Ever since we announced that we’re planning to leave the Florida Keys and head north on the ICW starting in late December, I’ve been getting questions about how we’re preparing for the cold. I’ve also been getting some questions about whether we’re crazy!
We have cruised in cool weather before: cruising in Alaska in 1999 and in 2001 while helping a friend take his boat from the Bahamas to Rhode Island one spring, and we learned quite a bit from both of those. And we’ve done a lot of near- and below-freezing tent camping over the years.
So here’s our favorite gear for staying warm:
- Cockpit enclosure. This will keep us out of the wind and rain and will also create a little greenhouse if there is even a tiny bit of sunshine. Read how I made ours for about 5% of what the local canvas maker quoted.
- Little Buddy propane heater. This runs on the little one-pound propane canisters. You can’t let it run overnight or unattended, but it’s great for taking off the chill in the morning and evening. Makes breakfast and dinner — when there’s no sun helping to heat the boat — a lot more enjoyable. Read my full review or check it out on Amazon.
- Merino wool long underwear. For years, I had the cheap long underwear that you buy at Wal-mart or Target. Then I discovered merino wool. Yes, it’s considerably more expensive, but it’s also a lot warmer! It is not at all scratchy or itchy (my complaint with most wool) and it doesn’t stink — important when it can be a while between laundry days. The real plus is that it can be machine washed and dried. See what we bought on Amazon: women’s top, women’s bottom, men’s top, men’s bottom.
- Wool socks. Wool keeps insulating even if it’s wet and I love how soft these socks are — you don’t need a liner. See on Amazon.
- Reusable “Click” hand warmers. You can put these warmers in your pocket to keep your hands warm (or to warm them up after handling lines). I like that they can be reused over and over unlike the disposable ones; you just toss them in a pan of boiling water to bring them back to where they can be clicked again (you don’t boil them to heat them; you boil them to return the chemical to it’s “ready-to-be-activated” state. No electricity required! The larger pads are also good to put in bed down at your feet (no worries of spilled water as with a hot water bottle!) Read my full review or buy on Amazon.
- Thermos. A good vacuum-sealed Thermos is crucial. In fact, I have two: one for coffee and one for soup. Both keep the contents steaming hot for up to 10 hours. My coffee Thermos is the most rugged one I could find (drops can separate the seal and destroy the vacuum that insulates), and at one quart it’s just the right size for two people; see it on Amazon. My soup Thermos is larger and a wide mouth, making it easy to pour chunky soup into it without spills (still, always place the Thermos into the sink when pouring hot food or drinks into it in case of spills); see my soup Thermos on Amazon.
- Watch cap. A watch cap isn’t cute but it keeps you warm without trying to blow off your head the minute you step into the wind. They just work. See ours on Amazon. I also just bought a pair of warm, waterproof, touch-screen fingered gloves but haven’t had a chance to really test them out yet so can’t give an opinion. But I think they will help to keep my poor hands warm, even if I handle wet stuff (they’re not as tough as sailing gloves so can’t be used for lines under tension). And all our navigation is touchscreen (chartplotter and iPad) so not having to take gloves off for that would be wonderful!
- Good foul weather gear. Foul weather gear protects you from the rain and, maybe more importantly, the wind. Pants/bibs and a jacket are essential. What brand? It’s really a matter of what fits you best and every brand fits differently. This is one item that it really pays to buy in person from a store that carries several brands. Foul weather gear generally comes in three different categories: inland, coastal and offshore. Match yours to where you’ll be traveling; we find coastal to be a good “all-around” choice.
- Waterproof boots. I have neoprene sailing booties from the days when I raced small sailboats but I’ve never worn them on our cruising boat. Instead, I wear waterproof lightweight hiking boots that I can also wear ashore. The key is getting boots that are waterproof and also slip-resistant. I love my Merrell Moab 2 (see on Amazon); Keen, Columbia and several other companies make similar boots if Merrell doesn’t fit you.
- Down quilt. I like real down much, much better for keeping me warm than any synthetic down I’ve ever tried. About 20 years ago, we had Feathered Friends make two custom queen-size down quilts for us, using waterproof sleeping bag material instead of cotton for the outer shell. Down is a great insulator as long as it doesn’t get wet, hence the need for a waterproof shell due to condensation in the boat. We use one for temps down to about 40 degrees F. and pile the second one on top when it’s below that. Feathered Friends no longer does custom work, but their rectangular “Condor” sleeping bag can be unzipped to make a similar “quilt.” They are not cheap but ours have lasted 20+ years and show no signs of wearing out; we consider buying them to be one of the best things we’ve ever done for cold weather camping and boating. See the Condor from Feathered Friends. I am not affiliated with the company; just a very satisfied customer.
I’ve written quite a bit about ways to stay cool in hot weather (see here); it’s kind of fun to be thinking the opposite way around now!
BONUS: Check out my favorite cold-weather recipes and maybe serve up a mug of Hot Buttered Rum for happy hour at anchor or the marina.
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Pamela says
Yep. I’ve relied on most of these–we’ve broken ice several times in our cruising lives.
I’d add one more item–a brick. I have a Force 10 propane heater. I’d put a brick on it when we fired it up. By the time we went to bed it was hot. I’d wrap it in a towel and take it to bed with me. By the morning, it was still a little warm.
If you place a brick in front of your Little Buddy, you might be able to do something similar.
Jeanette Rogers says
Thanks for the good advice, Carolyn. I had planned to be cruising in the South Pacific by this time on my own sailboat (which I don’t have), but instead, I am cruising in my small land yacht (RV – which I do have) on dry land. All these things have just as much importance to RVing in the cold as it does for salty sailors. I appreciate your many blogs throughout the years. Your information has always been so honest and useful. Safe sailing!
Greg Cantori says
Get a dog! No bricks in bed needed!
Also add Velcro to leftover clear plastic cockpit enclosure window material to add an air barrier to the hatches.
Christine Lubimir says
We were cruising Scotland this past summer.I found even light weight waterproof pants kept me warmer than jeans even with fleece lined long johns. As we moved north I added the merino wool light weight layer under the waterproof pants or foul weather gear and I was warmer than I had been for weeks
Pierre says
I would avoid the “little buddy heaters” They emit a ton of moisture while they’re running. I would recommend ordering one of those Ebay chinese all in one espar knock offs. they are self contained, just need a 12v lead to them and a way to route the exhaust lots and lots of warm DRY heat from them. They even have their own fuel tank seperate from the main diesel tank. and once you like it you can remove it from the enclosure and mount it permenantly like a real espar heater! They are well worth the $200 or so that they cost!
Cathy Berry says
Patagonia has wool hats designed to go over ball caps – handy for sunny days when you want heat. Cabella’s has some very inexpensive warm weather sleeping bags that have a fleece lining. These are great to open for quilts, never feel cold, and you can unzip the bottom so your feet are free for sitting around.. Probably one of the best things we bought. We thought we were buying them for the guest cabin, we use them constantly. They can also zip together. Agree on down, when we brought our sailboat up to VA from NC in March a couple years ago, I brought a heavy weight down. Good thing, ended up sweeping snow off the deck on the trip!! Neck gaitors are essential – you will be amazed at how warm you are with one of these on, they also make an impromtu hat. (I’m from New England, most of cold weather sailing is just cold weather knowledge).
Dave Harvey says
Thanks for the tips!
You got me interested in the Feathered Friends company…until I found that they slaughtered their “friends”.
Bruce says
Fleece sheets. Not flannel, but fleece. It is like sliding into a preheated bed. The best discovery we ever made!
Molly on S/V Sabai says
Having a good cockpit enclosure is really helpful. We’ve had two center cockpit boats – which can be a little wet in rough weather – so the enclosures have been a huge quality of life enhancer. I’m not as talented as Carolyn so we had to pay the big bucks but I am happy to have done it this time of year when I can turn the cockpit into a little sun room. When it’s hot, we have shade screen that attaches to the outside of the eisenglass so that whatever direction the sun is beating in, we can cut down the solar heat significantly. Carolyn is right about the long underwear. Even if you think you’re heading to warm weather – have wool or hi-tech fabric long johns to wear under your foulies. If you’re in wet weather for multiple days on a passage you WILL get cold. I froze in May sailing from Mexico to the Dry Tortugas in bad, wet weather early in our cruising career. That cotton man’s wife beater and the cotton leggings under the foulies just didn’t cut it.