective"

 

https://www.chemistwarehouse.com.au/buy/83839/hot-hands-toasti-toe-warmers-5-pairs

 

At $7.00, I think I should give them a try😈

[BurnieM]

40 years experience on motorcycles, never used an active heater (chest, hands or feet).

 

Keep your core warm - jacket/vest.

Needs a layer to break the wind then a layer under that to hold the air.

 

For feet I earlier mentioned waterproof ankle boots. This is cause most runners/ankle boots now are ventilated and a waterproof layer stops the wind.

White cotton sports socks are a good layer under the ankle boots.

 

Lots of glove options.

 

 

[facthunter]

Eventually the waterproof garment keeps the water IN if you ride long enough.. . How do I know this?  Nev

[skippydiesel]

21 minutes ago, BurnieM said:

40 years experience on motorcycles, never used an active heater (chest, hands or feet).

 

Keep your core warm - jacket/vest.

Needs a layer to break the wind then a layer under that to hold the air.

 

For feet I earlier mentioned waterproof ankle boots. This is cause most runners/ankle boots now are ventilated and a waterproof layer stops the wind.

White cotton sports socks are a good layer under the ankle boots.

 

Lots of glove options.

 

 

All good BurnieM.

 

A very long time ago, I spent 5 years in the UK. My transport, for much of this time, was a Triumph 650. I had leather boots & gloves, the latest (at the time ) in all weather motorcycle gear - Berber/Burberry/Barba(?)  heavy waxed over jacket & trouser. Open face helmet, traditional googles and leather face mask.

 

Despite all sorts of strategies - newspaper under jacket (s),  2 pairs of trousers, wool & cotton socks, oversized rubber kitchen gloves over leather bike gloves, plastic bags over feet - I FROZE!!.

 

The UK was/is a cold wet place - There were times I had difficulty opening my hands, after an extended winter ride. No amount of Dubbin seemed to keep by feet & hands dry, even the rubber over gloves/bags only had limited benefit.

 

There is no doubt that I am a "lizard", much prefer heat to cold, so forgive my rejection of your, well considered, cold weather strategy - no offence intended😈

[Litespeed]

I believe you mean "Belstaff" waxed cotton riding gear.

 

I never found them real warm.

These days they are a fashion brand and sell more to non riders.

 

 

The best to keep feet and hands warm is a flat twin BMW, free engine heating for feet and heated grips.

 

[facthunter]

Those Belstaff Waxed canvas Jackets left Black stuff all over the cream and Blue  seats at the Paragon Cafe. . Full Leathers is your own Body Bag.  Very tidy. There were many times when My only vehicle was a Motor Bike. Nev 

[skippydiesel]

7 hours ago, Litespeed said:

I believe you mean "Belstaff" waxed cotton riding gear.

 

I never found them real warm.

These days they are a fashion brand and sell more to non riders.

 

 

The best to keep feet and hands warm is a flat twin BMW, free engine heating for feet and heated grips.

 

Did a little research(better than faulty memory) - Think I probably had a Barbour jacket & over trousers. Good in UK summer, okay in light, short duration rain - bloody awful in heavy rain, winter cold, sleet, etc😈

 

[PureCaboose]

I tend to wear Ridgeline gear, designed for outdoor people to sit in all weather and enjoy the outdoors. They work on the layer principle. During winter, I wear a thermal layer, then a fleece, then a thicker fleece with a windstopper and so on. On my feet, I wear Oakley boots (I fell in love with them at work), thin socks, then a thick thermal sock inside my boots. Don't get cold feet flying the plane or standing in place when flying the drones.

 

You need to remember to move your feet and legs as well. If you just sit there and don't move them to keep the blood flowing, you will get cold, and it will be hard to warm up within the confines of a small plane cockpit. I am a fidgety person anyway, so I am always flexing my feet, etc.

 

Another big one for retaining heat is your neck (especially the back) and your head. I have either a scarf and/or neck gaiter for winter and a thin thermal hat that fits under my helmet (and I block the air vents with tape in the helmet).

 

As you get cold, your body will reduce the blood flow to your extremities to retain core heat, so staying warm and not letting your core cool is critical. Vests, layers, etc.

 

As a kid, my mother felt the cold, and she had a small metho-powered pocket heater that was the size of a hip flask. You started the thing up, closed up the box and put it in a velvet bag and put it in your pocket to help keep core warmth. Not sure if you can still get them.

 

Greg

[Bernie]

Memories there with those pocket heaters...I had forgotten all about them...best gloves I owned were rabbit skin I wore them till my wife couldn't sew them back together anymore.

I had water proof mittens over them when raining..best boots were sheepskin...

Bernie .

[Bosi72]

Maybe try some hunting products such as snake gaiters?

 

[BrendAn]

its so bloody cold here this morning i am just going to sit in the hangar and make airplane noises.  -1 c

[facthunter]

From which end?    Nev

[facthunter]

Apparently many whale noises are like that.   Nev

[Love to fly]

I hate flying in boots or heavy shoes. We do have a heater in our plane, rarely use it though. And flew the last one for many years before having a heater installed.  For me pantyhose or merino thermals tucked in to heatwarmer brand socks works for me. It was -3 degrees at 9,000’ today flying over the ranges to Bairnsdale and my feet and legs were fine.

[ClintonB]

Knitted leg warmers like the aerobic set from the 80’s.

light enough to roll off and drop on the seat before anyone sees you wearing them.

[onetrack]

I can't wait, to see the rush by a bunch of blokey pilots, to obtain their size in pantyhose! 😄

 

[Love to fly]

9 hours ago, onetrack said:

I can't wait, to see the rush by a bunch of blokey pilots, to obtain their size in pantyhose! 😄

 

Not all pilots are blokey though 🙃 and many eons ago I used to be asked by blokey friends to get them pantyhose for long days riding endurance horses. Many jockeys/track riders used to wear them.  Chafe protection not warmth being the main goal here. Pantyhose do come in all sizes. 🤷‍♂️

[skippydiesel]

1 hour ago, Love to fly said:

Not all pilots are blokey though 🙃 and many eons ago I used to be asked by blokey friends to get them pantyhose for long days riding endurance horses. Many jockeys/track riders used to wear them.  Chafe protection not warmth being the main goal here. Pantyhose do come in all sizes. 🤷‍♂️

As an ex endurance rider  (CV19 knocked it on the head for me),  I can attest to the effectiveness of wearing panty hose, an absolute must if you want to be competitive (who cares what you look like, if the garb does the job over 80Km - got a few laughs from the ladies though) 😈

Edited 11 hours ago by skippydiesel

[Freizeitpilot]

On multi-week trips I discovered I can dry my laundry in the plane. Combination of ram air from the eyeball vents and the cabin heater works a treat. 
 

Might get some looks one day if my undies end up on my head after turbulence though.

[onetrack]

I can attest to the usefulness and durability of pantyhose. Many decades ago, when I was operating in the mining industry, there was a local underground nickel mine which was notorious for working conditions.

Nickel sulphide itself is a nasty, highly corrosive ore, but it often comes with volumes of underground water, and that water often contains high levels of nasty chemicals such as arsenic.

 

Many underground miners work in very wet conditions, and if you work in these conditions where the underground water contains a high level of arsenic, you end up with some nasty skin complaints in the tender crotch region.

 

So, it was found that wearing pantyhose was the best protection against arsenic water skin complaints, in those tender regions. So, even rough and tough miners can be seen wearing panthyhose!