I realized that I have done two article this week on money related issues. Since I’m a very frugal guy I decided to keep this trend going a bit longer. Today I’m going to show you how you can get prepared for enjoying the winter months outside without freezing and on a budget.I’m going to focus on wool but will throw in a few others to round out the list. So lets get into the basics of saving money while keeping warm and protected during the cold and wet months.
Cold and wet
Last winter I got into more cold weather and hiking and camping. I went with the guys from Skills and Gear on a nasty rainy hike one day in my all cotton clothes. The temps were probably in the 40’s or so. My clothes got pretty wet from the constant drizzle of rain. I had too many layers on at first and got sweaty, making the clothes now soaked through inside and out. Once properly sopping wet I got really cold. For the rest of the hike I alternated between being cold then getting hot and sweating more. Maybe I’m a glutton for pain but I had a blast. I decided that it would have been many times better though if I had been wearing the right clothes. I started doing some research to find what wold work best for me.
Fork in the Road
My research took me into two very different directions. One direction is wool the other man-made material such as nylon, gortex and primaloft. With wool I had a long tradition of proven performance. Wool is a wicking material that allows the moisture to pass through. This ability to get the moisture away from your body is essential for winter survivability. Wool retains 80% of it’s insulating value when wet. Wool is heavy though and does not compress well. Wool garments and blankets can cost a lot of money. Most of the man-made fabrics are hydrophobic, meaning they do not absorb moisture. Each of the different materials has unique properties. I found a great article explaining all the properties here. These fabrics have a lot going on for them. They are all much lighter than wool. Many of them can pack down to almost nothing. Most can also outperform wool in insulation value. To my knowledge though none of them are fire/ flame resistant like wool. A stray spark from the fire will melt holes in your gear. All the man-made fabrics are very expensive and hard to find used. Wool however is very possible to find in the second hand markets.
And the winner is: Wool
After all my research was done I decided that wool was the clear winner. I liked the long history of wool. It has been used to keep people warm for a very long time. The art of wool spinning was developed around 4,000 B.C. I would not have to worry about it melting from being too close to a fire. The main factor though came down to price. If you check the price of new wool and compare it with the man-made’s there’s not a big difference. Price checking a smart wool sweeter I came up with a $120 price. Gor-Tex comes in at $179 at the cheapest. Both way too pricey for me. I hit the streets looking in every local thrift store and Goodwill. I found more wool than I could believe at prices a fraction of new.
Second Hand Savings
Over the course of a few weeks of hitting up all the second hand stores around me I got the majority of my winter gear. I found all kinda of 100% wool garments. Wool sweaters, mostly hideous, were abundant. I picked up a sweater or two that looked good. Both were plain green. I aimed for earthy colors without designs. Although it would keep you alive I don’t want to be hiking in the snow wearing a tacky Christmas sweater. Your millage may vary. I found one really nice button down shirt made from wool. All in all I spent maybe $25 bucks on wool shirts and sweaters and got several high quality wool garments.
I had a harder time finding pants. After weeks and months of checking the thrift stores. I came up with one pair of nylon snow pants. Also in the nylon category I got a few nylon and underarmour type shirts and long johns for base layers. This probably added another $30 to my total. At this point I’m still missing an outer layer for my legs. I tried looking in the Army Surplus stores for old WW1 wool pants but could not find any my size. Now that I’m a few sizes smaller I may check back again. I did pick up a wool watch cap at the Surplus store for a few bucks. This is how I got most of my winter gear.
REI Scratch and Dent Sales
I had shopped at REI a while before becoming a member. I thought the benefits sounded good I just kept putting it off. Last year they were having one of their huge scratch and dent sales, where they sale off returned and damaged merchandise. John Willis from SOE said he was going to go there and hit the sale up. I figured since I had been meaning to check out a sale and I had the spare cash I would go check it out. If you have on in your area you should too. The membership is only $20 for life. At that first sale I picked up a pair of nylon winter pants and a soft shell jacket. It was probably under $30 for both items. Another big benefit though is the no questions asked return policy for members. Call me a dick but now I only buy my wool socks from REI now with the intention of returning them when they get holes in them. That was my intention however the REI brand wool socks are so well built after a year they are still in perfect shape.
Fully Clothed
In the end I got a full wardrobe of winter clothes for about the price of one new garment. My solution on the lack of winter pants has been to wear a nylon or polypro underlayer beneath cotton cargo pants. Now I would probably hike with my 5.11 taclites. However the nylon base layer worked just fine. I think this proves that you can get out there and enjoy the outdoors in nasty weather without spending a fortune. Now you have no excuses get out there and hit the thrift stores and enjoy nature in the cold.
What do you wear in the winter time? Wool, Nylon, Gor-Tex or something else? Why and what did it cost you?
If you are looking to add long term storage food to your preps look no further than Safecastle home to a huge selection at great prices.
Good article. I have also recently been switching my garments to wool, and I can honestly say that it has been a change for the better. More specifically, wool socks from Red Wing. They’re not cheap, but they feel awesome, my feet never get sweaty in them, and they’re way more durable than the cotton socks I used to wear. I’ve also had a good bit of luck finding foreign military surplus clothing made of 100% wool from Sportsman’s Guide. Sizing can be hit or miss, but I’ve found that reading the reviews from other customers will usually tell whether the sizing is off or not. Most foreign military clothing seems to be made from wool, and there is plenty of it out there. All of my winter coats are wool (and I mean HEAVY wool), and the majority of them were purchased from Sportsman’s Guide for under $30.
The ‘Winner’ is, Wool! I can’t agree with you more on this…. In cold weather, Cotton kills and Wool will save your life. I worked for 6 years in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area of Northern Minnesota. Damn, in winter, that’s the coldest place in the contiguous USA. I worked as a Caretaker on a wilderness estate near the Canadian Border, surrounded by the ‘Land of 10,000 Lakes. I learned quickly being caught outdoors how fast the weather can make it a life or death situation in a very short period of time. I also learned well the value of good Wool clothing, preferably layered. For the most part, Good wool socks, (more specifically ‘Merino Wool’) was always the best bet. Merino Wool keeps a higher loft and better insulating qualities than standard wool.
In winter it was imperative to have good wool socks, a good wool hat and 2 pair of gloves, (one of which was a pair of leather ‘Chopper Mitts’ with interchangeable Wool Liners. With that being only the basics and learned to always keep those at the ready. Can’t say enough about a good wool sweater and a waterproof windbreaker to keep off a sudden blast of Arctic air coming in out of the plains of Ontario, Canada.
Some years ago, when I was living in Northern New England, I was gifted a Wool sweater that I kept for many years. It was a Norwegian Commercial Fisherman’s turtle neck sweater that was made from ‘Boiled’ Alpine Sheep Wool. It was woven so tight, that it would actually shed water or snow. (I think the wool was slightly waxed or oiled as well. I have never been able to find a replacement of that quality since.
I know too the value of having good layering garments that breathe, in extreme weather,I have worn silk ‘Long John’s’ as under layering with great satisfaction…. I know the insulating qualities of some good fleece with nylon and other synthetics are valid. But personally, I just can’t abide by the synthetics. My personal favorites for cold weather, are Wool and Silk.
Chris,
I too am a big fan of ‘Sportsman’s guide’ Great products ,(especially from foreign military sources). Great company with excellent customer service. I found a pair of Swedish Military, heavy wool cargo pants there with a leather cinch around the ankles to keep snow out and tight around my boots…. Incredible deal for little money
Somehow I’ve missed this Sportsmans guide! I’ll have to check it out. Tinman I could have never made is that far north. I’m a Southern boy and can’t stand the cold at all. I mean real cold. In Tennessee we mostly have three seasons winters are usually very mild. I didn’t even use the heat last year
I completely agree. I traveled a lot in very low budget, and the cold has always been a trouble, for me! Coming from a rather warm country in the Mid-East, we just lack the knowledge and resources about handling cold weather! All these plastics are miserable failures, more often than not.
Wool feels the best. Works the best. Most affordable, as second hand and self-made. I had a European friend who knitted wool gloves and socks, and it was brilliant. Myself, I failed at it, but I can see the practicality of using wool, both as a material and as a final product.
Winter is coming! So, I think I’ll search online for cold countries and get some cheap (maybe second hand) wool outfits!
Great article. Thanks for sharing.
http://www.AssafKoss.com
Insight on what most do not know, the big secret right in front of your eyes, but you have to read it, and it is called the Organic Laws which is in Volume 1 United States Code composed of Titles 1-4 along with Title 5 sections 101-5949, pay close attention to 1-4 in the order presented along with the dates of entry and wording. What you will find is that there are two Constitutions one “for the United States”, the other “of the United States” and this is important to all, for the former is the real Constitution and the later is limited to the District of Columbia the U.S. Fed. Now, when you or rather they state the word American it means by their definition a U.S. citizen subject, when one say American but not a U.S. citizen it puts one within the Original Constitution within the Articles of Confederation which is in force no matter what anyone tells you otherwise, it is the first Union not the second in the Constitution “of the United States”, this may sound confusing but you have to understand it, for as a free inhabitant pursuant to Article IV of the Articles of Confedration one is entitled to all the privileges and immunities of state citizens without being one. Read it for yourself and stay away from that television and corporat media.
Read Volume 1 United States Code which is inclusive of Titles 1-4 along with Title 5 sections 101-5849, pay attention to Titles 1-4 and read it in the order presented paying close attention to the dates of entry and wording.
Wool is a winner! Definitely warm and really keeps up to the cold. Most wool sold in fancy stores is so lightweight that it is a shame the prices they charge. I am completely against hunting so will never shop at any store that supports or sells hunting stuff. So look for online sales (there are plenty of those) and for European stores that sell wool. Great stuff and many have free shipping if you get on their email list.