True Floridian seeing snow for the first time...

[Disneylover79]

So I am going to Idaho in February to see my sister and also to see it snow for the first time... I am 30 years old and I have never seen snow....so please, please tell me what I need to bring.....remember my wardrobe consists of shorts and bathing suits....

 

[Snoozan]

I definitely recommend dressing in layers! My favorite winter outfit consists of jeans, Merrell shoes, T-neck and a fleece top - either by L.L.Bean or Land's End for the best fleece! If really cold, I also add a long underwear shirt under the T-neck. By fleece, I mean Polar fleece, not a sweatshirt, BTW.

 

[jfoofj]

Hat, mittens, and scarf to go with the above outfit.

 

[pennymom]

Make sure your gloves/mittens are insulated and water resistant so you can play in the snow, too! Have fun!

 

[lovetoscrap]

Boots! Nothing ruins a day in the snow (either playing or just trying to go somewhere) faster than snow in your shoes leading to very cold and wet feet. And be sure you have room in your boots for a few layers of socks. I like a pair of wool socks over my regular ones.

Ear Muffs or a hat. Ears get very cold very fast.

ETA: You might check with your sister to see what she has that you can borrow. She is very likely to have extra wool socks, ear muffs, hats, scarves, gloves etc. And if you are close to the same size you can probably borrow turtlenecks, long johns, sweatshirts etc. Otherwise you may need one suitcase just for all your cold weather stuff.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Gloves and any kind of boot. Sneakers will not do. I found some stylish boots on clearance at Stein Mart and they were perfect! The boots are the tall kind that go the full lenght of your calf and I found them the week before Valentine's DAy when we had to head up to Michigan for a funeral. Very cold and lots of snow--and they were perfect.

I would wait until about a month before your trip and hit the Florida winter clearance sales.

And obviously layers and a nice coat to keep you warm. I would find someone to borrow the coat from, though.

I also wear ear muffs--but I wear them in Florida too b/c I'm a big ol' baby and cool air causes piercing pain in my ear canal. I've been known to go on a marathon training run in a breezy 70 degrees with shorts and a running top--with ear muffs.

Since I don't like to invest in a full wardrobe, I get by with layer the rest of my clothes using tights!

And for playing in the snow--we went skiing one time (this was in New Mexico) and I layered athletic pants. The water resistant kind. I think on that particular day--I wore 3 pair and sat on the snow and my bum did not freeze at all. The pants I had were lined.

 

[Judy from Boise]

what part of Idaho?

 

[RabFlmom]

So I am going to Idaho in February to see my sister and also to see it snow for the first time... I am 30 years old and I have never seen snow....so please, please tell me what I need to bring.....remember my wardrobe consists of shorts and bathing suits....

I have to share a story about my sons seeing snow for the first time.....

My 15 year old son looked at us seriously and asked this question: " Do I need to bring out some water so I can make snowballs for a snowball fight?" LOL

Have a blast in the snow. Make snow angels, forts, snowmen, etc. even if you can't get any other "big people" to play with you. I had a blast last time I was up north in snow-even though my sons think I am such a weirdo. LOL

My advice as a Floridian ---warm waterproof boots to wear everywhere in the snow. I wear tights or pantyhose under jeans. Warm socks that go up to the knees, your sister's coat with a hood because the ones we can get here are not warm enough for Northern temps in the teens or below 0. Warm mittens, a full hat to cover your head( worn under the hood of the coat) and you might want a ski mask to cover your face if staying outside a while. A warm/ at least part wool scarf can be pulled up around your face to keep you warm if don't want the ski mask look.

At my brother's funeral one year it was really cold and I even wore a wool blanket wrapped around the heavy winter coat because I was shaking in the cold so much......so my theory is do whatever you can to stay warm in Idaho and don't worry about the fashion statement. People up there will understand that being from Florida you are freezing,

Find long sleeve blouses and knit tops to wear under sweaters and that will keep you warmer than just a sweater when inside. I also found out that men's lounging pajamas in size small are warmer than women's pjs for sleeping in cooler rooms upstairs at my sisters. Might want to check stores here before we get the first cold spel for some thermal underwear, too.

 

[jsmith]

just an observation-i was in Orlando for some training last December-like the first week-and it was colder in Orlando than in Denver, Casper or Boise-and the humdity makes the cold more intense.
You people sound like you are dressing her for a trip to Antarctica-in all honesty-depending on where you go in Idaho 60 is more likely in February than 0-ive been to Pocatello more than once in February when it rained not snowed. For every day dress-jeans and long sleeve shirts, warm socks and decent closed toes shoes-after all you do not need to be dressed like an eskimo to hang out in your sisters house. Before you go ask you sister what she has that you can borrow. You will need a decent winter coat which i doubt you can even buy in Florida-if you cant borrow one you will need to look at on line out door retailers like LL Bean,Cabelas and Lands End. Water proof boots are important for the days you will be actually playing in the snow-again if sis cant help you out google is your friend. Mittens and something to wear on your head-i cant deal with hats-i get too hot so i like ear muffs or a head band that covers my ears. The poster who said layers had it right-if im going where i will get wet or cold i like silk underwear under a turtle neck and and a cotton or wool sweater ( acrylic will make you sweat and then you get chilled) or a polar fleece pull over-unless its very cold or very windy i dont need a jacket over that. i usually just wear jeans over my silk long handles and take a dry pair to change to-but wind pants over will give you waterproof and help keep you warm.
Now keep in mind thats roll around in the snow clothing-not everyday dress.

 

[GeorgeG]

Shorts and bathing suits are just fine... if you stay put in front of a big fireplace!

What you usually where down here during the cold months is okay if you add a layer or two. You will probably need some boots, gloves, and a warm hat, too!

 

[RangerPooh]

What part of Idaho are you visiting? This will influence your wardrobe selection. I lived on the Wa/Idaho boarder (Pullman Wa/Moscow Id) and the weather would vary all the time. I usually got buy with jeans, hiking boots, thick socks, a scarf and gloves/mittens, a nice snowbaord jacket or pea coat, and sweaters. I would always layer my clothes. If the weather wasn't too bad I would get away with jeans and a sweatshirt with a scarf.

What are your plans when there? Outside activities or indoors?

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Several years ago I was on a prolonged business trip in Puerto Rico during the winter. They had stores there that would rent out winter clothing for people going to visit the Mainland US.

You might want to check in the area where you live to see if there is amy place that will rent out winter clothing.

Otherwise just figure on borrowing clothes from your sister (if sizes are similar). Also, you might want to go to a thrift store or similar for winter wear as you really don't intend to use it more thaan this one trip. After you come back you can donate or resell it.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

You people sound like you are dressing her for a trip to Antarctica-in all honesty-depending on where you go in Idaho 60 is more likely in February than 0-ive been to Pocatello more than once in February when it rained not snowed.

Our apologies--she asked about what to wear in snow and we answered.

I found the recommendations to be spot on *if it were snowing*.


I think we all figured out that she wasn't going to antartica.


But I get what you are saying. It's like when folks say its hotter than hades and dang humid in May down here. And I'm like---ummm....no. But okay!

My DH and I wen to Willamsburg for our anniversary in the month of June. The day we arrived--we did something-- Don't remember what. The guide apologized for the humidity. My DH and I looked at each other saying, "What humidity". The rest of the trip, we found it too "chilly" to even bother with the water park at Busch Gardens. Evidently they had a different definition of "heat wave" and "humidity" than we did.

 

[pixiewings71]

I really think it depends on when you're going. I live in CA and my family is all in ID, what I wear when we visit in the winter depends on when in winter and where we will spend most of our time. You can't go wrong with some good boots, gloves, scarf, and hat, but I've never worn tights or pantyhose under my jeans....LOL Long johns yes, but that was as a kid living in the mountains, not when I visit my Mom.

 

[shrubber]

boots, boots, boots.
Just about everything else you need to keep warm and dry can be accomplished by layering anything from sweaters to light jackets but if your feet get wet and cold, you will be unhappy.

 

[adkkev]

ditch the jeans ... bring nylon pants (like this: http://www.llbean.com/webapp/wcs/st...entCategory=505446&feat=505446-tn&cat4=503228) ... jeans are made of cotton and cotton soaks up water and does NOT dry quickly at all. In fact the cotton will chill you down quite a bit, even if you're wearing long underwear. And speaking of long underwear, don't buy cotton ones for the same reason!

As everyone else has said, dress in layers ...