School me on cold weather living

littlebeast

littlebeast

get it while it's easy
i grew up in far northern minnesota. winter was breathtakingly beautiful, and the blizzards were spectacular. but the cold and snow were literally deadly. no exaggeration, people in those areas die from the weather. i recommend squirrel mode. heavy nesting with off the grid backups to all life support systems, plenty of warm everything (goosedown is the only way to go), and fill your pantry with food for a month for when you are snowed in. dress to keep your core warm. your face, fingers and toes are the most vulnerable to frostbite, so protect them also. and keep in mind that if you are in freezing weather, and you gradually start to feel oddly warm, you are likely freezing to death - that's how it feels.
 
Last edited:
Blankpage

Blankpage

alien
On a serious note there not much that beats the calming effect of being out on a frozen lake on a starry night. Probably hard to escape man made light pollution even in upstate NY.
 
augustiron

augustiron

2fast 2live 2young 2die
Syracuse is a OK college town but it is in the snow belt.
Can you put a paddle track and skis on your rig?
Or at least studded tires?
 
M

mlm

Contrarian
I grew up in the Northern midwest and would say snow and ice will be bigger issues than the cold. Extreme cold is really only an issue if you plan to stay outside for extended periods of time. The common exception is making sure your car starts.
 
Yakoo752

Yakoo752

USN
Engine block warmer if you can

Might want to look at option for battery warmers for the chair if you plan on spending time outside (I would discourage)

4wd truck is good. If living in urban community there will likely be little downtime in the roads. If rural, it could be a few days.

Keep 3-5 days of supplies on hand at all times. Generator if there is risk of power loss.

The cold is quiet. Snow is silent. When it’s coming down, get outside and enjoy it.

PS: it’s always warmer when it snows, seriously
 
Last edited:
shouldnthave

shouldnthave

Taze away, Yana...
Oh man! I grew up in Utah. Not -34, but still -13 and you'll never catch me in them again.

My only tip is prepare for the worst, but make sure you spend those long, cold, lonely nights locked indoors with us! I would miss you too much if you moved web address too.
 
N

NorCal Factory

Well-known member
Grew up in Rochester. You get used to the snow and cold. So you wear a coat and use gloves and sometimes a hat.
Heated seats and remote starting cars are nice. Most people don't have 4 wheel drive but do have snow tires or studded snow tires. Some don't bother.
Walking around in a snowstorm at night is cool. We used to go driving around when they said not to drive to pull people out of ditches and to do doughnuts.

They have warm summer nights. The Thousand Islands are 1.5 hours away. The Finger lakes are right there. Swim in the summer and ice skate and ice fish in the winter. My Dad would come back with 30-40 perch a day from Ice fishing.

That said, I left when I was 18 never to return.
There is a lot of leading edge drone and counter drone tech in SYR. Many of the Predators are based near there at Griffis AFB.
 
littlebeast

littlebeast

get it while it's easy
Blankpage said:
On a serious note there not much that beats the calming effect of being out on a frozen lake on a starry night. Probably hard to escape man made light pollution even in upstate NY.
Click to expand...

so true. i miss my grandpa so much. spent a lot of time ice fishing with him.

will never forget also the first time i took my SO back home. we were out around midnight in a rowboat on the lake. it was a gorgeous night and the lake was a sheet of glass. he looks over my head and says 'what the fuck is that? is that a town over there?. i turned around and saw green and blue shimmering across the sky. couldn't believe our luck. i was like 'no - that's the northern lights'. just for you babe. welcome to the north woods.
 
bruceflinch

bruceflinch

I love Da Whores
If you are lucky, Craigslist might help you find somebody to snuggle for the Winter?

Lot of good suggestions here.
Growing up in the snow.
Carry some emergency gear in the car and as mentioned don't let the gas go below 1/2. Also running the tank low in winter can cause corrosion.
I always ran out to start the car 15 minutes before going out to clear the windows. You might want to get a remote starter.
Plan for slower speeds and allow time to be early..
 
M

MysterYvil

Mr. Bad Example
I grew up in Chicagoland. It gets pretty damn cold there.

The serious advice here is good advice. But to reiterate "LAYERS!" And food helps, too. And never put naked flesh to cold metal, locals will just laugh.
 
Eldritch

Eldritch

is insensitive
Mike95060 said:
The only thing I liked about New Mexico winters was chopping wood and heating the double wide with a wood stove. Cleaning the chimney was a bitch though. The only other up side is watching sport ball guilt free because the weather sucks to hard to do anything outside in anyway. Snow is only fun when you have no place you need to be.
Click to expand...

We moved out here when I was little, so I didn't get stuck shoveling, but I never thought of snow as FUN.
 
Climber

Climber

Well-known member
Expect deep snow.
Get a 4 wheel drive and put studded tires on (keep 2 sets), forget chains, they just slow you down.
Layers, go shopping at North Face Outlet in Berkeley, get several thicknesses of leggings, count on about 4 layers up top. Get good gloves, thinsulate, waterproof, thick.
Warm hats are very important! Since you're from warmer climates, you probably want to get the wrap around (your whole face) hat/scarf combo.
Ski goggles are advisable for that area, they get lots of blizzards.
You need to change your oil to lighter grade in the winter. You also have to have the proper mixture of anti-freeze. Keep your windshield washer fluid (solution) full, you'll use it often.
Snow shovel is required, keep in trunk of car. I had 3 feet of snow fall once while working, had to dig myself out.
During first snow, go to the parking lot and spin doughnuts, get comfortable with losing traction and regaining it.
You'll probably want to keep at least a couple packs of handwarmers in your jacket, just in case.
Count on an extra 10 minutes to get the ice off your windows, you'll need to clear the layer of snow off, get some good ice/snow scrapers. Don't skimp, you'll use them often.
Get good slippers, the floors get cold.

I was born 200 miles north of the border in Canada, it regularly got down below -30 F with a stiff wind.
 
wazzuFreddo

wazzuFreddo

WuTang is 4 the children
I was just thinking I sort of miss sitting in a warm living room with a fire going in the fireplace while it snows balls outside.

Winter didn't bother me much
 
Blankpage

Blankpage

alien
The first time you get home at night and find someone elses car in your shovelled out parking space you're gonna miss California.
 
Xenophonii

Xenophonii

RIP Bunny
littlebeast said:
i grew up in far northern minnesota. winter was breathtakingly beautiful, and the blizzards were spectacular. but the cold and snow were literally deadly. no exaggeration, people in those areas die from the weather. i recommend squirrel mode. heavy nesting with off the grid backups to all life support systems, plenty of warm everything (goosedown is the only way to go), and fill your pantry with food for a month for when you are snowed in. dress to keep your core warm. your face, fingers and toes are the most vulnerable to frostbite, so protect them also. and keep in mind that if you are in freezing weather, and you gradually start to feel oddly warm, you are likely freezing to death - that's how it feels.
Click to expand...

All of this, seriously. Polypropylene and silk undergarments also help.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top