On goggles, @mitesh@, I am curious, can you actually take pictures using the Viewfinder with the Ski googles on?
Thx
Hey Kam,
If you want to look thru the VF, then you'd have to pull the goggles up. Of course, I was shooting from a tripod, so the LCD was the easiest option. Also, didn't need the goggles all the time; they were only needed when the wind was blowing extremely hard.
On goggles, @mitesh@, I am curious, can you actually take pictures using the Viewfinder with the Ski googles on?
Thx
I've never heard of Fubuki boots. Advertised warmth in general is made up by the advertising department and has no basis in fact. Unless you can find someone you trust who as actually used these boots in the conditions you expect I'd stay away. Most people buy their first boot based on advertising then have to buy a second boot because of the poor performance ot the first boot they bought. The last time I was in Churchill in a tundra buggy everyone was complaining about cold feet at temperatures well above their boots rating. I didn't know whether to tell them my feet were actually getting hot in my military white bunny boots. Being in a tundra buggy is nothing like the cold of being outside for extended periods.
Flowernut wrote:
I've never heard of Fubuki boots. Advertised warmth in general is made up by the advertising department and has no basis in fact. Unless you can find someone you trust who as actually used these boots in the conditions you expect I'd stay away. Most people buy their first boot based on advertising then have to buy a second boot because of the poor performance ot the first boot they bought. The last time I was in Churchill in a tundra buggy everyone was complaining about cold feet at temperatures well above their boots rating. I didn't know whether to tell them my feet were actually getting hot in my military white bunny boots. Being in a tundra buggy is nothing like the cold of being outside for extended periods....Show more →
Understood. Thank you. Besides the general reviews online, the one main reference/recommendation I have on these boots is from a long-time photographer who has been going to polar bear tours in Churchill for many years and for the past couple of years, he is running his own tours there. And he swears by them!
Flowernut wrote:
I've never heard of Fubuki boots. Advertised warmth in general is made up by the advertising department and has no basis in fact. Unless you can find someone you trust who as actually used these boots in the conditions you expect I'd stay away. Most people buy their first boot based on advertising then have to buy a second boot because of the poor performance ot the first boot they bought. The last time I was in Churchill in a tundra buggy everyone was complaining about cold feet at temperatures well above their boots rating. I didn't know whether to tell them my feet were actually getting hot in my military white bunny boots. Being in a tundra buggy is nothing like the cold of being outside for extended periods....Show more →
Man, you sure got that right! I bought a pair of Sorels rated to -40c and have had my feet get cold in -20c after a couple of hours. There is no standards body governing boot temperature ratings. So for that pair of boots, they could have said rated for -10c or -70c but I guess they decided to go middle of the road at -40c. Either that or they threw a dart at a numbered dart board.
Winter boots is definitely is one of those things you have to trust others and completely ignore manufacturer "specs" (which in the case of boots, stands for "speculation").
mitesh wrote:
Those look interesting, Kam. As you said, they might be an alternative to Baffin Boots. I went with the tried and true, and they served me well:
Thanks Mitesh... I guess one potential problem with this boot (as well as the similar but taller Baffin Impact) seems to be that apparently the water could start leaking at the seam area between the lower leather part and the upper fabric. It is mentioned here, and in some of the reviews I have seen: http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/reviews/shoes-and-boots/winter-boots/baffin-impact
The good thing about Fubuki is its one-piece construction with no seams or anything. So there should never be a leak issue. But at least based on temp ratings on paper, the Baffin's seem to be warmer (-100C vs -30C). Fubuki's are also much lighter (3.3lbs vs 7.2 lbs for the pair) which should help with packing.
Layers are the key to cold. You can wear the oldest of clothes that lack modern wind proofing, water repellents, and UV protection and still be toasty with layers.
Layers allow you to regulate for any environment you’re going to be in.
You can layer gloves. You can layer socks. You can layer pants. You can layer hats.
The other piece of advice I’ll leave my photographers with is pay attention to hunters. They stalk animals in the wild for hours to days. Much of their hunts are stationary glassing hills or waiting in a stand. They’re on the ground avoiding detection where it can be wet. Sweat is their biggest enemy.
If you want the most versatile of clothing systems, look at hunting gear companies like Kuiu, Firstlite, and Sitka. They all offer non-camo apparel. The brimmed beanies from Firstlite work amazingly well with camera eyecups.
