Trying to stay warm on 1/20/2009!

Parent Cafe
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<p>Howdy from South Texas! I grew up in the northeast but have lived in warmer climes for over 20 years. I am taking my son to the Inauguration. I’ve gotten most of our needed clothes together (lots of layers!) but I need some help with the last few items. If any of you hardy, cold weather folks want to share your secrets, I’d love to hear them!</p>

<li><p>Socks. I’ve seen socks that claim to keep your feet warn down to ridiculously low tempatures. Do they work? Any recommendations? </p></li>
<li><p>Boots. Do you have any brands you would recommend for waterproof boots that will keep our feet warm that are on the cheap side? I used to wear wool socks with rubber boots that had a thick wool liner in them for winter. They were fine unless I had to stand still for a long time and that’s exactly what we’ll be doing. </p></li>
<li><p>Pants. Will a pair of silk long jons and jeans be okay? I think I’ll wear my rain pants over those but my son claims he will not need them. Thoughts?</p></li>
<li><p>Warmer packs. I plan on bringing warmer packets to put in boots and gloves. Is there a prefered brand? </p></li>
</ol>

<p>Okay, if you’ve got any ideas, I appreciate it!</p>

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<p>The warmer packets will be your life saver. Any brand is good. Bring extras… if you don’t need them, give them to some incredibly grateful stranger (you can get them at Sportmart, etc.). Don’t forget hats and scarves, and at least for me, when I’m outside in the cold for a long time, my nose starts to run, so bring plenty of tissues.</p>

<p>What kind of coat do you have?</p>

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<p>Going to DC? Cooool!!!
A human body loses an incredible amount of heat through the head (open water swimmers always wear caps for that reason). A good hat, as teriwtt suggested, is a must! Russian military-style hats with flappy “ears” are all the rage here in WA.
Good wool socks layered over thin synthetic socks should do the trick, IMO. After all, you are going to be in DC, not here ;)</p>

<p>[The</a> coldest place (to live) on Earth](<a href=“http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002189769_cold25.html]The”>http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002189769_cold25.html)</p>

<p>I’d like to hear about winter waterproof boots, too. It has been a while since I had to wear them, so I’m clueless as far as what’s “in” nowadays.</p>

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<p>LLBean has a couple of boots that might fit your bill. I’d go for the waterproof boots but not rubber wellies as these will keep the perspiration in and make wearing them for a long period of time rather tiresome. Boots that have insulation should not require thick socks.</p>

<p>I tend to stay away from jeans as they are not warm. If it rains, they will get soaked and heavy. I prefer corduroy. For DC, which should be warmer than Boston, I’d imagine that a raincoat with liner that allows you to wear a sweater underneath would do the trick. A long raincoat would also protect most of your legs from rain (I hate rainjackets that drip onto my legs as I walk). I second hats and gloves and scarf.</p>

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<p>Detrol and diapers may not necessarily keep you warm, but they may keep you a little more comfortable.</p>

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<p>I HIGHLY recommend these:
[ThermaCare</a> HeatWraps—Lower Back &amp Hip](<a href=“http://www.thermacare.com/products-back-hip.aspx]ThermaCare”>http://www.thermacare.com/products-back-hip.aspx)</p>

<p>A 2 pack is under $7 at Target (or any drug store). Wear on top of first layer (not directly on the skin). These are AMAZING.</p>

<p>I would wear one on my lower back and carry a second in case I got super cold and would put it around my upper back.</p>

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<p>Washington DC has a mild climate but it is still possible to have a nasty cold day. You don’t need to buy arctic weather clothing. The heat packs, already mentioned, work great to extend the utility of light weight clothing. For the coldest weather, you might want one for each shoe and glove. That should do it down to the teens. Do bring an umbrella or other rain gear. A cold rain is much more likely and more uncomfortable than bitterly cold weather.</p>

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<p>I have even seen the heat packs at TJ Maxx (near the men’s “gifty” type stuff) and have a friend who also bought them at Sam’s Club if you want to get more than a couple to last the trip.</p>

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<p>I agree with edad that one any given day you won’t face artic like conditions, but the chances exist for sub freezing temps, and a good wind. (Remember JFK’s inaugural? It was brutal).</p>

<p>Bring more than you need, check the long range forecast, and adjust when conditions are detailed for the day.</p>

<p>I’ve done winter camping in subfreezing temps, and spend a lot of hours outdoors in cold temps. The trick is layering, and the ability to peel or add clothes as required. There are days I start out looking like the Michelin man, and end in a flannel shirt and sleeveless vest.</p>

<p>I find the wind chill the most devastating. As for feet, I’d recommend a polypropelene sock under a good wool sock. A good hiking boot properly waterproofed will serve well.</p>

<p>Same for hands, a polyunderliner and a thin wool overglove should be fine, or a good ski type style glove. I’ve also used mittens in various configurations, some great ones with velcro flaps that allow you to use your fingers for detail tasks like picture snapping. Mittens may be the best if you want to use the heat packs. There are also fingerless gloves that can be had and used as an underliner, or “shooters mittens” that are a combo glove/mitten, with the thumb and forefinger gloved, and the rest of the hand a mitten style. </p>

<p>As for pants, a poly legset, underarmor, or even good old thermal long johns over cords, jeans, or wool will be fine. An alternative would be flannel lined jeans. Wool is the best option if it’s going to be wet, as it will still insulate and not get “heavy”.</p>

<p>A good hat in any number of styles: toque, Soviet army, whatever floats your boat. I have my dad’s old USN winter watchcap with ear flaps and neck shield that I use on really bad days, blizzard conditions. Consider a balaclava or face shield or a good scarf, especially in the wind.</p>

<p>You might have issues obtaining some of the poly or underarmor, or gloves locally, but a great mail order/web source is Campmor out of NJ. Great selection, pricing and delivery.</p>

<p>You might want to consider some type of small collapsible bag: canvas tote, backpack to have if you need to start peeling layers, but you’d have to check security restictions in terms of what you can carry. I’d assume they will be quite stringent.</p>

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<p>I haven’t found any major differences among heatpacks. The link to the arthritis pack looks good. A nice fleece hat that covers your ears is critical. If you ski - ski pants and jacket would be ideal, but for years I just skied in long underwear and wool pants. Mittens or a slightly too big glove work best with the handwarmers. I have felt lined boots that are incredibly warm, but clunky for walking distances - I should think you’d be fine in regular boots.</p>

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<p>Two weeks and counting. The weather could easily vary, but here are a few memories from the dude’s noggin:</p>

<p>Jimmy Carter (1977) was a relatively warm day;
Reagan I (1981) was even warmer;
Reagan II (1985) there was a blizzard and a lot of stuff was canceled;
Clinton I (1993) was fairly nice;</p>

<p>So you get the idea, DC could serve up anything in two weeks…</p>

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<p>I wouldn’t expect it to be arctic temps, pugmadkate. I live about 3/4 hour north from D.C. and I would be expecting it to be somewhere between 35 and 45 on 1/20. Rain is more of a threat than snow as the rain/snow line tends to hover 50 miles West of D.C. I would second the idea of snow pants on the lower half (waterproof and warm) and recommend three layers on the upper half…a thin shirt, a heavier shirt and a jacket rated to 30 degrees. Hats and gloves are a must. My ears get very cold very quickly so I always wear a scarf tied under my chin as I hate ear-muffs. Determine what part of you is most susceptible to cold and dress accordingly. Any sporting goods store should have the chemical hand/foot warmers. One is good for about 7 hrs. My dau uses them at her school in Mass. </p>

<p>Also, check your local Goodwill or other used clothing stores for winterwear if you don’t think you’ll get much use out of them beyond this trip. </p>

<p>Remember you will be standing for a long time among many other people so supportive footwear is a must! Consider adding innersoles to boots if yours do not have good support. </p>

<p>I salute you for making this historic trip!</p>

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<p>For boots I swear by Sorels. There is nothing colder than standing out in the cold-unless it is sitting at a football game.</p>

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<p>Here’s a good weather link: [NWS</a> Sterling, VA - Inauguration weather](<a href=“http://www.erh.noaa.gov/lwx/Historic_Events/Inauguration/Inauguration.html]NWS”>http://www.erh.noaa.gov/lwx/Historic_Events/Inauguration/Inauguration.html)</p>

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<p>The weather was terrible–very cold and icy wet–for Bush’s first inauguration. We took along the hand and foot warmers and were very grateful for them. Security will be extra tight, no doubt. When we went, there were checkpoints at which all backpacks and purses were inspected. One place they did that was near the road where the inaugural parade passed. I don’t know how security will feel about umbrellas this time, but if it were me and rain were in the forecast, I’d depend on waterproof coats and hats instead in case they’re forbidden. As for boots, make sure that if you really need them they are very comfortable because you will have to do a lot of walking. A large radius around the Capitol will be closed to auto and bus traffic. I regretted the shoes I chose, as they were warm and waterproof but heavy and not very comfortable.</p>

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<p>I’m a terrible wimp in the cold - it was about 50 degrees for our Christmas parade and 5 layers didn’t keep me warm. Down doesn’t work for me because I have no natural heat to trap.</p>

<p>BUT I’m posting to say that I’m envious and have a GREAT TIME!!!</p>

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<p>Here’s another wish for a great time! </p>

<p>With regard to boots, I second the suggestion for Sorel. They are reasonable and good quality and could keep some from the fashion faux pas known as Uggs. </p>

<p>If you are going to layer socks, buy the shoe with that in mind. No boot works well when it is too tight.</p>

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<p>missypie & cartera45, thank you!</p>

<p>Thank you all so much. I read this thread and promptly ordered sock liners, wool socks and heat packs (with plenty of extras!) for both of us plus a pair of long underwear for me that is made of a poly wicking fabric. I’m going to put a wool sweater over that plus scarf, gloves and hat. Over that I’m wearing my long raincoat with liner that also has a hood. I wore it all over England and it worked out well, so I’m at least confident in my choice of coat…I think!</p>

<p>My son is insisting on wearing his varsity jacket which he earned for theater. It’s wool, so that’s good but I’ve already told him he has to carry a long rain poncho in one of his pockets. He’ll be wearing a t-shirt, a thin zip front wool sweater over that and his jacket. Plus hat, scarf and gloves. My kid has no body fat yet he radiates heat, so I think he’ll be fine. Ironically, it’s his well insulated mother who needs the extra layers. </p>

<p>My husband found our hats and they are pretty cool. Fleece has come a long way in the past 20 years. They look like fleece baseball caps, but you can fold out an ear warming band. These hats are wind and rain proof. It’s wild. When I was growing up, only wool kept you warm while wet. I’ll let you know how they work in practice. </p>

<p>I would love to carry a bag or backpack but we’re going to err on the side of caution and carry nothing. There will be three of us, so we’re going to distrubute what we think we’ll need among all our pockets and hope for the best. If it’s warm, we’ll just take off layers and put them on the ground at our feet. We don’t have tickets, so if it gets too cold or too hectic, we can easily walk to our sublet. The plan is to walk everywhere, but if the buses are running, then great.</p>

<p>Still haven’t decided on boot but I feel better about it with the sock situation under control. And, yes, I am laughing about how much work it is for someone who lives in the south to figure out what the heck to wear in the cold weather!</p>

<p>Thank you all again.</p>

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<p>I specifically read that umbrellas won’t be allowed. The checkpoints sound similar to what they do for 4th of July fireworks. It worked well and was pretty speedy.</p>

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<p>mathmom, What are the checkpoints like? Should we be ready to take everying out of our pockets? How long does it take to get through the line?</p>