Cold hands

[dmccarty]

I've always heard the same advice-- basically how much heat is lost through one's head in cold weather. Been reading lately that this is a myth.

I think the researchers are full of scat.

I have worked outside in very hot weather and one thing I noticed when I was a teenager was that direct sunlight on your neck and/or head will kick your a...ss fast. Is this really a surprise? People in the desert wear clothes that keep that sun from directly hitting the body. Look at the hats various cultures have created for working in hot weather, Sombreros, wide brimmed cowboy hats, straw hats in the south, Asian conical hats, etc are to keep that sun off your head. When I was a teenager I would soak a cloth in water, put the cloth on my head an drape it down my neck and then put on a hat. The wet cloth would evaporate and cool my neck and head while keeping the direct sun light off of my head/neck. It looked liked a home made Kepi. If the direct sun hit my neck/head it would drastically reduce the amount of work I could do and shorten the amount of time I can work before taking a break. Direct sunlight on my neck and head, even when doing chores that are not very strenuous, will force me to take a break due to increase heart rate as my body overheats and try to cool down my head.

I don't like to wear hats. Hate them but I will wear hats in hot weather.

It has to be very cold weather or expose for hours for me to wear a hat but if I don't, I feel the cold getting to me even though I am dressed warmly.

There are too many blood vessels in your neck feeding your brain that will heat up or cool off and one needs to manage this accordingly.

When one is cold your body shuts of blood flow to legs and arms to increase/protect your core body. I am often outside in cold weather working with just leather gloves and I will feel the cold in my hands at first but after awhile the body adapts. There are other times were I am not as physically active and I wear warmer gloves which helps me stay warm but eventually I will have to wear a hat even though I don't like to wear hats. Putting on the hat makes a huge difference. If I can, I will wear a wool scarf which really keeps me warm.

The boffin's can do as much "research" as they want to try to persuade me that sun rises in the north but I know the sun rises in the east

Later,
Dan

 

[Oaktree]

The only sure cure is to go south!

Well yes and no. You've basically just traded one problem for another. Personally, I can deal with cold a lot better than heat/humidity.

 

[jymbee]

I think the researchers are full of scat.

It would surely not be the first time! I think some "researchers" might just have too much idle time-- and what seems like unlimited $$$ to fund all manner of bizarre studies.

Perhaps we could do our own research. If you live somewhere where it's COLD in the winter, walk outside buck naked on a cold night. If you could only cover one body part at a time, just what garment would you ask for first? Perhaps a hat, but I kinda' doubt it.

The problem might be with the way reporters pass along the researchers results. Not the first time there either. Most people are sane enough to dress appropriately when it's cold outside. If you are otherwise adequately protected from the cold-- but not wearing a hat-- THEN you obviously lose a high percentage of heat through your head.

In any event, this is just the kind of situation that will certainly be deemed worthy of more in-depth research in the future.

 

[Egon]

The only sure cure is to go south!

Not 3 days for me, more like 75 yrs and still feel miserable.

Just make sure the Southern Journey ends at a reasonable latitude!

 

[PILOON]

Well yes and no. You've basically just traded one problem for another. Personally, I can deal with cold a lot better than heat/humidity.

With cold you can add as many layers as you need but with heat you are limited and subject to arrest.

 

[PILOON]

Well yes and no. You've basically just traded one problem for another. Personally, I can deal with cold a lot better than heat/humidity.

With cold you can add as many layers as you need but with heat you are limited and subject to arrest.

 

[/pine]

I've always heard the same advice-- basically how much heat is lost through one's head in cold weather. Been reading lately that this is a myth.

I've been in some cold WX in hunting camps etc. and I don't ever remember when pulling the sleeping bag up over my head did not warm me right up...maybe it's my imagination but it always seems like turning on an electric warmer...


Cold feet/toes are my biggest woe...it's easy to warm up hands...not so easy pulling of boots etc every so often...
...when hunting in really cold WX...I usually end up loosening my boots and slipping a 'HotHands' chemical warmer in the toes of each boot and leaving them loosely laced...

Previously in this or similar threads I've said I am a fan of chemical warmers they are very reasonable in bulk packaging...when it comes to working outside in the cold (other than seat time) it is hard to do anything with big bulky (warm) gloves on...I opt for the cheapo brown gloves that TSC sells like 10 pairs for $12 or something...I keep one pair wrapped around a hothands warmer in a pocket and when my hands get too cold I switch the pair I'm wearing with the warm ones...

and FWIW...another thing I've learned about using chemical hand warmers when deer hunting is...in below 0 C. temps...a warmer or two wrapped around a scent dripper not only keeps it from icing but the warmth helps disperse the scent...nothing like steaming doe pee on a frosty morning in the deer woods...!

 

[JRobyn]

Beware that if just one or two fingers get cold and stay that way after warming up the rest of you, it is likely the previously mentioned Reynaud's Syndrome. It is caused by micro-clots in the capillaries in the affected finger(s), and MIGHT be a symptom of a more serious problem. In my case, it was Polycythemia Vera, a bone marrow abnormality where too many red blood cells are produced, making the blood too thick and susceptible to clotting. It is easy to get checked out with the standard and inexpensive "CBC" blood test, where the number of red cells per unit volume of blood are counted.

- Jay