R I C H

+1 No great difference in how I dress, maybe a sweater on top of a shirt, and a coat in the car.

BristolUK

My driveway is completely available and it's close.

Oh...you mean close for you.

Pizzawheel

This is a very important point- don't sneer at "winter grip" on boots. My first winter I would walk to the subway in my trusty para boots. I would slide and fall once per week...

My winter boots, which were around $100, have much softer rubber and the similar "slit tread" the suckers onto sheet ice; same principle as winter tires I guess.

There is a big, big difference!

not2old

could it be this simple?

How should I dress for winter in Ontario?

Climate and Clothing

Pine Cone

I looked at that, but I wanted more specific info about how office workers manage rather than just general keeping warm outdoors info. Similarly in Aussie, we have to think about commuting in summer, and having at least a litre of water and a wide brim sunhat for the journey plus a cardigan so we don't freeze when there is frigid air con. That means carrying more gear around each day.

BristolUK

What's the reason the rest of the year?

not2old

its all down to doing what everyone else does in the winter, no rules, common sense, just like summer when its +35'c like it has been this past week here.

Take someone that commutes by car to work from their underground parking garage condo building to an office that has underground parking. Wears only spring/autum like clothes till their vehicle breaksdown or are in an accident enroute - then get stuck on the motorway with only spring clothing.

The commuter on transit will wear winter clothing for the time they spend in -10 to -30 blowing freezing snow, slush etc. Armed with indoor shoes (at their desk or in a kit bag) will get rid of all the heavy winter clothes when they arrive at work.

If you live in a house that you need to shovel the driveway as well as scrape the ice off the windsheild - then dress appropriately for that & the drive to work or shopping. Discard the heavy clothing at work into what you'd wear inside at home

For me ,when I was working, driving to work, I never ever wore boots or a north face artic type clothing (just autumn clothing with a sweater underneath) , most dont unless they have to be outside on the commute.

During the winter months, just in case, I always kept a pair of boots, heavy gloves & havy coat on the back seat

Pine Cone

Did you ever actually use these regularly or were they a spare set?

We've always keep a fairly sizeable first aid kit, 2 heavy wool blankets, toilet roll, some container or potty to wee into (never ever something to overlook when stuck in standstill traffic with a family for several hours), water, torches, emergency space blankets, sunblock and baby wipes (to clean oily hands etc) in our car. But I guess those blankets are not going to be much use with a family evacuating a broken down vehicle in winter.

not2old

No evacuation kit, just a first aid kit & a minor vehicle breakdown kit, consisting of jumper cables, flares, flashlight, can of WD40, some cloths..... thats about it.

On the winter gear kept in the back of the vehicle - heavy coat, boots, gloves, ski goggles & a full winter headgear with flaps... just in case of a breakdown or caught in a snowdrift.

Other than that, as I mentioned, its basically autumn clothing all through the winter, maybe (I say maybe) wear gloves, usually not, even at -10c, since I'm going from the house to car, to supermarket & never out in the cold for more than 5-10 minutes. Footware, same as what I wear in the autumn. After all the years in Canada, you sort of learn how to walk the ice, avoid the slipping & sliding, don't trudge the slush.

Outside walking or shoveling snow for more than 10 minutes - then its full artic gear.

.

scilly

We always have cushions, a small bottle of water and a torch in the car, jump cables and shovel in the back

Whenever we travel outside Vancouver in winter, we make sure that we have checked the torch, and add a large thermos of water plus 2 small bottles, more cushions, a pair of boots each, heavy jackets, hats, gloves, scarves, and at least one throw, all in the back seat of the car. Plus of course checking that the mandatory shovel and jump cables are in the trunk.

We are likely to be driving 800 km north on such trips, through temperatures that do go as low as -40C, and the Fraser Canyon with its potential avalanches.

Other advice is also to carry one or more candles plus matches ............ if you get stuck in snow, lighting a candle for short periods of time can raise the temperature inside the car. It is NOT advised to sit there with the engine running ............. unless you get out regularly to ensure that the exhaust is clear.

Pulaski

As well-prepared as you are for expeditions into arctic conditions, you might consider adding some of these to your emegency winter equipment as they will be a lot safer that lighting a candle, and more effective at keeping you warm too. I would guess that most outdoor activty stores would sell something similar if you don't want to buy from Amazon.

dbd33

I should think it prudent to have a tracked vehicle, a rifle, several knives, a portable barbecue, charcoal, matches, some newspapers, a marine radio and flares of various colours when setting out for a day of over the counter sales or bank clerkery. A deflated life raft would be handy in case of floods and could be stored on the bonnet, if not placed too close to the hot exhaust snorkel.

Pulaski

You forgot "a month's supply of MREs for the driver and each passenger space in your vehicle".

BristolUK

Or just do something villainous before getting away in your escape pod.

scilly

well, I have always wondered about the candle

It is actually amazing how one can get into trouble within a short distance of Vancouver ................ we have been very lucky.

OH will be 78 next month, so I'm planning other ways to get up north to the relatives to prevent him driving that distance again, and those plans do not involve flying