How to Survive Winter

It never fails to amaze me that many people living in the British Isles don’t have winter clothes; we live in a climate where it’s chilly and damp for about six months every year. Yet you see people wearing exactly the same clothes they wear in summer, possibly with the addition of a big woolly jumper, and wondering why they’re cold. A few have got as far as the “layers are good” principle, and for those of us who were in the grunge generation, they’re a natural enough choice anyway.

However, you need more, namely hats, scarves and gloves. You lose an unbelievable amount of heat through the top of your head, and a hat will prevent that. It’s up to yourself what you want to wear, as long as there’s something there. Gloves, likewise, cold hands make you miserable. Mittens will do if you don’t need much manual dexterity when you’re outside, and if your place of work or study is really cold, fingerless gloves can improve things hugely. Scarves are another essential item; cold winds can make your neck stiff, and a good scarf will prevent a lot of that.

In terms of materials, leather can be a good outer layer. I feel you can’t beat wool for scarves, but there are a lot of high-tech materials for gloves and hats now, many of which combine waterproofing with warmth and lightness. Fleece is foremost among these, and is easy to get hold of. Gore-Tex^TM is an excellent choice; it’s expensive, but if you walk to work or college in winter, it will stand you in very good stead. A good wool coat can also be an advantage, but make sure to dry it if it gets wet - wool dries well, but putting on a wet wool garment is an unpleasant experience. Cotton is very bad; it soaks up water and holds it, so wearing cotton on a wet winter’s day can make you a lot colder than otherwise.

Good solid shoes or boots will take you a long way too. Canvas sneakers are bad news; they retain water if they get wet enough. If you absolutely have to have high heels or other fancy shoes, then bring them in a bag and put them on when you get where you’re going - you’ll be more comfortable while travelling, and able to keep going for longer when you get there.

If you have solid shoes, you’ll have dry socks, and that’s a good thing. There’s little more miserable than wet socks on a cold day, though, so even if you have suitable winter footwear, keep nice dry socks where you can get to them easily. It’s worth keeping a pair of big woolly socks for wearing around the house, too - I find them more comfortable than slippers, and if you’re in the habit of curling your feet up under you when you sit, they work out a lot better.

If you’re low on cash, and thinking you can get away without a winter wardrobe, think about it this way - by the time you’ve paid for more heating to warm yourself up when you get in, or a coffee every second day on the way to work or college just so you can get into the nice warm coffeeshop, you’ll probably cover the cost.