Being very cold

[Lightspeed]

Indeed a god time to test kit and observe how things operate in the cold.

I think MB's been spying on me as I am indeed dog walking every day in the recently acquired army smock.....it works fine with the German army thermal liner and the Canadian style taped on buttons work fine with frozen fingers.

An interesting observation is that our bottled propane looses pressure as the temperature drops, and invariably I have had to change bottles in appalling conditions. But the supposedly spent bottles are far from spent and can be used for several weeks more once the temperature rises again.

[Straight Shooter]

Up at 5.30 am ...not snowing.....opened the front door ,about a foot deep from drifting....a few drifts in and around the garden around the 2 ft mark ....the car ...snow up to the headlights , the 4 x 4 is parked at the top of the drive and ready to rock...short of an emergency there it will stop , fully fuelled up and 25 ltr g can in the boot along with everything to deal with a mini thermal nuclear attack.....bit of light fine snow right now....roads are empty ! stories of empty shelves in super markets are beginning to surface ...Already ! along with low gas supplies (i only mentioned this yesterday...half joking ) some supermarkets closed at mid day yesterday because of staff ( yeah right ) .....reading Lightspeeds post reminded me last week i took a trip to that army surplus shop i told you of years back , with the intention of buying another Polish army Parker the one i have had for years is about done ....looks like its taken a direct hit from a hand grenade .....and get another smock ......the guy was doing well ....increased staff etc .....CLOSED DOWN ! so it looks like ebay.....off for a walk with wild child later ...see what the crack is locally and check up on some old rock n rollers......one snow plough passed by about 9 am no gritters ....no delivery lorries....as for the people caught up in their cars on the roads.....i have no sympathy what so ever...knowing what was coming and no preparations....come on ! Hello ! too stupid to be stupid .

[Mortblanc]

(2 March 2018, 00:14)Lightspeed Wrote: An interesting observation is that our bottled propane looses pressure as the temperature drops, and invariably I have had to change bottles in appalling conditions. But the supposedly spent bottles are far from spent and can be used for several weeks more once the temperature rises again.

It does exactly as you have observed and that situation is used by myself when I am refilling the small 1lb bottles from the bigger tanks.

If you place the 1lb bottles in the fridge overnight before filling they suck in almost a full 1lb of propane instead of only half filling, due to the low pressure in the small chilled bottle.

BTW, for all you snow infested dog walkers, how is the winter foot gear holding up?

Finding a good parka is not a problem for me, but foot gear is.

I can find what I need, I just can not afford it!

Anyone finding top notch cold weather footwear at discount prices?

[Pete Grey]

Over the last week we have been driven mad by warnings of this cold from the east and the bad weather it is bringing.

Now we have the reports of hundreds of unpepaired idiots stuck overnight in cars up and down the country after they had been told not to drive, some not dressed for winter and with young children.

Ordinary people are putting themselves in harms way to help them, emergency services and the forces have been called out wasting resources which should be used for people in genuine danger.

After an event these thoughtless idiots will be the first casualties, all i can say is as the idiots die off the average IQ of the rest of the population will increase.

[Lightspeed]

(2 March 2018, 16:47)Mortblanc Wrote: BTW, for all you snow infested dog walkers, how is the winter foot gear holding up?

Anyone finding top notch cold weather footwear at discount prices?

The surprising footwear find for me has been the Karimor brand, in particular their Vibram soled Orkney V boots. Over the last 5 years these have proven themselves time and time again. They are my preferred boots in all conditions.

But now we have deepish dry snow on the ground, it becomes bit of a drag hauling on gaiters (and off) when walking the hound.

So currently I'm using these, (available for around £40 which is good value):

https://www.sportsdirect.com/karrimor-fu...ens-143018

They have higher ankles, good fastenings and are very generous in size to accommodate thick socks. Construction is 100% synthetic and incorporates thinsulate materials to good effect. The soles are not a patch on Vibram and flex a god deal, but are marginally more sticky in compacted snow and ice than the Vibrams. I've not had any problems with cold feet when wearing them in temperatures down to -20C. I'd not want to trek 20 miles in them, but for my 5 mile dog walk, and snow clearing chores around the yard they're fine.

[Pete Grey]

I have a pair of 30 year old scarpa mountaineering boots,vibram soles cost about £90 when new, they are regularly cleaned and waxed, still waterproof and very warm, works out at £3 a year.

I have a friend who lives in wellingtons, he wears two pair of navy divers thick woollen socks, alright for dog walking and general garden use.

The karrimor boots look to be an excellent choice for general use and with karrimor quality should last a few years, good choice.

[Straight Shooter]

Just returned home from our walk about, loads of lorries are parked up ....as the snow plough and gritters pass they head off for their drops or get further to them.

No bus services running .....a few 4 x 4 s are out playing .....about 75 yards down our drive a nice drift formed last night about 4 ft high ....drifts near our bungalow have increased to 2.5 feet. As soon as the snow stops i will use the blade and grading bucket of the excavator to clear it ....not that i need to play ...but i will have to control the direction of the thaw to ensure the integrity of a lower bank.....okay.... i will have fun ! right now snowing fairly hard ....far from over yet !

[Lightspeed]

(2 March 2018, 18:29)Pete Grey Wrote: I have a pair of 30 year old scarpa mountaineering boots,vibram soles cost about £90 when new, they are regularly cleaned and waxed, still waterproof and very warm, works out at £3 a year.

I have a friend who lives in wellingtons, he wears two pair of navy divers thick woollen socks, alright for dog walking and general garden use.

The karrimor boots look to be an excellent choice for general use and with karrimor quality should last a few years, good choice.

I've a pair that I think are even older Pete.... Purchased in 1978 for the princely sum of £98 if I remember correctly. Like yours they are Vibram soled and of excellent construction. Mine have been used and abused but are still going strong.

I just put the original cost of those boots through an RPI calculator....

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/bills...-1900.html

...and the RPI adjusted value in 2018 is a staggering £ 580.45 !!! Bloody hell!

[Mortblanc]

It is sometimes startling when we work out the prices we paid for goods as percentage of income "back in the day".

I once did some work on a S&W revolver in exchange for a pair of Herman Survivor boots. They sold for about 50 pounds your money back then. Probably several hundred pounds now. That wasd back in '91.

I still wear them.

[Straight Shooter]

More snow forecast for tonight ,tomorrow and Saturday.....the early potatoes will have to wait.....chomping at the bit ! ....still some snow left from the last lot.