Scandinavian/ Canadian Mumsnetters help please.

[GentleOtter]

I am absolutely frozen.

My duffle coat/ scarves/ hats/ mittens/ three pairs of trousers are not keeping the cold out and I'm outside most of the day.

What is the equivalent of a Spotty Otter suit for adults?

It needs to be very warm, water and windproof with a hood but preferably not screaming orange. And washable for farmyard oomsk.

Nobody sees me so fatsuit looks not hugely important.

What do you wear when it gets really cold and where do you get the clothes from?

A quilted waterproof Helly Hansen suit perhaps?
Personally, I wouldn't discount bright orange as it's it's sooo easily seen by traffic and rescue helicopters.
Check for suits on all the very un stylish workwear sites. Make sure it's properly waterproof and zip vents under the arms are good for over heating.
Neoprene gloves for rain or wet tasks ( fishing gloves or my latest are diving gloves ) and neoprene lined wellies.
A buff instead of scarf.
Merino wool socks and base layer.

Layers. Merino tights, hand-knit woolen socks, Fjällräven lightweight padded trousers, a long-sleeved cotton shirt, an Icelandic sweater. Top layer: a down jacket (mine is from Ticket to Heaven), wool-lined leather boots, woolen mittens over woolen gloves, a merino/opossum muffler.

When it gets below -5C, I prefer a fur coat.
For sleet and slush, a Danefae winter coat and Ilse Jacobsen rubber boots with thick woolen docks and lambswool insoles.

When it gets

Ski pants/snowpants/snowbib.

If you know anyone in the US you can get them in adult sizes in WalMart or Target. A heavy down-filled or even poly filled jacket that extends over your rear end would complete the Michelin warm and completely washable look. A two piece outfit like this would also give more flexibility.

There are also US catalogue brands like Lands End and LLBean but they are more expensive.

These Columbia ones might do the trick though, and the price is not bad for a good brand. One reviewer recommends as her daughter wears them for mucking out horses, etc.

This Dickies bib might work too, with a jacket over them. Dickies is more work wear than sportswear so probably washable and durable.

This is the warmest jacket in the world. I think you'd be able to buy online or at outdoors shops. Beware of knock-offs!

Eddie Bauer (shop or internet) - lots of stuff on sale at the moment. Outerwear is rated for different climates. They ship outside north america but sometimes you have to choose from the internet and then ring them up.

Marks Work Wearhouse for warm jackets or waterproof boots.

La Canadienne boots are warm, waterproof and smart for city life.

How about cashmere from Brora in the sale, shipped to wherever you are?

Rohan might have some useful stuff in their sale too; they ship anywhere.

Oh, and Patra for warm silk longjohns and thermal vests! A UK company but again will ship to you.

I think GO you are in Scotland, no?

I am Finnish and my family are farmers and I remember when it got cold (below -15C) we would wear old ski salopettes and jackets, and wool underneath in however many layers was necessary. Big insulated boots at least size up to leave room for toes to wiggle. These days ski outer layers don't tend to be insulated any more because people have cottoned on to the layering system, and because technical fabrics have developed and improved so much.

I would get a cheap waterproof set, www.fieldandtrek.com sells waterproof jackets for as low as £18, and waterproof overtrousers for £17. Worth having a look on their site, they are probably the cheapest for outdoor gear that I have seen. It's what is underneath that counts, and fabrics make such a difference so I would invest in those rather than waterproof shell, because if you have to wash it a lot you will not get more than a few years use out of it before the Durable Water Repellant coating gets wrecked - even reproofing doesn't really restore them to their former glory.

Wool first, and I'm sorry but I really don't get who goes around telling people here in the UK to wear silk, it doesn't insulate in cold weather. If you can find in the sale Icebreaker sets, the 400 weight midlayers are so warm. The dogs nuts is Woolpower from Sweden, they've added terry loops on the inside to increase loft. It's worn by mountain rescue personnel in Sweden and the likes. Or Aclima from Norway, www.nordicoutdoor.co.uk has a very good range.

On top of that, it's fleece, and tops made of Polartec Thermal Pro is the warmest out there so I'd look for that. You can get leggings made out of Polartec PowerStretch, like these which are amazing. Pretty much these same base and midlayers kept me warm in -42C last winter.

For boots - big wellies with lots of room for socks if you are working outside. You need fleece socks with terry loops on the inside, not cotton. My mum nicked my old Sorel boots though sometime in 1990 and wore them working outside in the winter until she retired last year. I find if my feet are cold it's really hard to stay warm overall.

I find that thermals make the most difference (plus layers). My mother sent me a Bora long sleeved thermal vest last year and it is great. I've a Columbia long jacket (I am tall and find cold gets in through my middle mostly) and I think my boots are Columbia too, dh's are Sorrel, and that's certainly the brand everyone swears by here (Canada). Good thin skiing socks (I'm told that the classic think ones aren't great - mine are -35F rated) I had a fantastic toasty lined ice fishing last year which I have lost

Otherwise when it's really cold I wear my snow pants. But we are still total wooses compared to our true Canadian neighbours, who do things like have their New Year parties outside!

Thank you!

I had some lovely merino long johns and am vexed as the dog chewed them off the line. I've sewn a big patch over the holes dog chewed on the thought that nobody will see them.

I am going to look carefully at all the links you made and will order somethings today. The temperature has dropped quite dramatically here and there have been winds which made the cold go right through your body.

It is a wise investment as it is cold and wet here most of the year so the warm clothes are needed a lot.

Wondering if you should invest in some Under Armour undies. It stays dry when you sweat into it.

I'm traveling to Denmark if Feb half-term. Do you think i'll be warm enough with a hard-core waterproof coat (can't remember exact brand, but is Helly Hansen or something for sailing), with a fleece underneath and lots of layers? I don't have a down coat/ski coat or anything like that, just several smart wool coats for work (which are generally not large enough to get many layers underneath).

?
Thank you!

A warning about a Canada Goose website here. I am fuming but no money was taken.

I had opted for World's Warmest Jacket worn by oil workers and arctic scientists made by Canada Goose plus various woolly undergarments and good socks but our card is now blocked thanks to dodgy site.

mathanxiety - my resolution for 2012 is to avoid working hard enough to break out into a sweat, especially in the undergarment department.
I bet the minute my jacket arrives we get a heatwave.

oxcat1 I live in Denmark, and just saw your post. It's actually not very cold here at all at the minute, we haven't been below freezing many times at all, it mainly seems to be sticking at between 3-5 degrees.

I normally wear a wool coat, a couple of layers underneath (just cotton tops, maybe a cardi if it's really cold) and gloves. Haven't had to crack out my hat and scarf yet anyway!

Hope you have a lovely time, which part of Denmark are you visiting?

GO there's a huge problem at the moment with counterfeit Canada Goose jackets! So much dodgy stuff being flogged on the internet, I saw a video of one of the fake CG jackets taken apart and it was filled with manky feathers some with blood in them. Yuk. They are amazing jackets, but unbelievably warm!

drowninginlaundry - I wrote to the company to ask them which places sell genuine jackets as their website is quite confusing. at manky feathers with blood.

I cannot wait to get a warm jacket. The rest of the family have Pachamama lined jumpers and North Face coats, the little one has a good arctic snow suit and Lopi wool jumpers - they are all warm as toast.
It will take a few days for our card to be given the ok again. I am fuming about those fraudulent sites.

Quick update - I received a reply from Canada Goose and they said there were hundreds of fake sites selling fake CG jackets but only one recognised shop in the UK.

I checked out World's Warmest jacket and it costs £1149.99.
Is George Clooney included in the price?

Will check out the other warm jackets. The temperature here is beginning to drop again and the outdoor work is increasing.