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[redbird]

I'm shopping for a new parka, which at the moment involves looking at catalogs. The L.L. Bean catalog indicates what temperatures they think their coats are good down to (for light and moderate activity), and I was sitting looking at the catalog, doing math in my head, because the numbers are listed in Fahrenheit, and I think about Montreal weather in Centigrade. (I'll be wearing it here too, but the conditions are less extreme here.)

Since the coat I was looking at had -40 as the moderate activity rating, the easy thing to do was to work from there: how many degrees F is it from -40 to the light activity numbers, divide by 9, multiply by 5. Add that to -40. And no need to deal with 32s or slide around the Fahrenheit zero. (Yes, I have assorted machines that would do the job, as fast, but first I'd have had to grab one and open the appropriate program.) Conclusion: the coat in question will do, if I don't find another I like better.

Comments

[adrian-turtle.livejournal.com]

There is an LL Bean store here now. If you're uncertain about fit or pocketry, or anything other than cold resistance, we can go try stuff on. They're next to a big new Borders, to keep them from being scary.

[redbird]

I may take you up on that, particularly for the option of checking pockets. The Bean store isn't so much scary as potentially boring, because coats aren't one of the places where I tend to feel that the designers and manufacturers don't want to make anything I can wear, let alone that I like.

[kalmn.livejournal.com]

heh. just get the "oh dear god will it ever be warm again aaaaagh" coat. that'll solve it.

[papersky.livejournal.com]

Is the purple one you got here last year no good?

[redbird]

The purple one is nice, but I don't think it's good for -15 to -25 (at least not without getting a new zipper fitted). I haven't tested it in those conditions, though.

More research may be needed.