<p>Well, this may be the “buy a coat” weekend. S asked what his credit limit is on the charge card. I told him some stores open at 5 a.m. on Friday.</p>
<p>Kinshasa:</p>
<p>You’re right. It’s raining today, and will be raining on Thursday (stores will be closed). Snow is also threatened.</p>
<p>Update: S bought a coat AND boots yesterday at Filene’s basement. He was very proud of the deals he got. He bought a pair of gloves a while ago; his hands are always cold. Can anyone recommend a good brand of gloves that really keeps your hands warm? S used to wear gloves in class in California.</p>
<p>Kinshasa:</p>
<p>I wear Polartec gloves. They seem to do the trick, especially when stuffed into pockets. You can get them through Landsend or LL. Bean.
Your S was one of the supposedly huge crowd that went to Filene’s Basement yesterday. Filene’s is being merged with Macys’ and will lose its separate identity. I remember buying my own first pair of boots there as a college freshman.</p>
<p>My daughter has several pairs of glove/mittens–they are fingerless gloves and then a mitten part that folds over the glove part. Allows her to wear the same gloves to class that she wears outside. She wears fingerless gloves a lot, mostly because she knits them for herself to keep warm; her latest pair are actually snug fingerless mittens. However, she did comment that a wool/silk blend yarn is both very light and very warm.</p>
<p>I find polartec gloves nice but not all that warm; I wear wool mittens when I’m east and therefore at risk of cold hands. </p>
<p>Your son might like a pair of silk glove liners as an inner layer–that’s what I do under my down ski mittens to make them warm enough. <a href=“http://www.geardirect.com/products/Clothing/GloveLiners/Swany/SupraSilkSkiGloveLiners-W/8082.cfm?source=froogle[/url]”>http://www.geardirect.com/products/Clothing/GloveLiners/Swany/SupraSilkSkiGloveLiners-W/8082.cfm?source=froogle</a></p>
<p>The clothes bills are rising right about now: long johns, gloves, mittens, ski mask, thick socks a la Landsend. I think shoes are next. Son said the air in Wisconsin is cold. I bet. It is 75 here right now and he’s in California for Thanksgiving where it isn’t too shabby either. He was in Atlanta the other day at the airport. I think he is getting the picture of various climates in the good old USA.</p>
<p>I thought it was freezing in NY yesterday and my kid was walking around in a fleece as she did not bring home a coat and did not feel the need to have to wear one of the coats she has at home. </p>
<p>Her rationale: “It’s going to get colder in NH, so I can let a day like this have me running to put on a coat. You must do this in stages.”</p>
<p>I like polartec gloves- I have to buy the kids sizes which has more limited selection-unfortunately- however they do have fleece which is windproof/resistant which ups the warmth factor quite a bit.</p>
<p>what kind of gloves to get your college kid…</p>
<p>If he’s anything like my S he’ll lose most of them anyway so don’t spend a fortune (Old Navy eg is good for basic bulk glove buying when you know they won’t be around long)…if he made it through the winter with just one left and one right remaining of the 4 or so pairs he started with it was a successful winter.</p>
<p>My son and daughter BOTH wore flip flops in the snow this weekend! The only thing that convinced them to put shoes on was the lack of traction on the ice!</p>
<p>I forced my son to buy a lightweight winter jacket (anybody ever heard of the Spyder brand???) I can’t believe that it will be warm enough, and my son says he will never wear it anyway. Hmmm…</p>
<p>I have had to remind S2 to put on a coat for the last week. (this year)</p>
<p>I’ve given up insisting except when it’s precipitating too. But you would think that by 18 they could remember to put on a coat. I haven’t seen flip-flops on the JHU campus for a couple of weeks now…</p>
<p>Thanks for all the ideas. Dmd77, the silk glove liners were out of stock at that supplier. I’ll try another company.</p>
<p>Lots of places sell glove liners–you shouldn’t have any trouble finding them. Good luck. While I haven’t bought glove liners from this company, I have bought silk t-shirts from them: <a href=“http://www.wintersilks.com/xq/aspx/BRANCH.2~21~/ProductDisplayID.67/dept.Mens-accessories/prod./qx/viewproduct.htm[/url]”>http://www.wintersilks.com/xq/aspx/BRANCH.2~21~/ProductDisplayID.67/dept.Mens-accessories/prod./qx/viewproduct.htm</a></p>
<p>dmd, Thanks for the tip! Just bought glove liners and face mask…the two missing links that son requested.</p>
<p>Forget about the east coast. I need a coat, because it’s 5 a.m. and only 37 degrees here in Silicon Valley!</p>
<p>It’s warmer in Detroit, DC and NYC right now!</p>
<p>Overseas–hope they work for your son. You’re welcome.</p>
<p>It is one of the things i just love about this place!</p>
<p>I have never seen any kids wearing a facemask or glove liners in the course of a normal day no matter HOW cold it got. Even the snowborders have to maintain a “cool” factor (no pun intended!). </p>
<p>When camping in the winter (yuck) my crew takes those little chemical (iron oxide?) hand and foot warmers. They’re very inexpensive and last for several hours. I must say, they did occasionally use glove liners and face masks for winter camping. You can get the hand warmer packets at sporting goods stores.</p>
<p>My son doesn’t respond to “cool” factor, has lived his entire life in mild temps and says the walk to Walgreens, I don’t know how far that is, will be great with a face warmer. I can’t imagine what -10 must feel like. My Canadian friends from the prairies say if you don’t wear gloves with liners and face warmers and hats you loose skin.</p>
<p>Handwarmers: if you ever have them around and you’re bored, you can rip them open and watch them start to smolder… they stay just warm enough–rather than burning–only because the oxygen supply is limited. (Don’t do this inside!)</p>
<p>My son and daughter both like glove liners as always-in-your-pocket gloves because they take up so little space.</p>