Work wear

[Poppy]

Actually, I misspoke earlier. After years of use with the Rocky boots, I had a pair of 200 or 400 gram thinsulate LaCross boots with some type of breathable membrane, Gortex or not, I don't know. I wanted to replace them with the same 200 or 400 gram thinsulate, but all I could get was 1000 g.
I wore them snowblowing last week, they worked fine, but with that level of activity, non-insulated boots probably would have been fine too.

I hope I am never out in the cold long enough to have to give them a thorough test.

 

[bykfixer]

I wondered why insulated hiker boots are not available in stores near me anymore and a guy who hikes local trails said "simply put they're just too hot in our area" meaning if you stay in motion any length of time they cause moisture buildup inside the shoe. I said "yeah but doesn't gore tex help?" He said "Heavens no that just makes it worse" And apparently "real manly-man" construction workers "don't do hikers" so the safety toe type don't sell it seems.

1000 grams is great if you are sleeping on the side of Mt Everest or standing still in snow. I have some 1200 gram Cabellas Adirondac or some such name boots I wear in blizzards. Bought those in the blizzard of 96. But since we have had two since 96 they stay like new in the original box. I bought those because back then I drove a snow plow. And we loaded our own trucks, which meant melted snow tracks some 6" deep between the truck and loader. My feet stayed warm and dry after they arrived.

I'll never forget, I ordered them via telephone in the middle of a blizzard and the UPS truck sliding past my house dropping them off two days later.

 

[Poppy]

Gortex allows water vapor to cross it's barrier, but not water. So if you are active enough for your feet to sweat, some of the moisture will pass through, but if you keep at it, your socks will get wet.

Gortex is not an insulator, but since to totally blocks wind it makes a great outside shell. Then whatever insulation you have under the shell, it can really do its job.

So regarding gortex on hikers, it is good if one is traveling wet grass, or puddle laden trails. It isn't as breathable as many hikers are, but with changes of socks, one can have more comfortable feet. However if you are traveling dry areas, especially if it is hot, you'll want lightweight very breathable hikers so the perspiration can easily evaporate, and cool ones feet.

 

[pnwoutdoors]

When it's rainy and muddy those Sketchers will get the nod with two pairs of socks if it's cold, yet they'll also do well in warm weather.
View attachment 22237

I've got a shoe that's roughly in the format of those Sketchers, above:

FSI Nautilus #1326 -- A "trail" type work shoe with a steel toe. A little heavy, but with a good sole, great width, very comfortable.

Specialty ESD Blue Steel Toe SD10 Athletic Work Shoe

Nautilus 1326: Specialty ESD Blue Steel Toe SD10 Athletic Work Shoe Leather and Textile Upper Steel Safety Toe Cap Removable SD10 Comfort Insole EVA Midsole with Slip-Resistant Rubber Outsole No Exposed Metal Meet or Exceeds ASTM 2413-18 Impact/Compression and SD10 Ratings with a Mark II Slip...

nautilussafetyfootwear.com

 

[KITROBASKIN]

Cabela's lined jeans for winter. Purchased years ago, the flannel liner wore at knees and crotch fairly quickly compared to fleece lined (which are still intact). Flannel ripped even more with the process of donning them.

Viet Nam manufactured (last time I purchased a 12 pack from online giant) now labelled Showa Atlas 370 (nitrile working face) stretch fabric gloves have been excellent 3 season gloves that can be used in winter when dexterity is needed but protection of hands is important. So many times in cold weather, hands get scuffed on knuckles and top of hands, creating a cut that has trouble healing from use and abrasion. These gloves give some protection from that and do not have a seam to blow out between thumb and index finger. After a time, the stickiness of the nitrile lessens to a point where they get used for other tasks like nasty things (gas and chemicals)... Not expensive (~$3?) especially if purchased in bulk. Beware of cheap imitators.

 

[bykfixer]

A bit of a report card for some recently acquired work wear starting with a full zip rain defender hoody by Carhartt.

Rain: While cleaning off 4 snow covered cars in a cold rain it began to soak through on car #4 and that was places like elbows where they kept rubbing the vehicle while I reached for frozen stuff at arms length. Rain coat? No, but while standing in a steady rain for 30 minutes it did better than expected.

Warm: next day the wind was howling out of the north and over a t-shirt and flannel shirt it kept me warm everytime I went outdoors for a smoke. The zipper zips up to my chin and with the hood cinched it did pretty good at closing the pnuemonia holes.
Conclusion: $70 and worth the money.

Wolverine durashock insulated boots. 400g water proof boots are more suited for concrete, pavement, gravel and other solid surfaces. Kinda slippery on wet grass slopes but not to the point of wearing skis. In mud they are no different than any other boot in that the treads load up fast. But the mud shakes off easier than with deeper tread cleats. Walking and standing in water with a crust of ice on top my feet stayed warm and dry with one pair of thin Pendleton wool socks. Some 6 hours later while in the office my feet never felt hot. Get home from work and give the boots a shower with a kitchen faucet sprayer and an old toothbrush and they looked brand new again. Feet, calfs and knees never felt like I'd been standing for a few hours.
Conclusion: $170 and worth the money.

Grease Monkey fingerless gloves. Like Mechanix impact with the finger tips pre-cut. They are grippy and warm. Ordinarily I wear Mechanix leather palm gloves with the finger tips cut off but today I tried some Grease Monkeys that were in a jacket I wore. Don't remember when or where they came from or how much they cost, but Advance Auto sells them. They fit well and the cut off ends have not frayed. As much as I like the cut off leather palm gloves the Grease Monkeys will see more action this winter.

Walls duck coat: the coat the Grease Monkey gloves were in. Man, I like that coat. Not too heavy, not too bulky but the cordura type liner makes it comfy and even when left in a cold vehicle it does not feel cold when you put it on. It feels like a coat I've had for decades despite being fairly new. Water resistance? Uh, no think sponge so for wet weather that aint the one to wear. But in a cold wind it's pretty good at keeping the cold out for a few hours.

 

[bykfixer]

Coming soon:
RedHead lined jeans from Bass Pro Shops.
Cabellas sells them also. $30 fleece or flannel lined.
Being I've expanded beyond hope of wearing my 20+ year old Gander Mountains or Army+Navy flannel lined jeans this winter I caved and ordered some upsized lined jeans. RedHead seems to be a Bass Pro Shop house brand. Hopefully these will hold up at seems and such.

Update on the Wolverine boots. Windy, cloudy and 22f for a high. Standing around with little to no friction from walking for 4 hours wearing a pair of thin Hooey polyester yarn socks and at hour 4 cold began to set in across the toe area. Being a composite toe it was not because of steel toe conducting cold. Today was about as cold as it gets in my area so it seems 400 grams of thinsulate is just right. Plenty of traction on textured frozen ground and walking in puddles some 2-3" deep my feet stayed nice and dry.

 

[Poppy]

LOL... these covid 19's have caused me to come to a decision... do I go with shorter legs, and keep the same waist, or go with a bigger waist, same leg length, and consider suspenders.

I recently bought a new pair of slacks, and haven't gone to the tailer yet... undecided how I want to go.

 

[bykfixer]

My brother went with suspenders until he noticed his voice was becoming high pitched from his trousers riding so high and squeezing his family heirlooms.
Eh, Just kidding. But he did wear them for a while until he "grew in" to the next size up pants.

My dad bought 38 waist pants even though he was size 34. He said it was just in case. Now he wore suspenders and a belt.

At my (informal) wedding to Mrs Fixer the fellows all wore matching suspenders that contrasted with mine.

The Wolverines shake off snow fairly well between steps. Well dry powder snow anyway. The footprints are after a couple hundred steps to clean off (older) neighbors steps and cars after a good dusting of frozen powder.
Oh, and I slid them over sockless feet thinking I'd be outside in a breezy 15f degree air for 5-10 minutes. 30 minutes later my feet were still warm and toasty as I approached my porch again.

 

[hsa]

@bykfixer, before the merger Cabelas had some of the best lined jeans you could buy. I wish I would have bought more, I use the fleece ones. When they went on sale they were a super bargain. After the merger consumer reviewers were so mad they had blood in their eyes and for good reason. I tried to buy jeans at a Bass Pro but they weren't nearly as good as the Cabelas jeans. They may have corrected this. They have improve a couple of other items. I would be interested to know what you think about them when you get them.

 

[hsa]

I havn't had enough coffee this morning. The point of my above post was to say that they dropped the original Cabelas jeans.

 

[bykfixer]

Cabelas did not even list Cabelas lined jeans.
Perhaps because I waited until actual cold weather and they were out of stock in all sizes?
(I see the follow up post HSA, now I know why they don't list them).

Agreed they were great. I have a pair I bought in the blizzard of 96. Seams around the front pockets are frayed from my hands entering and exiting them a million-billion times. Other than that they are fine. Unfortunately those are like my others…too small.

They listed Carhartt lined jeans but only had those in sizes too big or too small for me. And Diluth wants $85 a pair for theirs. Probably worth it but I opted for the RedHead brand.

To me Cabelas is taking the route of Best Buy, Circuit City and Radio Shack. Too many stores in too many places and now they scramble to try and make it work.

 

[bykfixer]

This post is about GSS hi-viz jackets.
I considered a Carhartt winter style but saw GSS has various jackets that can be used as liners with their Onyx line of bombers and parkas. Carhartt, you get what it comes with. A stiff raincoat feeling number on the outside and a zip out fleece liner on the inside. Nice coat overall but limited in options.

The GSS line costs less and you can use the included fleece liner or zip in their hi-viz insulated hoody, or other liners that double double as a hi-viz jacket. I already had a hi-viz poly filled number from a few years back but the insulation is thin like an inner layer style.

The polar fleece liner that comes with the Onyx is toasty, but the included polar fleece liner is grabby while putting on or taking off while wearing a flannel shirt. I mean kung-fu grip grabby. So I zipped in the thin layer model jacket I already had and no more fighting the jacket.

I'd say if one were to opt for using the polar fleece liner put it on first then the outter over that. Trying to put it on or pull it off with the liner attached can be frustrating due to narrow sleeves trying to velcro to your clothes and the outter trying to come off while the polar fleece stays fastened to your clothing.

The Onyx itself is fairly warm already. It is not all "plastic" feeling in cold weather despite being waterproof. I opted for the bomber for the elastic waist band that is about the length of the parka so it is nearly as long as the parka while sealing out a cold breeze from blowing up your back where the parka has a drawstring at the belt line. And the bomber costs a little less too.

Nearly any wide tooth plastic zippered item will zip in, but the brass type or narrow tooth will not. So you aren't just stuck with GSS items for options. A nice toasty vest that came with a Carharrt rain coat for example zips right in also. I prefer wide tooth plastic zippers for bulky coats since it's so much easier to get them started in a hurry.

The only complaint I had with the Onyx is the rain hood folded up inside the collar causes the collar to stand up. While wearing a hard had it kept pushing up on the helmet adjuster knob. For a snap type helmet adjuster it's no issue but I use the quick adjust knob type to quickly size it smaller or larger depending on wearing it over a helmet liner or not. I just removed the hood, folded it up and stuck inside a chest pocket inside the Onyx. With the hood removed the collar sits flat easily.

I have a welders baklava style helmet liner that's the best $25 I ever spent. Fire retardant with 40 gram thinsulate. Put that on, then my coat over that. What cold breeze? No face mask but if I wear that a scarf goes with it for a face cover when needed.

Some pix for reference:

The Onyx ensemble;
Left is the liner jacket, right is the polar fleece jacket, bottom is the Onyx

Some Onyx details

The welders helmet liner.

 

[bykfixer]

@hsa in response to post #50:
The redhead jeans arrived a day early. Right now I'm sitting in a chair typing this while wearing the flannel lined pair. Bought a pair of fleece lined as well.

Overall I'd say they are ok. Plenty of room in the crotch without being bulky. In other words they don't have enough room for a bowling ball, bunch aren't cause for my voice to suddenly rise an octive either. Thighs are roomy too. Think relaxed fit jeans.

The denim is not the prison jeans thick nor skinny jeans thin. And they feel broken in. I had to slice the button hole a bit on both pairs or I'd be fighting that and at times one needs to lower their pants quickly when you ate something that your digestive systems rejects. So I sliced the slot on the opposite side if the zipper a wee bit. The button? Time will tell. But I wear a belt since the day one broke on a pair of Dockers and I had to use kite string for a belt.

Overall fit is loose. Like unless you are physically fit with big ole muscular thighs and buttocks to hold them up you'll want to wear a belt. The fleece lined fit a bit more snug at the waistband for whatever reason. I bought 35" waist and both feel like 35" I suppose. Perhaps 34.5 for the fleece lined ones. For style points, figure zero, 'cause they are not cut for fashion.

Will these last as long as Diluth or 90's Gander Mountain and Cabelas? I'm not sure but if they last 5 winters I'll be happy. My Army+Navy carpenters did not make it past winter #2 without an 18" long rip in the crotch area in one pair. The denim tore like a wet paper towel one day. I fixed tears at the pockets but one day rrrrrrrrrrrrip……instant air conditioning while stepping over a guardrail (about 28" high).

My goal is to step outside on winter mornings without long johns and not feel like I forgot to put my pants on, so the flannel lined will probably be my favorite.

 

[hsa]

Byk, thanks for the report. Good to know. One of the problems I had when trying them on years ago was inconsistent waist sizing. Glad yours fit.
None of them win a style contest and I don't care about that although sometimes the legs are huge.
I think you always have to cut that button hole some or you will split your winter dried out thumbs trying to get them fastened.
If they last five winters that would be good.
Once I put these lined jeans on in the fall I have to keep wearing them, they seem to make everything warmer. Hope they work out for you, they are probably the next ones I will buy.
Keep me informed.
Thanks.

 

[bykfixer]

My goal is to get back into my vintage lined trousers again HSA. I also have 2 newer pairs of Gander Mountain flannel lined jeans I bought at a clearance store called Gabes for $14.99/pr. But if that doesn't work out I have the RedHeads and a pair of Wranglers to hold me over.

I too like to wear lined jeans starting in Fall.

 

[Poppy]

I only have one pair of flannel lined jeans. I only have one pair of flannel lined jeans because once I wear them, others slacks are not warm enough. Yet, once it is cold enough to wear them outside, they are great, but too warm to wear inside.

When it is really cold outside, I might wear a pair of thick fleece sweat pants, with a gortex outer shell pants. Like a three season coat, but for the lower extremities. With a two layer system, one can remove the outer layer when indoors.

 

[wacbzz]

View attachment 21870

Am I seeing two vertical opening chest pockets on that Hawx coat? I really like my Sherpa lined Carhartt, but really dislike the horizontal snap pockets....

Also, how far down is the Sherpa lining? Is it in the whole coat? Thanks Byk.

 

[bykfixer]

Why yes that is two vertical chest pockets. And the iPhone 12 covered with an otter box urban easily fits with room to spare. I would not know this by experience eh-hem, cough but rumor has it a flask fits in them.
The lining goes down to the 'plumber's crack cold breeze inhibitor'……

No elastic waist band or cinch cord.

The sleeves are lined with a quilted polyester fabric for ease of use.
The only qualm I have with this coat is the hood is made to fit over a hard hat. That means when not wearing any sort of helmet it's front droops down too far in my opinion. Cinching it with the flat ribbon shoe string type cord is easy enough. But at times such as cleaning snow off your car and elect to block the wind on your head you have to stop to cinch the hood. First world problem I know, but worth mentioning I suppose. I do like that flat ribbon shoe string type cord for whatever reason.

Now one aspect about the sleeve ends vs a Carharrt is the Carhartt typically has the elastic cuff beyond the sleeve so it sorta acts as the male half when sliding gloves on so if the glove cuff is oversized it becomes the female half so to speak for a nice draft-free seal.
The Hawx cuff is inside the sleeve so its sleeve acts like a female half of the seal. Great for gloves with an elastic cuff or form fitting like Mechanix gloves. Not so great for wide cuff gloves yet even those fit up inside the female type cuff with a twist of the wrist motion.

So far wearing over a t-shirt and flannel shirt with a golfers vest the dry type RVA weather has been tamed by this one. For rain? It's not water repellent but instead acts like the "Bounty paper towel…the quicker picker upper". lol
My brother has the Carhartt with a horizontal chest pocket he swears by. He wears it everywhere he goes trying to break it in. The Hawx felt broken in the day I bought it.

Edit:
I wore the flannel lined RedHeads to work last night where the temp was around freezing. My legs did not know that so that part was great. The not so great part is the square cut over my plywood shaped tookus means they slide down a lot. A belt cinch is required, which after a while feels binding around my pear shaped mid-section. I have a pair of Old Glory fleece lined like that and after a while they adjusted to my shape but straight out of the wash each time meant me and my pants learning to play nice together again. So it's back to that.
End edit.

 

[wacbzz]

Thanks for the in-depth!

You said Boot Barn for the win, right? Perhaps this weekend.

It took what seemed like forever to break in that Carhartt. And your brother can keep those pockets. I dislike digging around with my fingertips to grab the small piece of window marker that inevitably sinks to the very bottom. Coming from the side would be much easier IMO. And I’ll deal with the droopy hood. Carhartt has the same thing but my size 8 head make it sorta okay.

I appreciate the info!