Sedentary indoor cold wear

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jacob
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Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by jacob »

I scored one of these for $104: https://www.refrigiwear.com/product/men ... 344rnavlar

With longjohns and tshirt underneath, I guesstimate it's worth 1.5 clo units on its own. If I had to do it again, I think I'd get a less insulated one. This is really on the warm-to-hot side of 57F. I am now tempted to toss my previously existing solutions mentioned above.

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Jean
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Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by Jean »

Also, I think using clo is kinda taking the problem backwards. What matters ain't where you keep heat, but where you lose it. If there is a hole in youre bucket, it doesn't matter how tick it is.

enigmaT120
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Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by enigmaT120 »

Oh Jacob, I have several sets of insulated coveralls from Goodwill Surplus, 2.99/pound. They are why I don't bother to heat my shop.

brighteye
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Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by brighteye »

I can recommend anything from natural fibers (wool, fur, sheepskin...) for clothing.
And two other suggestions:
Paul Wheaton talks about incandescent light bulbs for spot heating (f. ex. feet, hands, upper body).
In Japan they use a kotatsu https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kotatsu, basically a thick blanket around the low table, with electrical heating or traditionally, charcoal.

Stahlmann
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Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by Stahlmann »

Preety deep analysis from you guys, as always ;-)

If we speak about about sedentary low temperature solutions - I don't get this problem. Here I prefer impromptou solutions.

Sleeping in colder room (especially on the floor) is bigger challenge. I observed, the more clothes, the better sleep.

simplex
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Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by simplex »

Somewhat related: I our climate, not heating often results in quite some moisture in the house. That means fungus on the walls etc.
So we do heat both for comfort and to keep the house inhabitable.

jacob
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Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by jacob »

jacob wrote:
Tue Mar 20, 2018 11:18 am
I scored one of these for $104: https://www.refrigiwear.com/product/men ... 344rnavlar

... If I had to do it again, I think I'd get a less insulated one.
Well, I did it again---even if I didn't have to---and bought the chillbreaker coveralls which fits my thermogenic/activity profile better at 57-60F. Also, this design has double-zippers that run all the way up to the hip bones (the other one only goes up to the knees) making it easy to cool down. Another plus is that it is less bulky. This makes it easier to cook, eat, plane, jump rope, and otherwise do stuff.

This is pretty much my everyday uniform. It's super-convenient.

enigmaT120
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Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by enigmaT120 »

Yeah those are like the ones I have for working in my shop.

cmonkey
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Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by cmonkey »

jacob wrote:
Fri Oct 26, 2018 1:58 pm
This is pretty much my everyday uniform. It's super-convenient.
Get one for DW too? Are you able to get that thermostat down any more than 61 F now? :D :lol:

tonyedgecombe
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Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by tonyedgecombe »

cmonkey wrote:
Fri Oct 26, 2018 7:21 pm
Get one for DW too? Are you able to get that thermostat down any more than 61 F now? :D :lol:
I'll bet she will find that really romantic :roll:

cmonkey
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Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by cmonkey »

tonyedgecombe wrote:
Sat Oct 27, 2018 7:33 am
I'll bet she will find that really romantic :roll:
DW and I always battle over the thermostat. I'll tick it down when she's not around and she'll do the same. We usually settle in the 64 spot for a while and then it'll start again. :lol: This is not good because we have a geo system and ticking it up will kick on stage 2 heating which isn't as efficient. I did tell her never tick it up 2 degrees because that kicks on stage 3 which is supplemental heat (aka as 10 bucks an hour heating).

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Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by 7Wannabe5 »

My BF won't even let me pee in my watering can in his van in the middle of the night when it is below freezing outside. So, he had to buy me a long flannel over-size nightgown to wear over my thermal underwear and pajama layers. So, then we had a fight in which he contemptuously used the phrase "frilly female things" and I used the phrase "bio-phobic stupid-head jerk."

jacob
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Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by jacob »

I just learned a "fun fact". Apparently 1cm of subcutaneous fat ~ 1 clo unit.

enigmaT120
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Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by enigmaT120 »

That might help my belly and love handles.... not much else. To be fair though I've never noticed those getting cold. How do I build up some fat on my feet?

white belt
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Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by white belt »

This past week I’ve experimented with my thermostat set to 63 during the day and 60 at night. During the day I usually wear a t shirt, long sleeve, sweatshirt, sweatpants, socks, and slippers. I actually quite like it and now feel pretty much the same as when I had the thermostat set 67 to 70 degrees (I just have more layers on). I feel more in touch with the seasons, although in my current area the winters are mild (days in 40s/50s and nights in 30s).

I have noticed that I need to be a bit quicker when in the bathroom or changing outfits before I’ll start to get cold. I also turn up the thermostat 5-10 degrees when I have company over since most people don’t like the cold. I’m not paying for my utilities at my current small studio, but I think if I am in my next house/apartment then I will turn down lower and get the chillbreaker coveralls Jacob uses

Has anyone tried to make a 4 poster bed frame/structure? I’m imagining something that can be set up during cold months and taken down for storage during warm months (almost like a tent built around the regular bed). I think using wood or PVC and heavy fabric for the curtains would work.

UK-with-kids
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Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by UK-with-kids »

I love the way setting a thermostat to 63 is classed as an experiment! That's 17.2 celcius, a temperature which our inadequate heating system struggles to heat our poorly insulated rented home up to even when it's been on since 4am. It's normally around 15 (59F) when I first come downstairs in the morning.

This winter I've worn full length thermals under my clothes for the first time, and I finally don't feel cold when sitting still working indoors. They also help a lot if you go outside for a few hours with the temperature around zero (32F). The ones I got are man-made fibres - I think wool can also be good if it's soft enough, but it's harder to wash and dry quickly. Cotton is what you need to avoid and is what the cheapest ones are usually made from.

jacob
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Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by jacob »

@UKwk - It's tricky to compare temperatures across the pond. US homes are mostly poorly insulated and rely on central air heating. This contrasts with the European approach of insulating the walls and using radiators for heating. Because of the lack of the radiative heating component in US homes they feel colder than European homes given the same air temperature.

mathiverse
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Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by mathiverse »

jacob wrote:
Sun Jan 17, 2021 3:00 pm
Because of the lack of the radiative heating component in US homes they feel colder than European homes given the same air temperature.
Couple of questions since I don't know anything about heating. Why does the central heating make up for the lack of radiative heat? Is there some reason to expect radiative heat to "feel" warmer than central heating?

white belt
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Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by white belt »

Well considering utilities are included in my rent, I could just as easily set it to 75 and hang out in shorts all day. As far as I can tell, my 300 square foot studio apartment has no insulation with 3 externally facing walls, floor that is raised 4 feet off the ground with external openings that allow wind to blow under it, and drafty windows. But as I mentioned, I’m in a higher humidity warmer climate in the American south, so my nighttime lows rarely dip below freezing. The apartment windows face every direction except South, so passive solar heat doesn’t help. It’s part of an old single family house that’s been converted into 2 units.

It’s such a small space though so it heats up very quickly when the central electric heat kicks on, to the point where the inside temperature will increase by 5+ degrees in a few minutes and sometimes enough to wake me up sweating under covers from the temperature change (another reason I decided to lower the thermostat, so it kicks on less often).

UK-with-kids
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Re: Sedentary indoor cold wear

Post by UK-with-kids »

That's interesting @Jacob but I wonder if it's entirely correct. Aren't "radiators" something of a misnomer as they don't actually radiate heat in the main, they heat the air around the radiator by convection? I thought the air around them rose to near the ceiling, and eventually once there's enough warm air in the room it makes it feel warmer lower down?

I've lived in one house in England where there was a central chimney with an oil fired boiler in it and vents in the walls of that chimney to allow warm air to circulate into the rooms - the house was built in the 1960s. However, the house I live in now has the more usual UK approach of a gas boiler which heats up water in its own closed system which is pumped through pipes widening into metal "radiators" in various rooms. We don't have the benefit of insulated walls as they are what we call "single skin" rather than a double wall with a cavity - this house was built in the 1930s. We also don't even have an insulated roof, as landlords still aren't required to invest in energy saving equipment that saves tenants money.

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