Baby It's Cold Outside - How We Dress

Baby it's cold outside!  Single digits here in Virginia this morning.  Not a great morning to be a farm animal.  So what do we do when the temps plunge and we have to go outside anyway? We adapt!

I wear Kerrit's Winter Riding Tights almost every day in winter.  I have three pairs and I rotate them. One is heavy, one is light like these and the other is more for wind. But I can ride in these, they are very comfortable and warm and when I go to the barn in the mornings, I can pull my Carthartt Suit over them very easily.  They run small so order a size larger than you think you need.  And they hold up well.

For my top layer, I wear various things depending on how cold it is outside. On a day like today, I wear my really warmest layers like these.

I have two older Arcteryx tops that have a front quarter zip made of a lightweight waffle-weaver type fabric. Both were purchased in the Canadian Rockies.  Both are old, one is almost 20 years old.  These are the warmest tops I own and I can put a silk layer or a turtleneck layer underneath on really cold days. I cannot recommend this brand more.  It is simply the warmest stuff out there and it lasts forever.  This is something similar to what I have - I think the technology has changed a bit but you cannot go wrong with buying this stuff...

 

I have an older version of this wool base-layer turtleneck that I save to wear for really cold weather. I also took it on my trip to Europe and wore it numerous times.  This will keep you warm!

For socks, I know I sound like a broken record but nothing else works for me but Smartwool knee socks.  They wear out after about a year but I wear them every day in cold weather.

On days like today I need hand warmers.  Gloves alone don't do the trick for me so I always keep some handy.

These are the gloves that I have found to be the warmest for around the barn use.  I have Marmot mittens that I ski in but for day-to-day wear these work the best for me and I have tried them all.

I have an older version of these.  They will wear out after 1-2 years of wear but worth it!

And for riding I use these SSG Winter Training Gloves.  I have owned 4-5 pairs of these.  They will wear out too but they are warm.

And for the face, I use this which I started using while in Canada a few years ago. This is the best winter moisturizer I've ever used. It's not too heavy but not too light either. And it works for skiing, riding outside or just really cold temps like we have today.

Learn to live in and embrace the cold weather.  It's a lot easier to handle winter that way.