How to stay warm in Mongolia in winter

Because everyone needs to know that it's possible!

Warning/Disclaimer!!!

(This blog post contains little helpful information and lots of useless details about what I wore yesterday, but if you ARE coming to Mongolia and are freaked out, read ahead and have your fears assuaged!)

Everyone (Hopefully!) knows that winter in Mongolia isn't jeans and T-shirt weather... But say you were coming to visit, or to stay for a year teaching English, and you knew you were going to be here during the winter.  What do you need to bring?  What should you buy?  How much will it cost you to stay warm here?

I'll tell you how I do it so you'll know it's possible and then you'll be all set to visit me soon!!  Awesome!

Every day I get dressed and go outside into temperatures ranging from -10 F to -36 F, (when it's cold) and on warmer days from -10 F to 12 F.  Although it certainly can get colder than that, it hasn't much this winter since it's been so mild.  And I stay warm!  I can honestly say that I've been outside about every day from December through January and I was only cold ONCE, because I didn't dress appropriately.  If you DO dress appropriately, you won't be that cold!  (For full disclosure I must admit that I did not go outside one day when I was sick, but that's because I didn't want my roommate to give me a hard time!)

Okay, Ready?  Here we go:  All you need to know to stay warm in a Mongolian winter...

#1, Wear wool or something like it. (Stuff like Gore-tex --which is awesome, by the way-- or other stuff like that which you pay a ton of money for because it's worth it.. isn't really necessary)  Why?  Because people have known how to keep warm for thousands of years over here and they do it without a brand name, and they do it well!  I'm pretty sure they just wear different combinations of yak and camel wool socks, leggings, and sweaters.

#2, Wear layers!!  a lot of clothes aren't made to withstand Mongolian winter temperatures all by themselves.  But add them together with other clothes and other layers, and all of a sudden you can't wait to get outside into the cold.  Bring it on!

(And not for real, but for a laugh..)

#3, Wear headphones and play music! (because it's distracting.  If you only have the cold to think about it, it feels a lot colder than it might otherwise if you're listening to a nice jazzy tune in your ears giving you some pep in your step!)

#4, Walk fast!  enough said. Because you get places faster.  And you generate more body heat.  Your body is like a living furnace.  You have plenty of heat to stay alive.  Just keep it IN your body!  Exercise is like adding logs to the fire. =D  Happy Walking!


Honestly, that's it guys!  That's all you need to know.  In case you don't believe me, here's what I would wear if I knew I was going outside for several hours at a time... say I'm going hiking up a beautiful Mongolian mountain to look over the gorgeous snow and take pictures of a lovely ger (or yurt, if you prefer the Russian word) against the stunning blue sky.

Here's what I would wear:

Layer One.

• A pair of light ankle socks, like what you'd wear with chucks or your tennis shoes back home.  The cooler the pattern and the more colors the better. =)  Right now I've got white with blue and black polka dots.  Cute!
• My lightest, cheapest pair of leggings.  (They were probably from Walmart about five years ago.)
• A light cotton tank top.

So go outside in this and you'll be an icicle in no time... Yeah.  This isn't actually to keep me warm. =)  I figure "Hmm.. I'm going out for a hike (or ice skating.. or a long walk for exercise...)  I might end up sweating a little."  I wear this layer just to keep my thicker, warmer, more important layers off my skin so I won't need to wash them when I get home.  The first layer takes up NO space in my washing machine.  Easy peasy.  (Also, you don't want to be SO warm that you know you will be sweating a lot.  Sweat makes you cold.  I know this from EVERY time I go ice skating.  It doesn't matter if it's 0 degrees or -30.  I sweat.  It makes for a cold walk home when you're done, but I live pretty close and never have to wait for a bus so I never worry that I'll freeze or anything.)

You also don't want to wear so many layers that you can't move comfortably  .....and.....  you'll also look like a marshmallow with legs.  I mean.. if you're okay with that.. then ok.  I certainly don't dress with fashion in mind (at least not all the time) although all the Mongolian girls around me manage to be warm AND look really good...  But I try to avoid the marshmallow look.

Layer TWO.

• My thickest wool or camel wool socks.  
• I always wear two pairs of socks, one light and one thick.  I have one pair of thick Mongolian camel wool socks that are really good at keeping you warm.  I also have two pairs of thick wool socks I brought from home.  All of them do a good job at keeping my feet warm.  And no, I don't wear more than two pairs of socks for two reasons.
• my boots will be too tight if I wear more, and that alone will make my feet colder because I don't have as much circulation.
• my feet will be too hot and will get sweaty (and then cold).
• My thick snuggly leggings from China.  Yeah, I have no idea what they're made of or how good they really are.  They're made in China.  They're really warm.  I think they're made out of something synthetic and cheap but they are WARM.  They also have little ankly things that go over the bottom of my foot to keep them from sneaking upwards and exposing my ankles to the cold.
• My long-sleeved turtlenecked undershirt.  This has been one of my favorite things I've brought with me.  I got it at Target.  It covers my wrists and my neck and my hips too.  It was about $30 bucks.  Worth it. =)

Layer Three.  (Because right now I basically have underwear on.)

(If it was a warm day, I'd just throw on boots and a cute top and my coat and gloves and a hat, but I'm going hiking, so I definitely need another layer.)

• Jeans  (Yes, they still fit)
• My zip-up thin-but-warm jacket that has a hood.  Also got it at Target.  It's really warm but isn't too thick.  My coat is thick, I don't want a bunch of thick stuff on or I won't be able to move.  Since my jacket is actually at the tailor's right now getting mended, I'd just wear a hoodie or my warm vest.
• light gloves

That's it.  If it's warm, I might actually go out with this, but it's February, so I definitely need a coat.

Layer Four.  Bring on the cold!!

• Boots.  (Anything NOT sneakers.  Really.  Hiking boots, snow boots, boots with the fur...)
• Disclaimer: my boots are from China.  They're cute, I must say, but they are NOT super warm boots.  They're not waterproof which in deeper snow sometimes gets them wet which isn't good.  They're soft and snuggly on the inside, but they're made in China.  I love them, but they aren't super high quality.  My feet stay warm.  Why?  I don't really know.
• They have thick soles that keep my feet far from the cold ground.
• They are thin, so they breathe a lot.  My SOCKS keep my feet warm.  My boots keep my socks from getting wet from sweating.
• They come up to mid calf and keep my lower legs warm.
• (I don't really know why they work so well.  I recommend a nice pair of boots but you DON'T need to spend a ton of money)
• Coat.
• Black, Pink, Blue, Yellow, anything that's warmer than a pea coat.  If you have a snow coat you wear back home, it's good. =)  Remember, it's not your coat that keeps you warm.  It's your layers.  Coats here look different.  Most Mongolian girls have the ones that come down mid-thigh because we lose a lot of heat there.  That's a good idea.  Mine doesn't and I still keep warm. :)
• With a hood.
• Gloves or mittens
• You also don't need the best gloves ever.  I wear thin ones and then a second pair of thick ones on top.  There are lots of warm wool mittens and gloves around here.
• Hat
• Wear it on your head.  It should probably cover your ears.
• Scarf
• Wear it around your neck.  If you're Mongolian it goes OVER your coat hood.
• If you're me, it goes under your coat and I zip my coat up over it.
• If you're still a little freaked out, you can wrap your scarf around your whole face and pull your hat down so that NOW the only part of you that isn't covered is your eyes.  This is also the best way to experience frozen eyelashes because your breath will condense on them before you breathe in and they freeze. ;)

And just one last thing... You'll probably walk past Mongolian people without hats or gloves on, because really, it's only -20 today and that's not even that cold!  Don't worry.  Wear your layers with pride and stay toasty!

(A friend and me at the rink!)

Happy hiking. =)  Take lots of pictures!
Also take a water bottle, because when you're cold you forget you need to drink.  :)

It's not rocket science.  Dress in layers.  More is not always better if you end up sweating and uncomfortable.  Go from thin to thick and wear wool if you have it.  If you ARE cold, say so.
Also, Come visit me!  I'll take you hiking!!