My winter of 2014/2015

[Aeros]

You have my complete respect and admiration, Stella work.

[Ziggy]

Always enjoy your Snowy Owl shots Bobo.

jj

[Bobobird]

I myself was looking for some gloves, it was late in the season when I found these, looked interesting so I just thought that I would pass along a link to them.

http://www.theheatcompany.com/en/gloves/heat-3-smart

Thanks Allan. Yes, I found those after getting the battery powered liners at Costco. The Heat 3 is available at Henry's for $200.

The Heat 3 needs disposable heat pads to be effective but you can slot in quite a few. It is also good in that the flap will turn it into a mitten. The main problem is that a single disposable pad is usually not enough and for the exposed shooting hand you will probably need one for the palm but the fingers will rely solely on the glove, and you might even need another 2 for the top of the hand making it at least 3 for the shooting hand. A pair of the pads cost more than a dollar each and over time that cost builds up.

The battery operated liners are really thin and keep the hand from freezing, you don't actually feel the heat much even at the highest setting but put the hand in your pocket and it will get pretty hot. I need quick heat fast so will put a disposable in the jacket pocket if it gets really cold. The other hand has a Canada Goose down on it and is warm enough to not need the liner. I also bought a pair of spare batteries just in case. The battery lasts 2 hours so if the left hand is not used we have effectively 8 hours of heat for the right hand and that is more than enough for our short days.

One advantage of the liner over the Heat 3 is that that I can still drive with the gloves on.

Some other outfits have come out with heated jackets and some have a heated inner vest as well. About $500. A friend has them and uses only the vest but the battery pack is quite bulky so I have not gone that route. Layering and the snow pants work fine for me.

I have 3 boots of varying leg padding height all rated for -40c. I need the toe warmer at all times and powerup the heated sole when the colds starts creeping in from the bottom. The soles have a remote which does the switching on/off. That gives about 2 hours only so I use it sparingly. The manufacturer last year came out with replaceable batteries but getting boots off to replace the exhausted battery is a real hassle so have decided to continue using the older generation.

I lose heat much faster than most particularly the head, hands and feet. If the current setup works for me, it will for anybody except maybe Arctic conditions or Mt Everest. hehe

Some other people I have seen are using thick gloves on both hands and use a wired or wireless shutter release from their pockets. I have not used those because there are none that give you a tactile feel through thick gloves. Also you have to be using a tripod and not hand holding which is my preferred method.

[Bobobird]

Thanks Erwin, Kris, Robbie, John, Vaez, Alan, Terri, Binnur, Richard, Jim.

Thanks Christina. Thanks for pointing out the fringing on #4. Will fix that asap.

[Rita]

Stunning images Bobo! Your commentary gives new meaning to the term "Suffering for you art". To think that I wimp out when it is raining

[Bobobird]

LOL Rita. Not surprised at all. It does not do much good to our equipment and the light is gone in most cases.