Carding: Cold Weather
- Stuff pocket warmers in the toes of your boots.
- Walk around more while leafleting to increase circulation. Walking around the block can help increase circulation.
- Try to avoid leafleting in the shade if possible (this is difficult to avoid in cities with skyscrapers). Look for sunny spots – it might not feel significantly warmer at first, but it helps long term.
- Facing the sun can be helpful, not only to keep you warm, but the angle of the sun is so low in the winter that the glare in people’s eyes (if they are facing the sun) can interfere with their ability to even see that you are handing them a booklet. So, if you leaflet people walking away from the sun, chances are they can see you more easily and you’ll stay warmer!
- Because the vast majority of leaflets are given out during class changes, it may be wise to remain inside until class changes, then leaflet for those 15-minute windows between classes.
- What to wear:
- Layers layers layers! Thermal base layer shirts / pants are a huge help. Most sporting goods suppliers carry a variety of these. SierraTradingPost.com has great deals. You can never wear too many layers – if you do, and it’s a steamy 45 degrees out, you can always get rid of a few layers.
- Waterproof boots to keep that slushy snow out!
- If you don’t have waterproof boots, this works:
- Put on pair of socks.
- Put plastic bag over socks (those previously used for newspapers are the best).
- Put another pair of socks on over plastic bag.
- Put on shoes.
- Moisture-wicking acrylic socks will keep your feet warmer than layers of cotton socks.
- Hats and scarves are also pretty essential. Or you could opt for earmuffs.
- Hand warmers / toe warmers (available in reusable or single-use types) are a big help when it’s 35 degrees or under. They last 8+ hours. They fit great in gloves or mittens. You can find single-use hand warmers / toe warmers in almost any pharmacy / convenient store if you live in a cold region. They are also available in bulk via Amazon.com.
- Gloves or mittens? It depends on your style. Thin gloves with grippy surfaces are very helpful, but when it’s 35 degrees or under, those aren’t warm enough after the first few hours. Some folks like the glove / mitten combo. Puffy insulated mittens are cumbersome, and make it more difficult to leaflet rapidly, but they are definitely the warmest. If it’s a slow day, mittens work. If traffic picks up, fan out a few of the booklets in one hand, making it easier to grab one booklet at a time with the puffy-mitten hand.
