Cold Weather Gloves

Colorado clothing company brings winter wear to tornado victims

A Colorado sports apparel business saw a way to fill the need for winter wear for tornado survivors in Joplin, Mo., and Tuscaloosa, so they sent out a long-distance donation.

Terramar Sports of Boulder, aided by its marketing consulting firm, BrandAxion Inc., coordinated an effort with other outdoors retailers, including Sierra Designs, Sierra Trading Post, Merrell, Clif Bar, Manzella, Outdoor Research, Sole, Chacos and FRS. The retailers collected donations of items such as socks, gloves, footwear, long underwear, nutritional products.

A 53-foot tractor-trailer truck on Friday morning unloaded the second half of the cold-weather collection at Temporary Emergency Services' warehouse on 15th Street.

“It was 12 hours' drive to Joplin, then 12 hours here,” said Jeff Danzer of BrandAxion, who shadowed Long Haul Trucking driver Adam Berndt on the trek. Both had company in their respective vehicles: Berndt brought his 13-year-old son, Mike, and Danzer his Labradoodle, Pepper.

The effort began at Danzer's New York City home office. He then flew out to Salt Lake City to meet the truck and together, they loaded up more donated goods along the route.

“We went through nine states in four days,” Danzer said.

The collection project came together quickly.

“I had this dream about five weeks ago to help out, and (the companies) all jumped on board,” he said.

Berndt, a Minnesota trucker, does a lot of long-haul driving, but said, “You could tell this was different. I do this for a living, but this is kind of special.”

The devastation they saw in Joplin and Tuscaloosa surprised all of them, even after having watched footage on TV, “it's hard to even explain it,” Berndt said.

The truck was greeted upon arrival by Karen Thompson, executive director of TES, and teams of volunteers, including two church groups.

TES has helped 7,362 people who have come through its doors since April 27, bearing certifications from Federal Emergency Management Agency, their insurance companies or landlords, Thompson said.

“We're seeing 10 new clients every day,” she said.

Clothing and water donations are adequate right now, but the organization is in need of cleaning supplies such as mops, brooms and bleach.

“We're meeting a lot of good neighbors, but some people don't know what to give,” she said.

The winter-clothing supply truck will fill needs down the line, as the weather changes.

Digital Cameras vs. The Weather! « M&M Photo Tours Blog

It is not always partly sunny and 72° outside, with no chance of rain. Sometimes, perfect weather is good. Sometimes, it is bad. When shooting in bad weather (or anything less than ideal conditions), you must know how to protect yourself and your camera.

Keeping equipment in a well-padded waterproof bag helps protect it from the elements. Adding a filter to the end of a lens will help protect your lens, but both are helps, and are not guarantees!

Many cameras have minimum and maximum operating temperatures. Check these temperatures in the manual before going out to shoot.

This is what I found on the Canon website about my EOS 5D Mark II

Operating Environment

Working Temperature Range : Snow is easy to work in as long as you’re not wallowing around in it. You’re not likely to drown the camera if a little snow gets on it. The main thing you have to deal with is the cold temperatures. Be sure not to breathe on your camera when temperatures are extremely cold. The moisture from your breath can freeze to the camera and cause damage.

You can’t wear gloves the size of parkas and operate a camera. You can wear thinner gloves, but they can be slippery and ineffective against the cold. If you do a lot of cold-weather shooting, check out special gloves designed with silicon “grippies” that make holding the camera easier. Some have finger caps that come off, exposing one or more fingertips to operate the camera with. Some are fingerless.

Batteries will lose power more quickly than usual, so always be prepared with extras. Be sure to keep the extras in a warmer location (pocket). Some photographers keep the batteries outside the camera until it is time to shoot. This is a great idea, unless you see something spectacular on your way to your designated location. 

When you’re working in the cold, plastics become more brittle. Be careful not to drop, bump or smack your camera or lens.

If it’s a slow sprinkle, water won’t automatically get into your camera. If you must change your lens, seek cover or point the camera downward to protect the inside of the camera.

Army Field Manual FM 31-70 (Basic Cold Weather Manual)

Emergency Care and Transportation of the Sick and Injured

Clothes in cold weather

Canada Business and Investment Opportunities Yearbook

Department Of Defense Index of Specifications and Standards Federal Supply Class Listing (FSC) Part III November 2005