Ask Dethroner: How Do I Stay Warm in Winter?

Dan T. writes:

I have lived most of my life in a sub-tropical city (Brisbane, Queensland, Australia) and now find myself in sub sub-tropical city of Toronto, On. I have ever had experienced a real winter before and am really struggling with what kind of winter gear to buy. Do I wear all ten of my t-shirts under my business shirt? Do I buy a $700 Goretex jacket to wear over a suit? Please, for the sake of my soon-to-be frozen extremities, help – its already getting colder than my previous coldest winter!

Friend, let me introduce you to the majesty of “long johns,” more commonly known outside of the Ozarks as “thermal underwear.” New technologies have produced lightweight tops and bottoms that can be worn comfortably under your normal clothing. A pair of bottoms can even make jeans, which are otherwise rubbish in a gelid gale, serviceable. Take a look at the selections available on Altrec.com, a site I pulled out of Google for no particular reason.

You also want a scarf, gloves, and warm socks—probably a hat, too, if you can stand it. There’s a reason they, you know, sell that stuff. Bundle up. The trick to cold weather is not to buy that $700 Goretex parka but to use layers of relatively simple fabrics to keep you as warm as you need to be while out, while not completely over-toasting yourself when you’re finally inside the warm office.