<p>Thanks, everyone. I will take all this under advisement. I am in the middle of a project and didn’t want y’all to think I wasn’t paying attention.</p>
<p>All of these are things he says he wants. I think he’s worried about being cold, especially the hands, which are the only parts of him that are ever cold. I should mention that he’s an Eagle, so he’s used to the hiking boots with liners, he has the camouflage face mask that pulls closed to expose only the eyes, has one of those crazy Elmer Fudd hats that pulls over the ears, etc. </p>
<p>He really does have images of himself frolicking in the snow, playing broomball, traying, etc., so he does want those snow pants. :rolleyes: In fact, he just found some on sale at Dick’s for $30, some good brand recommended to him by a friend from the Minneapolis area. He paid for them himself, so I’m fine with it.</p>
<p>Did I mention that when we returns to school Saturday the projected high is 5 degrees. Thankfully, the low isn’t much lower – -4. :eek:</p>
<p>I agree about skipping the snow pants or shells. Wont get used.
As for gloves, a good pair, possibly the ones with fleece liners that can be removed, are handy dandy. Not mittens-- gloves. I like the idea mentioned above about the gloves with the flip-back tips ofr fingers for texting. Would never have thought of that…</p>
<p>I have a pair of New Balance fleece liners that I use when it’s in the 20s. If it’s wet or colder, then I use regular gloves. They can be thrown in the wash when they get dirty.</p>
<p>Cross posted. Saw that you do want the sai pants/shell. If he is going to be hanging out in someones room or some other place after romping in the snow, he will want the ones that he wears jeans under- not the ones that he cant take off afterwards without being underdressed That, or the kind they wear for snowboarding. My guys have ski pants-- but thats because they ski.</p>
<p>Do not rely on earmuffs- they don’t keep your HEAD warm. Go with a hat. Also, I’m sure there will be plenty of kids in cheaper clothes. Columbia brand sold at area stores works- plenty of Wis kids at U of M (due to tuition reciprocity). Mittens keep yor hands warmer, but good gloves are fine. With the covered pedestrian bridge over the river and the way they likely keep sidewalks cleared he may not wear the boots as often as he thinks (son at UW hasn’t taken his, nor worn them since middle school). I never heard of bothering to wear snowpants to slide/play in the snow in college- maybe the kids associate them with elementary school (around here all kids are required to have them for recess). One test for jacket warmth in the store is to put your hand up the sleeve- the warmer ones will feel warmer.</p>
<p>Sounds like your son has things under control. Not a bad idea to have 2 pairs of gloves- they get wet… Also good to have extra shoes.</p>
<p>We live in the Boston area so I can only comment on what I see kids wear around here. My S loves fleece or neoprene gloves. As others have said forget the snowpants unless he is skiing or snowboarding. My S wears a baseball hat unless he is skiing, but I do see kids wearing warm hats, especially girls. A lot of the college kids around here were Northface stuff not sure about MN. For boots, he loves his construction boots. </p>
<p>If he is missing anything you can always order on line and ship like you are doing.</p>
<p>Someone above mentioned duck boots, but I would caution that rubber really holds the cold. I went to HS in MN, and my feet were never colder than in my rubber winter boots; there’s a reason Scandinavians wear wooden clogs!</p>
<p>Thanks for the thread, YDS. We’ll be sending D to Chicago next year and I’ve been wondering if winter gear will go on sale soon, so we should buy it soon. I’d love to know if Northface is “essential” at her school.</p>
<p>I went to school in north central Illinois - it would be below 0 quite often. Lots of the guys wore hoodies under light jackets…but in retrospect I think it was because they had no money. I think a Texas kid needs to be well outfitted for the north. We would run around without coats in HS (when it would be maybe 20 degrees) but our kids haven’t been raised in the cold.</p>
<p>There is a new brand of glove, the Echo Touch, which has little conductive-things on the thumb and index finger so you can keep the gloves on and still text. </p>
<p>I got them for my business partner for Christmas and the women in our family all received a pair from my mother. I’ve only seen them in “girl” gloves, though – don’t know if they make them for men.</p>
<p>YDS, the other thing you’ll find is that up north, every Walgreens, CVS, etc. will sell super-cheap gloves (like, less than $5) in basic colors. My suggestion is seriously to buy a bunch of pairs and stuff them in every pocket and keep a pair in the backpack … Gloves are easily lost, and these gloves are typically thin enough that they could be used as liners under nicer gloves or mittens. As a northerner, I have a wardrobe of winter coats (maybe 5 - 8) and they each have different gloves stuffed in the pockets.</p>
<p>And I concur on the snowpants – typically those are more of a children’s item than an adult’s item (with the exception of skiing or snowboarding). So if he really wants them, cheaper is better.</p>
<p>While it’s great to look for items on sale…I would suggest you WAIT. What a high school senior might find great this year is NOT necessarily what a college freshman will find great next year.</p>
<p>You know, I sometimes get tired of the North Face and Uggs bashing – not by anyone on this thread, but referenced by the person who brought up the anti-North Face facebook page. Those products were used by people who wanted good winter wear long before they became popular. They do the job.</p>
That, or the kind they wear for snowboarding. My guys have ski pants-- but thats because they ski.</p>