long Johns

I had silk longjohns years ago. They are very good. Sadly, they do not hold up which is why I replaced them with merino wool.

That's kind of a misconception about the southwestern states as most of the cities are down in the valleys so the news post higher temps. In New Mexico, Arizona and Nevada there are more mountains and elevations above 6000ft and it do get colder that a witches teet in a brass bra. The saying goes like this, The only thing between I40 and the North Pole is a barbed wire fence. You can substitute Amarillo or Route 66 depending on where you are at or how old you are. To most folks these sates are deserts to me they are mountain states with all of them pushing several 10,000 to 12,000 ft peaks.

We dont get below freezing for very long here but I did live in Michigan. For 14 years and worked in Massachusetts during the horrendous blizzards a couple years ago.

Since I'm constantly inside and outside with my job I dont like wearing a bulky jacket. I keep my core warm by wearing an "a shirt," a thermal, a tshirt, a long sleeve shirt, and then a hoodie. Sometimes a 2nd thermal shirt if I know I'm going to be outside most of the day.

I've heard about panty hose, as oldcajun said, but I've never tried them myself.

As long as my core, my ears, my hands and my feet are warm, I'm good.

I can make it a long way with cold hands and ears, but once my feet get cold, I'm done. I'd rather go home without pay than suffer through a day with freezing cold feet.

Last winter I had to pressure wash a house, boat dock and cook house. It was the worst weather of the year. Cold, drizzling rain and windy. Day 1 I didnt know what the plan for the day was, I was unprepared and miserable all day. Day 2, 7 layers for my core. Flannel pajama pants under thick work pants, 3 pair of socks and rubber boots. The rest of the week I had the same set up and was completely comfortable. I dont recall being wet or cold.

I prefer cold weather. You can always add layers. In the heat you can only take so much off before people look at you funny.

While panty hose probably work for cold weather I am not so sure about G-string panties. No one has mentioned leather yet a welding jacket can be had for 60 bucks.

After working long shifts in the cold I decided to upgrade my old timey longjohns.
A hiker put me onto Patagonia Capilene base layers. I went with the thermal  weight. It's the best money I've ever spent. Everybody I've steered to buying them swears by them. Whether you're working, in a deerstand or in a freezing stadium you'll  be warm and toasty. The price on them has come up over the years but they're worth every penny.