Wool base layer, insulated mid layer, rain/windproof outer shell. They key here is too add/remove layers as needed, dictated by the weather and how active you’re being at the moment.
You aren’t just heating up your own body w/ homeostasis, you’re heating up the air around you as it radiates off of your body. You will be warmer with tighter fitting clothes. Looser clothes can help with air flow, but if the air is -10°F air flow isn’t your friend.
Insulation is about trapping the air your body has warmed up next to your body, so you don’t need to constantly spend energy heating up cold air.
I’m not sure what sort of activity you’re planning on so I can’t give very good recommendations on exactly what to wear. But I would say just buy clothes that fit you. You probably shouldn’t be wearing so many thick layers that it requires you to go a size up.
Also keep in mind if you’re so warm you start to sweat, once you cool down that sweat is going to make you feel even colder.
Again wear wool, Merino wool if you can. Don’t wear cotton.
I used to have to walk 6km home late at night in -30 c or colder I would wear 2 pairs of socks with PJ pants under my jeans with a sweater and jacket. Also tight boxer briefs will keep your junk warm . I found loose ones would cause my junk to get really cold .
If you’re active outside it’s surprisingly hard to be cold to be honest. Beyond that the most important thing is having a wind proof layer on the outside, and probably some decent gloves.
I’ve lived where it regularly gets near -40C. Often feel chillier laying down in a “cold” house than even just walking outside for a bit. If you have a thick coat and you’re moving it’s not unusual to get too warm, which can be a bit of a problem if you start sweating. I would bike in the winter and I basically just needed a wind breaker and a light jacket (and good gloves, obviously!). One thing that kind of sucks is taking the bus in the winter because you walk to the bus stop, but then sit there in the cold, and then when you finally get on the bus it’s disgustingly warm.
Layers, lots of layers. If you need to use your hands, latex gloves works great to keep your hand warm while retaining dexterity. Also when you come in from outside, strip the cold clothes off and put dry clothes on
Everyone here is correct, lots of layers and wool. The only exception is cold windy days, it’s damn difficult to prepare for wind. On a -40 windy day there’s not a lot you can do. Hand warmers, or even better heated gloves can be amazing on those days for when you just can’t get your hands warm. My girlfriend uses a heated vest regularly and she loves it. I also almost always have a large thermos of hot soup or tea to sip on on break.
On stupid cold days I’ll sometimes where two wool baselayers. I find the layers rubbing generate heat and that can be lovely.
When I worked outdoors in the winter, I ended getting a higher-end breathable fishing gear. It created an external layer that stopped the wind. It took very few layers underneath to keep me warm. Often just a T-shirt and a light fleece was enough to keep me warm down to 0F. In colder temps a wool sweater and pants did the trick underneath.
I also combined it with neoprene skii mask and a wool beanie. For gloves I went with a thick wool knit over thinsulate when it was really cold.
One thing that helped me more than I expected was an insulated face mask. They’re usually marketed to hunters. A good one sits comfortably below glasses or safety goggles, and it stands just off your face except for the edge.
Adding this allowed me to be more comfortable in colder temperatures and strong wind with less layers overall.
Carhart overalls (knock off brands might or might not be good). A good sweatshirt. Unzip or remove as needed - different parts of the day and different activities demand different levels of outwear. At the end of the day find all the clothes you shed and pack them back home for the next days.
For chilly days the cheap "jersey" gloves work great: buy a case. You need a new pair every day, but they are thin enough that they are easy to work in and cheap enough that you don't care about a new pair daily. For cold days the yellow "chore gloves" work great, keep a dozen around so you can switch when they get wet. Most of the time I just let them air dry in my car.
Only really cold days have breakfast and start later in the day.
The only think I can't help you with is when it is -1C and raining. If at all possible stay home.
Under shirt, underwear, spandex thermal tops and bottoms(think under armor), wool or heated socks, insulated Thorogood boots, t-shirt, heated vest, work pants, work jacket, warm beanie, thinsulate leather or fleece gloves that I may have a hand warmer in.
With that I can work all day in Midwestern winter and compromise very little range of motion. Hand dexterity does take a tanking with the thinsulate gloves but they are warm enough to keep my fingers feeling things.
I often am outside for hours and then inside for hours; taking off the gloves, hat, jacket, and vest keeps me from overheating inside. The real game changer for me was the heated vest and the spandex thermals. I was working outside in the 30s and didn’t need a jacket with the vest on low.
Unfortunately I have frequent periods where I’m not moving around or exerting myself up on scaffolding or lifts where the wind-chill is a dick. It gets into the single digits easily and my gear keeps me comfortable. There are also those days where you start off at 5am in the 20s and then it is in the 50s by the afternoon, so effective layering that can be shed is important.
I prefer to be warm and miserable than cold and miserable.
I drive a forklift so how ever cold it is outside I get an additional 8mph of wind-chill
So today is really going to suck as there’s 15mph winds coming in, so in one direction I’m getting 23 mph worth of wind-chill and the other I’m getting 7
Edit: Also overlapping seams are pretty important as gaps can let air flow in when in motion
I prefer natural fibers because I think they breathe better and keep me better regulated. And as someone that works outside year round in the Midwest, layers are what work. I have found that keeping my chest the warmest, it helps keep the rest of me warm as well.
Just don’t sweat, or if you do, be down to the lowest layer possible. And when you go in, get down to the lowest layer to air out the top layers and to help regulate your body heat.
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