## Surviving a Chicago Winter: Expert Tips and Personal Trials
It’s brutally cold in Chicago—temperatures plummeting to a bone-chilling minus 22 degrees. This extreme weather prompted a Curious City question: How do Chicagoans survive these winters? While sheer grit plays a part, surviving with all digits intact requires strategic preparation. To find out the best approaches, we consulted various Chicagoans who regularly brave the elements, including mail carriers, outdoor writers, photographers, and a cold-weather gear expert. We also gathered tips from social media. Ultimately, the key is finding what works best for you.
Footwear Strategies:
Mail carriers offered diverse yet effective methods. Mack Julion, a 20-year veteran, layers socks with a plastic bag for insulation: “I will put on a regular pair of socks, then a plastic bag, and then thermal socks (before the boot), and then galoshes over that if it’s a shoe or boot that’s not waterproof.” Dominique White, another carrier with 23 years of experience, opts for a simpler double-sock approach, changing to a fresh pair mid-route. Photographer Heather Charles adds Bengay for extra warmth, along with pantyhose as a base layer, hand warmers inside the boot, and oversized boots to accommodate the layering.
Mike Daurio, an REI manager, approves of many of these methods but cautions against the potential breathability issues with plastic bags and stresses the importance of avoiding overly tight boots to prevent restricted blood flow. His recommendation? “A thick wool (never cotton) sock in an insulated waterproof winter boot a half size bigger than normal. Make sure you try on your boot at the store with the sock on.”
Hand and Glove Techniques:
Multiple professionals favor layering gloves. Heather Charles uses latex gloves under winter gloves with a hand warmer in between, while photographer Peter Tsai prefers nitrile gloves for quick removal and replacement while shooting. Daurio advocates for wool liner gloves under waterproof outer gloves, citing wool’s superior insulating properties even in wet conditions. Barbara Brotman, a longtime Chicago Tribune outdoor writer, suggests an unexpectedly effective method: wearing conventional gloves under mittens for extra warmth and wind protection. Daurio adds that the best choice depends on the conditions, with mittens generally preferred in extremely cold weather.
Face and Body Protection:
Daurio recommends a windproof balaclava for face protection, potentially layered with a hat or helmet and ski goggles. Mail carrier Mack Julion suggests Vaseline for exposed skin. Former Chicago Tribune health reporter Julie Deardorff offered a unique suggestion: baked potatoes in your pockets! Daurio also suggests taping a hand warmer to the back of the neck to improve overall body warmth, along with carrying a warm bottle of water in an inner pocket.
Personal Experimentation:
To test some of these methods, I personally tried a few. A latex glove under a winter glove felt warmer than wool under a winter glove. The best results came from wearing a latex glove under a thick mitten. Similarly, placing a plastic bag between two socks proved warmer (though slightly sweatier) than between a single sock and boot. Applying lip balm to one side of my face provided noticeable protection against chapping.
In conclusion, while many effective strategies exist for surviving a Chicago winter, finding the optimal combination is a personal journey. Experimentation, as this experiment demonstrated, is key to keeping warm and comfortable in the face of extreme cold.