Routine-use, cold-weather BDU accessories

[Pylon]

So I'm looking to add some "climate creature comfort" items to my basic uniform wardrobe to make my normal meeting nights and standard activities more comfortable in the dead of winter, with the blowing snow and subzero temperatures out  (nothing like GTM'in it in the woods or 10-mile ruck marches on a bivouac or anything crazy like that).   I identified a few products I thought stood out as helpful and reasonable.  What do you all think?   

For those of you who have used some of these products or something similar, what are your experiences?  Know of something better?   For the Underarmor items, am I paying too much for what could essentially be achieved with something cheaper?  What's worked best for you for standard wear in snowy cold climates for routine BDU wear?  What are some of the best winter gloves you've found, that still allow you to do something useful with your hands?

I also am throwing in a standard woodland rain poncho into the mix, since the M-65 soaks up water like it's nobody's business and I think it would repel heavy rain even better than the GenI Goretex I have.


TRU-SPEC® Fleece Jacket Liner
Price: $20.99


Polar Fleece Neck Warmer
Price: $5.99



Under Armour® ColdGear® Survival System Socks
Price: $25.99



Under Armour® ColdGear™ Cold Weather Leggings
Price: $54.99


Polar Fleece Adjustable Balaclava
Price: $7.99


Damascus® Postal-X™ Neoprene Gloves
Price: $16.99


Ripstop Poncho
Price: $15.99

[CAPLAW]

I have the UA it works great, I bought a bunch of cold weather stuff before coming up to NY from FL and I am still cold wearing UA and fleece products.  I have all the Authorized uniform cold gear and still freezing my six off.  Im going to try one of those AF ECW jackets with the faux fur.

[Pylon]

Im going to try one of those AF ECW jackets with the faux fur.

I have one and while it's a little bulky, those things are TOASTY and practically wind-proof.

[Al Sayre]

-snip-

the M-65 soaks up water like it's nobody's business

-snip-

A can of Scotchguard will fix that unless you plan to wear it in a monsoon...

[MIKE]

My ECWCS works just fine, you must have a used one thats been beat up.

[ol'fido]

If you use Scotchguard or any other spray on waterproofing, be very careful around open flames such as campfires or candles. Those sprays once they dry make the garment highly flammable. Just a word to the wise.

[ThorntonOL]

When you've lived somewhere for most of your life and then move or go on trips to where the temp. and humidty is different, your body is not use it and even though your cold weather gear  kept you warm around home and your local area it might not be adequate if you go somewhere else, Of course there are times when no matter how warm your clothes are the cold will still seep in.

[sarmed1]

You can find all sorts of "not underarmor" underarmor usually cheaper and without any degredation in quality or durability.

I would go with just the balaclava instaed of also a neck warmer....just uncover your head and you have the neck warmer

A good old beanie works well especially under your helmet

mk

[IceNine]

My experience with Not UA brand base layers has been marginal to poor.

This time of year I rarely leave the house with out UA cold gear on my skin.  Just that and a columbia fleece jacket does the trick usually down to freezing or so.

I have about 5 pairs and after trying the cheaper way out I won't buy anything but UA anymore.  YMMV

I have one of the neck warmers and love it. (I don't like things on my face)  And I use a carhart brand black cap (with the tag removed of course) because they were the only one's I could find at the time with thinsulate in between the layers.  Blocks wind even on the coldest days.

[DC]

I have the Tru-Spec Fleece Liner, and you might want to consider something a little more heavy duty, like the issue Polartec fleece, which is awesome...

The Tru-Spec liner is ok, but it isn't particularly warm, and the quality is so-so. If you do decide to get it though, order a size up, they run small, particularly the sleeves....

[SaBeR33]

My ECWCS works just fine, you must have a used one thats been beat up.

That could be the case. The best thing he could do is use a product called Revivex (it's made specifically for Goretex fabrics) and follow the directions to the letter. If he cannot find this product, Nikwax http://www.nikwax-usa.com/en-us/ produces products (TX Direct for treating and Tech Wash for cleaning) that are made specifically to clean and treat waterproof clothing and other items. A short-term fix is to iron the outer fabric on a VERY low setting, covering the whole garment while keeping the iron moving. This is even recommended on some product's care instructions, the ones on the tags that usually hang-off new items that is. Many military exchanges (maybe Vanguard as well) carry Goretex patch kits to perform repairs of large(ish) areas should holes be present.

[tjaxe]

I just bought black Glomitts from uscav (http://www.uscav.com/Polarex%C2%AE+Glomitts) and love 'em. The mitten part can be folded back into a little pouch when you need some finger dexterity.  They especially work for me because I can NEVER find gloves in my size (S) unless they're powder-blue or pink.