Reddit reviews Kahtoola NANOspikes Footwear Traction - Black Large

Not sure about the ice in Iowa, but you might consider investing in yak tracks (ice cleats) for your outdoor boots/shoes. I recommend styles with the spikes over the chains as the chains can clog up with snow and become useless in mixed ice/snow conditions. Also, the chains can slip/roll on the ice if you don't have them on properly, so I prefer the spiked cleats.

Driving in snow will be a learning curve, but you can imagine it being similar to driving on loose sand over exposed slickrock like in southern Utah/southwest Colorado. Add twice the breaking time and anticipate sliding. Take it slow when you can unless there's a hill or drift to watch out for. If it's windy, assume the shoulder/sides of the lane contain snow drifts (deeper snow) and should be avoided when possible if your car has low clearance/no 4wd. If you start to slide/spin, try to GENTLY and SLOWLY straighten out the car. Never jerk the wheel, imagine you're in a canoe or kayak on a lake where every movement is easily exaggerated (make slow, wide turns instead of quick jerky ones). Definitely ask ahead about whether people get/need snow tires and start factoring in/planning for the price + the price of getting them on/off (ask what the average fee of that is and if it's per tire; LesSchwab scams people where I live by charging $100/tire to put them on and again to take them off, it's their insane way to deter the road damage WA state legislature assumes come from snow tires, they passed a moronic ban on them.....you idiots need them because you don't plow or treat the roads....chains are not enough) and where/how you're going to store them in the summer. If the program's just for one year/1 winter, ask if it's worth you getting them if you're planning to move on elsewhere at the end. Maybe you can carpool or take local transit in the winter months (or get a set of chains)? If you have a chance, find an empty/vacant parking lot (like an abandoned shopping mall/Kmart/Sears) right when there's a shallow fresh layer of snow and get some practice in (try to make a loop around an aisle, a turn like you would at an intersection, full stop, etc.) to get a fee for driving on shallow snow if you can (first time it snows "a little" up there). Also, try to learn 1 or 2 different ways home/to work/to stores in good weather in case some roads are closed for winter (not sure if this is a thing in Iowa, but some side streets in the town in WA where I live are considered "non-priority" and don't get plowed like at all the entire winter, so those people have to get snow tires or rely on walking up the steep hills from the bus stop on the main street that is plowed). Oh, and one more thing about car-related stuff you might not know: do not get in and out of your car while pumping gas, you'll risk creating a static charge that could start a fire at/around the pump (there ought to be warning labels [tiny fine black print ones, not scary/Look fool! ones] about it at the pump). Side note about static: if your clothes start sticking to you (b/c it's dry inside compared to the more humid climes outside), static spray can be found usually in the ironing board/laundry basket section of Walmart or in a pinch, rubbing a dryer sheet on the offending sweater/skirt/tights/leggings can fix any static cling.

I also recommend getting some hand/foot warmers (sold in the hunting/outdoor/camping section of like Walmart in winter/cold months, "hot hands" is the brand I know of that makes them) that activate when you crush/crumple them up. The foot/boot ones usually have an adhesive built-in so you can stick them to the sole inside your boot and they'll help keep your feet warm without shifting around too much (I worked in some cold/drafty offices in PA and WA and they're a lifesaver since I'm always aware when my feet are cold when the rest of me is warm).


Like others have said, invest in a good insulated (and waterproof) and wind-blocking (especially for the MidWest!) coat (with a hood if you can get one), probably to the knee to get max protection and coziness (I personally can't stand them that long, so I pair a mid-thigh length coat with fleece-lined jeans (yes, such a ting exists, along with insulated fleece-lined tights or under-armor to fit under them) to survive the Pacific Northwest's (as a VA, then PA, then TX transplant who does archaeology in CO/NM during summer months) teen and under temps (just like you're used to saying, "yeah, it gets that hot", "yes, it gets that cold", maybe google average/coldest temps and make sure to find gear with those ranges included in the recommended temps or 10-20 degrees colder to be sure if you're not one to acclimate quickly/at all/find it "freezing"/unbearable anywhere below 40-60F).

Get insulated boots, you only get one pair of feet in your life and you best protect them. If Iowa is anything like parts of PA or WA, the snow. doesn't. melt. So, one storm of 6 inches ain't so bad, so you think ankle-height boots are A-ok. Nope, another storm comes through and dumps 18 inches on that "not so bad" 6 inches. Week later, and it's snowing 1-2 inches every day, totaling to another 6-8. Get knee-high ones if you can. Certainly to the mid-calf and no shorter. Flat, or low heel (think men's cowboy or work boots in height), DEEP treads (deepest ones you can find), rubber sole, insulated (see if the temp range suggested includes what you can find for average/coldest X-City, Iowa winter temps), and waterproof if you can (snow might not melt outside, but it will inside the car/buildings/upon contact with your toasty toe warmer inserts inside you new insulated boots). Wet boots lead to wet socks which leads to cold/frozen/frostbit toes.

Get a tight-weave knitted hat (or fleece-lined one) that will cover your ears (10-15 minutes in extremely cold temps can risk frostbite on the ears, nose, and any other exposed skin, embrace your inner snow-ninja), and a long wide scarf you can wrap around your neck and face that covers your lips and nose (if you don't want a ski mask type of thing) to complete the full snow-ninja look.

Also get insulated gloves (maybe with the touch-screen friendly tips/pads, so you won't have to take them off to run any touch-screen tech like ATMs, phone outside in an emergency, phone while waiting/checking on a bus/uber, etc.).

Hope I haven't terrified you, but better to know up front than to find yourself ill-prepared and finding the store out and you needed this stuff yesterday. Also, recommend the vitamin d lamp (or take extra vitamin d supplements and be consistent about it).

Some/a lot of this will probably be expensive, so you might want to try and get some stuff on sale (Black Friday, Back to School/Dorm, etc.). If your a difficult size or picky on color, I'd suggest Black Friday over end-of-winter/New Years sales for winter gear so you have a better selection. Unfortunately, most stuff suited for Iowa will prob be sold in Iowa over AZ, so try online ordering/returning or see if an outdoor store (REI, Cabella's, etc.) carries it and try it on there to know what size you'd need (then shop around to compare prices/deals). Account for bulky sweaters or any layers when looking for a coat so you have room to move around comfortably.