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Moving North and Looking for Advice

manfestival

Member
Hey GAF,
I am going to be moving to Idaho(basically Boise) in about a month and I am a lifelong tropical person as I have only ever lived in Florida and Puerto Rico. Just looking for any advice on things to do, expect, and ways to prepare for this change. I have seen snow but never driven in it. I will also be doing a cross country drive with some of my belongings. Any and all advice is welcome!
 

German Hops

GAF's Nicest Lunch Thief
manfestival manfestival Whatever you do, DO NOT listen to German Hops German Hops

It's a trap, his just trying to find another victim so he can steal their lunch.
Stephen Colbert Shhhh GIF by MOODMAN
 

TransTrender

Gold Member
I hear that place is oppressively expensive.
Invest in quality winter clothes, gloves, boots, socks, all need to be at least wind proof.
 

Durien

Member
It’s a really fun place, you’re going to have a blast!



Said no one ever :lollipop-medical:
My brother moved from Wa state and loves it. He sees deer all the time and some snow. (Weather has been weird lately in the PNW) Our ski resorts opened with less than optimal snow level.
If you are fairly conservative, you'll fit in. If you are not, well you may have a hard time. When my brother went with a realtor to look at houses to buy, they let him know nicely not to bring the washington nonsense with him or he is not going to like living there.
 

EviLore

Expansive Ellipses
Staff Member
My brother moved from Wa state and loves it. He sees deer all the time and some snow. (Weather has been weird lately in the PNW) Our ski resorts opened with less than optimal snow level.
If you are fairly conservative, you'll fit in. If you are not, well you may have a hard time. When my brother went with a realtor to look at houses to buy, they let him know nicely not to bring the washington nonsense with him or he is not going to like living there.
Yeah, in fairness a lot of tech people are actually moving to Idaho to work remotely and get out into nature.
 

Faust

Perpetually Tired
Staff Member
As someone who lives in the Midwest:
1.) Get Proper Winter Attire
Coat, Hat, gloves, scarf, boots. Maybe some snow pants depending on how cold you get.
2.) Get tires that work well in ice and snow. Whether it be a second set for switching out or an all rounder that works in all conditions. Get de-icing windshield wiper fluid as well. Put "socks" or a pool noodle on your wipers if you park outside. It will help them not get frozen solid.
3.) Drive slow and carefully. Assume when the first snow falls that the roads are going to be very slick and that you will slide. Learn how to break farther back so you don't end up ramming into the backside of another car.

For some things to do: Go hiking! Go kayaking in the nearby river! Skiing/Snowboarding in the mountains! Enjoy the nature as much as you can. There is a lot to do if you enjoy that sort of thing and it is always nice to just unplug and see the gorgeous outdoors. It is the best part about living in the midwest, IMO.
 
My brother moved from Wa state and loves it. He sees deer all the time and some snow. (Weather has been weird lately in the PNW) Our ski resorts opened with less than optimal snow level.
If you are fairly conservative, you'll fit in. If you are not, well you may have a hard time. When my brother went with a realtor to look at houses to buy, they let him know nicely not to bring the washington nonsense with him or he is not going to like living there.
Jeebus America is divided. when will all be healed
 

AJUMP23

Gold Member
Read about potatoes.

prepare for cold weather. Enjoy a lower cost of living. Go see the lava fields.
 

Celcius

°Temp. member
Please come back and post impressions after you've been there for a month.
 
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Trunx81

Member
3PScbkq.jpg

This would make a great remake of this classic, OP.

• Don’t go cheap on winter outfits
• Especially the shoes
• Get a toilet inside the house (but you are not moving to Alaska, so you should be fine)
• Never listen to Herrn Hops
 

kruis

Exposing the sinister cartel of retailers who allow companies to pay for advertising space.
Hey GAF,
I am going to be moving to Idaho(basically Boise) in about a month and I am a lifelong tropical person as I have only ever lived in Florida and Puerto Rico. Just looking for any advice on things to do, expect, and ways to prepare for this change. I have seen snow but never driven in it. I will also be doing a cross country drive with some of my belongings. Any and all advice is welcome!

Snow is just fluffy water. No big deal.

Just remember to wear a warm coat and don't stay out in the open too long. Things could happen.

Shining Jack Nicholson GIF
 

Divus

Member
Well since it's past the new year most places are switching over to summer gear. If you're moving buy clothes now.

I'm from the Great Lakes so a little different, but I know people who moved here from warm climates and were in no way ready for it.

I knew a girl once from Southern California and she bought what we would call a lite spring jacket for her winter coat. Had some fashionable hat for her head and some gloves without fingers. She had to walk across campus for class and couldn't make it. Ended up having some locals help her get all new winter kit. Two weeks into January she wanted to move back. She absolutely hated it here. Most people from the south do. Personally I can't stand it in the south with the heat. To well acclimated to the cold and I don't really start to say F this until its below -10F and anything below -20F just sucks.
 

Dice

Pokémon Parentage Conspiracy Theorist
Moving to Idaho at the absolute coldest time of year... wow.

Okay let me help you out.

First off, staying warm is not necessarily about thickness of material. It is about keeping a bubble of warm air around you. So the first part of that is going to be a thin layer of skin-tight, breathable, insulating material. This is called the base layer. The best quality is from fine wools, either merino wool or sometimes alpaca. When you see these can easily be over $100 for just a top or bottom you might think it is a joke, but it is not and they are very important, actually. You can get some made from synthetic materials that are pretty good, but the comfort is lower and imo they can kind of smell with your sweat. Up to you. For synthetics Patagonia, Marmot, Columbia, Outdoor Research, Arc'teryx are good brands.

Second part is the shell. This is usually where you see the big puffy coat comes in and it can be puffy if you want but doesn't really need to be all that bulky. The important thing is being windproof both in terms of the material wall and in sealing off ways the cold air can blow in. This means elastic bands, sometimes pulls to cinch things down on you, etc. The brands mentioned above all have great options with well insulating materials. I have a Canada Goose coat, which I do think is the best but it appears to have tripled in price since I got it, so I'd look at other brands.

Having the baselayer being of this more neutrally-insulating material will allow you to shed the hyper-warm shell once inside and not feel too warm. Most people want to neglect going to too much trouble to keep their legs warm, but I would strongly suggest you not neglect that. Yeah, maybe you don't need to have shell pants, particularly if you have a long coat, but do not neglect your baselayer on the legs.

For gloves I think it's a good idea to get some goretex-shielded half-finger gloves which you wear more serious gloves over. In Illinois I actually had some mittens that let the top flip back when you needed your fingers for a moment. That was nice. For socks I would strongly, strongly recommend just high quality wool, not overly bulky acrylic options. If you feel like you need super thick socks, you didn't pick the right boots and the socks will never make up for that bad choice.

Speaking of boots, they make these things that are kind of like sandals for your boots that strap on with velcro and they have little hex head screws that screw into the bottom to function like cleats. Most of the time you shouldn't need to resort to something so dramatic and dorky but if you have some on hand when the 5 inch ice storm hits, no one will be laughing at you being able to easily walk around and handle your shit when no one else can.

You want proper protection for your head and face. You lose tons of heat through your head and most people neglect proper gear. In keeping with the general principle, an insulating layer with windproofing shell is key. A single acrylic hat isn't going to do shit. I would go with a nice thin microfleece with a high thermal rating then a larger insulated hood. Now, when the weather gets to 0 and below and gets windy, you'll find it hurts to breathe and even kind of pulls your breath away from you. Just covering with a scarf or mask kind of just stifles your breath even more and also absorbs the moisture of your breath to get both gross and cold. To remedy this you can get something called a Cold Avenger mask. Just google it, their impact is amazing.

At those super low temperatures you'll also find that the wind causes a stabbing pain in your eyes. My first recommendation would be to get a better hood, as it should be able to cut the wind to blow across in front of them, but if the situation is really drastic, a step below ski goggles would be Oakley sunglasses. They come in nice shapes that cover a lot of area and seal around the eye decently. They also have by far the best protective films I've seen to enhance contrast and visibility in whiteout conditions and reduce eyestrain. Just make sure the ones you're looking at are specifically for skiing/snowboarding.

Health things:

-Get really good lighting in your place. The incredible lack of sunlight in the winter is very depressing. This can be countered with nice quality light in your home. Don't use dim bulbs with poor color. Also, one of those alarm clocks with an increasing light can really help in the morning.
-Make sure to drink enough water. Many people drink less in the cold and dehydration is the biggest contributing factor to being susceptible to the flu and such.
-Especially coming from Florida, you may want a humidifier for your place. The extreme cold portion of winter dries everything out.
 
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ahtlas7

Member
Roll with it. You’re gonna get a new taste of Americana. I imagine the beaches are a lot less exciting though.
 

Dural

Member
I just looked up Boise's weather, it's not that bad. I'm in the upper midwest and our average temp in January is 11F colder than Boise. Y'all are making way too much of the cold weather. We wear our Crocs out most places and sometimes just use a sweatshirt, too hot to wear a full coat when going shopping. I'd love to live in Idaho, it's beautiful and has some great skiing.
 
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Be prepared for Seasonal Affective Disorder. The lack of sunshine in the winter will really get to you. It is very noticeable in the higher latitudes.
 

dem

Member
I just looked up Boise's weather, it's not that bad. I'm in the upper midwest and our average temp in January is 11F colder than Boise. Y'all are making way too much of the cold weather. We wear our Crocs out most places and sometimes just use a sweatshirt, too hot to wear a full coat when going shopping. I'd love to live in Idaho, it's beautiful and has some great skiing.

No shit.
Its -8c this morning where I'm at. I wore a flannel shirt and a vest. It's Boise, Idaho... not Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Boise is a beautiful place.
 
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manfestival

Member
Thank you guys for the responses. Going to be looking into getting some proper winter gear. Family just bought me some gloves and a jacket. However, I have no real idea of what I am in store for since I have always avoided going north of atlanta during winter months lol
 

eddie4

Genuinely Generous
The low temps in Florida, which is about 60 degrees, are usually the high temperatures in Idaho, so you're gonna be cold for a while. Bundle up.
 
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