Going to Shanghai in this weather

[Valencia1]

An 80 years' old man is going to Shanghai in this weather, 23 Dec. Nobody can dissuade him. I've checked it's -3C to 4C in Shanghai. What can I prepare for him to bring against the cold? Thanks.

[Baron]

I found clothing helps!

Perhaps take a couple of hot water bottles with you.

[kristof]

I think they have 80 years' old men too in Shanghai, maybe should study their survival techniques: what they eat, how many hours of Taichi in the morning while taking the birds out, what do they wear, what do they say, where do they go

[stanleystanley]

Go to Sasa or Bonjour to buy some packs of "warm eggs" for him. Stick one or two in the underwear will keep him warm for 8 hours. Remind him not to stick on the skin as it may be too warm. $16 per pack with around 12 pcs.

[Valencia1]

Thank you all. I told him to take a hot water bag with him, thanks for reminding me. He'll bring 20 hot packs. He's bought an electric vest today to take with him. However, I'm still worried.

[penguinsix]

Long underwear, a staple of living in the colder reaches of the US, seems forgotten often in China, or replaced with something rather flimsy.

Last I checked Mark and Spencer has some pretty thick thermals that you should consider for this guy, especially the pants section / leggings. People usually dress warm enough up top with coats, but one flimsy pair of pants isn't that effective (vs. long underwear). I think I have a few pairs in my HK flat I used last year in the cold spell but most are in the US now.

If you can't find any, we used to use sweatpants that had shrunk as a backup (some days we had 3 layers, but that was usually when we were sledding).

On top of that, and on top of him, I'd make sure he had a good hat. Not a baseball cap or something silly, but a knit wool hat if you can find it. I actually got a really nice pair of gloves one year at M&S (I was flying to London the next day and was straight from LHR to Highbury for a football match and didn't have time to get gloves in London). They were 'thinsulate' which is a brand/material made of wool that was quite warm (I use them today in the states for cold days requiring snow shoveling).

[Valencia1]

Thanks, penguin. He has almost everything now, hat, underwear, pants etc. I called him this morning to make sure he has double pants. He's on his way now. Hopefully the weather is getting warmer these days.