What To Wear Now Its Cold

Quick question. I'm 2 days into cdl school and we will be headed outside next week for pre trip most likely all day. Anybody have any suggestions as to what kind of gear I should pick up for preparation? I also plan on going flatbed after school so I'm sure ill be outside plenty.

Quick question. I'm 2 days into cdl school and we will be headed outside next week for pre trip most likely all day. Anybody have any suggestions as to what kind of gear I should pick up for preparation? I also plan on going flatbed after school so I'm sure ill be outside plenty.

Layers. I attended school during the early winter. I had thermal long sleeve tee shirt and/or turtle neck, hooded sweat shirt and a lined winter jacket. Good pair of winter work gloves and a warm cap that covered my ears. I also had long Johns under my jeans. Thermal socks under a sturdy pair of work boots.

Sounds like a lot, but even so there were days when I couldn't keep warm.

I'm in CDL school also, in Western MA. It got really cold in the last week. It goes down to near 0 at night. I get up in the morning and put on right away a tank, an Under Armor long sleeve thermal, an alpaca sweater (wool) or any long sleeve hoodie and my NorthFace wind breaker, Under Armor or Columbia heat reflective leggings and my jeans over, which all help build up the body heat I'll need for when I get there. Once I get there, I put on a battery powered heated vest and I keep it at 25% so the battery last all day and keeps me warm. I also wear Columbia winter boots, which are waterproof and insulated, as well as wool socks. I bring different types of gloves. I don't want to mess up my NorthFace or Columbia, so I keep those for driving the big rig. I have cheap $10 Thinsulate gloves from Ocean State job lot, for the pre trip inspection where I need to get dirtayyyy and grab that steering shaft and everything else...lol of course, a warm hat or at least head band, or my ears are going to fall off. Also, ocean state job lot sells a bag of feet or hand warmers for only $5 with about 10 in that bag, and they stay hot for HOURS.

Sounds overkill? Trust me.....it's NOT!! Better have too many layers and take some off if you need too, than not have enough and be miserable.

G Town....great minds think alike...lol

I always keep my thinsulate undergarments handy this time of year. The little heat backs you break work well under the sole of your feet. If my feet get cold I'm done. You can pick them up at walmart in the camping gear section and they are cheap.

Your head, hands, and feet are your thermostat. That is, if they feel cold you'll feel cold even if your core is warm. Other way around, not so much. You need good covering for all three parts of your body.

FEET: If you're going flatbed you'll probably need boots with steel toes, get ones with thick soles and room for socks. Your socks, you want to be able to get two layers in: beside your skin a polypro blend, and outside that wool - thick wool.

HANDS: For standing around, thick mittens. For chaining, there are all sorts of work gloves. The ones you like the best/can afford are the ones to get there.

HEAD: A synthetic knit cap preferably one with a wind break inside, plus a thicker wool one you can wear over top if it's really cold.

As to your body, layers, look for polypro shirts and leggings to go next to your body, then woolen mid layer, finally a wind stopping outer layer. You can most likely get by with legs that are cold longer than the rest of your body, but layers there doesn't hurt.

What you want to stay away from is cotton. Wet cotton will make you very cold and won't lose its wet, so you'll stay cold. Oh, I have some much winter advice, but I wanted to make it quick and point form.

Thanks for replies guys, looks like I got some shopping to do this weekend. What's the ballpark price for these things? Also what is ocean job lot? Never heard of it. There's an academy sports across from my place, I could start there.

Ocean State Job Lot is a chain of stores in Western MA which sells leftovers from closed stores and what not. You can find a little bit of everything for real cheap; clothing, food, household items, tools, outdoor furniture, garden items, sports items, etc.

Under Armor is expensive brand of spots clothing but worth the money. It's durable, breathable, made for athletes and sports with high quality fabrics. For winter and summer wear, they use fabrics that keep you cool or warm and wick away moisture from your body, keeping you dry. Columbia, NorthFace, Patagonia etc are some of my favorite brands for outdoor clothing. A LOT of workers use Carhart, which is VERY durable and made for outdoor work (farmers, truckers, etc) and can be found at any store such as Cabela's, Tractor Supply, Bass Pro Shop and so forth.

If price is a concern, I'd say start by getting yourself a set of base layers (long sleeve and leggings), tank tops/tshirts, a pair of sturdy jeans (Carhart brand, Wrangler's), a thick jacket, preferably waterproof/wind proof, good waterproof/insulated boots, a warm hat, wool socks, and warm gloves.

PS Heated jackets or vests can be found at Cabela's outdoor store, or online. Gerbing is a popular brand for that.