Cold weather questions.

I'm looking for some answers, but not the "clever obvious" one like "go inside".

The thing is, I have a CF-19. That thing is build like a tank, can do everything I need and want it to do and I haul it around everywhere I go. I do have an office job although I also visit a lot of companies. (I'm an advisor/consultant for grants and incentives).
While I could work inside at my desk, I just don't like being inside as much as I do like being outside. In the summer that is no problem off course, but now it is winter. And it's not the CF-19 that is giving me trouble, that part is working really well.
Right now it is really cold for us. temperatures of -5C in the day, up to -15 at night, it's not often that cold. I have a really nice hard wood picknick table I can work on. Sleeka pants and jacket and I'm good to go. But it's either my fingers freezing or the gloves interfering with the keyboard. At first i tought it was the smaller 19's keyboard, but also with a full sized keyboard, gloves aren't handy. So I snapped off the fingertips of some older fleece/windstopper gloves, but that still gives me 30 minutes tops I can work outside on a nice cold day. (sun shining, clear skies, not much wind just a little bit, temp -3C).

So here's a question to all those people in really cold area's: how do you work outside on a laptop?
Or those people that used a toughbook on the Everest, I imagine that working without gloves overthere is an invitation to a hack-saw-off-your-own-fingers-like-Ranulph-Fiennes.

I use snugpack clothing, nice good boots, work with some finger-tip-less gloves, use wool underclothing and wool sweaters.

 

How about some of those microwavable or chemical type handwarmer packs stuffed inside your fingerless gloves, if only long enough to warm your hands and then take them back out? Other than that, every time I have worked outside for extended periods it is either deal with cold hands or deal with the hard to type syndrome.

 

Personally, I've camped out numerous times over night for Black Friday and I've always had my CF-30 and 31 with me. Personally, I cannot STAND the tiny as hell keyboard on the 19. IMPOSSIBLE for me to type on, LET ALONE with gloves on.

Anyways, WITH gloves on, staying warm with a mini propane heater I was able to get around pretty good with my 30 and 31.

I'm not saying to sell the 19 and get a 30 or a 31, I'm just giving my 2 cents.

Thanks

 

the handwarmers are your best bet, either chemical or Microwave type. the microwave type are cheaper in the long run, but require access to a microwave, so no good camping....

they make fannypack holders specifically for this, as well as gloves with compartments on the backs or rists to hold the heater packet. when you get cold, you tuck your fingers, and VIOLA!

IMHO, YMMV

 

Thanks for the suggestions!
Hand warmers seem the way to go. I know 5 years ago there where bodywarmers that used li-ion batteries and warming elements to warm your body. Perhaps I should mod from some HDD caddies and a li-ion battery handwarmers.
On a more practical note I saw some Zippo handwarmers.

@Rob, I know you think the CF-19 has a way to small keyboard but for me it works nicely. Even with windstopper gloves I can type on it. Takes some getting used to, but it works for me. It's just the hands getting stiff and especially my fingertips getting numb that prevent me from typing.
And look at it this way, even if the 19 kb was to small for the coldest part of the winter, the rest of the year I have a much lighter laptop that suits my needs perfectly. Has a decent i5 processor, 8gb memory, 600gb ssd, perfectly viewable screen when outdoors, superb reception of wifi and 3G/HSDPA I often get over 9 hours of use out of the battery, tablet style for navigator 11. And also very important: the weight is only 2.3kg! For hauling around it beats the 3.72 that the 31 weights! For me the 19 is the "away from the office and everywhere else machine".

 

depends on the text, which u want to type in. Mostly I use the digitizer with the virtual keyboard. So ur hand is closed to a fist. I've made some tests outside with some Kinect sensors. We had -25 degree in the night and up to -12 over the day from Saturday to Wednesday

 

Nah, I usually have to much text to type it with the digitizer. For small words or single commands it would work, but describing things, making longer emails and that kind of stuff is to cumbersome with a digitizer.

The weather in Germany has been even "better" compared to Holland. But we're not used to these temperatures. Cold over here means something like -2C at night, +3C at midday.

 

Kinect???? as in XBox?

Do tell.....

 

is there a way to make cones to fit the finger tips of your gloves? Maybe some plastic pieces or something? Just a thought...

 

Yep! I want to have some 3D-models of my horses and trucks by using this Rants about Mocap, MoBu, Maya and coding Brekel from the Netherlands and I've made some test results with my own software for recognition of people and their movements....