Winter Wear Questions

[Indie92]

Hello, 

 

I have received a scholarship for my undergrad studies in china starting this fall, however I am from an island nation with a tropical/subtropical all year long climate. We only really have hot and then hotter with some rain and cold fronts in between. I will be living in Wuhan and it experiences 4 distinct seasons. I am very excited!

 

I would like some advice/help with where to find winter gear and knowing exactly what I am looking for. The lowest temperature I have ever experiences was in the 60's...and I have never seen snow. I would like to survive my first real winter. I am totally lost at what to do, so if you can, PLEASE HELP ME    .

 

Thank you for your responses!

[Angelina]

Edited

Mistake

[ChTTay]

As long as you don't need really large sizes, you can buy most of what you need here in China. If your country doesn't really have "winter“ then perhaps the variety of choice and 'value' of winter clothing isn't that great.

 

I would buy a decent pair of boots with a thick sole. If you are expecting wet, snowy weather, then it would be better to have them waterproof. This would increase the cost though. Of course, with good boots you'll need good socks. I have both synthetic ones made originally for hiking and also wool ones.  I personally prefer the straight up wool ones. In less severe winter temperatures I find sports socks are good enough.

 

You might also want to buy some thermal pants/t-shirts (uniqlo is a good place for these). For clothing, a good warm winter coat is also a must. It ideally needs to be more than 'a shell' (just waterproof without any lining). Mine is pretty thick and very warm.

 

Honestly, you may find you don't need the thermals and thick socks on days you are just going from one indoor place to another. It's still well worth having them for when you're spending a lot of time outside. Equally, depending on the severity of winter, you might be able to get by with any kind of 'boots'.

 

Last winter in Beijing it was pretty mild. I usually wore boots (fairly cheap ones from a Chinese shoe shop 400rmb), good socks (either just sports socks or wool), jeans, a t-shirt, wool sweater, thick winter coat with a scarf of somekind. I didn't usually bother with a hat unless I was going to be outdoors for a long time. I could always add an extra layer if I needed to.

 

You could also look into 'fleece' jackets/sweaters.

 

When you arrive in China, I wholely recommend tracking down a shop called 'DECATHALON'. According to their website there are two in Wuhan. You can find almost everything I've mentioned above there. The coats/jackets are especially good value and great quality.

 

Apart from clothing, you'll find in winter that almost everyone is constantly sipping hot water from cups and flasks. Apart from keeping hydrated, this also helps keep you warm! It can be a bit strange at first to just drink hot water on it's own and it usually takes a bit of getting used to. People I work with usually start out with cold water then by the middle of winter they've bought flasks and are drinking hot water. People also drink hot teas, water with lemon etc as well if you didn't fancy just water.

 

There are also a lot of delicious foods you can eat in winter to keep you warm and energised.

 

I'm jealous of all your're about to experience! good luck

[Indie92]

Thank you!

 

I wear a size 14, with large shirts....I was told things run small. 

 

Should i come prepared just in case? 

[ChTTay]

Yes, better to buy what you can at home just in case. The quality may also be better.

Perhaps the winter coat you could buy here though as that would take up a lot of space in your packing or you'd have to wear it. Unless you're arriving in the middle of winter.

Winter and cold temperatures are fine as long as you have the right / enough clothes. I quite like winters here. Having to really wrap up and stuff. Might just be me though!

[oceancalligraphy]

I haven't lived anywhere with snow, but coming from a tropical environment, anything below 60 degrees F makes me cold. I second the choice of uniqlo for their cold weather gear. So far, I think they are the best at making regular clothes (as opposed to ski jackets and pants) as warm as possible. If you look for their clothing branded HeatTech, the fabric is woven with fibers that keeps the cold out and the warmth in. The line is available in thin inner wear, and some jeans and regular clothing. This blog post from uniqlo's website gives a pretty good idea of their winter clothes.

[Guest realmayo]

Bear in mind that Wuhan will sometimes 'feel' colder than Beijing and the rest of those super-cold northern places: this is because those freezing places all have indoor heating. Wuhan rarely gets down to freezing, but in the past there was no indoor heating. And it's a damp wet cold which will get into your bones! Still, winter doesn't tend to last for too long, and autumn/spring can be very nice.

 

I'm sure where you live will have heating (aircon), lots of places do now, but plenty of restaurants and shops won't have much or any heating. Some classrooms might not either, depends where you're studying. So in some places you'll be wearing your warm jacket indoors as well as out.

 

Thermal underwear, tops and bottoms, as ChTTay mentions, will be your friend. It will be on sale everywhere before winter starts. I don't know about sizes though.

[ChTTay]

Ah, if no indoor heating... perhaps look into buying an 'electric blanket' before winter kicks in. A couple of friends have them for Beijing winters - and we have heating!

 

If you don't like the thought of using the air con for heating - or you don't have air con in the room you want to eat - you can buy electric heaters fairly cheaply also.

 

If you're going to be in University dorms then the space you need to heat probably won't be very big anyway - which is good!

 

Bottom line is have and wear the right clothes and winter shouldn't be any trouble for you.

[somethingfunny]

When you arrive Wuhan should still be pretty hot so you'll have plenty of time to get ready for winter.  Don't forget that Wuhan is notoriously hot in the summer, so still bring the light clothes that you're used to wearing!

 

Like others have said, you're biggest problem will be dealing with the lack of indoor heating.

 

I also recommend Uniqlo.  At some point in autumn their shops will just be full of all the winter kinds of clothing you could imagine.  They've also got fantastic changing rooms. (Sorry, I couldn't resist it)

[Indie92]

Ah. Thank you so much guys, My fears are put to rest, I will just get one jacket and thermal undies as I am top and bottom heavy so I may not find those for my size. 

[ChTTay]

Remember to check out Decathalon. Seriously worth the trip once Winter approaches.