Very hot or very cold, which weather would you rather be in if you had to be out in it for 45 min up to 3hrs?

I have an extremely poor tolerance of cold weather, my body just shuts down if I get too cold. I know I can tolerate 100+ for three hours (I’ve done it and felt, well, uncomfortable but easily functional). I don’t think I would last more than an hour at below 20 degrees without needing medical intervention.

I’d prefer the cold as you can dress for it and you can move in reasonable comfort. I’ve experience 106F in humid conditions and it was hell. It would be intolerable for three hours.

Definitely the colder temps. High temperatures are the death of me. I can dress appropriately for the cold outdoors, but there’s not much I can do to mitigate to awful effect of the high temps.

Of course, I live in Texas with sweltering summers. I’m looking to retire in a cooler climate.

As somebody who worked outdoors all day every day, no matter what time of year it was, I’m going to go with the cold. The heat here in Illinois is nearly tropical in it’s oppressiveness, especially when the Fahrenheit passes the ninety-five degree mark. On the other hand, twenty-one degrees can be downright balmy during our winters.

If we were talking about campfires and beer I would be totally down with my man Summer.

Definitely what @flutherother said. I don’t like extended periods of heat or cold (who does?) but if I had to make a choice, I’d take the cold, provided I were adequately dressed for it.

Of course, I might wind up as a pachysicle!

I’d rather be in hot weather, provided I could sit still, in shade, with water and a snack.

I’ve lived in and around Phoenix, Arizona for over 30 years now so I’m pretty acclimated to hot temperatures. And since it is the desert southwest, it’s a ‘dry heat’ so that makes it more tolerable as opposed to a humid environment. I’ll take the 45 minutes to 3 hours in the hot.

Cold weather sucks.

That would depend on whether or not I had access to a hot tub or a cold pool. ;)

I have done both, I prefer cold.

I have shoveled snow and fed livestock when the high was below 0F. I have stacked hay all day in 100+ temps.

Cold please. I pretty much fall into a miserable heap when I’m in the heat for too long.

I would pick the cold weather scenario.

I’m naturally hot. Unless it’s winter time, I usually find myself needing to be in front of an electric fan to feel comfortable. At all the jobs I’ve had I’ve always had a fan on my desk.

When I lived in NYC it was wonderful to have a period of 3 to 4 months every year where I wouldn’t sweat once (other than exercising or…whatever.) I could wear long pants, big jackets, it was just pure heaven for me. Here in California I live in shorts 365 days of the year.

As long as I’ve got a good jacket and scarf, 10 degree weather is manageable. One hundred degree weather on the other hand…well, there’s nothing much you can do. You can’t exactly peel your skin off.

I’d love to track down the cheap ass contractor that built my house so I could pummel him for not insulating this place. Thermostat says 80 outside, but lack of insulation makes it feel like 100.

edit: Hypo, how are you doing up there? I can’t remember if you live inland or on the coast.

Very cold. I could dress for it, and three are ways of warming up even outside.

Hot. I hate both options, but I consider “really cold” to be around 35 degrees (it rarely goes below that here). 8–21 would be absolute torture for me.

@FutureMemory edit: Hypo, how are you doing up there? I can’t remember if you live inland or on the coast. I am back on the river, right at the throat of the Delta about 40ish miles NE of San Fran. Except last Sat. when it got to 108 deg, it has been pretty fine. Even as late as 10pm the temps were in the low 90s or upper 80s; no numb toes, no numb fingers, did not have to bundle up, wear a muffler, none of that.

I am so gonna spoof that big booty avatar! LOL ;-)

I’m regularly out of doors in cold weather. I’ll always pick cold over too hot. To me, 21 degrees is pretty comfy.

I can always start a fire if I’m getting too cold. Otherwise I can shovel snow or jog to get warmed up.

Cold. I can always layer on more clothes and move more to keep warm. Are those Celsius measurements or Fahrenheit?

I’d take the hot, as long add it’s not too humid and as long as I have plenty if sunscreen!

@Bellatrix Considering 105 degrees Celsius is 221 degrees Fahrenheit, nearly 100 degrees hotter than the highest recorded temperature, I’m fairly certain the OP is talking Fahrenheit.

@Bellatrix Fahrenheit

Well you never know… much as I like the OP, it is @H_C asking and that means anything is possible. He is a creative thinker. No offence meant HC. I think in Celsius.

Still prefer to be cold.

Thanks @Hypocrisy_Central. Still cold.

^^ Never any taken ^^ ;-) ^^

8–21 degrees. I live in Minnesota. 15 degrees is bearable, especially after a week or so of below zero temps. (Seriously, if it goes from -10 to 30 in less than a week, you will see people in shorts and tee shirts.) You dress for it and keep moving. Eh.
Heat, I can stand, especially by August or so. But 105 is kind of unheard of (we might hit it a few times a summer, and it’s probably record-breaking if we do) up here, and there’s only so much you can do too deal with it – you wear as little clothes as you’re comfortable wearing, stay wet, and don’t do anything strenuous. Oh goody.

I grew up in Minnesnowda. COLD wins

I’m very temperature sensitive so I would have a hard time in either situation, but I’d have to pick cold. I’ve done it once before and I can’t breathe correctly in too much heat. Plus you can always add more layers if you’re cold but you can’t always take more off if you’re hot.

I’ve been known to shovel snow in 27 degree weather in just a t-shirt and jeans. Dropping down to 8 degrees wouldn’t be a big factor with the right clothing.

It’s currently freezing where I am now so I am tempted to say I’d rather be in the heat. I prefer hotter climate over colder climate.
Then again, I’ve never really felt anything over 90 degrees, so maybe I need to try it out first.

Cold. I’m used to it so I reckon I’d cope better with it.

8 to 21F is basically February here in the NorthEast. I’ve shoveled for 3+ hours in those temperatures. Usually in just jeans, sneakers, gloves and a sweater. I’ll take the cold.

Now I’ve only been in 100 to 105F in the Nevada desert (driving from San Diego to Vegas), and while it was damn hot, it was bearable.

It’s been in the low 90s here in Boston lately, but with 90%+ humidity. That feels far worse to me than what I felt in Nevada.

Cold. You can always pile on more clothing but once you are naked and it is still hot there is no way to strip down any further.

Everyone forgot about humidity… Not that 8 – 21 is cold to any one from the north. But when it gets down to anything colder then -30 esp if there is a windchill and cold penetrates your bones.

So like I said the cold would be nothing. I still might take the 105 if it happened during winter or spring. I do like humid heat too. Though I wouldn’t quibble if I were desperate for sun and heat. Just this spring I would park in the sun close the windows and take a nap in the full sun with no breezes. It Iiterally feels like my body was drinking it in and replenishing. Ahhhh…. but generally I much prefer and would flourish in a moderate clime.

105 degrees? pfft. As long as the proper clothing and water needs are met most should be fine. I do the hot end every year but seldom get the low end but would like to.

@cookieman, the humidity when it’s hot is draining. You can’t move without breaking into a sweat.

Cold even freezing but NOT hot!

Mo hotta, mo betta.

I might be able to survive the cold. At least I can keep moving to keep myself warm. Provided I have warm clothing. I was once out in cold weather for over an hour shoveling snow. After a while I didn’t feel the cold and I was sweating like crazy in my coat. So long as there isn’t any shearing wind and the sun is out, I will be fine.
Not much you can do with heat. Now if I am at least able to sit in the shade and sit very still, I may be ok, but I get really, really irritable in extreme heat.

I’d take the cold any day, and truth is, I’ve spent far more than three hours out in the cold. Had a job as a teen for Le Festival du Voyageur in Winnipeg’s French district, and it takes place in Winter. I was a monitor, my job was to make sure little kids weren’t climbing all over the ice statues, and sometimes I’d get shipped off to the toboggan slides where I gave kids the toboggans, and made sure they weren’t fucking around too much.
Granted, I obviously had breaks and could go warm up inside whenever I felt the need, but I spent most of the day outside. This lasted two weeks, and I had a blast. I also worked a lot of evenings where it gets even colder. My only problems were my feet and hands. Didn’t matter how thick my mittens were, always seemed to freeze my finger tips off…but I’d take that over working in intense heat, any time.

@Bellatrix: Exactly. Humidity is my kryptonite.

I agree the humidity being a deal breaker. I prefer the heat over the cold every time unless if it’s a muggy day. I’m out in the weather several hours a day carrying mail and hot, humid days are the worst. Fortunately, here in Sacramento, the heat is usually a dry heat. Today the forecast is around 106°F.

Hot as one can carry water with them to cool down and later go to the pool.

@rojo You can always pile on more clothing but once you are naked and it is still hot there is no way to strip down any further. You can only put on so many pairs of socks until you can’t get your shoes on, and if your toes are still cold, nothing you can do; that is why when it gets cold enough people still get frostbite. It is also the same with gloves, and you really can’t do much more than a ear muff for your ears. Don’t strip naked, go with a sun top, some shorts, go window shopping and use the mall’s A/C, wash the car and have a Super Soaker battle, go swimming in the river or lake, maybe just recline on the porch with a cold ice tea with lemon; there are a dozen ways to get cool instantly but it takes at least 30min to thaw out and get the feeling back in your toes.

Totally agree with @Hypocrisy_Central there. I couldn’t possibly put on enough clothes that I could be comfortable at 8–12 degree temperatures, but I can find plenty of ways to keep cool when it’s hot. Humidity doesn’t bother me either; it’s always humid here so I’m used to it. I think my perfect climate would be a tropical rainforest.