Karen McOuat
Northern News Services

NNSL (Nov 02/98) - You can live North of 60 and keep relatively warm. It has been done.

Most cold weather solutions are things your mother would have told you, such as wearing a coat and staying dry. Others range from creative to just plain silly.

A search on the Internet turns up the Puppy Parka, which is exactly that, a coat for your dog. The company also makes rain coats and bright orange hunting jackets for your dog, ranging from $30 to $80. This is an American product.

People who dress warmly swear by the layered approach. The three steps to staying warm are:

1. An underwear layer, close to the body, to reduce the build-up of condensation from body heat. Your body loses heat 23 times faster in water than in dry air.
2. A middle layer of polyester fleece, which is described as "hydrophobic" -- it doesn't like water and gets rid of it quickly.
3. An outer shell, made of nylon, to deflect our dry, brittle winds.

Hot Pads, self-heating hand-warmers, have been around for at least ten years. They are small mineral-filled packages that, once shaken up a bit, will stay warm for hours. Dale Johnston, owner of Yellowknife's Wolverine Sports Shop, says that these pads go over really well.

"They're great if you're out all day, snowmobiling," he explains, "You can just shake one of these up and keep it in your mitt."

Not everyone is wild about Hot Pads, though. People in Pangnirtung report that these pouches simply do not sell in their Baffin community.

"It's best just to stay inside!" says one resident, who did not want to be named.

Smaller versions of Hot Pads fit inside boots. Although they last several hours, they are for one-time use only.

Some new parkas are sold with hand-held fuel sticks in the pockets. In Igloolik, Northern store manager Glen Johnston (no relation to Dale) says they're not found with the run-of-the-mill parka, but in the more expensive brands, such as Snow Goose.

Yellowknife's Johnston describes the fuel stick as a little metal box covered in felt. Meant for one-time use, it is ignited and kept in the pocket for up to eight hours. Testing a stick is recommended, as they usually don't last as long as the manufacturer claims.

Glen Johnston says that they are rare in his part of Nunavut, and doubts the success of such a device.

"I'm not sure I'd want something burning in my pocket!" he laughs.

A walk around the territories looks at what's top in footwear. The Sorel boot, that white-rubbered monster that's been around since the beginning of time, remains the best-seller. But is it necessarily the warmest?

"Caribou skin kamiks are best," says Johnston from Igloolik. Sometimes, you just can't beat Mother Nature.