With a near snow fall upon us and dropping temperatures fast approaching, the community is already shopping for their new snow gear. The winters in North Dakota have always been unpredictable, but one thing we know for sure is that snow is a given.  

For college students, it is important to have the appropriate winter gear because of all the walking one will do around campus, especially freshmen. From boots to fleece flannels, North Dakotans know how to handle winter.  

Kohls, Cabella’s, JCPenney’s, and Scheels are all chain stores with reasonable deals around the winter season on jackets, gloves, hats, etc. Although warmth is a must have, fashion has also become incorporated more and more from oversized sweaters to puffy jackets and bright colors. 

Fashionable and reasonably priced brands to shop include North Face and Patagonia, for their warm and appealing jackets and sweaters, and Carhart, CC, and Love Your Melon, for their trendy winter beanies of all sorts of styles and colors.  

Another necessity for the frigid cold winter in Grand Forks, North Dakota is a winter car emergency kit. This kit is helpful to keep people prepared for any situation that one may come across whether that is sliding on ice into a ditch, experiencing a flat tire, or running out of fuel.  

Minimum supplies that are recommended by the National Safety Council include blankets, snow gear, ice scraper, flashlight, jumper cables, bottled water, non-perishable food items, and a first-aid kit. For more emergent situations, extra fuel, anti-freeze, a tire gauge, spare tire and tools, duct tape, a lighter, scissors, a cellular phone, and spare cash.  

With it already halfway into November already, it is fitting to say that our winter should be fair-to-middling, but being from North Dakota, it is fair to never underestimate what mother nature has in store. It is always better to be prepared by staying up to date on the newest snow gear and making a winter car emergency kit for any scenario.  

Kelsie Hildebrand is a UND General Reporter. She can be reached at [email protected].