<p>I'm wondering if any current students/parents/residents of Ithaca can help me out with this.</p>
<p>I'm planning to go shopping for heavy winter gear next week, and was wondering if anyone has suggestions/tips on what types of clothing and shoes I should buy to survive Ithaca during the winter. Cornell already has an entire webpage dedicated to this very issue, but, coming from south Texas, I'd like to hear firsthand advice and be as prepared as possible.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>I am wondering the same and I live in the NE and attended Cornell, and now need to outfit my son for next winter on the hill.</p>
<p>The FB pages sometimes include photos of students trudging through the snow. It has been snowing a lot this month, and not just at Cornell.</p>
<p>Here is the Alum Assoc. Scroll down to Dec 11th to see winter gear.
<a href="https://www./cornellalumniassociation%5B/url%5D">https://www./cornellalumniassociation</a></p>
<p>Not much here:<a href="https://www./Cornell%5B/url%5D">https://www./Cornell</a></p>
<p>I prefer a waterproof jacket with a hood, but I am fairly sure I never owned one during my four winters in Ithaca. LL Bean boots conduct the cold but I wore them ever day and still own a pair. Anything warm and waterproof with some sort of tread. Gloves that allow you to text.</p>
<p>Parents of current students will probably be able to offer more useful information. My boys each own a hooded North Face jacket that has a zip-in/zip-out fleece layer, but they don’t wear them to school.</p>
<p>Hmmm—the URL was blocked. It said Face book</p>
<p>Get a heavy winter coat (ie North Face, but there are many less expensive brands) as well as a lighter jacket. Hoods are essential, at least for me. If you forego a hood, definitely get a warm hat. It gets really cold in the winter, but a lighter jacket is perfect for warmer winter days as well as the spring. I’ve lived in upstate New York all my life and I just wear sneakers in the winter, but I could recommend getting some boots to keep your feet warm.</p>
<p>A SCARF. The wind can get pretty harsh and freezes your face.
Definitely a hat that can cover your ears too.</p>
<p>Rainboots…and waterproofing spray…</p>
<p>good gloves are a must! I grew up in Michigan and still have family that lives there now (we are in Florida). You might want to wait until the “spring” stuff hits the stores when the winter wear goes on sale for clearance. that is what i am planning on doing. My sister who lives in michigan is going to help me out on that end.</p>
<ul>
<li>LL Bean “Duck” Boots with some type of insulation. Everyone has them, and they are super sturdy so they can be a good investment over the 4 years.</li>
<li>Hunter Boots (or a cheaper version with a thick rubber sole) for the rain</li>
<li>Light rain jacket for spring - it rains a lot</li>
<li>A LONG down coat that will cover your butt (for girls) - it gets very cold.</li>
</ul>
<p>Thanks for the answers, everyone! Based on your advice, I think I’ve been able to compile a decent list of necessary clothes:</p>
<p>-Heavy winter coat
-Light, waterproof jacket
-Boots for all types of inclement weather
-Gloves/mittens
-Hat/earmuffs
-Scarf</p>
<p>Is there anything I’m missing?</p>
<p>If you want to pay outside during your winter, sledding down the slope, snow ball fights, ice skating, etc., some lite thermal underwear would be desirable.</p>
<p>What winter coat do you think would be the best?</p>
<p>Regarding the scarf, you may like to look at a fleece neckwarmer (?) which is just a small scarf sewn into a circle which you pull over your head. I think they are less fuss than a scarf as they won’t blow around once you put them on, and you can stuff one into a large coat pocket or pack. I don’t know if they are popular at Cornell but our family likes them for winter activities. Turtle fur makes them but is not the only maker.</p>
<p>I attended Cornell and still have memories of tiny frozen ice crystals swirling in the quad, and the weird sound distortion at 10 below zero. </p>
<p>It is COLD!</p>
<p>Several pairs of thermal underwear, very warm socks, comfortable waterproof boots , BIG DOWN COAT (waterproof shell nice too), layers of fleece/sweaters/turtlenecks, instant hand warming disposable “pop” packets, warm hats, gloves and scarves. Don’t forget slippers, pajamas, maybe an electric warming mattress pad and down comforter. </p>
<p>If bringing an auto, consider a plug in engine warmer or electric blanket for car.</p>
<p>LLBean, Patagonia and North Face guarantee for life, bring or mail it in and they will fix it (no receipt required).</p>
<p>Get a hat with flaps that covers your ears, it’s great for when it’s windy.</p>
<p>And I fully agree about the down coats suggestion!</p>
<p>Layers are the key. It could be sunny with a windchill of zero. Or worse, 40 and raining sideways. Yet indoors ir might be 80. So, with thermal underwear, a long-sleeve tee-shirt, a flannel shirt, a sweatshirt/hoody and the water proof arctic parka with fleece hood you set out with layers matching outdoor conditions. Get to class and remove two or three layers.</p>
<p>Jeans plus thermal underwear are warm and comfortable. A long raincoat for wet weather.</p>
<p>Water proof hiking boots and wool hiking socks. I like to buy boots one size large and wear two wool socks on each foot or a cotton liner under a wool sock. No blisters on ten hour hike. Good hiking boots are very comfortable and last for years with care.</p>
<p>Just curious, with the large campus and all this dressing and undressing, is it difficult to get to consecutive classes in time?</p>
<p>It really isn’t all that much dressing and undressing. You just shed your outer layers as you sit down in class. (Coat, gloves & hat, if you have one.) I never owned thermal underwear but did own a huge number of turtlenecks.</p>
<p>We got ours one of those 3-1 jackets with the lining. It claimed to be good up to -15 degrees but I wasn’t convinced. This week was their first day of sub-zero temps (Maine) and he said with a hoodie he was good to go. Agree with the duck boots (or something similar) Timberlands don’t cut it…you need real waterproof weather boots. My kids are masters at losing gloves so I didn’t invest money in expensive pairs. Went to walmart and got many pairs of decent waterproof gloves. Suggestion: for the jacket/coat, esp if you like traditional colors (black, red, blue etc)…go for a different color or write your name in the tag. There will hundreds of LLBean, Columbia, LandsEnd, Northface jackets that look exactly alike.</p>