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Thread: Moving to Canada - teach me about cold weather

  1. #11
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    Last edited by Hmac; 03-14-18 at 09:40.

  2. #12
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    I live in rural Minnesota, but even here in the Land of Ice and Snow winter is a whole different ballgame than Vancouver -> Kelowna. The weather here is sometimes cold, but it's predictable. It can snow a foot, but within hours the roads will be clear and completely passable. That happened about two weeks ago...the only thing I needed 4WD for was getting out of my driveway. In the winter, I (usually) wear a warm coat and have some gloves in the car. Maybe some boots. If I'm headed "up north" into the boondocks, I might throw a shovel in the bed of the truck. The chance of getting caught unaware in a blizzard around here is very low. Vancouver to Kelowna...not so much. That is something you'd better be prepared for.

    As to cold weather...you dress for it. Minus 30 wouldn't keep us from being out playing. My 4 y/o granddaughter last week - it was minus 10.
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    Last edited by Hmac; 03-14-18 at 09:41.

  3. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Hmac View Post
    I live in rural Minnesota, but even here in the Land of Ice and Snow winter is a whole different ballgame than Vancouver -> Kelowna. The weather here is sometimes cold, but it's predictable. It can snow a foot, but within hours the roads will be clear and completely passable. That happened about two weeks ago...the only thing I needed 4WD for was getting out of my driveway. In the winter, I (usually) wear a warm coat and have some gloves in the car. Maybe some boots. If I'm headed "up north" into the boondocks, I might throw a shovel in the bed of the truck. The chance of getting caught unaware in a blizzard around here is very low. Vancouver to Kelowna...not so much. That is something you'd better be prepared for.

    As to cold weather...you dress for it. Minus 30 wouldn't keep us from being out playing. My 4 y/o granddaughter last week - it was minus 10.
    I may have over exaggerated for the satirical factor of my post.

    I'm in the North East, about 100 or so miles from the Canadian Border. Live in a Rural area right outside of our bustling city of 100k. Our winter was very mild this year, and Lake Superior was very kind to us this year. We only had ONE major lake effect snow push; that was about 10 days ago for 18 inches. Otherwise, the warm air from the lake, and northern winds, pushed a lot of the storms out of our way.

    This year, though, we did experience a solid 3-4 weeks of our day time temps in the double digit negatives to low single digits, and the nightly colds hitting -30s a couple nights hit -40 and lower. It's usually a trade off, less snow = more cold. More Snow = Higher Temps. I am sure there is a scientificul reasoning behind this, but just what I have noticed through my life time.
    Last edited by HeruMew; 03-14-18 at 10:05.

  4. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by HeruMew View Post
    I may have over exaggerated for the satirical factor of my post.

    I'm in the North East, about 100 or so miles from the Canadian Border. Live in a Rural area right outside of our bustling city of 100k. Our winter was very mild this year, and Lake Superior was very kind to us this year. We only had ONE major lake effect snow push; that was about 10 days ago for 18 inches. Otherwise, the warm air from the lake, and northern winds, pushed a lot of the storms out of our way.

    This year, though, we did experience a solid 3-4 weeks of our day time temps in the double digit negatives to low single digits, and the nightly colds hitting -30s a couple nights hit -40 and lower. It's usually a trade off, less snow = more cold. More Snow = Higher Temps. I am sure there is a scientificul reasoning behind this, but just what I have noticed through my life time.
    I lived there many years ago before moving down to lake country. I still spend a lot of time up there on The Range and along the North Shore. Several of us were staying in Tofte in February '96 when the temps hit minus 60 (no wind chill). We snowmobiled every day. Biggest problem was getting the machines started every morning.

  5. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by Eurodriver View Post
    I applied for and was accepted at one of our subsidiaries in Vancouver. I will have to drive between Van City and Kelowna all year even in winter.

    What do you guys do who live in the deep cold north do for emergency prep in your vehicle and home? Not too worried about Vancouver proper (although that’s a separate issue being urban as hell $650k Condo 550sq ft wtf) as temps never get below -5*C or so.

    Really worried about Kelowna.

    This isn’t like “I’m camping in the woods in January in Canada” thread. It’s how to stay safe if I’m stranded at night on the road or while staying at a hotel there’s a damaging winter storm.
    Quote Originally Posted by Eurodriver View Post
    Thanks for all of the advice guys. It's a lot to process. I'm not sure I'll need a firearm, except maybe a hunting rifle. The country feels totally unlike anything experienced in the USA.



    I expect to become a Canadian citizen and live here permanently. NDP is doing a lot of good things in BC from what I've seen. I hope they get the housing crisis under control (aka Chinese Money Laundering).

    Not worried about southern BC but the drive into Kelowna is what scares me in January if necessary. That's seriously cold temps.
    Are you actually serious?

    What about summer 10 months out of the year?
    Last edited by Clint; 03-14-18 at 15:16.
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  6. #16
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    Live in northern UT. We get a little snow. I'm at a little over 5000ft. and we can get hit hard. We also like to ski and travel through WY to Steamboat to ski several times a yr. Hit the UT slopes almost every weekend. That means driving in "bad" conditions. "Bad" being a relative term. I drive a Yukon Denali AWD and have never found it lacking. Have gone up steep hills slowly and somewhat sideways, but I have always gotten to the top. When we ski, we hit 10K ft. and needless to say, the climate is very different at that altitude. I expect to hit slopes Sunday and we will be driving through snow , through mtn. passes, and general all-around bad conditions.

    Many people here keep a winter bag in their car 24/7 during snow season. I have only seen it not snow in July and August. I am also going to buy a good set of chains. Depending on your drive, chains may/may not be viable/feasible. Back to the bag. For each person in the car, when traveling in winter, there is a complete set of winter gear. Snow pants, jackets, gloves, hats, and boots. Also, get a good pair of sunglasses. Seems counter-intuitive, but wearing sunglasses when it's snowing can actually improve visibility(daytime). Lip balm is a must. You need to be prepared to be stranded on the side of the road in bad conditions for hrs. before help arrives.

    A SBR is also in the back. But, since you are going to be a Canadian, don't think that is possible. I am surprised at your decision. Don't mean that in a negative way, at all. Hard to tell through the screen, but it seems as if you've been uneasy in your current situation for a while. Been there and done the move thing. Multiple times. Don't move to Canada. Move out west. WY, MT, ID, UT. However, seems you may have already made your mind up. All I can say is I truly wish you happiness wherever you are. Keep us informed of the journey/process.

  7. #17
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    I've got no experience with cold climates, lived in AZ my whole life, but a few things I'd be curious about are automobile related.

    --snow tires vs chains vs cables? How likely are you to get stuck even with those, and what should you have in the vehicle to get you out?
    --what mix of antifreeze to water will keep your car from being damaged on a severely cold night? Engine cooling system frozen is bad um'kay.
    --engine block heater, is it needed?
    --What kind of car battery is best in the cold?

  8. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by P2000 View Post
    I've got no experience with cold climates, lived in AZ my whole life, but a few things I'd be curious about are automobile related.

    --snow tires vs chains vs cables? How likely are you to get stuck even with those, and what should you have in the vehicle to get you out?
    --what mix of antifreeze to water will keep your car from being damaged on a severely cold night? Engine cooling system frozen is bad um'kay.
    --engine block heater, is it needed?
    --What kind of car battery is best in the cold?
    minus 20 to minus 30 isn't rare around here. Temps that cold aren't an "event"...they're a normal part of winter in Minnesota.

    -in the winter I drive a 3/4 ton GMC pickup 4x4 - stock all-season tires. I don't own any chains or other such traction devices and can't envision a need for me to have them around here. (Minnesota is non-mountainous). My wife drives a Murano, same thing. My summer car uses 275-35/19 low-profile summer tires. Five consecutive snowflakes and that car isn't driveable. It sits in the storage garage on a Battery Tender from late November to mid-March. I've been stuck a couple of times in my truck, usually driving it somewhere stupid. I called AAA. I carry a 25 foot tow strap but have only used it occasionally to pull other people out.

    -anti-freeze...whatever comes OEM in the car. My truck is 50-50 AF/water. That's about as low as antifreeze goes and is probably good to about -40. Colder than that around here is pretty rare.

    -I've had block heaters on trucks several years ago. Generally IIRC, it's about a $65 OEM option and most of the car dealers around here used to just order their cars with them automatically. I'm not sure if my current truck has one or not. I think the only time I've ever been glad I had one was a snowmobile trip "up north" in '96 where the temps hit -60. I plugged the vehicle in that time. No issues. My GMC has a steering wheel grip heater. IMHO, that's about 100X more useful than a block heater.

    -our car batteries are whatever comes from the mfgr. No issues. Any battery with 600+ cold-cranking amps is fine.

    The only concession I make to the cold in the way of vehicle preparation has generally been to switch to some kind of synthetic oil with the oil change some time in the fall. I did put a ceiling-mounted heater in the garage this year and keep it around 55 degrees. That's sweet. It makes driving to work in the morning much more pleasant.
    Last edited by Hmac; 03-14-18 at 20:24.

  9. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by Clint View Post
    Are you actually serious?

    What about summer 10 months out of the year?
    I've lived down south. Hurricanes and bugs that you need a gauge to take care of had me longing for snow.
    That said, I am not sure that I would be wanting to move to Canada, but to each their own. Lord knows the states would miss the hurricane shooter.

    That said, my first thoughts were if Euro moves who is going to QRF for Firefly?
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  10. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by Eurodriver View Post
    I applied for and was accepted at one of our subsidiaries in Vancouver. I will have to drive between Van City and Kelowna all year even in winter.

    What do you guys do who live in the deep cold north do for emergency prep in your vehicle and home? Not too worried about Vancouver proper (although that’s a separate issue being urban as hell $650k Condo 550sq ft wtf) as temps never get below -5*C or so.

    Really worried about Kelowna.

    This isn’t like “I’m camping in the woods in January in Canada” thread. It’s how to stay safe if I’m stranded at night on the road or while staying at a hotel there’s a damaging winter storm.
    Good luck with your new job! I lived 7 years in Montana, 8 in Alaska, and grew in in northern NH, so I have a few ideas...

    First, chances are you will be watching weather reports and not traveling in extreme bad weather. Common sense goes a LONG way during northern snowstorms just like in southern hurricanes! And most main roads will have some level of traffic flow most of the time, especially during the daytime. Biggest thing is learning to drive in snowy and icy conditions, which is more about “slow and steady” than speed. Driving as if you are trying to maximize fuel economy is pretty much identical to driving on icy roads, with notable exception of NOT using cruise control! Key is maintaining traction by respecting the natural laws of physics...momentum, centrifugal force, friction, etc. Good tires properly inflated go a long way! 4 wheel drive is great for moving, but it has little benefit on braking. Front wheel drive vehicles are much better than RWD vehicles. Tires made for muddling are not good for ice and snow.

    Car stuff...jumper cables, quality trauma/first aid kit, 30+ foot tow strap, road flares, sleeping bag, blankets, fire starter, backpack stove, pot to boil water, tea bags, energy bars. Extra winter socks, boots, hat, mittens, fleece, etc. are smart. Tire cables/chains, decent shovel, flashlights & batteries.

    Make sure you practice putting tire chains on the wheels on a nice sunny summer day...learning in a blizzard on the side of the road SUCKS! Carry a tow strap for YOURSELF. Know where to hook it to the front and rear of your vehicle. If you go off the road, folks will stop to help, but most will not have the means to pull you out...so you need it.

    Stay safe!
    Last edited by BuzzinSATX; 03-15-18 at 05:56.

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