with Winter here for some and right around the corner for others I figured I’d throw together a list of items that I make sure I have before every Winter starts from obvious must haves to items some people probably don’t even realize exist…I live in Northern Maine so Winter is a part of my life for almost 6 months a year some years but it doesn’t have to be such a pain if you have the right items to get you through.
Winter Gloves
From shoveling to just playing around outside the one thing you certainly need to have is a good pair of winter gloves, I suggest finding a pair with some degree of waterproofing or you’ll find yourself constantly having to dry them off before the next time you need them, you’ll probably also want a pair that isn’t too big and puffy and gives you good control of your hands…I’ll share a link below of my favorite pair from Amazon
Winter Jacket
Another obvious item you need but people often just buy the biggest bulkiest jacket they can find thinking it’ll keep them the warmest which isn’t always true…you need to find something made from the right materials that also gives you freedom of movement…I’ll share a link below of one that I’m a fan of.
Winter Boots
The last totally obvious item on this list will be boots, you really want to find something that’s waterproof here and not just wear typical work boots or you’ll find your feet getting wet quicker than you think…there’s all kinds of great choices here but I’ll share a link to the ones I own below
Snow Shoes
Although not everyone will need these they do make walking across yards and other areas in deep snow a lot easier, I cut a lot of firewood from the forest behind my house in the winter and couldn’t live without these things and if you’ve never tried them out I highly suggest you give them a try, much less tiring on your legs walking on the snow rather than in it.
Ice Cleats
My driveway is on a downward hill so anytime there’s melting and then refreezing in the winter it becomes a sheet of ice, I actually didn’t know these existed until a few years ago when I spotted the UPS guy wearing them and now I wouldn’t go through a winter without a decent pair, it makes traversing any slick surface a lot easier from driveways to store parking lots
Rock Salt
Although it may be easier to just pick this up from your local store you can get bags as big as 50 lbs. delivered right to your door through Amazon, even if you have some ice cleats guests coming to your house may not and you certainly don’t want an icy driveway or walkway throughout the entire winter, there are even pet safe versions that won’t bother your dog’s feet as much when they have to walk over it.
Chopping Axe
Most of my heat through the winter is from my woodstove and wood burning and although I do most of my cutting in the summer it’s good to have a decent axe to take down some dying or dead trees in a pinch for free heat…I’m in my 40’s and prefer to do all my tree felling by hand with axes as well as splitting and everything else as I feel it keeps me healthy to do it this way…I suggest getting two or three different axes that serve better in certain situations.
Chainsaw
If you’re not like me and would rather do your cutting the easier way a good chainsaw is the way to go, just as before it’s best to do your wood cutting ahead of time to allow the wood to season but in a pinch it’s nice to have something…please note you should learn the right way to use a chainsaw and to fell a tree with one before doing any of this
Windshield Cover
If you ever get sick of scraping the ice off your windows every snow storm this is the item for you, just leave it on your car and when you’re ready to go you simply take it off and any snow or ice comes right off with it, it saves a lot of time and effort not having to stand there scraping ice off for 10 minutes every morning…make sure you get the right size for your vehicle.
Snow Shovel
Of course you’re going to need a good snow shovel or you’ll find yourself trapped inside your house for the entire winter, which doesn’t sound so bad but most of us have places we need to be every day…this is another thing I prefer to do by hand rather than using a snow blower but I’ll put those next on the list for people that want an easier way.
Snow Blower
for the people needing to get rid of snow but wanting a less physical way of doing it, I’ve never been a fan of snow blowers but some people swear by them and it’s certainly something better for people that are unable to shovel all that snow with a shovel…there’s electric and gas powered versions but in my experience electric ones don’t work all that great so I’d spring for the gas powered one for a little more money
The Listerzine 
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