Alaska Assignment late Dec.

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Alaska Assignment late Dec.

Postby media » Tue Oct 16, 2012 7:04 pm

Looking for some extreme cold weather gear, jacket, pants and boots...
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Re: Alaska Assignment late Dec.

Postby marie-angelique » Wed Oct 17, 2012 3:43 am

i would try MEC, it's like REI for Canadians, who get colder weather, so they have more stuff. When the exchange rate is good, you can get screaming deals.
http://www.mec.ca/Main/home.jsp
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Re: Alaska Assignment late Dec.

Postby Woodsman » Fri Oct 19, 2012 3:57 pm

Who did you piss off? :)

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Re: Alaska Assignment late Dec.

Postby diamondcutter13 » Sat Oct 20, 2012 8:30 pm

Woodsman wrote:Who did you piss off? :)

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looks like a perfect day to me ;)
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Re: Alaska Assignment late Dec.

Postby diamondcutter13 » Sat Oct 20, 2012 8:31 pm

maybe surplus is not your thing but I am loving the amount of cool winter stuff available from Colemans

Here's a cool coat as an example.
http://store.colemans.com/cart/vintage-italian-military-alpine-coat-p-2824.html
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Re: Alaska Assignment late Dec.

Postby svizzerams » Mon Oct 22, 2012 7:34 pm

Depends on where you are going media....If its the arctic coast you'll need wind protection. If the interior, less wind, more cold. You know that fur ruff...serves more than a decorative purpose ;-) When I lived in several regions of the state, the arctic coast and interior and southeast. It is amazing how many "costumes" you need if you live in Alaska. Different areas require a different cold weather protection strategy. Which regions?

My preferred coat looked like this: Mine was an Eddie Bauer - acquired when Eddie Bauer still made good outdoor gear. But I lived primarily in the interior - so down was not a disadvantage as it wasn't wet. Mine didn't have all those pockets though. I loved that coat. Of course layering is important. Long underwear? Get some.

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Footwear will depend on the region as well. I used classic Sorels. But my favorite boots were a Lobben felt boot made in Norway. Light, warm in almost any temperature, but not good in wet climates. Then the Sorel was preferred

Dorky looking I know - but really warm and practical for those snowy areas where the humidity is low.
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I miss Alaska winters. Magical.
Last edited by svizzerams on Mon Oct 22, 2012 7:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Alaska Assignment late Dec.

Postby svizzerams » Mon Oct 22, 2012 7:36 pm

Woodsman wrote:Who did you piss off? :)

Image


I live for winter days that look like that - its what alot of days in Fairbanks looked like in wintertime.
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Re: Alaska Assignment late Dec.

Postby thewalrus » Tue Oct 23, 2012 3:10 am

The MEC house brand down parkas ($300-$350) are good. The REI -20C down sleeping bag is about $350, good to keep in your vehicle for emergencies. Keep Lithium one time use AAA batteries for head lamps, alkalines will completely fail to work when cold while lithium disposables will work fine. MEC or REI have good prices on Petzl head lamps. I've never had a problem with the gloves MEC sells. Their insulated underwear and headgear is reasonably priced.
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Re: Alaska Assignment late Dec.

Postby media » Tue Oct 23, 2012 2:04 pm

It will be Anchorage. About the warmest jacket I have in a Barbour/with an extra lining. I've worn it all over the lower 48, London and Moscow but rather sure it wont cut Anchorage in the winter.
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Re: Alaska Assignment late Dec.

Postby thewalrus » Wed Oct 24, 2012 4:17 am

Seriously, you're asking how to survive in Anchorage, a city with a population of 292,000? They don't have cold weather clothing stores there? Many parts of the lower 48 are actually colder in winter, like ND, SD, MN, etc.
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Re: Alaska Assignment late Dec.

Postby media » Wed Oct 24, 2012 4:04 pm

Anchorage area of the state. No actually in Anchorage, kinda up toward Denali. Ya not real big fan of showing up not prepared and buying it there. I'll have 4 pelican cases of gear already to deal with and a tight schedule. Not looking to "go shopping"
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Re: Alaska Assignment late Dec.

Postby Woodsman » Wed Oct 24, 2012 6:28 pm

It may be difficult to go shopping in the SE for these kinds of clothes, but doing it online is a breeze. Sierra trading post is a good place, but any place that sells high quality outdoor gear with names like: The North Face, Marmot, Patagonia, Arc Teryx, etc. is good. I usually shop sierra because there are lots of close outs and often I get some great deals there.

Your clothing needs will depend on how much activity you are going to be doing. If you are going to be hoofing it a lot on foot or via snowshoe or skis, you are going to want to layer (getting on snow machines/snowmobiles is going to require a windproof balaclava as well & ski goggles will be a very big help) . Think full long polyester underwear, expedition quality wool socks (look on label for 70+% wool content), nylon or poly/nylon sport pants (no gore tex or other "waterproof" membrane on them), level 200 polartech jacket (high quality with draft collar along zipper - must - better if its wind proof like gore windstopper - excellent stuff) and some sort of shell - maybe polyester microfiber parka, and a good pair of hat and mittens (and you might want a set of gloves if its warmer - say like 25 or so). For boots, basically what svizz suggested - the wool felt on the bottom of the inside of the boot is the most important part - but you want boots that are waterproof in this case. Mickey mouse boots (mil) are awesome, but any heavy winter boot would be fine if it includes about 3/4" felt in the bottom and a rubber sole. You are going to want some good reviews for these. As for a hat, I would go with a lightweight 100% polyester watch cap & get a goretex or nylon ball cap too (cotton ones will get wet then freeze - in fact, that is the reason to NOT go cotton with anything).

If you're going off trail, you are going to want gaiters (seal the pant to boots area to keep snow out of your boots).

If you are going to be sitting around shooting pics and not exerting much energy or if you expect to have lulls in your work, you are going to want a puffy polyester insulated parka and add add some insulation to your legs too (like ski pants that are polyester insulated on the outside and made of a tough nylon on the outside).

For just running around in the car, you don't need many super hot clothes, just keep your warm gear handy and ensure you have some provisions (sleeping bag or heavy blankets, stove to melt snow with - don't forget fuel & stove paste - must in the cold or way up high, and some high calorie food - and regular stuff like tool kit, spare tire, first aid, etc.).

The cold is not at all like heat. It will kill you if you don't prepare for it. Heat stoke is bad, but freezing is a hell of a lot worse. Make sure you are fit - you may need the extra endurance if you get yourself into a jam.

Another thing you are going to want if you're going up on mountains is crampons and an ice axe and instruction on how to use them appropriately. Respect avalanche country - and be super cautious crossing anything that looks like there is water below. Especially moving water.
Do not skimp on quality clothing, especially of all things socks & boots.

So conclusion - for moving around:

1. Long underwear tops & bottoms - medium to heavy (but not expedition) weight, 100% polyester
2. Heavy wool socks - Woolrich, smartwool, Wigwam, etc. - at least 70% wool content
3. Nylon sport pants - climbing pants, ski bibs or pants (uninsulated), but good tough outer material.
4. Polartech 200 level zip-up coat with draft collar around zipper - windproof fleece a big plus.
5. Shell coat (does not need to be insulated - just flexible, water and wind resistant with hood- don't get goretex unless it has pit zips.
6. Lightweight polyester watch cap
7. Gore tex or nylon ball cap.
8. Gaiters (waterproof and flexible quality material)
9. Mittens (nylon shell, heavily insulated) - Outdoor Research (OR) makes good ones.
10. Winter boots (heavy super warm thick wool liner pack boots)
11. Lightweight poly or wool gloves - military liners would work fine if truly wool.
12. Sunglasses dark enough to keep from getting snow blinded.

For standing around add:

-Heavy duty polyester stuffed microfiber hooded parka (think 2-3" loft around your core)
-Insulated ski bibs or ski pants with nylon shell.

Two suggested items: Ski goggles (of the Scott variety - anti-fog) and a Balaclava - insulated)

That should pretty much keep you alive in most extreme winter conditions, so long as you keep your wits and don't go crossing frozen streams and such.

A nice emergency kit accessory is called grabber mycoal heaters (these are chemical hand and toe warmers). Comfort goes a long way toward morale, and freezing sucks balls.
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Re: Alaska Assignment late Dec.

Postby Eye Trekker » Thu Nov 22, 2012 5:02 am

Neos. I know a lot of Dog Mushers that swear by them.

http://www.overshoe.com/Pages/default.aspx
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Re: Alaska Assignment late Dec.

Postby diamondcutter13 » Fri Nov 23, 2012 3:53 am

Eye Trekker wrote:Neos. I know a lot of Dog Mushers that swear by them.

http://www.overshoe.com/Pages/default.aspx


Neos are indeed excellent. I still just use my sorrels for really dry cold stuff and my 1000 weight Rocky boots for anything involving lots of walking (hunting, snowshoeing).

Last year I had a smoking good deal on ordering Snugpak stuff from the UK so I went a little Snugpak crazy and ordered a bunch of their winter stuff. The Sasquatch jacket so far is a really good puffy jacket for having in your kit to throw on when you slow down or stop for the day.

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http://www.snugpak.com/index.php?MenuID=93-99&ItemID=108
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Re: Alaska Assignment late Dec.

Postby Big Duke 6 » Thu Mar 28, 2013 8:57 am

Been out of the action awhile and just saw this post. I'm also in Anchorage. There is an REI store downtown that sells some good things. Since you've been here since Dec. you'll notice we had a mild winter and just now this morning are we getting the coldest temps (end of March). If you still haven't found cold weather gear (if you're military you've probably already received your arctic issue anyway) - drop me a line - I've learned a shit ton after only being here a little over a year and can point you in the direction of some good cold weather gear. It may get colder in areas in the lower 48, but none of them compare to length, the sudden changes in weather, and how any Sunday drive can turn into a survival situation real quick and you'll find Alaskans have a good knack for sifting through over-priced crap gear and finding the stuff that actually works and holds up. There's no such thing as bad weather, just bad gear.
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