Practical tips for dealing with cold weather

snow ghost

Rougies wrote: »

For what purpose?

Incase the bulbs in your headlights blow. of course. :pac:

On a serious note, presumably the tealights are to give you a bit of heat and light should you get stuck in the snow in your car.

I know it doesn't happen often here, but if anyone does get stuck in the snow in their car - carry a spare blanket and shovel in the boot - make sure the snow level is well below the exhaust if the engine's on for heat, otherwise it can get blocked and you can die from the fumes.

Chicken Run

Rougies wrote: »

For what purpose?

in the event of being trapped in your car in sub-zero temperatures overnight, a carefully placed lit tea-light can make the difference in temperature between survival and hypothermia apparently. Probably more applicable in Canada's extreme low temperatures, but for the teeny amount of space it takes up in the glove compartment, it can't do any harm.

I was told that tip by a Canadian woman too

Diddler1977

Pangea wrote: »

Where the best place to get these yak trax online?

A different brand.....but very reasonably priced.

http://www.kgroup.ie/

mvron

Diddler1977 wrote: »

A different brand.....but very reasonably priced.

http://www.kgroup.ie/

Just checked - "Due to high demand, this product is temporarily sold out.
We are exepecting a further shipment on 15/12/2010.

You can reserve your pair by purchasing now and we will ensure you will be the first to receive from the next batch."

Iancar29

Diddler1977 wrote: »

A different brand.....but very reasonably priced.

http://www.kgroup.ie/

My uncle bought a similar brand in town ( dublin), he bought 3 pairs..

My parents hav been using them once or twice said they wer real good.

IM sure lidl will have some also!
Oh and for Practical tips for dealing with cold weather
STUDY THIS DOWN TO A TEA!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOJQPz1s-1c

Ambersky

Over in the Motors forum theres an interesting discussion going on about winter tyres.
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055788724

Well worth a read.

Maxamber

Total newbie here, to Boards, forums, the lot so apologies in advance for any (unintentional) mistakes: if you google the Centre for Disease Control in Atlanta, US, they've got a 15-page printable download for severe weather, so that if you're without power, phone etc you've at least got a checklist in hard copy form.

mac80

Here it is http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/winter/beforestorm/supplylists.asp

Winter Weather Checklists
Download the complete Extreme Cold Prevention Guide

Stock up on emergency supplies for communication, food, safety, heating, and car in case a storm hits.

Communication Checklist
* Make sure you have at least one of the following in case there is a power failure:
o Battery-powered radio (for listening to local emergency instructions). Have extra batteries.
o National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather radio receiver (for listening to National Weather Service broadcasts). See www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr for more information.
* Find out how your community warns the public about severe weather:
o Siren
o Radio
o TV
* Listen to emergency broadcasts.
* Know what winter storm warning terms mean:
o Winter weather advisory: expect winter weather conditions to cause inconvenience and hazards.
o Frost/freeze warning: expect below-freezing temperatures.
o Winter storm watch: be alert; a storm is likely.
o Winter storm warning: take action; the storm is in or entering the area.
o Blizzard warning: seek refuge immediately! Snow and strong winds, near-zero visibility, deep snow drifts, and life-threatening wind chill.
* Download this checklist. Learn more about Adobe Acrobat Reader

Food and Safety Checklist

Have a week’s worth of food and safety supplies. If you live far from other people, have more supplies on hand.
* Drinking water
* Canned/no-cook food (bread, crackers, dried fruits)
* Non-electric can opener
* Baby food and formula (if baby in the household)
* Prescription drugs and other medicine
* First-aid kit
* Rock-salt to melt ice on walkways
* Supply of cat litter or bag of sand to add traction on walkways
* Flashlight and extra batteries
* Battery-powered lamps or lanterns
(To prevent the risk of fire, avoid using candles.)
* Download this checklist. Learn more about Adobe Acrobat Reader

Water Checklist

Keep a water supply. Extreme cold can cause water pipes in your home to freeze and sometimes break.
* Leave all water taps slightly open so they drip continuously.
* Keep the indoor temperature warm.
* Allow more heated air near pipes. Open kitchen cabinet doors under the kitchen sink.
* If your pipes do freeze, do not thaw them with a torch. Thaw the pipes slowly with warm air from an electric hair dryer.
* If you cannot thaw your pipes, or if the pipes have broken open, use bottled water or get water from a neighbor’s home.
* Have bottled water on hand.
* In an emergency—if no other water is available—snow can be melted for water. Bringing water to a rolling boil for one minute will kill most germs but won’t get rid of chemicals sometimes found in snow.
* Download this checklist. Learn more about Adobe Acrobat Reader

Heating Checklist
* Have at least one of the following heat sources in case the power goes out:
o Fireplace with plenty of dry firewood or gas log fireplace
o Portable space heaters or kerosene heaters
* Check with your local fire department to make sure that kerosene heaters are legal in your area.
* Never place a space heater on top of furniture or near water.
* Use electric space heaters with
o automatic shut-off switches and
o nonglowing elements.
* Keep heat sources at least 3 feet away from furniture and drapes.
* Never leave children unattended near a space heater.
* Have the following safety equipment:
o Chemical fire extinguisher
o Smoke alarm in working order (Check once a month and change batteries once a year.)
o Carbon monoxide detector
* Never use an electric generator indoors, inside the garage, or near the air intake of your home because of the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning:
o Do not use the generator or appliances if they are wet.
o Do not store gasoline indoors where the fumes could ignite.
o Use individual heavy-duty, outdoor-rated cords to plug in other appliances.
* Download this checklist. Learn more about Adobe Acrobat Reader

Cooking and Lighting Checklist
* Never use charcoal grills or portable gas camp stove indoors—the fumes are deadly.
* Use battery-powered flashlights or lanterns.
* Avoid using candles.
* Never leave lit candles alone.
* Download this checklist. Learn more about Adobe Acrobat Reader

Car and Emergency Checklist

Prepare your car with emergency supplies.
* Cell phone; portable charger and extra batteries
* Shovel
* Windshield scraper
* Battery-powered radio (and extra batteries)
* Flashlight (and extra batteries)
* Water
* Snack food
* Extra hats, coats, mittens
* Blankets
* Chains or rope
* Tire chains
* Canned compressed air with sealant (emergency tire repair)
* Road salt and sand
* Booster cables
* Emergency flares
* Bright colored flag; help signs
* First aid kit
* Tool kit
* Road maps
* Compass
* Waterproof matches and a can (to melt snow for water)
* Paper towels

http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/winter/pdf/caremergencychecklist.pdf

Iancar29

mac80 wrote: »

Here it is http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/winter/beforestorm/supplylists.asp

Winter Weather Checklists
Download the complete Extreme Cold Prevention Guide

Stock up on emergency supplies for communication, food, safety, heating, and car in case a storm hits.

Communication Checklist
* Make sure you have at least one of the following in case there is a power failure:
o Battery-powered radio (for listening to local emergency instructions). Have extra batteries.
o National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather radio receiver (for listening to National Weather Service broadcasts). See www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr for more information.
* Find out how your community warns the public about severe weather:
o Siren
o Radio
o TV
* Listen to emergency broadcasts.
* Know what winter storm warning terms mean:
o Winter weather advisory: expect winter weather conditions to cause inconvenience and hazards.
o Frost/freeze warning: expect below-freezing temperatures.
o Winter storm watch: be alert; a storm is likely.
o Winter storm warning: take action; the storm is in or entering the area.
o Blizzard warning: seek refuge immediately! Snow and strong winds, near-zero visibility, deep snow drifts, and life-threatening wind chill.
* Download this checklist. Learn more about Adobe Acrobat Reader

Food and Safety Checklist

Have a week’s worth of food and safety supplies. If you live far from other people, have more supplies on hand.
* Drinking water
* Canned/no-cook food (bread, crackers, dried fruits)
* Non-electric can opener
* Baby food and formula (if baby in the household)
* Prescription drugs and other medicine
* First-aid kit
* Rock-salt to melt ice on walkways
* Supply of cat litter or bag of sand to add traction on walkways
* Flashlight and extra batteries
* Battery-powered lamps or lanterns
(To prevent the risk of fire, avoid using candles.)
* Download this checklist. Learn more about Adobe Acrobat Reader

Water Checklist

Keep a water supply. Extreme cold can cause water pipes in your home to freeze and sometimes break.
* Leave all water taps slightly open so they drip continuously.
* Keep the indoor temperature warm.
* Allow more heated air near pipes. Open kitchen cabinet doors under the kitchen sink.
* If your pipes do freeze, do not thaw them with a torch. Thaw the pipes slowly with warm air from an electric hair dryer.
* If you cannot thaw your pipes, or if the pipes have broken open, use bottled water or get water from a neighbor’s home.
* Have bottled water on hand.
* In an emergency—if no other water is available—snow can be melted for water. Bringing water to a rolling boil for one minute will kill most germs but won’t get rid of chemicals sometimes found in snow.
* Download this checklist. Learn more about Adobe Acrobat Reader

Heating Checklist
* Have at least one of the following heat sources in case the power goes out:
o Fireplace with plenty of dry firewood or gas log fireplace
o Portable space heaters or kerosene heaters
* Check with your local fire department to make sure that kerosene heaters are legal in your area.
* Never place a space heater on top of furniture or near water.
* Use electric space heaters with
o automatic shut-off switches and
o nonglowing elements.
* Keep heat sources at least 3 feet away from furniture and drapes.
* Never leave children unattended near a space heater.
* Have the following safety equipment:
o Chemical fire extinguisher
o Smoke alarm in working order (Check once a month and change batteries once a year.)
o Carbon monoxide detector
* Never use an electric generator indoors, inside the garage, or near the air intake of your home because of the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning:
o Do not use the generator or appliances if they are wet.
o Do not store gasoline indoors where the fumes could ignite.
o Use individual heavy-duty, outdoor-rated cords to plug in other appliances.
* Download this checklist. Learn more about Adobe Acrobat Reader

Cooking and Lighting Checklist
* Never use charcoal grills or portable gas camp stove indoors—the fumes are deadly.
* Use battery-powered flashlights or lanterns.
* Avoid using candles.
* Never leave lit candles alone.
* Download this checklist. Learn more about Adobe Acrobat Reader

Car and Emergency Checklist

Prepare your car with emergency supplies.
* Cell phone; portable charger and extra batteries
* Shovel
* Windshield scraper
* Battery-powered radio (and extra batteries)
* Flashlight (and extra batteries)
* Water
* Snack food
* Extra hats, coats, mittens
* Blankets
* Chains or rope
* Tire chains
* Canned compressed air with sealant (emergency tire repair)
* Road salt and sand
* Booster cables
* Emergency flares
* Bright colored flag; help signs
* First aid kit
* Tool kit
* Road maps
* Compass
* Waterproof matches and a can (to melt snow for water)
* Paper towels

http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/winter/pdf/caremergencychecklist.pdf

I really hope people dont look at this an genuinely freak out about the potential of this re-run of the cold snap.

But ye... good pointers ha

H2UMrsRobinson

Maxamber wrote: »

Total newbie here, to Boards, forums, the lot so apologies in advance for any (unintentional) mistakes: if you google the Centre for Disease Control in Atlanta, US, they've got a 15-page printable download for severe weather, so that if you're without power, phone etc you've at least got a checklist in hard copy form.

Great first post Maxamber, welcome to Boards weather forum!

Maxamber

Thank you for the welcome and for putting the link: it's probably obvious I wasn't sure how to do that!

Tactical

In place of crampons for boots, SHORT screws sometimes are useful. Just be sure not to punture the sole. Don't use countersunk screws, but rather short self tapping ones with a hex head such as often found in computers etc...

Lethal when not walking on ice though...

Small shovel, folding one is a good idea but make sure it has a metal locking collar rather than a plastic one and an empty strong sack (can be used to shovel grit into and the spread under car tyres to re-gain traction. If shovel has saw on the side of it, can be useful for cutting branches, furze bushes etc to put under car tyres etc...

cabot

mac80 wrote: »

Here it is http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/winter/beforestorm/supplylists.asp

Winter Weather Checklists
Download the complete Extreme Cold Prevention Guide

Stock up on emergency supplies for communication, food, safety, heating, and car in case a storm hits.

Communication Checklist
* Make sure you have at least one of the following in case there is a power failure:
o Battery-powered radio (for listening to local emergency instructions). Have extra batteries.
o National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather radio receiver (for listening to National Weather Service broadcasts). See www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr for more information.
* Find out how your community warns the public about severe weather:
o Siren
o Radio
o TV
* Listen to emergency broadcasts.
* Know what winter storm warning terms mean:
o Winter weather advisory: expect winter weather conditions to cause inconvenience and hazards.
o Frost/freeze warning: expect below-freezing temperatures.
o Winter storm watch: be alert; a storm is likely.
o Winter storm warning: take action; the storm is in or entering the area.
o Blizzard warning: seek refuge immediately! Snow and strong winds, near-zero visibility, deep snow drifts, and life-threatening wind chill.
* Download this checklist. Learn more about Adobe Acrobat Reader

Food and Safety Checklist

Have a week’s worth of food and safety supplies. If you live far from other people, have more supplies on hand.
* Drinking water
* Canned/no-cook food (bread, crackers, dried fruits)
* Non-electric can opener
* Baby food and formula (if baby in the household)
* Prescription drugs and other medicine
* First-aid kit
* Rock-salt to melt ice on walkways
* Supply of cat litter or bag of sand to add traction on walkways
* Flashlight and extra batteries
* Battery-powered lamps or lanterns
(To prevent the risk of fire, avoid using candles.)
* Download this checklist. Learn more about Adobe Acrobat Reader

Water Checklist

Keep a water supply. Extreme cold can cause water pipes in your home to freeze and sometimes break.
* Leave all water taps slightly open so they drip continuously.
* Keep the indoor temperature warm.
* Allow more heated air near pipes. Open kitchen cabinet doors under the kitchen sink.
* If your pipes do freeze, do not thaw them with a torch. Thaw the pipes slowly with warm air from an electric hair dryer.
* If you cannot thaw your pipes, or if the pipes have broken open, use bottled water or get water from a neighbor’s home.
* Have bottled water on hand.
* In an emergency—if no other water is available—snow can be melted for water. Bringing water to a rolling boil for one minute will kill most germs but won’t get rid of chemicals sometimes found in snow.
* Download this checklist. Learn more about Adobe Acrobat Reader

Heating Checklist
* Have at least one of the following heat sources in case the power goes out:
o Fireplace with plenty of dry firewood or gas log fireplace
o Portable space heaters or kerosene heaters
* Check with your local fire department to make sure that kerosene heaters are legal in your area.
* Never place a space heater on top of furniture or near water.
* Use electric space heaters with
o automatic shut-off switches and
o nonglowing elements.
* Keep heat sources at least 3 feet away from furniture and drapes.
* Never leave children unattended near a space heater.
* Have the following safety equipment:
o Chemical fire extinguisher
o Smoke alarm in working order (Check once a month and change batteries once a year.)
o Carbon monoxide detector
* Never use an electric generator indoors, inside the garage, or near the air intake of your home because of the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning:
o Do not use the generator or appliances if they are wet.
o Do not store gasoline indoors where the fumes could ignite.
o Use individual heavy-duty, outdoor-rated cords to plug in other appliances.
* Download this checklist. Learn more about Adobe Acrobat Reader

Cooking and Lighting Checklist
* Never use charcoal grills or portable gas camp stove indoors—the fumes are deadly.
* Use battery-powered flashlights or lanterns.
* Avoid using candles.
* Never leave lit candles alone.
* Download this checklist. Learn more about Adobe Acrobat Reader

Car and Emergency Checklist

Prepare your car with emergency supplies.
* Cell phone; portable charger and extra batteries
* Shovel
* Windshield scraper
* Battery-powered radio (and extra batteries)
* Flashlight (and extra batteries)
* Water
* Snack food
* Extra hats, coats, mittens
* Blankets
* Chains or rope
* Tire chains
* Canned compressed air with sealant (emergency tire repair)
* Road salt and sand
* Booster cables
* Emergency flares
* Bright colored flag; help signs
* First aid kit
* Tool kit
* Road maps
* Compass
* Waterproof matches and a can (to melt snow for water)
* Paper towels

http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/winter/pdf/caremergencychecklist.pdf

Just came back to this thread to have a look at this list. Not planning on doing everything on the list, but there are a few things I'd like to do in the next couple of days. Going to get the shovel out of the shed at the end of the garden tomorrow and wellies out of the shed too. Doubt very much we would get a power cut (how would that happen?) but going round the house to round up the wind up torches from kids bedrooms/candles etc.

Caitriona

Getting stuff out of the shed in advance is a good idea - when we went looking for a shovel last week our shed padlock had frozen solid.

Wine Goddess

Pangea wrote: »

Where the best place to get these yak trax online?

Hi I ordered the YakTrax Pro from a place in Galway good price too at €24 per pair. They are out of stock but hope to get them in either Friday or latest next Monday.
I have ordered them website is www.safetydirect.ie

cabot

If you dont get them Friday, you may not get them till its too late.

Corruptedmorals

I've worn YaxTrax- not the pro ones. They're great, you get the feeling that it can't be slippy at all until you see other people trying to walk on it. I wore them into shops no problem, you just have to plod a bit slowly. They ARE crap on cleared pavements though- one fell off. My mam got them on vikingdirect.ie a while ago- sold out the other day when she tried to get them for other people, she ordered the DueNorth traction aids with carbite crampons though yesterday morning and they arrived today. Amazon either should still have some traction aids. Well worth it! The one time I needed them more than ever (melty lethal ice) I fell of course...

wes

Wine Goddess wrote: »

Hi I ordered the YakTrax Pro from a place in Galway good price too at €24 per pair. They are out of stock but hope to get them in either Friday or latest next Monday.
I have ordered them website is www.safetydirect.ie

Ordered the Great North traction aid from that crowed last Thursday, and got them delievered yesterday. They were good price, and the delivery was quick enough. Worth getting imho.

DominoDub

Tactical wrote: »

In place of crampons for boots, SHORT screws sometimes are useful. Just be sure not to punture the sole. Don't use countersunk screws, but rather short self tapping ones with a hex head such as often found in computers etc...

Lethal when not walking on ice though...

Small shovel, folding one is a good idea but make sure it has a metal locking collar rather than a plastic one and an empty strong sack (can be used to shovel grit into and the spread under car tyres to re-gain traction. If shovel has saw on the side of it, can be useful for cutting branches, furze bushes etc to put under car tyres etc...

I have also used some IBM Hex screws on a pair of work boots.They have been great so far on the ICE.

I do love the POP ! sound they make as they dig into the hard footpath ICE .:D

Irish Steve

OK, the forecasts are now becoming firmer, and looking challenging for some areas.

All the points made earlier are relevant, and I'm going to add another few here, based on experience earlier in the week before the thaw got going.

Some of the roads got pretty slushy after a while, and driving in that mess can cause problems, especially if the air temperature goes as low as is being forecast.

If you are driving in a lot of slush, when parking up at the end of the run, stop the engine, put the vehicle in gear, and do NOT set the handbrake.

The reason for the non standard procedure. If you have a collection of slush on the underside of the vehicle, if the air temperature is below zero, the slush will re freeze very readily. If it has managed to get into or on the handbrake cables, or even into the back brake drums, there is a good chance that the back brakes may freeze on hard if the handbrake is set, and getting the cables or rear wheels unfrozen again can be tedious, time consuming or even impossible depending on the conditions. My handbrake froze up this week, fortunately, my vehicle is 4 x 4, and the handbrake wasn't hard on, so I was able to get the wheels turning, but the handbrake was to all intents and purposes no use or help to me for the first couple of miles, until I'd managed to get some heat into the tyres and drums. It did free off before too long, and hasn't frozen again since.

If your car heater feels like it's doing next to nothing, it's possible that the thermostat is allowing too much water through the radiator, and overcooling the engine. Have a look at the temperature gauge, and if it's looking lower than normal, it might be worth trying an experiment with blanking off part of the radiator with a piece of the plastic sign board so beloved of estate agents and political candidates.

[offtopic] Now there's a fun thought. If this weather continues long enough, we might be able to have the joy of using the faces of our :mad::D;)favourite politicians as toboggans on the nearest slope. Face down of course:D:D:D perhaps for once we'd get our money's worth from all those posters [/offtopic]

If you do something like partially blocking the radiator, keep a close eye on the temperature gauge, and if it goes too high, whip the board out, and then put the blower on high for a while, that'll soon drop the temperature back.

If you're driving in deep fresh snow and there's no other traffic about, don't worry about "keep left" as such, use the middle of the road, especially if you're not familiar with the road, there's less chance of falling into a ditch that way.

That'll do for now, if it gets really bad, there are some other thoughts and tips on driving techniques as well, but they can wait for now.

Steve

Mr Benevolent

I ordered a pair of ice grips a few days ago, but since they've gone out of stock I'm going to put screws in my runners like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=us82woC7RMM

Overflow

Living in Norway I've picked up a few good tips:

1. Clear your driveway frequently, use grit and salt.

2. Layer your clothes, woolen layers are best.

3. The best tip of them all.

Dont you hate when this happens:


If you hate scraping ice of your car windows in the morning. Cover your front windshield with a blanket, yes any old blanket. Open the passenger and driver doors and tuck the blanket in and slam the doors closed on it.

Come morning time pull the blanket off and you have a ice free window

You can also of course cover the whole top of the car with a larger blanket so you cover all windows. In this case tuck a few inches of the blanket in at each door and close it.

4. Get some of these, the difference is amazing !

bbam

Overflow wrote: »

4. Get some of these, the difference is amazing !

These tyres are not allowed for use in Ireland, since we don't have a complete long lasting snow covering they would damage the road surface and so are not allowed..

fryup

Corruptedmorals wrote: »

I've worn YaxTrax- not the pro ones. They're great, you get the feeling that it can't be slippy at all until you see other people trying to walk on it. I wore them into shops no problem, you just have to plod a bit slowly. They ARE crap on cleared pavements though- one fell off.

i've ordered them too wouldn't get them till next week sometime:(

are they really crap on a cleared surface?

cafecreme

fryup wrote: »

i've ordered them too wouldn't get them till next week sometime:(

are they really crap on a cleared surface?

Yes, I got some yesterday and you'd break your neck slipping on an smooth surface indoors but I think cleared outdoor surfaces wear down the coils very quickly.

TinaOT

hi guys after numerous trips to carrickmines to try to get grips i finally found a place in bray who are stocking kids, ladies and mens sizes - €17.50 for kids & €25 for adults. I had bought a pair from safety direct for my mum but these ones seem to be a lot better. The place is called Go Tactical and its just opposite the Bray Dart Station.

Calibos

TinaOT wrote: »

hi guys after numerous trips to carrickmines to try to get grips i finally found a place in bray who are stocking kids, ladies and mens sizes - €17.50 for kids & €25 for adults. I had bought a pair from safety direct for my mum but these ones seem to be a lot better. The place is called Go Tactical and its just opposite the Bray Dart Station.

Jaysus. Theres me thinking I might try DIY because no where has them and there is someone selling them about 40 seconds walk from my house FFS

Nice one!! Thanks!

Graces7

bionic.laura wrote: »

As a knitter and a person who suffers from reduced circulation my tip is wool and lots of it! If you can get a merino base layer like an Icebreaker top do. They're expensive but worth it as they are lightweight, breathable and give you a warm layer under your clothes. Also long johns under trousers keep you nice and warm. I got a pair of wool and angora ones in Lidl for €13. Layers of clothes keep you warm and then you can always take them off when you go inside or start to heat up.

A hat is essential as are gloves. Mine are hand knit but any wool ones will work. I say wool as synthetic fibers just don't have the same insulating powers and they aren't as warm when wet. Silk, alpaca etc are also good if you are allergic to wool. On my feet I wear woolly socks and my leather hiking boots with a pair of these mini crampons and I didn't slip at all this year. They are the best €15 I ever spent.

This one is more for the ladies but I started using a rucksack instead of a handbag as if you start to slide it's easier to stop your fall if you aren't trying to save your handbag at the same time and you have both hands free.

Making me itch as a severe wool allergy here. Cannot even wear mix over other layers...

Not actually true re insulation; all natural fibes have that "wicking" effect and it is the layers that insulate and the air trapped between.

Silk or cotton next to the skin will do this and after that any layers. Synthetic fleece is excellent as the top layer.

Thermal over silk long johns is excellent and more windproof than wool; the silk wicks the moisture away .

Many thin layers achieve far more than a couple of thick ones.

Same with the head; a cotton cap then fleece.

Graces7

desolate sun wrote: »

Hot water bottles! Not just for bed! If like me you live in a cold draughty house, a hot water bottle on your lap or under your feet while watching TV is great!

Always keep a bottle of de-icer and a scraper in the car. Last week it was so cold, when I poured lukewarm water on my windscreen, it froze on contact!

I heard this one on the radio and don't know if it's that good but AFAIK it's tried and tested - Rub fire ashes directly onto car tyres for grip.

I also saw a lot of cars with newspapers on their windscreens - I assume it's for insulation?

Empty bleach bottle make excellent hot water bottles and last longer..

An old blanket on the car is better than newspapers; keeps windows clear and helos start on a cold morning. Funny to find it on return still car shaped

saintNsinnerr

serendip wrote: »

Also, my plea to the people of Ireland: Please clear the snow from the pavement outside your home.

In Germany , if someone slips in front of your house coz U were too lazy to clean the ice in the front , You have to compensate them..