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Winter in Saskatchewan is serious business.  It gets cold here.  Very cold.  Between the dogs and the chickens, I spend a lot of time outdoors during the winter.  And since we’ve become a “one-car family”, I also spend a lot of time walking or taking the bus to get around the city.  In the process, I’ve learned a few things about keeping warm.

First up, goose down.

I don’t think there is any synthetic material on the planet that can keep you as warm as goose-down (I’m probably wrong about that, but I’m going to say it anyway).  I used to buy a fleece-shell combo kind of jacket until I bought a goose down jacket five years ago.  It was heaven.  Except the jacket only went to my waist.  Last winter, I got a parka that ends mid-thigh.  Having a long parka is a must.  It doesn’t have to be full length, but you need something that goes past the waist, otherwise it can be drafty.  Between the parka and my boots, only my knees are exposed, and my legs are so much warmer.  We also have a down blanket on our bed, or as some would call it, a feather tick.  It’s super light and thin, yet incredibly warm.  To save on heating costs, we program our thermostat to go down to 16 C at night.  The down blanket keeps us toasty warm.

I cover myself head to toe with goose down in the winter.  Think of any winter accessory, you can get it made with goose down – hat, mitts, scarves, earmuffs.  Here’s a few faves:

Surviving winter with goose down1 Eddie Bauer Coloured Goose Down Blanket / 2 180 Women’s Down Earmuffs / 3 Marmot Wm’s Warmest Mitt / 4 The North Face Brooklyn Jacket