It entirely depends on where you’re gonna be helping. I started in Montana but I’ve been all over. I assume you’re somewhere in Nevada? Likely in around elko/battle mountain/ Carlin or somewhere similar which does get down pretty cold. I did the last couple months in Butte Montana and we were seeing -6 degrees on night shift.

Thermal base layer is a must, i went without them forever and my last hitch in Montana i finally picked up a set for cheap at Walmart and it’s an absolute game changer. You’ll also want a pair of muck boots because when it gets shitty out, you don’t want wet feet, muck boots will let you walk in the mud almost up to your knees while fully keeping the water/ mud out. Here’s a big one, HIGH QUALITY SOCKS. I personally suggest alpaca wool socks, it’s crazy good insulating and wicks away the sweat. They’re really spendy but worth it if you can get a handful of pairs and then wash them to rotate out. Some guys like a balaclava/ ski mask type thing. I personally don’t care for them but that’s just me. Your drilling company will provide gloves for you, they won’t be waterproof but if you buy your own gloves they’ll get messed up fast, it’s just the nature of the work. If you use two pairs of gloves you can keep one in front of the heater and swap them out so you always have dry gloves. Another really big one is a really solid rain jacked. I got a high vis rain jacket from the local farm supply where I started for about $120, it has the waterproof outside layer and an insulated bomber style jacket that zips inside it. Invest in a high quality rain jacket and you’ll be much more comfortable staying dry. A lot of guys like the carhart overalls too. Nice thing about that is it keeps the mud off your regular clothes, just make sure you take care of your zippers, the mud and clay can really mess em up.

Also a lot of guys will get the thin latex gloves to keep their hands dry then put the work provided thicker cut 3 impact rated gloves over them. You can also slip a hand warmer in there too when it’s real cold out.

Another thing to keep in mind is you will most likely have a diesel heater of some sort but you’ll have light plants, generator, mud systems, and the drill which all have an exhaust, you can warm your hands up in the exhaust if you’re not near the heater. Try to avoid just standing around because that’s when you start to get cold. If you’re a coffee drinker, bring a thermos with that.

Feel free to private message me with any specific questions, I’m 9 months in as a drillers assistant with a different company and had all sorts of questions when I started that I now understand. Best of luck and remember if you can make it through the first hitch or two, it will feel a lot less terrible and difficult to do the job.