PREP Getting ready for winter(again).

[Great Northwet]

Continuing my thread from last year: http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/show...for-winter&highlight=Getting+ready+for+winter I'm just doing what I always do, yet it was so informational for me, that I just wanted to bring it up again. Especially since many of you have had early snow.

I got the new tires for the truck last summer. Repaired the little seams where cold air gets into the house, etc.

Put the styrofoam insulators on the exterior faucets today, and covered up the fall planted raised beds with leaves having fallen off the surrounding maples.

250lbs. of sand bags along with winch and snow shovel in the bed of the truck during last week. Heavy duty snow chains in the cab area, along with updated "carkit", blankets, mittens, balaclava, etc.

Something new this year: I got one of those adapters that plugs into the lighter module in the truck that I can plug my laptop into to recharge, and since I have a pc card I can get updated radar, weather, and road reports. Also works with my little AA battery recharger.

Let us know if you have improvements over last years winter preps.

 

[tanstaafl]

Good timing considering it's supposed to snow in the Cascades in the next day or so.

The only thing I do differently is put tire chains, a bag of winter gear (scarf, gloves, hat, gaitors, ice cleats, etc.), and a couple of boxes of Quaker Oats granola bars into my pickup. Pretty much everything else, including bottled water, is already in the truck. I don't put sand tubes in until there's an actual snow forecast.

Just because there's no snow down in the PNW "lowlands" and we're all walking around in shorts and sandals doesn't mean we might not have to bug out over the mountains!

 

[Great Northwet]

Good timing considering it's supposed to snow in the Cascades in the next day or so.

The only thing I do differently is put tire chains, a bag of winter gear (scarf, gloves, hat, gaitors, ice cleats, etc.), and a couple of boxes of Quaker Oats granola bars into my pickup. Pretty much everything else, including bottled water, is already in the truck. I don't put sand tubes in until there's an actual snow forecast.

Just because there's no snow down in the PNW "lowlands" and we're all walking around in shorts and sandals doesn't mean we might not have to bug out over the mountains!

Pretty much the same here. I put the sand weights in the back of the bed early this fall because I have some "meats" on the rear tires for the first time. But not sure how they will react to snow and such. That being said; If there is even a hint of a snow event up here, the sandbags would be gone in hours.

I grew up in Portland. Ice cleats never occurred to me until just now.

 

[Running Dog]

Yep, time for sand bags.
The neat thing about sand bags is, in the spring, you can put the sand in your garden. Carrots loves sandy soil.

 

[Bubble Head]

Third snow of the season just blew in. And I mean blew in. Woke me up with the wind. When it comes this hard this early the best thing is more firewood. Check and run the gennie on a regular basis to make sure all is well when you need it. Antifreeze check is in order as temps drop with wind. On a side note, my elk and deer our aging nicely and I will start making sausage this weekend for the long winter ahead. Less trips to town is always safer for us. Rural living.

 

[Border guard]

Lost power from the snow storm last weekend - fired up the gennie. Most of the snow is melted but it sure pruned out the trees that had leaves on them - what a mess.

 

[Freeholder]

I'm behind this year -- still trying to get the travel trailer we'll be wintering in, fit to live in. (It needs a new floor, plus some other minor alterations to add more storage for living in rather than camping in.) But I have plastic to put over the windows, which are all single-pane. Plan to put insulated skirting around it, and some form of insulation on top of the roof with a tarp over all. Debating renting a big propane tank and getting it filled for the winter, so I don't have to haul the 25 lb. and 8 lb. ones back and forth to Klamath Falls (45 miles from where the travel trailer is parked, at my mother and step-father's house). Would it be cheaper to buy the propane that way?

Kathleen

 

[Dennis Olson]

What's winter? (heh)


Oh yeah, it's when it gets below 60:deg: here.


I already miss real seasons, and I've only been here since April. *sigh*

 

[Bubble Head]

Way cheaper to buy a bulk load of propane. They come out and deliver. You have to figure your 90 mile round trip to get your bottles filled or your supplies that you need. Same as us. Thats extra fuel money on top of the cost of the propane or supplies. Less trips more FRNs in your pocket.

I'm behind this year -- still trying to get the travel trailer we'll be wintering in, fit to live in. (It needs a new floor, plus some other minor alterations to add more storage for living in rather than camping in.) But I have plastic to put over the windows, which are all single-pane. Plan to put insulated skirting around it, and some form of insulation on top of the roof with a tarp over all. Debating renting a big propane tank and getting it filled for the winter, so I don't have to haul the 25 lb. and 8 lb. ones back and forth to Klamath Falls (45 miles from where the travel trailer is parked, at my mother and step-father's house). Would it be cheaper to buy the propane that way?

Kathleen

 

[naturallysweet]

I feel jipped. My summer was really only 4 weeks long, so I'm not really ready for winter to be here.

 

[tanstaafl]

What I call "ice cleats" are the things you can easily slip on/off normal shoes and boots (left picture) and are used in an urban environment. They have metal nubbies which generally aren't very sharp, but they make a big difference on icy sidewalks and in icy parking lots.

What I call "ice spikes" (aka, crampons, right picture), on the other hand, are what you generally use to climb mountains and have very long sharp points. Putting them on is more complicated and usually involves long straps.

I got both types from Sportsman's Guide (http://www.sportsmansguide.com/), but they didn't have any ice spikes when I searched just now. The left picture is from SG and the right picture is from Wikipedia.

 

[marsh]

get fruit trees pruned before first snow Thursday night. Mow yard and fertilize for winter. Spray satellite disk. Pick up all hoses and put them in the garage. Already did the styrafoam thing on the faucets and plugged in the pump house heater. Put straw around grapes and other sensitive perennials. Already have the snow tires on. Thanks for reminding me about throwing the winter kit in the car. Need to make sure the gutter drains are all aligned and rake and burn leaves in the driveway before the snows/rains.

I already have my wood stacked and split and bought extra newspapers from local paper for fire lights. The kerosene lanterns need topping off and checking and the generator needs fresh gas and a new battery - although I rarely use it. A bit behind...

 

[Gitche Gumee Kid]

Went to Saturday night Church service so we (four daughters & SILs) all got together on Sunday to cut , split and stack 7+ cords of oak .

GGK

 

[seraphima]

We just had our first snow, although we have seen 'termination dust' up above 1000 feet on the mountains for the last week or so.

This year I learned a new trick: put some small rounded rocks on the top of the woodstove as hand warmers. Great when you come in from the cold!

For years we have also kept big flat rocks on top of the woodstove to hold the heat and radiate it after the fire is out. Our ecofan also goes on top- blows the hot air into the room, and is non-electric. For cooking on the woodstove, the rock comes off until the pot boils, then the rock is put back and the pot simmers on top.

 

[bluemoon]

Marsh, What do you spray the satellite dish with?
Bluemoon

 

[JustCause]

Went to Saturday night Church service so we (four daughters & SILs) all got together on Sunday to cut , split and stack 7+ cords of oak .

GGK

Nice. Split and delivered oak in my area goes for $350 a CORD. That haul of yours would have cost $2450+ here in the desert.

 

[Gitche Gumee Kid]

Nice. Split and delivered oak in my area goes for $350 a CORD. That haul of yours would have cost $2450+ here in the desert.

Josh,

Hope my logger doesn't monitor this forum.lol------------>12 crds green oak purchased 10/29/10 for $1000- delivered in 100" sticks

GGK

 

[Great Northwet]

What I call "ice cleats" are the things you can easily slip on/off normal shoes and boots (left picture) and are used in an urban environment. They have metal nubbies which generally aren't very sharp, but they make a big difference on icy sidewalks and in icy parking lots.

What I call "ice spikes" (aka, crampons, right picture), on the other hand, are what you generally use to climb mountains and have very long sharp points. Putting them on is more complicated and usually involves long straps.

I got both types from Sportsman's Guide (http://www.sportsmansguide.com/), but they didn't have any ice spikes when I searched just now. The left picture is from SG and the right picture is from Wikipedia.

tanstaafl, just a question about the cleats. Can these be used to steady your footing "off road" when hiking/hunting/fishing in snowy conditions? Or just best for paved areas as you mentioned? Nothing too hard core like climbing though.

 

[Garryowen]

I'm behind this year -- still trying to get the travel trailer we'll be wintering in, fit to live in. (It needs a new floor, plus some other minor alterations to add more storage for living in rather than camping in.) But I have plastic to put over the windows, which are all single-pane. Plan to put insulated skirting around it, and some form of insulation on top of the roof with a tarp over all. Debating renting a big propane tank and getting it filled for the winter, so I don't have to haul the 25 lb. and 8 lb. ones back and forth to Klamath Falls (45 miles from where the travel trailer is parked, at my mother and step-father's house). Would it be cheaper to buy the propane that way?

Kathleen

Generally, yes, it would be cheaper to fill a permanent tank than to use the small ones. You can also get 100 pound tanks. I would think that if you are pretty much isolated, you would want at least a 500 gallon tank. That would give you a capacity of 425 gallons, and give you a buffer in case of bad weather. Here in N. Ill annoy, I'd want a bigger tank if that was my only source of heat. Check with your propane supplier to be sure of the difference in price.

 

[Flippper]

What I call "ice cleats" are the things you can easily slip on/off normal shoes and boots (left picture) and are used in an urban environment. They have metal nubbies which generally aren't very sharp, but they make a big difference on icy sidewalks and in icy parking lots.

What I call "ice spikes" (aka, crampons, right picture), on the other hand, are what you generally use to climb mountains and have very long sharp points. Putting them on is more complicated and usually involves long straps.

I got both types from Sportsman's Guide (http://www.sportsmansguide.com/), but they didn't have any ice spikes when I searched just now. The left picture is from SG and the right picture is from Wikipedia.

The ones on the left I got at Costco last year, $11 for 2 pair I think I paid. Haven't had a chance to use them yet.

I'm so behind, I'm still working on canning and sorting tomatoes. Fiance was sent out to get the tomatoes before they froze, came back with a 5 gallon bucket full, said the rest were "mushy". I knew they weren't because I'd just been out a few hours earlier and picked a few. It was too dark to pick any more, but the next day they were frozen solid, got to 20F. Today I was outside and went back to the garden area-saw a few beautiful romas laying on the dirt, picked them up and they were frozen solid, thought 'what the hay' took them inside, the skins peeled right off, so I threw them in the cook pot and got some nice sauce from them. Never send a man to do a woman's work.

Our leaves are still on the trees-cold summer must have freaked them out, so they are still clinging to the leaves, even the locusts that normally start to lose leaves in early July are still totally green, so no raking yet. Good thing, we haven't tilled up our garden yet. So behind. Winter's gonna be a booger this year I think.

 

[tanstaafl]

Great Northwet, the ice cleats don't seem that kind of long distance rugged to me (at least my model isn't), plus they aren't all THAT securely attached to the shoes. My model (same as in the picture above) is very flexible rubber that easily slips over the toe and up the back side of the shoe. I only wear them for relatively short distances and take them off as soon as I get back onto dry ground (inside a store, for example). I always wonder why they don't shift around more under my weight, but so far I've never slipped with them on.

When I've gone into the backcountry with more than a few inches of snow on the ground I usually wear snowshoes. I bought my snow spikes after one slightly nervous traverse of a steep slide area where my snowshoes didn't grip all that well. Newer snowshoes (mine are old surplus) often have spikes and I was very jealous of my brother just cruising right across that slide.

 

[tanstaafl]

To further the comments about footgear and ice, I found something that might be a little more substantial (and considerably more expensive) than ice cleats but not as hardcore as ice spikes. I have no personal experience at all with these, though, so maybe some sleuthing on the Web looking for user reviews might be worthwhile.

Yaktrax Glacier - $59.95
item #FS189
http://www.herringtoncatalog.com/fs189.html

 

[Dafodil]

What I call "ice cleats" are the things you can easily slip on/off normal shoes and boots (left picture) and are used in an urban environment. They have metal nubbies which generally aren't very sharp, but they make a big difference on icy sidewalks and in icy parking lots.

What I call "ice spikes" (aka, crampons, right picture), on the other hand, are what you generally use to climb mountains and have very long sharp points. Putting them on is more complicated and usually involves long straps.

I got both types from Sportsman's Guide (http://www.sportsmansguide.com/), but they didn't have any ice spikes when I searched just now. The left picture is from SG and the right picture is from Wikipedia.

they have something like that at www.qvc.com

 

[Carl2]

To further the comments about footgear and ice, I found something that might be a little more substantial (and considerably more expensive) than ice cleats but not as hardcore as ice spikes. I have no personal experience at all with these, though, so maybe some sleuthing on the Web looking for user reviews might be worthwhile.

Yaktrax Glacier - $59.95
item #FS189
http://www.herringtoncatalog.com/fs189.html

******
Those "Yaktrax" look good for strictly off-pavement use. We find that the lighter-duty "ice cleats" that slip on, tend to slip off in deeper snow. Years ago we started using "Stabilicers", which attach by velcro straps and have replaceable cleats. Campmor and other places carry them:
http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear...cov61412s1eedaa7e-7b17-5fc8-e23a-00000ca11179

We had our first "stick on the ground" snow storm today here in SW Idaho. . .

 

[Firebird]

Lets see, winter preps:

-Bermuda shorts, check
-T shirts, check
-sunscreen, check
-sunglasses, check
-Motorcycle loaded to leave for Daytona Beach tomorrow, check

 

[Wise Owl]

I second the Stabilicers! We both have a pair and they absolutely rock. Best ice cleats I have ever owned, bar none. Easy to put on with the velcro straps and if you wear down the screws in the bottom, I am sure you can replace them from the hardware store pretty easy and cheaper.

Just make sure to check them for being tight every once in awhile.

I use them all winter for walking the dogs on our back roads which ice up about middle of Dec thru April after the first thaw. You will NOT slip with these on and I have used them in 8 inches of snow on top of an inch of ice underneath with no problems. They stay put if you snug them tight enough and you buy them in the same size as your boots.

These work. ALL the time. I have used the others and they fail after a single season or don't grip enough on the heavy ice we get.
We have the regular ones,NOT the Lite ones.

http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___33020

One more time. These are the best in winter bar none.

 

[diamonds]

Third snow of the season just blew in. And I mean blew in. Woke me up with the wind. When it comes this hard this early the best thing is more firewood. Check and run the gennie on a regular basis to make sure all is well when you need it. Antifreeze check is in order as temps drop with wind. On a side note, my elk and deer our aging nicely and I will start making sausage this weekend for the long winter ahead. Less trips to town is always safer for us. Rural living.

I read your posts in chat and on here about the weather... Still trying to figure out what area is getting so windy

 

[bluetick]

I wore something similar to the Due North All Purpose traction aids also at Campmor when I lived in upstate NY. There was a slope from my house to the barn that got steeper, longer, and icier as the winters wore on! It's amazing how the webbed feet of ducks and geese can make such slippery paths. Geese are pretty funny sliding on their feathered butts on ice! Those "ice cleats" saved me from nasty falls.

 

[Wise Owl]

As to other winter preps. We took down our old wood shed and put up a used quonset hut. (it needed repairs first that took a month's time tho).
That thing now has almost 8 cords of wood in it, stacked on pallets. We also took a nice pallet that had really close slats on the top of it and made a kindling box out of 2x4 braces and chicken wire to hold the wood in. It's 3x4x4 and holds a LOT of kindling in it. Up off the ground and was easy to split up with the log splitter. Just take some of the dried firewood and split it up into small stuff. Boy do I love that.
The old shed required us to bend over to put wood in it or bring it out of and had to be cleaned of snow every time we had snow. Then we had to shovel or snowblow the snow from in front of it or you couldn't get in it to get the firewood.
The new hut is easy to blow snow around once you gently slide it off the top.

We now have two less sheds to pull snow off of. The quonset hut is 8 ft high in the middle and a piece of cake to pull the snow down with the roof rake. Already got to do that twice so far....lol.
With bad shoulders and knees anything is better that involves less.....

The garlic was planted about 3 weeks ago and the other beds put to bed. I got the berry plants covered and my herb bed covered up with a deep layer of leaves.
Yard was raked up and driveway cleared of any large stones or branches that will mess up the snowblower. Those sheer pins break if you look at them sideways......

Oh and the snowblower lives in the new quonset also. Just walk it in. What a pleasure that quonset hut is and it was free except the new tarp and contact cement we used to patch it up with....

Life is getting easier and that's a good thing cause we are getting older and need as many easier things as possible.

 

[Metolius]

We had most stuff done before a couple of inches of snow blew in this am - bought new truck tires, cut/stacked quite a few cords of wood, and dh did a couple of repairs (drive train, coil) on the old Jeep, and is out right now replacing a tank deicer in one of the horse paddocks.

We still need to corral a couple of cows to take to market before the weather gets really bad, because I don't need them and don't wish to feed them (the "slaughter for freezer" candidates will be harvested probably end of Dec/early Jan). But they are wary boogers, because this time of year partaking in the first nice hay in the round bale feeder in the corral usually results in a big "bang" noise, and 1-2 of them do not rejoin the herd as the rest thunder out. And they have made a note of that, so hopefully tomorrow early am we can sneak down there and lock them in before they realize it. More tricky will be to get the ones we want loaded on the trailer, but old people need something to do to keep them out of trouble, and I guess this is my version.

And glad to see the ice cleats discussion, because I need to figure out which ones to get. Never had them before, but was recently diagnosed with thumb arthritis, which means that left hand of mine isn't going to be of much use in breaking my falls as it was in the old days, lol.

 

[tanstaafl]

Oddly enough, I received the new Campmor catalog today (http://www.campmor.com). I saw five different kinds of traction devices:

Polar Trax, item #89253-R ($19.97 on sale, regularly $49.95)

Stabilicers Lite, item #33018-R ($19.99) (also good for "light trail hiking")

Due North All-Purpose, item #17609-R ($19.99, replacement spikes $6.99)

Yaktrax Pro, item #24093-R ($24.99)

Yaktrax Walker, item #24091-R ($17.99)

 

[Ravekid]

I grew up in Portland. Ice cleats never occurred to me until just now.

Ice cleats are a must. I strongly suggest Stabilicers, the kind that have common screws that screw into the sole. That way, you can always find replacement screws at any general hardware store. After having mine for many years, I finally had a chance to try them out last year. They are amazing. You can actually climb small ice hills like it is normal ground. You can run on the ice, it is a very strange feeling.

 

[Wise Owl]

Ice cleats are a must. I strongly suggest Stabilicers, the kind that have common screws that screw into the sole. That way, you can always find replacement screws at any general hardware store. After having mine for many years, I finally had a chance to try them out last year. They are amazing. You can actually climb small ice hills like it is normal ground. You can run on the ice, it is a very strange feeling.

Oh, Yeah...
I couldn't believe how well they work. Need to check to see if mine need any of the screws replaced since I have used them for 2 years now. I wish we had gotten the replacement pack tho. Pretty cheap at around $3 for 50 of them.

 

[Dennis Olson]

Lets see, winter preps:

-Bermuda shorts, check
-T shirts, check
-sunscreen, check
-sunglasses, check
-Motorcycle loaded to leave for Daytona Beach tomorrow, check

Yup. As some know, weather permitting I'm going back to Wisconsin next weekend for the car and the bike. Then I can cruise again (though that's not why I'm getting them; it's actually to keep the batteries from freezing, and so they can get used from time to time and they won't just sit in storage and rot). Gonna be 80 here today in the Austin area. Brrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Carl2]

Stabilicers -- it is an advantage that you can replace the studs with screws from the hardware store. The replacement screws Stabilicer sells have case-hardened heads and should outlast regular screws. If you wear them on pavement often, you'll need to replace the screws every year or two--even the case-hardened ones. Sure is cheaper and less painful than a broken bone.

Chas

 

[Red Baron]

Gonna be 80 here today in the Austin area. Brrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!

Nice, just rub it in ........

 

[Dennis Olson]

Heh - I lived in da tundra for 14 years. I've earned the right to rub it in a little. Particularly after LAST winter...

 

[ainitfunny]

Another vote here for Stabilicers, and I checked them all out before I bought the Stabilicers.
I HAVE NO IDEA HOW GOOD THE "STABILICERS LITE" cheap ones are...get the good ones.

 

[tanstaafl]

Apparently everyone is putting these things in their catalogs, which of course are now pouring into mailboxes for the Christmas season. Here are three more anti-slip footwear options, this time from Sportsman's Guide (all prices a bit cheaper if you belong to their Buyer's Club):

Italian Military Alpine Crampons (somewhat low key, not big spikes, uses straps and buckles) - $14.97
http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/cb.aspx?a=916785

Military-style Adjustable Rubber Crampons (these look more street oriented) - $24.97
http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/cb.aspx?a=904208

small-scale snowshoes (I like the looks of these for basic hiking where very deep snow isn't the major condition) - $39.97
http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/cb.aspx?a=916843

 

[bev]

I second the question - what do you spray the satellite dish with?