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Disabled person looking some gear advice please ?

Disabled person looking some gear advice please ?


Postby Lucozade » Thu Oct 19, 2017 3:14 pm

Hi guys,

As the title goes I suffer from a rare neurological condition which means I’m unable to walk any longer. I recently purchased an off road mobility scooter so I can continue to enjoy the outdoors. I was wondering could you help me with some suggestions on suitable gear., I’ve found that when winter starts arriving I find it very cold and I would like to continue using my scooter during this time. All I really know is that a baselayer is very important, however after this I get confused! Could you possibly recommend a layering system or indeed certain brands which will allow me to continue enjoying the fresh air but being much warmer. I’ve saved up a reasonable budget so would be happy to purchase good quality gear.

Thanks in advance. And I hope someone can help
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Re: Disabled person looking some gear advice please ?

Postby hooter2014 » Fri Oct 20, 2017 9:50 am

Without wanting to state the obvious the clothing system you use will depend on what you are doing, where you are doing it and the weather. Clearly the higher you go the colder it gets, so in some respects I guess you will be limited by your scooter.

The layering system would generally consist of a base layer, mid layer and outer layer (and anything you fancy in between tbh). The inner layers generally give you the warmth with the outer layer generally being a waterproof one, again depending on the weather. That can be good for someone with total mobility who may start a walk with only the non-waterproof layers but then at any sign of weather approaching stop and quickly don the waterproof layers, I suppose that may be an issue for you? You may be happy to start out that way, but the drawback there being kind of the opposite in that you are unable to take anything off easily if you become uncomfortable, ie start overheating due to the layers. The outer layer in the layering system being the waterproof one would generally be made from a Gore-Tex, e-vent type fabric which can cause a bit of condensation from within, especially if they don't have any form of vents in. I'm by no means a expert on those though, as its not for me and I'm sure plenty will tell you they are fine with those type jackets and that system.

I use a brand called Paramo which do things a bit differently. They aren't for everyone, but you see quite a lot of people using them. They use a different type of system which pulls moisture from within and repels it away from you. The best way may be to look at the website :-? and see exactly what it does! The drawback of Paramo is that it is a a layered system with an inner and outer layer, so if you run hot as I do when I'm out, you don't need too much on under it. Depending on the garment a lot do have good venting, so you can easily get some air flow in if you begin to overheat.

In essence everything will be some form of layering system, it just depends on how you go about it. I would suggest researching a good, local to you outdoor store and going along and having a chat with staff and hopefully they will be able to point you in the right direction for you. There is no right or wrong way, just a way that will be best for you.
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Re: Disabled person looking some gear advice please ?

Postby Ben Nachie » Fri Oct 20, 2017 10:15 am

Another suggestion might be Buffalo clothing. It is designed as a single layer system and is pretty warm. If you get too warm you can open zips to ventilate it.

I wear a merino tee shirt under mine, that's all. The system is designed to be shower proof and also to still be reasonably warm and comfortable when wet, but you could easily put a waterproof on over the top of it if required.

It might save you the difficulty of adding and taking off layers if this is an issue for you. The combination of the salopettes, windshirt, hood and mitts is very toasty, even when static in full winter conditions.
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Re: Disabled person looking some gear advice please ?

Postby Plavuizen » Fri Oct 20, 2017 10:36 am

Hi Lucozade, sorry to hear about your condition. As my wife also has a little handicap and is therefore also limited in her ability to walk, what kind of outdoor scooter do you have? We like to go out in the nature as well, but so far did not find suitable gear, as most wheelchairs, sccoot mobiles etc are either not suitable for off road or not suitable to be transported in the trunk of a car.
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Re: Disabled person looking some gear advice please ?

Postby walkingpoles » Fri Oct 20, 2017 11:16 am

From sitting around in Antarctica (either on the boat or behind a camera) I can second Hooters advise. I was donning two midlayers and a thin goretex shell for the outer layer. As trousers I used long johnsons and a softshell. Fleece socks and hiking boots were a good idea, too. If you get cold shins, consider gators.

I found it important to have neck and head covered. Bandanas and balaclava for me. And two layers of gloves. These little handwarmer bags might be a sensible thing to pack when you go scooting.

Different strategy, though I never tried it. Belay jackets are designed for climbers for the moments when they don't climb but belay or have to wait. It's something you wear over everything else and might give you the insulation you need.

Mountaineering gear is designed to walk, ski or climb in it. Driving a scooter is maybe more akin to driving a motorbike and asking motocyclists for advice might be an interesting thing to do.
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Re: Disabled person looking some gear advice please ?

Postby garyoppolis » Fri Oct 20, 2017 11:45 am

Bear in mind that a lot of technical hillwalking/mountaineering clothing is designed specifically to accommodate/dissipate sweating and body heat generated by movement. If you're not moving as much and generating the heat then you'll get away with much less technical - and therefore cheaper - clothing; big padded fishtail parkas and the like.

Conversely, because you're not generating as much heat you'll likely need a lot more insulation - think belay jackets rather than microfleeces.

I've climbed Munros, in gale force winds, wearing a goretex jacket with a softshell underneath and felt comfortable. I've also had reason to spend days sitting in a field at sea level when it's a bit windy in Autumn and Spring wearing a Norwegian shirt, a fleece, and an insulated softie jacket, and felt like I'm about to freeze to death. So, a reduced level of movement will have a huge impact on how warm you'll feel.
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Re: Disabled person looking some gear advice please ?

Postby Skyelines » Fri Oct 20, 2017 12:02 pm

I go out photographing in the winter at freezing temps. and spend time hanging around waiting for the light to be right so not generating much body heat.
For this I generally have
base layer: merino wool top, Helly Hansen Lifa bottom.
Mid layers: Long sleeve shirt, light or mid fleece, warm trousers.
Top layer Montane Extreme (similar to Buffalo) top or Duvet Jacket and have Montane Extreme trousers too, these go over everything else if needed. Hat and gloves (windproof) are a must have.
I avoid any clothing made of cotton.

If I wore all of this on a walk in to a location I would overheat in a short while but it works pretty well when standing around waiting.

Wind proof clothing makes a huge difference in reducing heat loss even in a light breeze so a waterproof outer layer would do the same job and keep you dry.

When thinking about keeping warm it is worth remembering that we lose heat evenly over our body surface so it follows that to retain heat we need to insulate evenly too.
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Re: Disabled person looking some gear advice please ?

Postby Lucozade » Fri Oct 20, 2017 7:35 pm

Firstly thank you so much for the really informative & helpful replies. Having read through them all I have changed my thinking a bit and would like to get your opinion on what way I’m thinking of approaching it. I currently wear a merino baselayer then a micro fleece finally I wear a down jacket. Having never owned a decent hard shell I’m thinking this may help with the situation . If members agree on me taking this route would you please recommend some good quality brands & models of hard shell.? The scooter I use is called a TGA vita x it has great suspension & off-road capability. I would travel mostly around golf courses and exposed lake areas. I suppose the coldest temp I would encounter would be -3 to -5 at worst so would like to prepare properly for this weather. I enjoy getting out every day and don’t want the weather particularly the cold to ruin my enjoyment.

Finally could you guys kindly recommend a few good gloves to research? I would need them to be smartphone friendly and as warm as possible. I have tried mitts etc but find normal gloves are better for controlling the scooter etc! Thank you.
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Re: Disabled person looking some gear advice please ?

Postby Ben Nachie » Fri Oct 20, 2017 9:14 pm

Wearing a hard shell over a down jacket would probably compress the down and actually make you colder. A down jacket should always be your outermost layer.
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Re: Disabled person looking some gear advice please ?

Postby Lucozade » Fri Oct 20, 2017 9:29 pm

Ben Nachie wrote:Wearing a hard shell over a down jacket would probably compress the down and actually make you colder. A down jacket should always be your outermost layer.


Sorry if this is a stupid question however is there any jackets which are insulated and waterproof?
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Re: Disabled person looking some gear advice please ?

Postby Ben Nachie » Fri Oct 20, 2017 10:16 pm

The big benefit of down is that it is light weight. Otherwise, there are better alternatives. Most mountaineering gear is designed for active use, not static. I'd suggest something like a Buffalo belay jacket and salopettes, or maybe research sailing clothing as it is designed for mostly static use in cold, wet conditions. I have a very old Macjac jacket that my father used for sailing. Far too warm for walking in. It uses the same principle as Buffalo, but thicker pile, rather like the belay jacket.
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Re: Disabled person looking some gear advice please ?

Postby Scottk » Sat Oct 21, 2017 1:06 pm

PHD could make you a waterproof down jacket. There are also options for jackets and socks with heaters in them-probably easier to find in a bike shop. The other thing which could help is handlebar gloves or heated grips for your scooter. That way you could get off with lighter gloves.
Is it possible for you to sit in a sleeping bag on your scooter? That way your legs would stay much warmer
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Re: Disabled person looking some gear advice please ?

Postby mrssanta » Tue Oct 24, 2017 9:18 am

Ben Nachie wrote:Wearing a hard shell over a down jacket would probably compress the down and actually make you colder. A down jacket should always be your outermost layer.

BUT if it is raining down is useless when wet. A light waterproof layer should not compress down too much.
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Re: Disabled person looking some gear advice please ?

Postby Ben Nachie » Tue Oct 24, 2017 10:20 am

mrssanta wrote:
Ben Nachie wrote:Wearing a hard shell over a down jacket would probably compress the down and actually make you colder. A down jacket should always be your outermost layer.

BUT if it is raining down is useless when wet. A light waterproof layer should not compress down too much.

It's not so much the weight of the waterproof shell, it's the fact that it generally won't be roomy enough. I have a lovely Rab down jacket. Great for sitting around camp, and for walking the dog in winter. Useless in the rain (though it is showerproof). I also have a waterproof shell. Fits great over all my walking clothing, but if I wore it over my down jacket it would seriously compress it.

The O.P. may decide to buy a down jacket and oversized waterproof shell, but I'd suggest that's not the best use of their resources.
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Re: Disabled person looking some gear advice please ?

Postby Alteknacker » Tue Oct 24, 2017 9:05 pm

My son swears by his down beanie for skiing in very low temperatures (perhaps roughly equivalent to being relatively static in cold Scottish winter weather). Not too expensive either.

https://m.millets.co.uk/product/black-outdoor-research-mens-transcendent-packable-down-beanie/111158/
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