Sedentary indoor cold wear

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Jean
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Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by Jean »

an ideal winter indoor temperature, is one at which you only have to take off your anti wind/rain, layer., accounting that you are usually more active when outside than when inside.
I really hate it when it's so hot inside that longjohns are unbearable, and i then get nacked as a way of non verbally signify that people are wasting energy on heating.

guitarplayer
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Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by guitarplayer »

jacob wrote:
Wed Aug 31, 2022 6:32 am
Refrigiwear is just an insulated coverall for people who work in big freezers or in unheated places in the winter. I just chose it because it still happens to be inexpensive because it's not been discovered by hipsters yet, yes I see the irony. A quick google in the UK reveals brands like Delf and Coldstar?
From my Ebay inbox notifications:

Image

Hehe.

jacob
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Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by jacob »

All good things eventually come to an end. Get yours while you can.

M
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Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by M »

I assume this is a similar problem to being outside backpacking in the winter...

This is what I use:

Feet: wool socks + insulated boots
Legs: boxers, thermal underwear, fleece lined jeans (not best to wear this in the rain but should be fine indoors...I should probably change this for backpacking actually..)
Chest: thermal underwear long sleeve shirt (this makes a huge difference...), Sweater, hoodie, heavy winter coat with hood, winter gloves
Head: Fleece beanie, hood from hoodie, hood from winter coat. If it is really cold I will also wear a ski mask.

Combine all this with a good winter sleeping bag if sleeping in cold weather. I add and remove layers depending on physical activity and temperature to minimize sweating e.g. when walking I may only wear thermal underwear shirt if going up steep hill with sun on me, but at rest will almost always have all layers on. It is much harder to stay warm while sedentary vs just doing a little activity, especially when it is really cold out.

My brother never runs the heat inside his house until it is 32 degrees inside...and that's just to keep the pipes from freezing. He works inside, from home, completely sedantary while it is 32 degrees inside his house. His pipes have frozen a few times. He uses pants and coveralls then multiple layers of heavy sweatshirts and fleece beanie plus blankets. He says he is still cold though, since he isn't moving. I would not recommend but he is at very different Wheaton level.

M
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Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by M »

Thinking about this further...you may want a different solution all together depending on what you are doing.

My brother - who again keeps his house at 32 degrees in Midwest winters - used to have a small tent covered with several layers of blankets in one bedroom. He would then stay inside this tent with his laptop, tablet, phone, water, food, etc. This was basically his living quarters during the winter. He would keep the tent around 65 degrees using a small space heater on low. So it would be say 10 degrees outside, then 32 degrees in the house, then 65 degrees in the tent.

He eventually abandoned the tent idea when he did not want to spend the extra ten dollars a month or so to periodically run the space heater on low.

guitarplayer
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Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by guitarplayer »

@M, I have shared your brother's practice of a tent inside the house with someone a while back, the reaction was that of puzzlement. Having thought about it, I have come across a person who was practicing it - they bought a derelict house and were living in a tent in the house while refurbishing the house.

__________________________

Re sedentary indoor cold wear, I am going to get fingerless gloves.

guitarplayer
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Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by guitarplayer »

What a lovely creature DW is.

So I shared with her that I'd like to get fingerless gloves and whether she would like a pair. Possible to get them from China for $5 a pair on eBay. DW tells me 'no thank you, I already have a pair of gloves. You can take an old jumper and make yourself a pair'. I have no old jumper that I don't use. But I have plenty pair of socks and one sock with a hole in it. So I made myself a pair of fingerless gloves from an old pair of socks.

I want to give the hole for thumb a tiny stitch around, then I will post a photo.

ertyu
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Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by ertyu »

looking forward :D

guitarplayer
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Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by guitarplayer »

There is quite a bit of compression coming from them so I will see how I like them. Also, would be good if there was a bit more of a thumb bit.

Meanwhile, they double down for doing to the guitar what the soft pedal does to playing piano. Or what this piano player does in that moment.

Image

Creating music also raises temperature.

white belt
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Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by white belt »

I finally pulled the trigger and got myself some Refrigiwear: https://refrigiwear.com/product/chillbreaker-coveralls/

Note that you can currently get 25% off sitewide with coupon code ABFVIP22. Maybe wait a few days to see if they offer any steeper Black Friday discounts.

So far I've been wearing it the last week or so and I like it a lot. It is a bit bulkier than I was originally expecting, but I have adjusted to it. It feels much more comfortable and seemless than my previous solution involving essentially snow pants and multiple upper body layers. You really forget the room temperature is cooler than usual entirely. My north facing room stays between 60 and 63F during the winter even though my house has central heat. So now I just wear the coveralls whenever I'm sitting in my room and can even wear it when I'm outside for short walks. I haven't tried cooking with it much although the sleeves roll up easily, so it shouldn't be an issue.

I ordered DGF one but had to return it for a smaller size, so hopefully the XS works for her. She was a bit disappointed that they don't offer any coveralls in women's sizes/cuts (only overalls). She has a bunch of friends that work all day with horses on farms and thinks it makes a perfect winter outfit for that application as well.

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seanconn256
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Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by seanconn256 »

I have been experimenting with this myself, I have been having trouble heating my hands and feet mostly.

I have found putting my feet on a pillow + double socks + slippers seems to work okay. I also jiggle my feet when they get too cold, which works suprisngly well.

The hands have been more difficult, I have put a heating pad on my desk to warm my keyboard, and have tried zipping the heating pad into my jacket to warm my core as well, with the theory that the excess heat will go to my extremedies. Both seem to work a little.

I have also tried holding mugs of hot soup and liquids when possible, but that doesnt seem to last long enough.

The fingerless gloves are a good idea @guitarplayer , I may get some

jacob
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Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by jacob »

seanconn256 wrote:
Mon Nov 21, 2022 5:11 pm
The fingerless gloves are a good idea @guitarplayer , I may get some
Anecdotal .. I've that wearing fingerless gloves ruins my typing. (Generalization fallacy beware: It might just take some getting used to.)

Flip-side: When I'm overheating, I adjust my heat loss through my head (hats and gaiters) and hands (gloves).

The main challenge [for me] seems to be to avoid heat differentials between various bodyparts. This could be an age thing. I'm 47 now.

ertyu
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Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by ertyu »

I'm running the experiment of living without AC as the temperature drops for the first time. I can afford heat as my bill is subsidized but I for now I'm doing it more for the experiment than for the savings. It's been below freezing for the past 2 days now. Unsure of the temp inside the apt, but im feeling it :D

I found I really enjoyed the cool temperature after warming up via jogging in place, which is a neat synergy -- no heating forces periodic movement + coolness is enjoyable. The really interesting finding for me though was that I feel much warmer walking outside, at lower temp, than wearing the same clothes (minus shoes and coat) while under my thick comforter in bed. Amazing.

As for keeping your fingers warm, I recommend getting a 200-dollar laptop without a fan that cools through the back lid (the instructions say, "do not use in tropical conditions" hahaha) :lol:. I often tuck a hand under it to warm it.

white belt
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Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by white belt »

ertyu wrote:
Thu Dec 01, 2022 9:26 am
I found I really enjoyed the cool temperature after warming up via jogging in place, which is a neat synergy -- no heating forces periodic movement + coolness is enjoyable. The really interesting finding for me though was that I feel much warmer walking outside, at lower temp, than wearing the same clothes (minus shoes and coat) while under my thick comforter in bed. Amazing.
Yes, this is well documented in earlier posts in the thread. Hence the need for more robust solutions to stay warm during sedentary activity.

I would recommend getting a cheapo thermometer to monitor temperatures if experimenting with low/no heating solutions. This will give you a baseline and help you to figure out which temperatures require which solutions. It will also give you an idea if/when you're getting close to freezing temperatures.

zbigi
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Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by zbigi »

As for cheapo electronic thermometers, I have two and the discrepancy between what they show is usually around 4 C. Hence for example right now I don't really know if it's 18 C or 22 C inside...

ertyu
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Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by ertyu »

My AC has an app that displays what the AC thinks the room temp is. According to that and the weather app, it is now 6C outside and 14.6C in the room im in (14.3C in the vacant room which is half the size of the current one + window is smaller and looks out on a balcony that's been fully glass-covered -- what's the name for that in english??). I am considering moving to the smaller room for the winter as the window isn't drafty bc it's not directly to the outside + smaller room needs less heat. At 14.6C I am a very happy potato in my fleece pajamas under the duvet. Only my fingers are cold.

AxelHeyst
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Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by AxelHeyst »

Does anyone have recommendations for thermometers, or skills related to the use of thermometers, to measure temperature to within one degree C accuracy? Everywhere I've looked I've held off because the reviews show discrepancies like zbigi mentioned. My *skin* is accurate to within 4C, I don't need a device to tell me that. I'd like to do some calcs that require one deg C though.

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mountainFrugal
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Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by mountainFrugal »

Depending if you want to measure things and record them over time or just get a quick readout: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermocouple .
You can attach a thermocouple to a multi-meter if it has an input to measure the voltage differential. Or you could get more sophisticated and build a temperature data logger out of an arduino or similar. Thermocouples are very specific in their sensitivities based on build quality. For accurate 1 deg C I am guessing it will cost at least $20. https://www.mcmaster.com/thermocouples/

add: https://www.microlink.co.uk/tctable.html Lower quality builds have trouble with absolute accuracy. I am now remembering doing various temp response curves to make sure my devices were accurate.

guitarplayer
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Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by guitarplayer »

We watch our thermometer like it's a TV, cheering for the temperature to go up. So far it's been mostly 15 C in the mornings, occasionally 14. When we are both in the office / living room thinking hard and having cups of tea with an occasional candle, it can go up to 20. Happy days.

We also have an old style mercury thermometer (I don't know how I am ever going to dispose of it; was an inheritance from the old place), it normally shows 2-4 C less. Is this the ultimate accuracy thermometer?

jacob
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Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by jacob »

You can verify the zero point of the thermometer by dumping it in into ice water (water with ice in it will be at 0C/32F). Tap water should be fine. Would suggest sealing the thermometer in a clear water proof bag (ziploc) if it can't handle being immersed.

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