How to Dress to Survive a Freezing Ice Cold Snowy Chicago Winter, or Blizzard
I was recently asked about how to survive a Chicago winter by someone moving here from a warm southern state who had never dealt with extreme cold, wind, snow and Ice. I have lived in Chicago all my life, so I figured I could help with some tips for survival and hopefully help him avoid being cold and stuck somewhere during a blizzard. Here are some clothing tips for how to dress for the coldand how to deal with getting un-stuck from the snow and navigating through icy streets with a wind chill that makes it seem 20 degrees colder than it already is.
If you are moving here from someplace warm and sunny, you will need to invest in the following clothing, outerwear, coats and gear:
1. Buy waterproof Boots with as much insulation as possible for warmth. Some kind of rubberized tread on the bottom is good for grip walking on the icy sidewalks and driveway too. Some people who walk to work in all the elements keep dressy shoes in a desk drawer so they can wear their boots to work and just change shoes there. Heavy thick socks that pull up over your calf are are also helpful.
2.Buy waterproof goves with thinsulate. This is 
especially important if you will be shoveling your driveway or trying to uncover your car from the snow and scrape off ice. They are also good for use in building snowmen and snow forts with the kids.
3. Buy a hat and scarfpreferably a hat that covers your ears and is not knit. (the knit ones let the wind right through) If your hat does not cover your ears you will need ear muffs or those men’s ear covers that have the strap behind the head. Otherwise your ears will get frostbite. Avoid the frostbite on everything you can by covering as much as possible. The scarf is helpful because most coats either don’t seal off the cold air completely or don’t cover your neck well. The scarf is also helpful to wrap around your face if it’s below zero and you have to walk in the wind. We also joke that ski goggles would be helpful since the wind does hurt your eyes on extreme days too.
4. Buy a long knee length or longer down filled coat. (Synthetic stuffing might be ok if you’re allergic or ethically opposed to sing real feathers but I have never tried it) I have always found that leather coats are useless in the cold and rain ruins their finish. Wool coats are better but most lack a lining that will actually block the frigid cold wind here. So, you have to upgrade to an Alaskan polar level of parka to survive outside in the coldest days. North Face is good but really expensive and Eddie Bauer has more reasonable prices on their winter coats. You should also get a coat with a hood attached. A hat is sometimes not enough to block the cold, wind and snow.
5. Buy Long Underwear or some kind of extra layer under pants and clothing. The more layers you have that are close to your skin the better chance you have of retaining some heat. The pants that are popular now aren’t going to block -20 degree winds when you have to walk to the train. Flannel lined pants are great and some kind of leggings, long underwear or 2 layers of tights can help.
6. Buy sweaters and preferably turtlenecksthey are the best bet. Somehow you loose a lot of heat through your head and I think your neck is included in that. It is much easier to stay warm with a turtle neck. The GAP, Old Navy, Sears and just about every other store carries them here. They are a winter staple. Watch out for wool turtlenecks if you are allergic to wool. Synthetics are just as warm and don’t stretch and fade like cotton.
And remember even if we get 3 feet of snow, school, work and the stores do not close down. We live with most of our snow in January and February and it happens every year so we know how to power through it. We dig out the cars and buses, take public transit, shovel the sidewalks and driveways and bundle up and go out slowly and cautiously. Nothing is stopped by bad weather in Chicago.
Have any other tips or suggestions for cold weather wear? Let me know by posting them as a comment with your helpful hints and cold weather clothing strategy below:
this was so helpful to me but what other than clothing should i be prepared for? im from florida and have never in my life experienced snow, cold weather or anything of the sort (we start freezing to death at 70 degrees or so, especially me lol). if you could give me a few tips it would be great.
Actually, I am answering the question above. Winter means cold, so keep yourself warm is the simplest answer. However you need details.
1) Night and Day temperature difference is generally high. You can spend some of your day outside. At nights you can feel very cold if you stay outside for an hour. (15 Minutes is usually enough to start seeking a warm place if you are walking)
2) If you have a gentle skin use creams for your face.
3) Use your nose for breathing rather than your mouth.
4) Do not try to use a bicycle or try to run if you are in a hurry.
5) Don’t think much about cold it is really important if you feel pain in cold. Do not try to make yourself ready for cold when you go outside, because mentally it makes you feel more cold. Actually feel free and just feel the cold but try to avoid from wind.
6) Double wear, it means wear more clothes than usual. No matter how they are thick the important part is the volume of warm air inside the clothes. It is like a kind of isolation.
In general it depends on how cold you expect it to be.
In the winter in Chicago I wear a lot of thick turtleneck sweaters (sweaters in general are good) with a long sleeve t-shirt layered underneath and jeans or courderoy pants. Thick socks are also a must, and boots that are waterproof are important. Other than that you have some options as far as type of sweaters, hoodies, fleece, blazers, cardigans, sweatshirts, jackets, scarves and all kinds of pants but thicker heavy weight fabrics are a must.
Also, if you don’t spend much time outdoors you may not need as much layering. I end up wearing a lot of layers because I walk to and from the train every day. If you just run to your car parked outside a good thick coat should do the trick and then you have more fashion options.
Old Navy, The Gap and many department stores have a lot of sweaters and down filled coats in the fall and winter. Check them out online to see if you like them. If you want professional gear try REI or North Face for coats and warm hiking gear.
I’m moving to Chicago from Miami at the end of Jan. Thanks for your advice! I’m not as scared as I should be as a native Miamian! But I’ll get a nice taste of what a real winter is when I go up for New Years! Its is then that I will really know what I need! Its hard to shop in Miami, especially when every store still has bikinis for sale!
Thanks for this advice! I’m heading to DC for Obama’s Inauguration, and as a native Californian I’m very worried about staying warm. My friend is there right now and called me up to say I should buy a ski mask — it’s so cold she feels like she’s on fire! Today in San Francisco it’s 60 degrees and my hands are freezing… so you can see why I’m so worried about this I’m almost in tears. We’ll be out in the cold on Tuesday for at least 4 hours! I’m off to REI to buy some more warming gear!
Something very important to remember for any who are going to be outdoors in winter conditions is the old Mountain Climbers saying “Cotton Kills”. Although we are all tempted to wear cotton t-shirts or long underwear because of their comfort, cotton when wet stays wet and has no insulating properties. You can work up a sweat under layers of clothing by just walking a few blocks. You need to either wear a wool blend (now days very comfortable with no itch, ie: Merino wool) or a man-made fabric such as polypropylene (fleece or polyester fabric). Both will wick moisture away from your body so you stay dry. If either do get wet, they still hold their insulation properties and dry very quickly. Stay away from Cotton fabrics in Cold weather. Layers is the key. Poly thermo underwear, sweater (turtleneck as mentioned above), fleece jacket and wind proof/water proof shell coat. Merino wool socks with lose fitting insulated boots and warm gloves. And as mentioned above…always wear a warm hat. As Peter Kummerfeldt (Air Force Artic survival trainer for 30 years) says: “Don’t dress to arrive, dress to survive.”
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