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I’m no stranger to colds. I grew up in Alaska, where the extreme cold of winter was similar to the deep freeze that recently affected thousands of people in the South, Northeast and Midwest.
One particularly cold February in the mid-80s, I walked to school with slightly damp hair and accidentally broke my bangs when I tried to get the icy spikes out of my eyes. It stopped immediately. true story
We basically had wool then. Itchy, scratchy – getting slightly damp and staying that way – wool to keep us warm. Today, a new line of relatively inexpensive gadgets, a myriad of high-tech heated outerwear, and some far-out “right” tech tools promise to keep us safe, comfortable, and even competent when the cold sets in.
But what really works as temperatures drop, streets and sidewalks turn into skating rinks, and the power goes out — and stays on? To find out, we turned to the people who live, work, play, live — and thrive — in epic-freezing cold climates.
Body Basics: Base layers, hats, gloves, warmers
You learn a lot about keeping your hands and feet warm when you regularly work in temperatures below what the outdoor thermometer registers.
“I’ve worked in minus 70°,” says Dave Ashcraft, 43, who works in the northern region of the Alaska Pipeline near Prudhoe Bay. “Our work is outside,” he tells me over direct message. “All exposed skin freezes quickly, so it has to be covered. Your eyes will also freeze.”
Ashcraft says he’s tried almost everything, and his top picks today include the No Fog Neoprene Mask ($45), 313 RefrigiWear Gloves ($21.50), and an extra outer layer made specifically to go over his boots.
“No matter what kind of boots I tried, they were never enough when it was cold and windy. So I wear neos insulated over-boots and use foot warmers if needed. Neos are real lifesavers and without them it wouldn’t be possible to stay out longer to work,” he says. (Neos are about $150, and Hothands warmer packs are $30 for a pack of 16).
Strap-on spikes are another necessity in snow and ice – like tire chains for your shoes. I have a pair of Kahtoola NANOspikes ($50) for running which are light and easy to pull on most shoes. For more snow, ice, or even those tailbone-breaking, black-ice-coated front steps, a pair of Yaktrax Diamond Grip ICEtrekkers ($55) may be more appropriate.
“When you walk outside and it’s minus 50° and the wind pushes it below minus 70°, it doesn’t matter how many layers I have on; It just cuts,” says North Slope worker Gaylin Mertz.
In DM’s series, the 48-year-old Alaskan touts the benefits of heat packs and high-tech base layers. “If the wind (blows) hard enough to pick up any snow, it’s like getting sandblasted in your face (with a fire hose).”
Balaclavas – or face coverings, goggles and high-tech base layers work well for extremes. Some of the top choices include:
- The Seirus Wind Pro X-Treme ($40) hood keeps your head, ears and chin warmer and claims to be four times more wind resistant than regular fleece.
- ActionHeat’s 5V battery-heated fleece ($100) face cover has small electrical coils embedded on either side near your ear. Press the thumbprint-sized button to turn it on to get three heat levels.
I have tried Outdoor Research, Patagonia, North Face, REI and many other balaclavas that keep frost down even in extreme cold.
“Of course, the key for cold weather is layers, layers, layers,” adds ultra-athlete and adventurer Frank Fumich.
The 55-year-old father of twins from McLean, Virginia, recently skied to the South Pole. He’s also done a 350-mile leg race through Denali – North America’s highest peak – and the Arctic Circle at the top of Canada.
” Many levels enable you to get off and on [clothing] You do different levels of activity, which is key to maintaining a good body temperature and comfort level,” he says.
Fumich starts with “cool-light merino wool or something similar.”
Icebreaker makes sets for men and women that do a great job of keeping you comfortable when you’re active – wicking away sweat and moisture – but then also keep you toasty and warm when you stop. Both the Men’s/Women’s BodyFitZone Merino 260 Zone Long Sleeve Crewe Top and the Men’s/Women’s BodyFitZone Merino 260 Zone Leggings are on sale for $91, down from $140.
Another set I’m practically living in right now is the Helly Hansen Lifa Merino Midweight Half-Zip Top ($110) and Lifa Active Baser Leggings ($55).
My husband gave it to me last Christmas for running and riding (horses and bikes) outdoors in the Pacific Northwest. I can’t believe how warm they keep me.
Do beanies keep you warm?
Hot beanies are all the rage right now, if not among North Slope workers or ultra-adventure athletes—because they’re so hard to keep charged. But for those of us with regular access to a power outlet, some get high marks from verified buyers on Amazon, including;
SVPRO Battery Heated Beanie ($63). It charges for up to seven hours and has the highest four-star+ rating (nearly 200) on Amazon.
Sun Wills’ ($60) heated fleece topper also lasts up to eight hours on low heat or three to four hours on high, and also gets high marks from reviewers on Amazon.
Rechargeable hand warmers are a great go-to, especially if they can also charge your other gadgets. My top picks include:
- Celestron Elements FireCel+ ($60) because it fits in the palm of my hand and can recharge another gadget while warming my frosty fingers. It stays hot for more than seven hours of continuous use on a single charge. One thing I don’t like about it – it takes six hours to recharge. There is a long time between ski runs.
- Ocoopa’s ($35) HO1 10,000mAh Rechargeable Hand Warmer has three levels of heat and can hold a charge for up to 15 hours at a time. I also like Ocoopa’s UT2 MagTwin ($43) model, which is basically two warmers/chargers that you can use as one device or as two separate warmer/charger combos.
I have used Hothands many times in the bitter cold. These are great for warming small areas like hands or feet, but don’t cover much of the overall area.
Touchscreen gloves are another modern must-have. Some concrete sets are included
Moshi Digi ($30) touchscreen gloves
and Black Diamond Heavyweight Screentap ($50) fleece gloves.
Back-up batteries
Whether you live, work or play in a crazy-cold climate or face a “once-in-a-lifetime” winter storm, cold drain batteries – period.
“I sleep in my -40F rated sleeping bag with my phone and battery, jammed up against the skin under my long underwear to keep it warm and charged,” said Fumich, who also carries a backup charger on adventures.
It’s also a good idea to keep a few of these charged in your home and car emergency kit. Some top picks:
- Zendure’s palm-sized Powerbank Supermini ($46). These were hands down my favorite during a trip to the UK last fall. It’s still small and light enough to fit in the palm of your hand, recharging a smartphone up to 50% in less than 30 minutes. It can power a laptop, tablet and even two phones at the same time.
- I also like the Einova by Eggtronic 63W Ultra Fast Power Bank ($70). It weighs just under a pound and charges up to three devices simultaneously, including laptops, tablets, smartphones and most gaming devices.
Solar chargers can also come in handy – even in winter. I like the Hilucky 26800mAH Solar Charger ($26). It can power-up an iPhone eight times on a single charge and doubles as an LED flashlight.
We touched on portable back-up generators in a column last month, but now is a good time for this emergency reminder.
Over the years I’ve reviewed great backup devices from Genevers, Zackery, and Ecoflow. We keep at least four of these charged year-round, so they’re ready to go in an emergency.
Smart Home Tech:Is smart home technology a smart move? Here’s what to consider.
A few other technical tools are at hand
When storms knock out power — as it recently did for more than 400,000 people in Texas — emergency lanterns that can also charge other gadgets.
Past storm coverage favorites that I still use include:
LuminAID’s PackLite Max 2-in-1 Emergency Lantern with Charger (starts at $50).
When it comes to long-lasting bright light, nothing I’ve tried can hold a candle to the UST 60-Day Duro Lantern ($100). It shines a soft, glow-y light for up to two months on six D batteries.
Download this emergency app
Zello is a free app that turns your smartphone into a hybrid walkie-talkie/police scanner. If you have a cellular network or WiFi connection, you can use Zello like a two-way radio to stay in touch with a pre-set group of people. It’s not as good as a satellite phone, but it’s free, easy, and can be a great way to check on elderly relatives.
And just because…
I used a credit card to clear snow off my windshield, but for future digging and de-icing, check out Yarbo’s S1 Snow Blower, available for pre-order now for $3,839. The autonomous snow-blowing bot hugs the brrr to clear heavy snow and ice — and it shoots 40 feet away. It won’t hit the market until next winter (October 2023), but it gives us all something to save and dream about as we weather this latest storm.
Jennifer Jolly is an Emmy Award-winning consumer technology columnist. The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of USA TODAY.
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