Cold weather clothing

Hi everyone, this is my first post. I have a question about exactly how to dress for being out in the cold. I live in east TN and I am a very cold natured person. Once it gets down to 60 I start to get cold. I love to fish in the winter I can never seem to get comfortable out on the water Dececember-April. I'm hoping you all can help me wit this. I work in costruction and my normal cloths for work in the winter are work boots 2 pair of cotton socks. A pair of long johns A pair of jeans. A t-shirt Long sleave T-shirt a sweatshirt and a leather jacket and of course my fleece hat. This will keep me o.k. but chilly at work but if I'm in a boat on the water just sitting and fishing I freeze to death! I guess that I am mentally challenged as far as dressing for the cold goes, so If anyone could point my in the right direction I would appreciate it very much. I would love specifics so feel free to tell me what to wear brand names whatever I just do not want to be cold anymore. Once again Thanks----Tileman

First off, lose the cotton. Cotton absorbs and holds lots of water, plus the fibers collapse when wet. Cotton jeans are especially problematic when wet. Which makes it ok for hot weather, but not for cold weather. Wool is an excellent natural fabric, especially for socks, long johns, and insulating layers. You are on the right track with layering, but not the choice of fiber. Your leather jacket is ok as a windproof outer, though it is heavy, and leather is not a very good insulator. You would be better off with a waterproof/breathable shell, like eVent or Goretex. You might also consider the synthetic materials for the base and insulating layers. Since you want to use this for work as well, you do have to consider whether there is a fire hazard - wool is pretty fire resistant, but the synthetics tend to melt (and the melted synthetic will cause severe burns), and some will actually catch fire and burn.

Carhart is a company that makes quality work clothes for cold weather. Take a look at motorcycle shops - there are several good brands that are intended for riding in cold weather (hence are pretty windproof).

Bill what is the difference between hardshell, softshell, and component 3-1 jackets? What are the warmest ones?

Hard shells are waterproof shells, which may or may not be breathable depending on the fabric and treatment.

Soft shells are NOT waterproof, though some come quite close while others opt for more breathability. They're stretchier and more abrasion resistant, but if you're going to go out in anything wet you'll need a hard shell. You can read all about soft shells in this gear guide article:
http://www.trailspace.com/gear/guide/soft-shells-101.html

Component 3-in-1 jackets are simply some sort of outer shell that comes with a zip-in fleece or other insulating layer. So you get three jackets in one, so to speak. The North Face and Columbia among other brands have a bunch of these, usually aimed at the general skiing market, as well as for kids.

As for which is warmer, well it depends on what conditions you expect to go out in (rain, snow, dry) and how you'll be exerting yourself and what layers you'll use underneath.

If I were you and would be sitting in the cold fishing, I'd look for a waterproof, breathable hardshell (as Bill mentioned above). It'll keep you dry and block the wind, important factors in staying warm. Then I'd layer underneath with a wool or synthetic baselayer (no cotton) and some insulating mid-layer(s) like a puffy synthetic jacket or vest (depending on the temps) and/or a thick fleece pullover or jacket.

If you find a 3-in-1 jacket you like, it will come with an insulating layer, though you'd need to judge how warm it is and how well it works with the other layers you want to wear. Assuming your layers don't constrict each other, layers give you more options and will keep you comfortable in a wider range of conditions and activity levels.

I don't know how much you're exerting yourself in your construction job, but it's also important not to overheat and sweat in your layers when working hard. Otherwise they won't keep you warm after they've gotten wet. So a lot of it comes down to knowing when to put on and take off layers in anticipation of getting colder and warmer.

For example, when I stop at the summit of a mountain after hoofing it uphill I immediately put on my warmer hat and gloves and puffy jacket before anything else because I know my body is going to start cooling off rapidly (I'm also a very cold person, so I sympathize with you).

And when starting up something that's going to get my blood pumping I always try to remove a layer or so before I need to because I know how quickly I'll warm up and don't want to sweat all over my clothes and get clammy and cold later. This is especially important in winter.

Hope that made some sense.

Oh, I should have mentioned how important hats are to keeping you warm since you lose a lot of heat through your head. You say you use a fleece hat, which sounds good, but maybe you need a warmer one. Or possibly a thin skull cap (kind of like a baselayer) with a larger thick fleece or wool hat over it.

Also, you probably would have mentioned it if your hands were cold, but obviously warm, dry gloves are important. If you're fishing or elsewhere outdoors it's good to have a backup pair too in case one gets wet inside.