Greatcoats

[Hal]

...can handle anything a British winter can throw at it. For reference, on bad days we might get -5, plus wind chill and dampness (never underestimate the damp).

You are absolutely right about the damp! Temperatures of +1C or +2C, with wind and rain, are not unusual in parts of Britain, and are FAR more chilling and unpleasant than what I have experienced in central Norway - still and sunny weather at -25C.

 

[Hal]

There is a certain tendency for Canadian to tough out winter: men wearing normal shoes, thin jackets and suits, and no gloves or hat in the worst winter weather is quite common among non-outdoor workers.

One sees the same thing in Britain, and wonders whether these people really don't feel the cold, or if, for some reason, they are simply ignoring it. (Quite possibly they are out-of-doors for very short periods.) A once-off chilling, dressed in the way you say on a very cold day, probably has very little effect on the body, but repeating iy day by day would surely be inadvisable? I'm sure there is such a thing as acclimatisation, but I'd rather dress in accordance with the physics of heating and cooling than trust to my psychological obstinacy in order to escape winter's ills.

 

[Trenchfriend]

Yes, the damp.
That's, why I extra wear these classic long winter-underpants under my jeans, sticked into my socks, already from +5°C downwards! But although wear my standard retroshorts under it, too.

 

[Dreamofgilgamesh]

A picture is worth a thousand words they say, so here's my greatcoat.
It's German, made from Gabardine and has

a zip in wool liner. It's very heavy but very warm. All in all its a proper coat.

 

[Trenchfriend]

Yeah, THAT'S it!

 

[Harrifer]

One sees the same thing in Britain, and wonders whether these people really don't feel the cold, or if, for some reason, they are simply ignoring it. (Quite possibly they are out-of-doors for very short periods.) A once-off chilling, dressed in the way you say on a very cold day, probably has very little effect on the body, but repeating iy day by day would surely be inadvisable? I'm sure there is such a thing as acclimatisation, but I'd rather dress in accordance with the physics of heating and cooling than trust to my psychological obstinacy in order to escape winter's ills.

I share a desk with a man like that. In my observation they're dashing between buildings and cars, they're poorly organised and they frequently fall ill.

 

[Harrifer]

A picture is worth a thousand words they say, so here's my greatcoat.
It's German, made from Gabardine and has a zip in wool liner. It's very heavy but very warm. All in all its a proper coat.

A very solid looking coat. What are the trousers? They look thick and warm.

 

[Dreamofgilgamesh]

They are nice trousers, just off the peg corduroys from good old Marks and Sparks.

A very solid looking coat. What are the trousers? They look thick and warm.

 

[Seb Lucas]

One sees the same thing in Britain, and wonders whether these people really don't feel the cold, or if, for some reason, they are simply ignoring it. (Quite possibly they are out-of-doors for very short periods.) A once-off chilling, dressed in the way you say on a very cold day, probably has very little effect on the body, but repeating iy day by day would surely be inadvisable? I'm sure there is such a thing as acclimatisation, but I'd rather dress in accordance with the physics of heating and cooling than trust to my psychological obstinacy in order to escape winter's ills.

Yes, your body adapts well to conditions without any ill effects. Once you get used to not waring a coat, you no longer need to wear one.

 

[Hal]

Yes, your body adapts well to conditions without any ill effects. Once you get used to not waring a coat, you no longer need to wear one.

This is not quite what I was trying to say (see the sentence beginning "A once-off chilling..."); adaptation and acclimatisation may work in the short term, but I suggest that your sentence "you no longer need to wear one" is a psychological rather than a physiological statement.

 

[Harrifer]

Yes, your body adapts well to conditions without any ill effects. Once you get used to not waring a coat, you no longer need to wear one.

I don't think a man in just a shirt will ever acclimatise to -3C.

 

[Smithy]

You are absolutely right about the damp! Temperatures of +1C or +2C, with wind and rain, are not unusual in parts of Britain, and are FAR more chilling and unpleasant than what I have experienced in central Norway - still and sunny weather at -25C.

The real kicker is wind chill. Yes +1 or 2 with wind and rain is cold and miserable but it's unlikely to kill you. The real danger is seriously cold temperatures with wind chill which are potentially lethal. It's one of the reasons why here (Arctic Norway) they make a very real fuss about certain layering to protect yourself - even kindergartens here stipulate explicitly what children have to wear in order to play outside over the winter months.

-25 is lovely if it is still and sunny and you're dressed up, -25 in full storm conditions which are not uncommon here, is very dangerous if you're not dressed correctly. Storms blow up very quickly here. I remember being up in the mountains in 2007 at my mum-in-law's cottage/cabin where we were recording -37.4 ambient and with gale force winds, sadly not far from us, two Italian tourists who had thought they'd go up and enjoy the Norwegian mountains but did not have the correct clothing got into trouble, one froze to death and the other survived but with horrific frostbite.

Always make sure if you are in areas which can experience extreme cold conditions that you have adequate clothing and equipment. It might not just make you more comfortable but in some circumstances can save your life.

 

[Doctor Damage]

Below is a quote from a WW2 Soviet infantryman describing how he and his fellows slept in their greatcoats the field in winter. Keep in mind this doesn't prove that greatcoats were warm, simply that they were doing the best they could with what they had. Like others, I've read that Soviet soldiers spent a night sleeping rough during training in the 1970s and 1980s, but again the same observation applies; give someone who is a military outdoor survival specialist the clothing that Soviet soldiers were issued and they'd make do but it would be far from what they'd choose given a choice.

 

[Harrifer]

Below is a quote from a WW2 Soviet infantryman describing how he and his fellows slept in their greatcoats the field in winter. Keep in mind this doesn't prove that greatcoats were warm, simply that they were doing the best they could with what they had. Like others, I've read that Soviet soldiers spent a night sleeping rough during training in the 1970s and 1980s, but again the same observation applies; give someone who is a military outdoor survival specialist the clothing that Soviet soldiers were issued and they'd make do but it would be far from what they'd choose given a choice.

It's worth adding that the soviet soldiers winter uniform consisted of a padded cotton jacket and trousers, as modelled by the charming young lady below.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telogreika

 

[Doctor Damage]

She looks like a good advertisement for re-enacting (and all sorts of things). And she's correct, too: I've read that the Soviets lost so many men that most of their medical people and snipers were women, and many combat pilots too. Apparently after the war the medical fields in civilian life were also dominated by women as a legacy of the war. How true is all that? Well with communism one can never be certain, but they lost millions in that war...

 

[Trenchfriend]

It's worth adding that the soviet soldiers winter uniform consisted of a padded cotton jacket and trousers, as modelled by the charming young lady below.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telogreika

Great post, man!!

Again seeing, that the modern russian soldiers are looking so great! Smart bad-asses!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghanka