Winter Protest Preparedness
8 Tips for Protesting in the Winter
We’ve been averaging 250 attendees (not counting No Kings days) for our weekly protest and during the last few Saturdays, we’ve been averaging 280.
That’s pretty amazing.
As Old Man Winter sets in, unfortunately it is unlikely those averages will hold.
But maintaining a strong presence, even if diminished, over the winter months will send a powerful signal to our larger community that we’re still here, we’re not going away, and what we have to say is important enough to demand a continued, sustained, and hearty Minnesota presence.
In order to overcome this challenge, we must prepare.
As luck would have it, I have some valuable experience to share with you. For more than 20 seasons, I played a weekly outdoor football game during the winter months. (Well, during every month, to be precise, which happend to include the winter months.)
We would typically play three games; so, about three hours outdoors. My own barometer for when I wanted to go out and play and didn’t want to go out and play was 10 degrees. Ten degrees or above and I was good to go; below 10 degrees and I was likely to call the game off.
But that was not just my personal preference; most guys wouldn’t come out if it was below ten degrees.
That’s a long way of saying I’ve learned some things about how to stay warm outdoors during the winter.
8 Tips for Protesting in the Winter
8. Layers
I mean, I don’t have to tell you this, right? As Minnesotans, we know this, at least.
Layers are important.
Layers of shirts.
Layers of wool sweaters.
You know this.
7. Hand & Foot Warmers
The thing about temps below 10 degrees is hand and foot warmers stop working. I learned that through hard experience by letting my toes get frostbit. That’s nothing to mess around with.
But above 10 degrees, these things work like a charm!
These are the ways I’ve used them.
When it’s 30-40 degrees out, I’ll put these hand warmers in my side pockets and just reach in to quickly warm up my hands.
Wrap your fingers around them for a bit and you’re good to go.
But sometimes you need consistant warmth, so I would use these toe wamers by taping them to my palms inside my gloves. There is a strip of adhesive that helps it stick to your palm. Then, all I have to do is clench my fist to warm up my fingers a bit.
I did try the toe warmers on my feet (and they worked) until I discovered the full-length feet warmers…which were a godsend.
6. Socks
Your extemities are most likely to get cold the quickest, so in addition to the foot warmers, I wore several layers of warm wool socks. I’m partial to the Darn Tough brand of wool socks (and, no, I’m not getting an affilliate kickback on that link).
5. Shoes
When I played football, my shoes were cleats, which obviously contributed to the fostbite I endured. For an hour out protesting, I like the thick hiking boots, preferably those that are waterproof.
4. Gloves
There’s nothing emperical about this next statement but I think mittens are warmer than gloves. I dunno, something about all the fingers congregated in one space rather than being isolated leads me to believe mittens are better.
I confess I don’t have a lot of experience in this category because I wore football gloves so as to be able to throw and catch the ball, so no real experience comaring gloves vs. mittens.
But still, it does seem to make sense that collective warmth is more likely than isolated warmth.
I told ya it wasn’t scientific.
3. Hats/Ski Masks
Any time the temperature gets lower than 45 degrees, you’ll probably want to wear a hat. If it’s 45 and windy, then you’ll definitely want to wear a hat. Consider a ski mask, too!
2. Jackets
Wind breakers are the key. I have a thin windbreaker with a hood that I wear inside my parka. My parka does a pretty good job of keeping the wind out but this extra layer of security can’t hurt.
Plus, when the wind really whips up, having that wind breaker hood to wear does wonders.
1. Keep Active
Lastly, keeping active helps keep you warm. If you feel it’s getting a little chilly, walk up and down the line of protesters. You’ll probably meet some new friends along the way!
If you don’t feel like doing that, just try walking in place.
Winter Protest Preparedness Infographic
