View Single Post
  #83  
Old 02-12-2015, 03:48 PM
cliffrod cliffrod is offline
MetalShaper of the Month January 2020, March 2022
 
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Spartanburg, SC
Posts: 2,845
Default Ear plugs, silk and leather hats

If you're not already wearing them to protect your hearing, wearing ear plugs me feel much warmer. Probably comparable to a hat for retaining body heat. Seems to even boost a regular knit hat unless it's 100% windproof turtle fleece or similar.

Foam or cotton are better and NR rating seems irrelevant. Been doing this since riding motorcycle in VT as yr round as possible, snow machines, regular outdoor working there and here in SC yr round in my open studio.

Ear plugs and silk (scarf, long johns, shell jacket) are stand-by cold weather gear for me. My silk aviator scarf and ear plugs are always with my bike gear. The scarf works much like a dust mask mentioned above to help warm air you breathe, but is literally windproof. really fantastic to keep drafts from chilling your neck & core. Silk glove liners are too slippery for my liking.

A real leather hat, especially with real fur or good insulation that's not too tight on your head like a Trooper's hat with flaps, is typically too warm to wear most of the time even way below zero in VT if you're working very hard. A hat like that will let you wear a lighter coat to benefit motion and still keep you warm if you're moving.

Edit- and after near record cold days here this week, forcing yourself to work on the coldest day(s) of the winter makes any day or days after that that are even slightly warmer seem much more comfortable.
__________________
AC Button II
http://CarolinaSculptureStudio.com
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzSYaYdis55gE-vqifzjA6A Carolina Sculpture Studio Channel

Last edited by cliffrod; 02-20-2015 at 01:50 PM. Reason: Addition of info
Reply With Quote