my vote is wool 😀 best bang for your buck it stays warm even if wet as for boots thats personal preference i prefer a pair of rubber boots with inserts, if they get wet i can take the inserts out and dry them faster because it takes a while to dry wet footwear

Layers are best. You can adjust for the weather and activity level. Wool or wool blends for inner wear. Polar fleece or similar for mid layer and a wind / waterproof outer layer. Goretex or similar is best for the outer layer as it will allow water vapor (sweat) to vent through the fabric without allowing water (rain) in.

Oldschool are you planning on venturing out from your semi tropical climate of balmy Southern Ontario into the cold frozen north? If you are you will definitely need a good pair of winter boots. I am sure everyone has their own favorites but mine are Baffin. Many of their boot are rated to 100c below. I swear by them and so does my wife. They are not cheap but having warm dry feet in just about any conditions makes them a deal. Here is a link to their site, they sell various types of footwear.
http://www.baffin.com/

thanks everyone

Oldschool are you planning on venturing out from your semi tropical climate of balmy Southern Ontario into the cold frozen north?

😎

Polypropalyne underwear, find in Canadian Tire/Wall Mart in the outdoor/hunting sections.
does not let you overheat inside and when you go out, likewise you do not cool down and freeze.

Also look for the Polypropalyne socks and very thin gloves, put under regular gloves. Anti bacterial, long duration clothing, wash in sink, dries quickly in air, NEVER put in Dryer!!!

There are lots of other things I can tell you, some are not excessive or expensive either.

Oldschool,

Here is a place to start: boots - http://www.cqmsltd.com/Web_Pages/footwear_page_.htm

They are the liquidator for the Canadian Forces in Western Canada. Might be a similar business near Petawawa.

Layers is always the best suggestion. Polypro next to skin - head to toe. Next layer light insulation - wool, polar fleece, anything but cotton. If you need a heavier insulation layer think down, prima-loft or another layer of polar fleece. Next you will want a weather proof and breathable outer layer. Gore-tex, Ultrex, and other waterproof breatable fabrics are generally seen as the best you can get. Some old school types hold to waxed duck canvas with a wool or sheepskin liner.

As for gloves, GKS, builds some nice gloves for snowmobiling. Goat leather palms, gore-tex shells and down insulation. If you will be in an area with -50 or -60C type cold, buy the best gloves you can afford. Or better yet buy two pairs. We have a store out here Wholesale Sports, in the Spring they sell off the Winter gear, so if you can wait for Spring you can get some good deals. I just picked up a pair of glove liners from Outdoor Research at Mountain Equipment Co-op for $15, coyote brown no less. Not a fashionable colour this season??? Not sure but they were 50% off.

Well I better post this before it times out.

Let us know if you want more suggestions.

Cheers,

Mountainman.

If you want the best, anything here will do. Be prepared to pay a hefty price. My uncle has been wearing the same coat for 14 years.

http://www.canada-goose.com/

I used to spend a lot of time outside in all seasons, all weather as part of my former job. One thing I'll say about keeping yourself in the cold (I was outside or in an unheated shop with the overhead door open for up to 10 hours a day, five and a half days a week) is layers is really good.

I'd have work boots on, less then ideal absolutely. I'd have one pair of normal socks on over which I'd have a pair of nearly 100% wool socks (100% now, and hand knitted). Covering that I'd use a plastic grocery bag. Your feet don't stay 100% dry, but they don't get soaked either.
(As a note, I once got caught stuck on my ATV in January. I got bogged down, crossing ice on a small creek - ATV broke through and I had to winch it out. So, standing in the very cold water of the creek, the water coming up over my rubber and insulated boots I had very cold feet. My two layers of socks happened to be 100% wool hand-knitted though, and after all was said and done I wrung them out and put them on for the drive home. They kept my feet warmer then they could have been before the vehicle heater kicked into gear and started taking over from there. I always always include one or two pairs of wool hand knit socks now.)

My clothing layers would be long johns and sweat pants on my legs. I'd wear a shirt, then a sweatshirt with a hood and a wool sweater on over that. One piece coveralls covering everthing.
Hands would be fingerless gloves with like snowmobile mitts over them if needed.
Most days I'd wear a baseball cap. Really cold days, I'd wear a toque. Very cold days or snowy weather, I'd have the hat on with the hood up and over.

Sound like welfare winter clothes? Maybe. But I used to go through most clothes too fast to worry on having the right parka or trousers. With my layers on, I could substitute for worn out or ruined items as needed. And at that time, I was a tire-changer and did the whole jacking up cars/trucks in the paved yard in front of the shop in all types of weather - rain, summer heat, sometimes borderline snow storms...it has to be really really bad for that shop to close down - I was quite brutal on work clothing.

Even now although I don't do that type of work anymore, I'm still all about the layers. My winter jacket is usually a zippered hooded sweater or jacket under a lumber style jacket for the most part. I add on rain pants and jacket if I have to be in really snowy weather or deep snow to stay kinda dry. I keep a pair of knit gloves (those cheap ones you tend to get in roadside emergency kits) and a pair of water resistant snow mitts in the truck or car, just in case.

Runs With Scissors.

Thanks once again everyone. I have copied off all the answers to print off when I go shopping.

Gravlore - I agree about the Canadian goose. The only warm coat I have owned in the last 20 years was goose down the problem is a bit of weight gain. Anything other then a t-shirt under the coat I look like a kid stuffed into a snowsuit with the arms that don't bend. 😳

If you want winter special clothing so please come to visit apparelnbags. I love it:
http://www.apparelnbags.com/store/winter-clothing.htm
Nice collection for winter.

Runswithscisssors, has it right. Wool, is still the best for inner warmth.I still have wool socks from the military (summer and winter type), but I also wear a pair of cotton socks under them to wick any moisture out. Same with sweaters and T shirts, if your "working" in the cold, just have on enough to keep you warm while working, Tshirt (for wicking) a good flanel shirt and a vest. (I'm talking above the waist now so dont get excited). After you stop working, you'll want that coat.

I can't wear wool. Is there anything that will work as well as the wool?

Polar fleece is comparable without the itch. Warm even when wet, breathable and dries very quickly.