1) Hot water bottles to warm the bed ... but not too hot ... once I was so tired that I slept through a bottle branding my right knee ... the burn scar remains to this day ...
2) Fleece sheets are the most amazing winter gift we've ever received. Forget flannel sheets--FLEECE is amazing.
3) Helly Hansen LIFA thermal underlayers ... my first roommate Jon Faucette recommended this to me and it is amazing how it traps in the warmth under other layers ... and since it is made for sports, it is thin and made for action--great for evangelistic forays into the mountain villages ... keeps me warm and wicks away the sweat ...
4) Warm feet. I consistently have problems here, and when the feet get cold, everything gets cold. Ideas?5) And how in the world do you keep the tip of your nose warm?
Comments anyone?
(Thanks to my brother-in-law John for this photo ...)
22 responses:
Living in WY (at -20 last week) we have our challenges as well. We have found that fleece socks (I have some by Wyoming Wear...they also make slippers called Teton Toasters) are just as amazing as fleece sheets. =) Also, Hot Hands handwarmers are a big help, and, when outdoors for any length of time, a good balaclava (the kind where the polar fleece comes over the nose) by Turtle Fur keeps the nose warm.
Used to use bags of rice. Just plain old rice in a cloth bag, popped into the microwave. Of course, you would need a microwave, which you may not have in some parts of the world. But if you do, the bag will feel great in your bed and it won't open and get your bed wet.
Feet. If you can get the little charcoal hand warmers. As long as the bags are unopened, they last for years. Stuff one into the toe of your shoe or boot and they do great to keep toes warm. Maybe a missionary can not buy them on location, but they could be given to you from people stateside. Very cheap and take little space to ship. I have used them many times.
Furthering the rice comment (and assuming you have a microwave), my girls love the warmers a lady in our church has given them. She takes nice place mats folds them (either direction, depending on the size you want) and fills them about half way with field corn (or the like). Microwave for 3 minutes and their awesome for a bed (sans the scars), lap, neck and shoulders, feet, etc. And they could probably be heated without a microwave--carefully. :)
Under Armor (tights, gloves, hat) is amazing. I jog at 10 degrees and am comfortable.
Not sure any of this is real mission field friendly. Sorry.
Love your tips, by the way. We're not missionaries, but my husband is a church planting pastor, and we don't have much. We live in a drafty house that's over 100 years old. So, not much insulation here, either.
I concur with the nose warmer!! You can be in bed all snuggly, but your nose is cold. Can't hide under the sheets cause you suffocate in there. I'm thinking of attaching elastic to a triangular shaped piece of something (fleece, flannel). Kind of like the light blocking eyewear that some women use to sleep with, only this will warm the nose.
For the feet, of course water proof shoes are a must. You can buy base layer, sweat-wicking socks as well. Under a pair of wool socks, this works pretty well. Hunting stores are the best source I've found. There are those gimmicky battery heated socks - which do really work, but you need to replace batteries. Also, the hand warmer people have options for the feet. "Toasty Toes" is the local Wal-Mart version.
Our advice...be a missionary on the coast of South America. We don´t have ANY problems staying warm :-) Praying for you guys!
This is all good stuff, thanks, keep 'em coming. Ken & Heather, there's always somebody ...
Tom thinks putting one of those hot hand warmers on the back of your neck tends to trick your nerves into thinking they are a bit warmer. ?
Sending warm thoughts your way....topped with a little Breyers vanilla.
Lynnette
Thanks to my friends in Ohio who emailed: "Wear warm socks and hat at night and SNUGGLE (I Kings 1:1-4). That's what King David did!"
And my friend in Kosovo who wrote "As a young outdoors-man I observed that rabbits an squirrels increased their nose wiggling proportionately to the falling of temperature. I learned to wiggle my, then, little nose more the colder it got. I believe it increases blood circulation. I never could master the ear wiggling but they are easier to shield from the cold. Trust this will help.
Has anyone invented nosemuffs? It will be the new fad next winter (with replaceable inner linings, of course). (While we're on noses, is anyone else allergic to Kleenex? Think about that one.)
In Chukotka Russia, where the weather was frequently -50 C plus we would eat a plate of seal blubber. I found that as my body was working the blubber through it and I was too hot, I could go out and be warm for an hour in nothing more than a flannel shirt and a pair of jeans. Eat blubber!
Tim Smith
You should ask Leonard Waterman how NOT to warm polyester blankets in the oven......
Lynnette
Nose Muff! Now I know what to get David for Christmas.
I think we're making this too hard. For those of us who are nasally endowed, ear muffs (moved a bit south) just might work.
Just trying to help.
This is probably a "duh" comment, but my wife swears by our electric blanket. (We've also had an electric heating pad.) Don't know if that's an option on the mission field, or an expense problem, but they're nice.
Warning: Get separate control settings for the two sides of the bed. This works against the "snuggle" suggestion, but it can avoid a nightly "covers-off-covers-on" battle.
Those of US who are nasally endowed? What is Chris trying to say here?
Warm feet? Try Smartwool socks.
I did come across [url=http://www.ecrater.com/product.php?pid=3443552]this stylish version [/url]with a little pom-pom, stylishly modeled by a teddy bear. Or, you could opt for buying one of those foam clown noses. :D
Or try moving those Smartwool socks a bit north.
Not saying a thing. Just trying to help.
The Smartwool office is next door to my house! I could probably get you a good deal on some socks!
My kids and I (here in Alaska) like the rice bags. When I was a kid, my grandpa gave us a nosewarmer. I think he just did it to be funny, because they get pretty soggy from the condensation of one's breath.
Seriously though, if you have a rich knitter friend, have her knit you a pair of muskox socks. (Okay, not very seriously. They would keep your feet warm, but the yarn would probably cost close to $300.)
You can get a "mattress warmer" (like the electrical blanket idea) at Wal-mart. Didn't get one but maybe on some other trip back home...
Tati
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