Sedentary indoor cold wear

Fixing and making things, what tools to get and what skills to learn, ...
jacob
Site Admin
Posts: 15907
Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2013 8:38 pm
Location: USA, Zone 5b, Koppen Dfa, Elev. 620ft, Walkscore 77
Contact:

Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by jacob »

Some of us for one reason or another (cost, environmental, risk, ...) put on a sweater and adapt instead of raising the thermostat setting when we're cold. I've found some configurations of clothing to be much more comfortable than others.

Reference point: Thermostat is set at 57F/14C with central heat and double-walled brick (no insulation).

I understand---very well, thank you very much---how physical activity changes the comfort level significantly. When I exercise [indoor, here], I just use a pair of running leggings (+ socks and shoes) to avoid overheating. If I plane or saw, I take 1-2 layers off the solutions below. But I can't spend all day doing power jumps or ripping 2x4s by hand, so here I'm interested in solutions for sitting on a chair for many hours straight, something which I can do all day :geek:

You'll note my obvious improvisation here ala "Wear all the clothes you have".

Solution #1 (The fisherman):
Feet: tennis socks + boatshoes (unsexy topsiders)
Bottom: Underwear + Long underwear + insulated overalls
Top: Tshirt + technical button-down shirt + big fisherman's sweater

Solution #2 (The hockey dork):
Feet: tennis socks + boatshoes (unsexy topsiders)
Bottom: Underwear + Long underwear + Hunting pants (~ thin jogging pants) + Baggy inline hockey pants
Top: Long underwear + Hockey Shirt + Fleece jacket (optional)

Solution #3 (The English professor):
Feet: tennis socks + boatshoes (unsexy topsiders)
Bottom: Underwear + Long underwear + Corduroy pants
Top: Tshirt + Dress shirt + Sweater + Suit jacket (all I need here is some leather elbow patches :-P )

Based on comments by C40 and 7wb5 (I think), I'm contemplating buying a snowsuit or an insulated coverall because "it's a lot less clothes"... so

Proposal #1 (The Freezer worker):
Feet: tennis socks + boatshoes (unsexy topsiders)
Under: Long underwear top and bottom
Over: https://www.refrigiwear.com/product/men ... 440rnavlar ($$$)

... problem here is that I'm not sure about the temperature rating. The link is rated for 10F... but I presume that's someone being moderately active. And maybe, like with sleeping bags, it's not clear whether the rating is "barely survives while wearing all your clothes" or "comfortable" or "center of the sun".

bryan
Posts: 1061
Joined: Sat Nov 29, 2014 2:01 am
Location: mostly Bay Area

Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by bryan »

Isn't this an almost ideal situation for a sweatshirt, sweatpants, and a nice pair of socks? :)

Maybe throw in something to cover your ears/head?

If you get too hot in the coverall, you can always unzip/unbotton the top portion (it's definitely a noticeable difference).

jacob
Site Admin
Posts: 15907
Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2013 8:38 pm
Location: USA, Zone 5b, Koppen Dfa, Elev. 620ft, Walkscore 77
Contact:

Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by jacob »

Yes, for 64F that's good, but not for 57F or 48F if anyone wants that. For 57F, you can count up that I have 3-4 full layers. For 64F I'd have around 2. For 68F, I have 1. And for 80F+ I have 0-1 (at 60% humidity).

That's why I gave the temperature parameters for the solution.

All solutions are welcome though.

theanimal
Posts: 2628
Joined: Fri Jan 25, 2013 10:05 pm
Location: AK
Contact:

Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by theanimal »

Why tennis socks? I wear thick wool socks and no shoes. For my lower half I am wearing synthetic insulated Mountain Hardwear pants over long underwear or drape a -20 below (I actually think its 0) sleeping bag over my legs. Upper half is long underwear plus hoody (hood is often up over head). I add an insulated jacket if I have the temp below 50. For my head I have a winter hat.

2 winters ago I kept my room around 40 to see what that was like. That included all of the above, meaning insulated pants plus sleeping bag over legs. My hands got cold from time to time. I've read elsewhere that fingerless wool gloves seem to do the trick.

bryan
Posts: 1061
Joined: Sat Nov 29, 2014 2:01 am
Location: mostly Bay Area

Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by bryan »

64F and I'm wearing shorts, t-shirt, and house slippers :D Maybe needs a more subjective gauge? Not a big solution space so not a big deal..

So one step up from sweat-clothes.. Hmm, honestly that (+ ear insulation for sure) works for me even approaching freezing, at which point I might also want something to keep the hands warm. Maybe add a scarf or deploy the sweatshirt hoodie?

I would also point out all sweats are not equal and it seems my concept of them is not common! Shopping results from a google search are underwhelming (brand i have looks thicker, and indeed 30% heavier than jogger sweatpants offering from same company.. "Jerzees Super Sweats NuBlend," 50/50 Cotton/Polyester)!

Now I'm wondering how much body hair @jacob might have :? :P

Yeah, @ffj on point regarding a snuggie!

jacob
Site Admin
Posts: 15907
Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2013 8:38 pm
Location: USA, Zone 5b, Koppen Dfa, Elev. 620ft, Walkscore 77
Contact:

Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by jacob »

Yeah ... probably better to look at a relative scale of 5F increments(*)(**). I remember doing 55F in the RV in a t-shirt in California ... but that's an entirely different ball game than Midwest Winter.

(*) And not one that involves "just adding another layer", because around layer 5, this is turning into the Michelin man.
(**) And ignore humidity for now.

Riggerjack
Posts: 3182
Joined: Thu Jul 14, 2011 3:09 am

Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by Riggerjack »

Well, I am dieting successfully for the first time in my life. I remember being warm in a T-shirt and light sweat shirt at 20f in Fairbanks, walking to school, but I'm cold at 70f right now. For someone who has overeaten, and been overheated, my whole adult life, this gas been an instructive change.

So I think you may find some adjustments to the timing of your eating to be a good way of fine tuning your results.

jacob
Site Admin
Posts: 15907
Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2013 8:38 pm
Location: USA, Zone 5b, Koppen Dfa, Elev. 620ft, Walkscore 77
Contact:

Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by jacob »

The thermogenic effect of eating is, in my experience, worth about 1 layer. (I take one layer off after dinner.)

A habit of heavy exercise (to the degree of soreness) is also worth 1 layer. (I take one layer off after exercise.)

saving-10-years
Posts: 554
Joined: Thu Oct 31, 2013 9:37 am
Location: Warwickshire, UK

Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by saving-10-years »

+1 to wearing a hat indoors (woollen) and wearing wool socks and jumpers. Because we have lots of wool here and I can prep, spin and knit it, this is a virtually free of charge clothing option around here. Only downside is that I am not the fastest knitter.

Not all yarn is equal in terms of how it is processed (spun). A longdraw handspun woollen yarn will be very lofty and airy (Judith MacKenzie McCuin claims that a good woollen* yarn may be up to 90% air). You probably won't encounter this this unless you know a handspinner willing to spin it for you. Wool is warm, comfortable, does not make you sweat and in longdraw prep is also light to wear. Downside is it will pill like mad and wear into holes more easily than worsted spun (hence darning).

@Jacob I can manage to knit a hat at reasonable speed if you want to do a test run.

*When a spinner talks of woollen she is talking about wool spun in the longdraw fashion (woollen style spinning). Getting the air out when spinning is called spinning worsted fashion and makes a smoother, less airy but harder wearing yarn.

slowtraveler
Posts: 722
Joined: Sun Jan 11, 2015 10:06 pm

Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by slowtraveler »

...
Last edited by slowtraveler on Sun Nov 08, 2020 11:40 am, edited 1 time in total.

Lucky C
Posts: 755
Joined: Sat Apr 16, 2016 6:09 am

Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by Lucky C »

Indoors I like wearing my alpaca wool hat because it is light and soft enough that it hardly feels like I'm wearing a hat at all. I have big ears that stick out and get cold, and regular winter hats cause some ear discomfort if I'm wearing them for a while. My alpaca hat just has flaps that rest on my ears without pinning them down. This is the type I'm talking about.

If you're going to be stationary anyway, why not keep a thin fleece blanket on your couch or chair? Even if you need your arms free you can keep your legs warm at least. If you really want to be toasty wrap yourself up in a down comforter.

Also, don't underestimate the amount of heat escaping through the back/bottom/sides of whatever you're sitting on. Obviously you would be colder on a stool vs. a couch. Synthetic memory foam traps heat fairly well. All else being equal, I would be warmer on our couch with synthetic memory foam than on our natural latex bed. Treat your chair or couch is an additional layer.

The final outer layer consists of the walls, floor, and ceiling. Have you positioned your primary sedentary seat near your source of heat? How close is it to the middle of the room, or exterior walls, or a drafty window? If there is just one spot where you spend most of your sedentary time in the winter, you could even create a room within a room type of thing. For example a seat positioned under a loft bed, with three sides consisting of bookshelves, and the 4th being a small door or blanket flap. Your own little claustrophobic cube of warmth.

Smashter
Posts: 541
Joined: Sat Nov 12, 2016 8:05 am
Location: Midwest USA

Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by Smashter »

I remember the ERE book saying that you could warm up up cold feet by imagining that you placed them in boiling water, or that you were stepping on hot coals. I wonder if that sort of consistent concentration, focused on your whole body, could help?

Lemon
Posts: 261
Joined: Sat May 30, 2015 2:29 am

Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by Lemon »

I use my Dive thermals + cotton shirt + underwear + hiking socks.

Sometimes that is a little too warm if exercise is involved at all.

jacob
Site Admin
Posts: 15907
Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2013 8:38 pm
Location: USA, Zone 5b, Koppen Dfa, Elev. 620ft, Walkscore 77
Contact:

Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by jacob »

@theanimal - I do have wool socks (seamless $$ hiking socks), but I consider the hassle of handwashing them too much.

@s10y - Thanks for the offer, but I already have plenty of hats reserved for the next level (52F)

@smashter - That only opens up bloodvessels to transfer heat from one area of the body (core) to the limbs.

halfmoon
Posts: 697
Joined: Mon Nov 07, 2016 10:19 pm

Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by halfmoon »

Lucky C wrote:
Sat Dec 09, 2017 4:44 am
If there is just one spot where you spend most of your sedentary time in the winter, you could even create a room within a room type of thing. For example a seat positioned under a loft bed, with three sides consisting of bookshelves, and the 4th being a small door or blanket flap. Your own little claustrophobic cube of warmth.
I love this idea.

When we were growing up, my father kept the thermostat in our drafty old Victorian house set at 58 all winter. When we would whine about being cold, he'd say "Jump up and down." ;) I spend a lot of time sitting in front of a computer, and I actually do take little jumping jack breaks when I get cold. My standard winter indoor uniform:

polyester long underpants
fleece sweats
two pairs of socks (first layer thin wool; second layer thick whatever I have)
thick slippers
hat
polyester long undershirt
fleece jacket

The Old Man
Posts: 503
Joined: Sat Jun 30, 2012 5:55 pm

Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by The Old Man »

Where I am now, it is in the low 50s F upper 40s F. I am perfectly fine wearing the following:

Feet: socks and boat shoes
Bottom: underwear and jeans
Top: undershirt, t-shirt, shirt, jacket. (If it gets much colder I would add a sweater underneath the jacket). Note, for indoors would replace the jacket with the sweater.

I think adding long underwear for the bottom is overdoing it for these temperatures.

theanimal
Posts: 2628
Joined: Fri Jan 25, 2013 10:05 pm
Location: AK
Contact:

Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by theanimal »

Sedentary is the key word. Set your thermostat at 55 degrees or lower and read a book or do something while sitting for a few hours. You'll realize long underwear is more than appropriate.

I just got back from a few hours ski at 15 degrees. Relatively warm for here, but cold nonetheless. I wore one layer top and bottom for that, no hat. Inside at 55 degrees or colder I wear what I listed above. Usually 1 to 2 additional layers. It's a big difference.

Campitor
Posts: 1227
Joined: Thu Aug 20, 2015 11:49 am

Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by Campitor »

When I work at home I set the thermostat to 60 and put on snow pants (over regular pants), a winter hat, and wool socks - I add/remove as needed. I stay comfortable all day and avoid the Michelin Man look. If you buy a small electric blanket, you can lower the thermostat to 52 and still stay warm.

You've probably read this already but I may have useful info to narrow your clothing choices in regards to undergarments: http://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2011/02/ ... rwear.html

jacob
Site Admin
Posts: 15907
Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2013 8:38 pm
Location: USA, Zone 5b, Koppen Dfa, Elev. 620ft, Walkscore 77
Contact:

Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by jacob »

@Campitor - I read it years ago but had forgotten all about it. It led me to this:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clothing_ ... d_garments so now we can do science!

For example: I'm currently wearing 1.36 clo units ("hockey dork"), whereas the "English professor" is listed in table 1 as 1.30 clo units, so at least this makes sense. The proposed long underwear + insulated coveralls comes in at 1.37 clo units, so it should be good.

To see how much clothes is needed to create comfort at a given temperature and activity level, use:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clothing_ ... quilibrium

Eye-balling the equation, it takes one additional clo unit for each 16.74F drop in temperature. More activity is easier to compute. They use 60W/m2 as the rest value and it's inversely proportional with the clo value. Slow walking (light work) doubles body heat output and so only requires half the clo value to feel comfortable. Fast walking (work) triples it and so only requires a third of the clothes.

Earlybath
Posts: 43
Joined: Thu Sep 22, 2016 8:43 am

Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by Earlybath »

Extra insulation when sedentary, sit in a sleeping bag.

http://www.kenilgunas.com/2014/11/the-a ... -warm.html

Post Reply