So you want us to believe you weren't cold?

[Luke's Angel]

Physiological differences mean men do produce more heat then women. Differences in mass, muscle mass, metabolism and activity level account for significant differences in heat output. Keep in mind that even things like digesting a bigger meal take more energy as well and you can begin to get the picture.

 

[Weird Harold]

We met you leaving Barnes and Noble. We were the pair scurrying in dressed like Paddington Bear. You held the door for us, thanks. Remember now?

Just a possible explanation here -- I don't like to drive wearing a heavy coat or gloves; I also don't think it's worth the hassle of bundling up to go a few dozen yards from a warm car to a heated store because I'm just going to have to un-bundle when I get inside to keep from over-heating.

One other point -- I used to have a heavy flannel over-shirt, more of a jacket than a shirt, that was quilted with "Thinsulate(tm)" high-tech insulation. It looked like a cool-weather windbreaker, but it was the thermal equivalent of a heavy goose-down jacket.

Your door-holder might have been dressed warmer than he looked and more concerend with overheating inside than freezing outside.

 

[rgraham666]

I dress for the weather. But then I have to. I have no insulation of my own and I'll freeze very quickly if I don't dress appropriately.

Plus I'm way too old to have to prove anything to anybody.

 

[BlackShanglan]

... or is it a stoic rite of manhood to prance about in the dead of winter dressed as if it's Midsummer's Eve?

I just love a good stoic macho rite of prancing. Thanks for that image, and kisses to the little stuffed horsey.

 

[trysail]

I will add a last thought. It has always amazed me how warm physical activity makes me. When shoveling snow off the driveway, I'd start off bundled up, resembling, in profile, either the Michelin Man or the Pillsbury Doughboy. In fairly short order, I'd be sweating profusely and would be down to no gloves and a single chamois shirt.

The same phenonmena occurs when skiing.

There's an old Yankee expression that states:
"Burning wood will heat you twice-
once when you cut it and once when you burn it."

 

[oggbashan]

In the UK it's a girl thing too.

I've seen teenagers queuing outside a nightclub in sleet and gale-force winds.

The girls were wearing wearing strappy tops with bare midriffs. It was obvious that they weren't wearing bras because they could have been entrants in the wet T-shirt contest. On girl was wearing a short vinyl skirt. The sleet was running down the back of her legs into her shoes.

Any Friday or Saturday night in most UK towns, whatever the temperature, the girls wear a lot of skin. Wearing or even carrying a coat seems to be out of fashion.

The boys wear little more above the waist. A thin T-shirt seems to be all that their peer group allows.

It may be the alcohol or the drugs. Ecstasy tablets can muck up the body's temperature regulation.

Og

 

[trysail]

In the UK it's a girl thing too.

Amen! One of the numerous reasons I've always been delighted to carry XY chromosomes is that I had absolutely no interest, whatsoever, in wearing a skirt in freezing cold weather!

When the thermometer read 20° (F.), I'd say to myself, "Those gals are out of their minds!"

 

[rachlou]

In the UK it's a girl thing too.

I've seen teenagers queuing outside a nightclub in sleet and gale-force winds.

The girls were wearing wearing strappy tops with bare midriffs. It was obvious that they weren't wearing bras because they could have been entrants in the wet T-shirt contest. On girl was wearing a short vinyl skirt. The sleet was running down the back of her legs into her shoes.

Any Friday or Saturday night in most UK towns, whatever the temperature, the girls wear a lot of skin. Wearing or even carrying a coat seems to be out of fashion.

The boys wear little more above the waist. A thin T-shirt seems to be all that their peer group allows.

It may be the alcohol or the drugs. Ecstasy tablets can muck up the body's temperature regulation.

Og

Sadly the stupidity of inappropriate clothing isn't restricted to teenagers. Round my neck of the woods (oop norf), the average balding tattoed guy with an IQ of less than 60, thinks it's macho to be seen out and about in the dead of winter, wearing nowt but a thin t shirt above the waist. They think it looks MANLY! I think they look plain dumb. Probably why I don't go out locally.

 

[Penelope Street]

Physiological differences mean men do produce more heat then women. Differences in mass, muscle mass, metabolism and activity level account for significant differences in heat output. Keep in mind that even things like digesting a bigger meal take more energy as well and you can begin to get the picture.

Thank you. Cat's separate comments about working up a sweat and being in near freezing water got me to thinking about swimming in the ocean, one of the few athletic endeavours that appear to favor women because of our higher fat ratio- but is it because it makes us warmer, or because we float better, or both?

Just a possible explanation here -- I don't like to drive wearing a heavy coat or gloves; I also don't think it's worth the hassle of bundling up to go a few dozen yards from a warm car to a heated store because I'm just going to have to un-bundle when I get inside to keep from over-heating.

One other point -- I used to have a heavy flannel over-shirt, more of a jacket than a shirt, that was quilted with "Thinsulate(tm)" high-tech insulation. It looked like a cool-weather windbreaker, but it was the thermal equivalent of a heavy goose-down jacket.

Your door-holder might have been dressed warmer than he looked and more concerend with overheating inside than freezing outside.

Would you believe I just chatted about this with a jacketless man in line while we were waiting to vote? Maybe the better question is, why am I not uncomfortable inside with my coat on?

Anyway, great possible explanation, thanks. Except the driving without gloves part. Doesn't your steering wheel get cold? I forgot mine one day last week. Never again! Thanks for the tip on Thinsulate- could be a real winner if it comes in the right size. And blue!

I dress for the weather. But then I have to. I have no insulation of my own and I'll freeze very quickly if I don't dress appropriately.

You were someone I thought of because you're so skinny. but then again you're not far enough north for it to get really cold.

I just love a good stoic macho rite of prancing. Thanks for that image, and kisses to the little stuffed horsey.

I agree, macho prancing can have its appeal, but not when the stupid ingredient dominates the prancing recipe!

 

[Penelope Street]

Either become a Geordie or play football

Well, I'm not going to play football, so what's a Geordie?

In the UK it's a girl thing too.

I've seen teenagers queuing outside a nightclub in sleet and gale-force winds.

The girls were wearing wearing strappy tops with bare midriffs. It was obvious that they weren't wearing bras because they could have been entrants in the wet T-shirt contest. One girl was wearing a short vinyl skirt. The sleet was running down the back of her legs into her shoes.

Any Friday or Saturday night in most UK towns, whatever the temperature, the girls wear a lot of skin. Wearing or even carrying a coat seems to be out of fashion.

The boys wear little more above the waist. A thin T-shirt seems to be all that their peer group allows.

Yikes. Does this say something about the average intellect of those drawn to clubbing? I can't say if the youthful bar crowd does anything similar here, but I guess it shouldn't surprise me.

Amen! One of the numerous reasons I've always been delighted to carry XY chromosomes is that I had absolutely no interest, whatsoever, in wearing a skirt in freezing cold weather!

I'm with you- bare legs are for summer!

oop norf

I don't think you needed to say anything else!

 

[rgraham666]

You were someone I thought of because you're so skinny. but then again you're not far enough north for it to get really cold.

We've had a couple of -20C (-4F) days this year.

I don't think it's really cold until it hits -30C (-22F) though. I've worked outdoors in -45C (-49F) a couple of times in my life.

 

[tickledkitty]

So, now that you've pointed this out, Penny, I've been seeing guys with no coats all day. I just saw two of them going into the grocery store.

 

[SeaCat]

Okay so you think it's just a guy thing?

Just go downtown in a relatively large city on a cold night and check out what the Street Walkers are wearing.

Cat

 

[Guest]

Okay so you think it's just a guy thing?

Just go downtown in a relatively large city on a cold night and check out what the Street Walkers are wearing.

Cat

Ah, but that's commerce.

Job-related apparel.

May even be tax-deductible.

 

[tickledkitty]

Okay so you think it's just a guy thing?

Just go downtown in a relatively large city on a cold night and check out what the Street Walkers are wearing.

Cat

I know, I know. I even see moms picking up their kids at my daughter's school with no coats.

 

[Trombonus]

I personally like it cold. Yesterday I wore a t-shirt while everyone else was in sweats. Half the time I'm stripping off layers of clothes because I feel hot and I'll be listening to everyone else complain about how cold they are. If there was snow around here I bet I'd even roll around in it with no clothes on (that's right, I mean buck ass naked).

 

[cloudy]

My SO is Canadian. I freeze and he sweats....at the same temp.

Go figure.

 

[CrimsonMaiden]

I have a tendency to go out without a coat on. Most of the time, it's because I'm hot inside the house and don't want to put on an extra layer even if it means being cold outside.

 

[Weird Harold]

Anyway, great possible explanation, thanks. Except the driving without gloves part. Doesn't your steering wheel get cold? I forgot mine one day last week. Never again!

I said I didn't like to drive with gloves on, not that I wouldn't drive with gloves on; Once the blazer warms up, the steering wheel warms up and the gloves come off -- although my problem is more often the reverse problem; dark grey blazer, 100F+ temperature in shade and no shade makes gripping the shifter or steering wheel a real game of hot potato.

Thanks for the tip on Thinsulate- could be a real winner if it comes in the right size. And blue!

Thinsulate is a brand name and it's been around for 20-25 years or so and there are numerous generic versions available now. It's generally labeled as "space age" or "high tech" -- nowadays, I mostly see the thinsulate (tm) on gloves outside of the hunting/outdoors catalogs (or in cabela's catalog: http://www.cabelas.com/prod-1/0040223970499a.shtml )

 

[Penelope Street]

Okay so you think it's just a guy thing? Just go downtown in a relatively large city on a cold night and check out what the Street Walkers are wearing.

is right, but it's still a guy thing, isn't it? Just a different manner of guy thing! I'm not sure what it says about my sheltered life, but I can't recall ever having seen another woman I thought to be a prostitute.

If there was snow around here I bet I'd even roll around in it with no clothes on (that's right, I mean buck ass naked).

Finally! A sporting event that might be worth watching.

I have a tendency to go out without a coat on. Most of the time, it's because I'm hot inside the house and don't want to put on an extra layer even if it means being cold outside.

Ok, I'm not getting it. Why would you be too hot inside your home during the winter? And intentionally being uncomfortable outside too, isn't that like two wrongs making a bigger wrong?

Thinsulate is a brand name and it's been around for 20-25 years or so and there are numerous generic versions available now. It's generally labeled as "space age" or "high tech" -- nowadays, I mostly see the thinsulate (tm) on gloves outside of the hunting/outdoors catalogs (or in cabela's catalog: http://www.cabelas.com/prod-1/0040223970499a.shtml )

I looked it up at work, right after driving past 3M- go figure! Maybe I need to be a little more open-minded about synthetic fabrics. Thanks for the shopping link. I really like the vest.

 

[oggbashan]

My thinsulate gloves cost two pounds in our local market.

My cold weather vest (garment worn next to skin on upper body) is a high tech mountaineering version. Heat is kept in. Water vapour passes through and it can be washed in cold water. My outer jacket is waterproof but breathable. My jeans (Marks and Spencer) are water-repellent but feel the same as ordinary denim.

21st century outdoor clothing can appear to be normal but has protection factors that the 1953 Everest climbers would have coveted.

The one achievement I don't appreciate is T-Shirts that change colour according to the body temperature. It just shows that Ladies "glow" when dancing... However such a T-shirt can be a useful diagnositic tool for doctors and is much cheaper than a thermal camera.

Og

 

[Penelope Street]

My thinsulate gloves cost two pounds in our local market.

My cold weather vest (garment worn next to skin on upper body) is a high tech mountaineering version. Heat is kept in. Water vapour passes through and it can be washed in cold water. My outer jacket is waterproof but breathable. My jeans (Marks and Spencer) are water-repellent but feel the same as ordinary denim.

21st century outdoor clothing can appear to be normal but has protection factors that the 1953 Everest climbers would have coveted.

I guess I really have become a fabric snob, especially when it comes to undergarments. So this vest is soft enough to wear right next to the skin? Looking good is nice, but feeling good is more important to me. My mechanic is an avid critter killer, so I bet he knows a little about cold weather clothes. I feel a little silly that I didn't think to ask him without such a hint. Thanks!

 

[Weird Harold]

I guess I really have become a fabric snob, especially when it comes to undergarments. So this vest is soft enough to wear right next to the skin?

Don't get trapped by the language barrier. A "vest" in England is an Undershirt -- Ogg's "vest" would be found in the thermal underwear section in the US; it's not the same kind of "vest" you linked to at cabela's.

 

[gauchecritic]

Don't get trapped by the language barrier. A "vest" in England is an Undershirt -- Ogg's "vest" would be found in the thermal underwear section in the US; it's not the same kind of "vest" you linked to at cabela's.

and if you go to a "Western" outfitters run by Eastern Europeans they'll sell you a Doc Holiday item of apparel in vivid colours known as a vild vest.

Edited for pronunciation. It would actually be a vild west. As my father would occasionally ask my mother "Where are my western pants?"

 

[Penelope Street]

Don't get trapped by the language barrier. A "vest" in England is an Undershirt -- Ogg's "vest" would be found in the thermal underwear section in the US; it's not the same kind of "vest" you linked to at cabela's.

Well, colour me trapped. And all this time I thought it was safe to chat with an Englishman when not discussing athletics or automobiles!

and if you go to a "Western" outfitters run by Eastern Europeans they'll sell you a Doc Holiday item of apparel in vivid colours known as a vild vest.

Edited for pronunciation. It would actually be a vild west. As my father would occasionally ask my mother "Where are my western pants?"

Good to know if I'm ever in Eastern Europe, but I missed the part where you explained what a Georgie is.