<p>What should I buy to survive the brutal winter I’m going to face in Minnesota. I’m from Las Vegas and it doesn’t get much colder than 40 degrees here. Any suggestions would be extremely helpful. And if possible, please post links to show examples of what I should buy.</p>
<p>Well, you can start with some stuff like this. :)</p>
<p>[Men’s</a> Apparel: Winter Sports at L.L.Bean](<a href=“http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/504278?nav=s1-ln]Men’s”>http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/504278?nav=s1-ln)</p>
<p>Are you male or female?</p>
<p>Don’t buy a bunch of stuff–you only need one or two of each item and you can wear them every day.</p>
<p>I have a knee-length North Face coat: [The</a> North FaceWomen’sJackets & VestsWOMEN’S METROPOLIS PARKA](<a href=“http://www.thenorthface.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=46880&storeId=207&catalogId=10201&langId=-1&from=subCat&parent_category_rn=11719&variationId=001]The”>http://www.thenorthface.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=46880&storeId=207&catalogId=10201&langId=-1&from=subCat&parent_category_rn=11719&variationId=001) which I wear over a Mountain Hard Wear fleece jacket,</p>
<p>-three pairs of these: <a href=“Smartwool® - Merino Wool Outdoor Clothing, Socks & Accessories”>Smartwool® - Merino Wool Outdoor Clothing, Socks & Accessories;
<p>-two pairs of these: [Patagonia</a> Women’s Capilene 3 Bottoms](<a href=“Shop All Outdoor Clothing & Gear by Patagonia”>Shop All Outdoor Clothing & Gear by Patagonia), worn under pants,</p>
<p>-one of these: [Turtle</a> Fur Bang Band Ear Band All Colors](<a href=“http://www.basicskiwear.com/turtle-fur-ear-band.html]Turtle”>http://www.basicskiwear.com/turtle-fur-ear-band.html)</p>
<p>And a good pair of mittens (I’m female, by the way). Also, make sure you have a good umbrella–it rained a LOT this year.</p>
<p>Sorry, I should have specified. I’m a male. But your suggestions for females would certainly be helpful for others.</p>
<p>Thanks for the help so far.</p>
<p>My boys wear LLBean outerwear, boots, and of course the flannel-lined pants…Those mad bomber hats lined with fur are really warm , but as my son says “I’m afraid someone from PETA will throw blood on me”…</p>
<p>Don’t think this will disappoint you, and certainly Northfield is not quite Vegas, but it’s been almost balmy this winter. Lots of people who take Nordic (native or adopted) pride in their below zero survival skills have had little to talk about this term. Think layers. </p>
<p>Don’t think I’m yet ready to blame global warming.</p>
<p>A warm coat, hat, gloves/mittens, some thick winter socks, and good winter footwear. Otherwise it’s the same normal clothes you’d wear anywhere–jeans, t-shirts, sweatshirts, etc.–just worn in more layers in the winter.</p>
<p>It’s true. I would say that we only had a few weeks of really cold winter…like -30s with the windchill, and those were the first two weeks of January.</p>
<p>I did, however, learn that once it gets to -10 or so, every time you inhale you can feel your nose hairs sticking together. It’s a very…odd…sensation. You should look forward to that. :)</p>
<p>It will not be cold when you get there in September, I promise.
If you either find a friend with a car or take one of the college shuttles, you can find plenty of warm clothing either in Owatonna,MN to the south where there is Cabela’s ( a Nebraska based sporting good store with some of everything) or better yet, sometimes, a Columbia Outlet Store. Of course to the north, there is Minneapolis…lots of malls, especially the Mall of America. You can find just about anything there. Why haul all that bulky winter clothing with you?
My son is a Carleton senior. He loves having fleece lined jeans and khakis. Also, dress in layers for maximum warmth and functionality. Socks are important as are hats and mittens or gloves. But, really, it’s not THAT bad. Don’t waste time dreading the winter…Carls think of ways to enjoy it too.</p>
<p>Helpful comments from all. My only additional note is that shoes-wise, you can get away with just about anything besides sandals even in the coldest days of winter. As long as you have warm socks, you won’t need (or want) to wear heavy snow boots. I had a pair of snow boots but never actually wore them in my four years there - they were a big waste of money.</p>
<p>My son bought a pair of gore-tex shoes/low boots for a winter term in the UK, and he found those very handy in Northfield as well. And NEValu is right about not worrying too much about heavy-duty gear in fall term. It’s when you come back in January that you’ll want to gird your loins for winter. ;)</p>
<p>I’ve lived in Minnesota my whole life and would strongly recommend a few pairs of thick wool socks.</p>
<p>You will survive though, I promise!</p>
<p>In my experience you need to look at getting a fair number of layers. The most important part for me has been the upper body and head. Hat and scarf are of course important. In addition when it comes to top layers I suggest a down coat, all the major manufacturers have them the one thing in particular that I have that is nice is pockets to keep your hands warm. The jacket I have currently has these polar fleece lined pockets that are great. It means you usually don’t need to put on gloves for walking to class. In addition a good heavy fleece with wind stopper is really nice. It can get you through the fall and is a good layer on those days when it gets super cold. I’m not a huge fan of lined pants as when you get to class they are way too warm in a heated room. I do suggest investing in a pair or two of long underwear for outside activities. Warm socks are also nice for this. Honestly, there are going to be a few days each winter when its just too cold no matter how much you bundle up to do anything besides get to class. A couple years ago there was one day where despite being in a sweatshirt, fleece, down jacket, scarf, hat, etc… I had to stop in every building on my way to class to warm up because my eyes kept freezing shut because of the cold and wind. Oh, by the way, as far as boots go get something that breathes. I got “bean boots” and almost never use them. They are great for keeping your feet dry from outside influences, but your feet end up just as we from sweat (eww). Also, don’t wait until you get there to get clothing its hard unless you have a ride to get somewhere that sells what you need. That said you can probably hold off on the down coat until the winter as long as you have a decent fleece, sweatshirt and a hat. </p>
<p>Links:</p>
<p>Jackets:</p>
<p>I use something similar to this:
[The</a> North FaceMen’sJackets & VestsMEN’S PRISM OPTIMUS JACKET](<a href=“http://www.thenorthface.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=120751&storeId=207&catalogId=10201&langId=-1&from=subCat&parent_category_rn=11702&variationId=682]The”>http://www.thenorthface.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=120751&storeId=207&catalogId=10201&langId=-1&from=subCat&parent_category_rn=11702&variationId=682)
I see a lot of people wearing something similar to this:
[The</a> North FaceMen’sJackets & VestsMEN’S NUPTSE® JACKET](<a href=“http://www.thenorthface.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=120705&storeId=207&catalogId=10201&langId=-1&from=subCat&parent_category_rn=11702&variationId=2U9]The”>http://www.thenorthface.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=120705&storeId=207&catalogId=10201&langId=-1&from=subCat&parent_category_rn=11702&variationId=2U9)</p>
<p>Fleece:
[The</a> North FaceMen’sJackets & VestsMEN’S DENALI WIND PRO JACKET](<a href=“http://www.thenorthface.com/catalog/sc-gear/mens-jackets-vests/mens-denali-wind-pro-jacket.html]The”>404)
[Mountain</a> Hardwear: Fleece : Windstopper Tech Jacket](<a href=“http://www.mountainhardwear.com/Product.aspx?top=2034&prod=614&cat=2043&viewAll=False]Mountain”>http://www.mountainhardwear.com/Product.aspx?top=2034&prod=614&cat=2043&viewAll=False)</p>
<p>I realize that this stuff is pretty expensive. I’m really just telling you what would be ideal. You can get by with cheaper options.</p>
<p>I’m not accepted there (yet!), but my cousin lives in Minnesota and told that the most important things to have were a pair of warm gloves, a really warm jacket (doesn’t have to be NorthFace, though), and some really warm socks. When I visited last January, I was alright with regular sweaters, sweatshirts, etc. and the things he had advised.</p>
<p>I have a jacket like this [Philadelphia</a> Eagles Quadrant 3 in 1 Jacket](<a href=“Access Denied”>Access Denied) except it’s only two layers instead of three. Would that be good enough for Northfield?</p>
<p>Honestly, you folks need to chill a little about this…no pun intended. 
We live in Northern Nebraska. It’s cold here…sometimes colder than Minnesota. If you are just talking about walking to and from class in relative comfort, you don’t need to plan for arctic expeditions.
North Face is a good reputable company…I mean them no harm…but in the past few years they have gotten pretty trendy and their prices, though never inexpensive have gotten pretty high. If you have the disposable income and want to spend it, by all means, go right ahead. BUT, if you or your parents don’t, please don’t feel that you need to dump a bunch of your hard earned dollars there. Honestly, you can go to Target and get decently warm clothing. The other factor worth mentioning here is that Carleton is not (IMO…a parent who has visited numerous times) a fashionista school. I doubt that anyone will think any more or less of you if you are wearing North Face and Uggs than if you are wearing Target and Land’s End.
Functionality comes at a variety of price points. If you really know nothing of cold weather gear, wait till you get to campus and talk to some other students about what they like and what they use.</p>
<p>If you like your Uggs I would advise you not to bring them here unless you’re prepared for them to take a beating. After two months, they’re all a similar shade of gray…no matter what color they were to begin with. </p>
<p>I would agree that Carleton is not a fashionista school, but there is a good-sized population of girls (in general, it seems like most of them are from the East Coast) who get very dressed up to come to class every day. Like, fashionable skirts, tights, and those high-heeled bootie things. That was one of the things I wasn’t expecting about Carleton…maybe the whole “ugly students” thing was true in past years, but there are a lot of people here who do put effort into their appearance (not to say that if you don’t, you’re ugly–far from it–just that that kind of behavior is so dramatically different from what you’d expect given Carleton’s reputation). Maybe the ugliness rumor was started by the Carls themselves. They probably thought it was funny.</p>
<p>I’m from the Twin Cities, and have lived here all of my life. Honestly, I think the weather factor gets overblown. Throughout this winter, I’ve just worn a peacoat (one from Macy’s, then after it was stolen, I bought one for $25 from Target…it’s pretty thin, but the warmth is perfectly fine). Sometimes in December and January, the weather gets cold enough that long underwear is warranted–I like to wear a pair of thicker leggings under my jeans, because they’re not too bulky like some of the waffled long underwear that you find in most stores (for guys, the waffled stuff is all you can get…sorry!). More than anything else, a good hat and gloves are VITAL. With them, a decent pair of boots/hefty sneakers, and a thick Carleton hoodie under your jacket, you’ll be just fine :)</p>
<p>So… here’s my perspective, as someone from Los Angeles (anything under 65 could be considered chilly, and I only encountered weather under 40 degrees once or twice before moving here). Moving to Northfield was frankly a scary thought, no matter how excited I was about Carleton. </p>
<p>You adjust pretty quickly, but I had to layer pretty well for the first couple of weeks of winter before I started being able to cope with it. I made fleece-lined gloves, SmartWool socks, and long underwear regular parts of my wardrobe…I also have a fleece jacket from Target (it’s warmer than the Columbia ones) and alternated between wearing a down coat and a peacoat. </p>
<p>So… yeah… if you haven’t encountered this kind of weather before, it is a really weird change. But adjustment’s totally possible :)</p>