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Winter Gear Suggestions?


Matt

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Hey Everyone,

It has begun to get cold in Tennessee and my mind has turned to winter gear.  I thought it might be an interesting discussion to see how everyone dealt with outdoor shoots in winter by discussing good and bad gloves, coats, etc. that they have found throughout the years. 

For instance, I have been trying, without success, to find a good pair of super-warm gloves that still give me enough dexterity to turn knobs on my 442. 

REI makes some great socks with fleece lining that have served me well.

I have heard that Carhart bib pants are amazing (this is what the road crews use), and they are a sort of denim material, so it doesn't have the "swishing" sound of those big snow suits with the nylon exterior.

I've never used battery-powered socks, but saw a pair that ran on one C cell each that literally had a wire in it to warm your feet, just like an electric blanket!  Supposedly Alaskan crab fishermen use it.

So, let's hear what you all have found useful as well as any secret resources that may not be as well known.

Stay warm!

-Matt Hamilton

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Neos overshoes are fantastic.  They weigh next to nothing, and can be put on over regular sneakers.  Just did a job in new mexico with temps at zero degrees farenheit and they did not fail me.  They stay packed with my winter gear all season.  Thanks Billy Sarokin for turning me on to them years ago. 

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Sure Phil,

www.winterfootwear.com is where i purchased my latest pair.  I think they had the best shipping policy out of the different sources i checked- i also needed them in a hurry.  Do a search for NEOS overshoes and you'll find more resources.  They aren't sorrells but they are much easier to travel with.

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I recommend fleece-lined jeans.  Wrangler makes a pair, Carhart may as well.  The pair I found are a very heavyweight, rugged denim.. more like canvas than levis.. They've kept me warm in all temps without needing to wear long-johns, they don't have the annoying snow suit sound, and they look relatively normal.  A good pair of boots are also indispensable..  I have some timberlands that are ok, but there are better options.  The hard part is finding a sweet spot in the bulk/warmth ratio.  Some mega-winter boots I'm sure are warm but I can't imagine working in them because they're so friggin huge!  I like the idea of Battery powered socks, and actually saw a pair at the store mentioned below but they looked a bit gimmicky to me..  Maybe not?

Gloves are tricky.. I have a few different pairs that I use in different situations.  I have one pair that are skin tight, with minimal warmth but excellent for operating.  Next step up are a pair made by "seirius" that were advertised to be "the warmest lightweight glove in the world!".  These are made of mostly neoprene and are about as thick as you can go without loosing the ability to operate the gear.  Fingerless gloves are also helpful for colder situations.  

I recommend hunting/fishing/camping retailers like cabelas for all this kind of gear.  I often stop by a Mill's Fleet Farm store when I'm in Wisconsin this time of year.  Also great places to buy other re-purposed audio gear such as boom-pole (fishing pole) cases, lavalier-organizers (tackleboxes), and rain gear.  Happy hunting ;)

p.s.

Just don't go with your girlfriend/wife because she will lose patience quickly as you wander (aimlessly she will think) through every single section of the massive store while you contemplate every situation where some piece of camping gear could be useful for sound work...  

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The fleece lined jeans are great. They are also available from L.L. Bean. They also have flannel lined chinos, if you're not a jeans kinda guy.

I'm a big fan of polypro glove liners. They are also available in smart wool a few places, like REI.

I got my better half a pair of fleece shooters mittens for the Inaugural last winter. They are pretty nice, with a pocket for a hand warmer in the flip-over mitten part, a magnetic catch for it as well and a fold back thumb. She wore them over glove liners and was able to operate a still camera easily. The high that day was in the low 20's and she said her hands were the only body parts that didn't get cold as the day wore on.

Best regards,

Jim

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I'm surprised that I can actually contribute to this topic as I try to stay away from extreme cold situations. (I didn't move to Southern California for the snow!)

In the cold I've found a combination mitten-fingerless glove to be very useful. The ones I have are rag wool and came, I think, either from Lands End or Eddie Bauer. I don't see the same article when I search but this example from REI is what I have in mind:

http://www.rei.com/product/773910

These are fingerless gloves with an integral mitten cover. One folds over the mitten when there is no need for fine work. When you do have to twiddle dials, one folds back the mitten cover and has fingerless gloves. A bit bulky, perhaps, but they keep the hands warm and still permit fine work.

David Waelder

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Given that we are experiencing mornings and nights in the 30's here in SoCal, I have been thinking about cold gear lately.  I just bought some very warm and inexpensive gloves at Sport Chalet (their store brand, I think) with a mitten to fold over open fingertips as well as a thumb flap.  Very handy.

I have a very stupid-looking but effective North Face hat, which is thin and lightweight but warm and lets in virtually no wind.

For pants, I have some inexpensive and thin snow pants which I put over my jeans when it's cold.  I hate thermal underwear, and here in SoCal it tends to warm up enough during the day, so it's convenient to be able to pull off the outer layer.  They stop the wind well too.

I have some nice sock liners and Wigwam socks which are not too thick, so I can wear them with regular shoes or boots, but I like the idea of overshoes which can easily be removed.

Robert

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Guest Ken Mantlo

Not to add on specific items, but for years I have carried a dedicated duffel bag full of foul weather gear that goes on the truck on day one and stays there the whole show - year in year out.  You never know what you'll need and when you'll need it.  So I just prepare for everything, shove it in a duffle and always have it with me.  Better comfortable than sorry.

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These are my gloves of choice, similar to David's but you can flip the thumb part back too, great for fiddling with stickies and tape..

https://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/webpoint/webpoint.cfm?bhcp=1&fuseaction=productdetail&SHOWMESSAGE=0&GOTOLOCATION=0&MENUSTATE=N&id_product=33417&originalReferrer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cotswoldoutdoor.com%2Findex.cfm%2Ffuseaction%2Fproductdetail%2Fid_product%2F33417#app=7491&2919-selectedMenuLstIndex3=-1&2919-idGroup1=-1&2919-counter=1&2919-selectedIndex=5&2919-idBrand=-1&2919-group2=&2919-selectedMenuVsIndex=0&2919-idGroup2=-1&2919-selectedMenuAccIndex=0&2919-tag=false&2919-group1=&2919-selectedMenuLstIndex=-1&2919-selectedMenuLstIndex2=-1

Wow that's the longest link I've ever seen !

I actually added another layer into the mitten cover from a different pair of woolen Thinsulate gloves to make them extra cosy. Over here in the UK, they're sometimes referred to as "Shooter's Mitts". Maybe the wrong department but still kinda apt...

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  • 2 weeks later...

Great suggestions!  I'll check out the shoe covers.  I often boom as well as mix, so I don't tend to like heavy-duty boots either.  Not enough flex to them.  My favorite shoes are some Asics, but they are those thin mesh kind that let WAY too much wind through in winter.

I actually have a pair of wool mittens with thinsulate lining that flip back to expose fingertips.  I find, however, in practice that I end up never putting the mitten end back over the fingertips.  I hope to find some super warm gloves that allow dexterity without exposing my fingertips.  The neoprene thing sounds promising.

I forgot to say that I've heard great things about the Carhart bib pants.  Some grips here swear by it.  I also found those kind of quilted flannel shirts, with the interior that looks like a quilt, add a surprisingly toasty layer.  you can find them anywhere (Wal-Mart, etc.).

Today I'm sitting an old warehouse awaiting the first shot of a music video and am long-underweared, layered, and wrapped.  Now if I just hadn't forgotten my rain gear . . .

-Matt

Nashville, TN

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I forgot to say that I've heard great things about the Carhart bib pants.  Some grips here swear by it.

Carhartts are the mainstay of my work clothing. The clothing lasts forever, and (almost) all of it is made in non-sweatshop countries. With long-underwear, they are great winter-wear. They also have flannel-lined pants and coats.

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This may sound like its for girls. But these socks have literally changed my life when mixing in very cold weather. On a shoot last week in Oregon (+8F) You switch these babies on and your life becomes clear again. I'm thinking of maybe hooking in them into my NP1's for longer lasting.....coincidentally I use the lithium battery to power my SR sometimes.

http://www.thunderboltsocks.com/heatedsocks_sportsman.htm

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Have a look at this New Zealand made gear...seriously good....

http://www.swazi.co.nz/

amazing, thank you

Anyone know of any warm/rain overtrousers that are sound savvy? (= silent)

I'm looking for something from the common mountaneering brands (TNF, etc) so I can buy it in Europe.

All the overtrousers I find are noisy (and usually weared by DOPs! :P  )

Thank you all

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  • 2 weeks later...

Here's an interesting link.  Apparently, these guys make a band that wraps around your wrist and is supposed to help heat the blood at the wrist and thus heating the blood in the hands (or something, I'm no doctor).

Worth checking out:

http://www.soundfeelings.com/heatbands.htm

-Matt

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Beretta, the Thunderbolt socks looks amazing.  I'll have to check them out. 

Fernando, the Carharts are pretty quiet.  More of a jeans construction.  I don't know how available they are in Europe, but you can probably find them online.  They really are amazing.

To follow up on the gloves, I got some glove liners like these:

http://yagers.stores.yahoo.net/polglovlin.html

And bought some tight fitting work gloves at Home Depot with a velcro strap for the back.  They seem to do the trick pretty well.  They have allowed me to have more dexterity and the extra layer really keeps it warm.  It is a tight fit, which may help, but it works.

I've thought about putting one of those hand warmer packs in a scarf and placing it on the back of my neck.  Since major blood vessels in your body runs along the back of the neck, it stands to reason that heating that area would heat the blood, and in turn the warmed blood would heat the body making homeostasis less difficult for the body.  Kind of a superscarf.  This is the idea in reverse of those neck scarves with water crystals that are designed to keep you cool by evaporating heat and water from the back of the neck.

-Matt

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Neos overshoes are fantastic.  They weigh next to nothing, and can be put on over regular sneakers.  Just did a job in new mexico with temps at zero degrees farenheit and they did not fail me.  They stay packed with my winter gear all season.  Thanks Billy Sarokin for turning me on to them years ago. 

Your feet can buy me a beer ;-)  btw, the new Neos now have removable screw in studs.  Great for ice or in the Castro.

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