Starting out?

Hello

Ok I've done a lot of research and read through some of this forum. I don't have much time though.

Basically, I suffer cold easily and I want to get some outdoor clothing and gear so I can go on a winter holiday to Sweden. I live in South East England.

Also, I currently go outside and on to a construction site daily. I am a Civil Engineer and I work in a site office everyday where I sit at a computer. If you know what construction site offices are like you will know why I get cold. They are basically tin cans with a small amount of insulation and a single electric radiator so there is extreme heat loss and lack of movement within the site office doesn't help.

Current Knowledge (of a noob)

I already knew from experience with talking to people from Norway/Sweden and online research the following: 

-I would need some waterproof and windproof outerlayers.

-It will be snowing soon so I will need thick waterproof boots.

-Dress in plenty of layers rather than a small amount of thick layers.

-Try to avoid wearing cotton where possible.

-Make sure you get a pair of boots which allow some foot room for an extremely thick pair of socks, feet swelling and movement so you have plenty of blood circulation.

-Thermal Base Layers

-Scarf around my neck so that I don't lose body heat as it rises

-Mittens are better than gloves, but gloves give finger movement obviously

-Don't under-estimate the sun in cold weather, wear sun protection cream.

-DON'T WEAR JEANS

Conclusion

This is what I have concluded I would probably need to wear.

Feet - Normal pair of comfortable socks, Boot/Hiking socks, Waterproof Hiking Boots

Legs - Thermal Pant, Trek Trousers (I think they're called that and that are lightweight and fast drying), Pack-away waterproof trouser covers for optional wind and rain protection.

Torso - Long Sleeved Thermal Top, Long/Short sleeved plain t-shirt, A thick wooly jumper or a well fitting fleece, a waterproof & windproof jacket.

Neck - Scarf

Head - Sunglasses, Sun protection cream, sunglasses (optional)

Hands - Waterproof or Ski gloves.

HELP

Please advise me where my knowledge is incorrect or feed me with more knowledge.

Please tell me how I can adjust my choice of dressing to be warmer and more comfortable.

Where should I shop? I live in UK, so anywhere in the UK websites/shops is good. Lots of the shops and online websites I've looked at are really expensive or don't have much in stock. e-Bay didn't have much and I gave up looking there after not very long. I notice there are links on the right hand side of the page which i will check out. Other than that...

Blacks - expensive

Millets - expensive

Tresspass - Small range of stuff

Sports Soccer World - Had some stuff that was ok price

e-Bay - too hard to find anything

Mountain Warehouse - Best place so far, lots of good priced stuff

JussTinn, if Blacks and Millets are beyond your budget, then you should try to get to a TKMaxx and pick up some cheap gear there. TKM frequently have cheap base-layers, Craghopper trousers, an eclectic range of waterproofs / ski clothing, gloves, hats etc, and even some decent boots, along with a lot of things like Karrimor KSBs.

You might also want to be thinking about a down jacket to keep you warm when you're not actually moving - try the Bargain Alert thread in the Gear section of the Forum - someone was posting linkies yesterday to some cheap down jackets.

It sounds as if you're in a 'beggars can't be choosers' situation, so I doubt you're going to get much choice in your purchases.

> I want to get some outdoor clothing and gear so I can go on a winter holiday to Sweden.

What do you want to do on holiday in Sweden?  Are you going to be active (i.e. backpacking, skiing, hiking?)  Or are you just going to be walking around in town?

We can't really answer your question sensibly until we know what you want to do.

Do you want to be able to use the warm wear gear on site at work?

If you aren't going to be very active (i.e. in town use only), then, as padstowe suggests, you don't need a lot of fancy wicking stuff; that's really only necessary if you're going to be sweating, and need to get the sweat away from your body.

If it's snowing, you don't really need waterproof stuff; that's only really needed if the precipitation is water, or there's standing water on the ground (footwear).

If Millets and Blacks are too expensive, and you work in the construction industry, have a look at some of the trade clothing; this is often cheap, and reasonable quality.  Also, have a look in Primark, as they often have fleeces and insulated jackets at silly prices at this time of year.  They'll be big and bulky, but they'll do the job.  And you won't mind too much wearing them around a filthy construction site.

> The most active thing I'll be doing is snowball fighting and ice fishing lol which will both be near the house.

> I'll also be hiking through forests close to the house

Ermmm... which is it?   If your active things are close to the house, then it hardly matters what you wear; you just go back into the house to get warm & dry.

If you plan to hike any distance through snow, and plan to be away from the house quite a distance (where returning to the house isn't a simple matter), then I'd suggest you need a decent set of outdoor clothing.  Hiking through snow is hard work.

It's not just a matter of comfort; it's also a matter of safety in the event of unexpected mishaps; injury, getting lost, etc.  If you can't guarantee getting back to the house, you need to be wearing and carrying suitable things to help you survive in a cold, snowy environment.

If you're making an igloo and walking across a lake to go ice fishing get good gloves and boots and a good hat. You'll be exposing your extremities ot pretty severe cold so look after them. 

As MK said if you found Millets expensive your'e almost stuffed as Millets are aimed at families and those on a low budget.

Try and find out what the temperature is likely to be. You may need insulated boots but I don't know without a better knowledge of what you're getting in to. It could easily be quite a bit colder than -10C.  

I just want a rough idea of what exactly to wear in -10 to -15 degrees really. So far from all the knowledge I've recieved I'm thinking:

Waterproof Hiking Boots

A comfortable pair of thermal socks, Wool Boot socks. I'm wearing that now and my toes are slightly cold.. Maybe ski socks as well? Would they be the outerlayer socks or the first layer?

Thermal Pants, Lightweight comfortable Trek Pants (http://www.mountainwarehouse.com/mens/clothing/trousers-shorts/mens-winter-trek-trouser-p2495.aspx < Like these?), Waterproof Pants cover just in case?

Thermal Top, Wool Jumper, Fleece Jacket, Waterproof/Windproof Outerlayer Jacket (Maybe a ski jacket?)

Windproof Neck Gater or Fleece/Wool scarf

Oakley Polar Sunglasses

Beanie Hat/Fleece Hat

Thnisulate 40gram gloves+Waterproof Mitten/Ski gloves

If someone can confirm this will keep me warm in up to -15 degrees centigrade weather and lots of snow I'll start buying my gear now and look in some places i know and the ones suggested here. I'm also changing my working field in Civil Engineering. I am currently a highways engineer and shall be becoming a Land Surveyor which means I'll be outside almost 24/7 in any weather condition so I'm happy to spend a little more and will hopefully get some company supplied gear too I also just got paid