There’s a lot of bullshit in this thread. People can wear shorts in cold weather either a) if it’s not that cold, or b) if it’s not for a long period of time. I’ve been in -50 and -60 degrees fahrenheit weather in Alaska and Montana and Wyoming and when it gets that cold any exposed skin is a huge liability and will become frostbitten and/or severely painful in a very short amount of time. Left untreated it will turn necrotic which is not good. You also, pretty much no matter what you’re wearing, can’t stop moving at those temps unless you are in some kind of shelter.
When I worked on The Slope in Alaska back in the 90s we used to do 20 minutes outside and then 20 minutes inside for full 16-hour shifts.
That said, it can be kind of invigorating and of course you do get used to it and learn to not let it bother you.
Edit: Also, if anyone cares, I’m not proud of having worked for Big Oil on The Slope back in the day. At the time I was young, it was a big adventure and it paid big money that allowed me to do a lot of other things that I otherwise would never have been able to do. Also, it was all union work through IUPAT DC5 which I am still an active member/activist of today.
When I lived in Stockholm my roommate was from Florida. He never left the house with anything but shorts on, even in -20°C, when I (Icelander) was bundled up in three layers, a beanie and mittens.
I don’t know how he could withstand it.
Maybe he didn’t own any other clothes and after a certain time he had to keep up appearances. I’m picturing him going to extreme lengths to get realistic prosthetic finger replacements as they suffered from frost bite… because everyone thought it was incredible that he was fine in shorts.
This is my first winter after turning 30 and suddenly socks and sandals is the greatest thing why do people shit on this? My outfit for grocery shopping today was literally shorts, hoodie, socks, sandals (slides style with the single thick band over the arch)
This is how I met my wife 10 years ago. It was -20 Celsius outside and I was in shorts waiting for a bus. She came over to ask why I was wearing shorts, which sparked conversations and now we’ve been married for over 5 years.
My legs generally don’t get cold. Even in that -20 C weather my legs just don’t seem to be bothered. I have no idea why, other than I’m acclimatized to cold weather or something, though it’s possible there’s some nerve issue in my legs that makes me not feel the cold - again, no idea.
Other parts of my body get cold, like you won’t catch my shirtless or shoeless in that weather.
On the other hand, if I wear pants, my legs will sweat profusely and get itchy, which is way more uncomfortable to me. I’m also generally a very warm person, and usually sleep at night without a blanket covering me (otherwise I’ll sweat all night and be uncomfortable). If I turn the thermostat down then blankets become tolerable, but then everyone else in my house will complain it’s too cold.
I’m also aware of the dangers of frostbite, so if I expect to be in -20 C weather for extended periods of time (like an hour or two) then I’ll put on pants. If it drops to -30 C then I always put on pants no matter how long I plan to be outside.
Hopefully this clears up some of the confusion, though I expect it also raises new ones.
In my hometown, we had “Mr. Noshirt”. He’d walk everywhere in any weather either without a shirt on, or with a flimsy dress shirt unbuttoned the whole way. In Canada, so it got cold. Rumors were “couldn’t feel cold” or the more likely “mental health problems.”
I think you eventually get used to it whatever you wear
I tend to be the shorts and t shirt in the middle of winter guy, but when I put a hoodie on it’s the most comfortable, perfect temperature you could imagine
As I get older, the cold bothers me more. Used to be, I could go outside and throw snowballs with my bare hands no problem. Nowadays, the temperature drops below 10, and suddenly my hands physically hurt if they get cold. It’s not even related to how physically fit I am given I started a five-day-a-week gym habit eight years ago and am in some of the best shape of my life. It’s just stupid aging as far as I can tell.
Yeah but we also get really hot so we’re sucking during August. Meanwhile someone is walking around in a 3 piece suit without so much as a drop of sweat.
My wife and I have been watching “Ballers” and thing I’ve been trying to figure out the whole time is, who the hell walks around Miami all day in a suit?
A good wool suit is quite insulating. I wore a 3 piece wool suit this summer when it was a bit warm. I wasn’t really sweating any more than I would be if I was wearing shorts and a Tee shirt.
In response to everyone’s sandals comments, you’re really missing out if you don’t go barefoot in the snow every now and then, so long as there’s only a light layer. Every step is cushioned and refreshing. It’s good endorphins all around, like taking a breath of fresh air after leaving a stuffy room. When the snow gets high enough that it kicks up onto the tops of your toes, that’s cold.
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