Very possible if you are okay with retail money rather than rig money.
Pm me
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im planning on taking a semester off the following september to get myself into the rig in order to pay off my debt. question is, should i take my semester off in september or january? i want to try and minimize down time as time is money since i only have 3 months to make as much money as possible.

don't take a semester off unless you have a job forsure because odds are you wont get one. especailly without farming/construction experience.

start getting your tickets now before applying. it can take weeks to get every single ticket or a single straight week if classes are available. costs $500-1000 to get first aid, h2s, tdg, confined space, whmis, etc.

You don't need all those tickets, it definitely depends on your job. You left out 2 main tickets anyways, CSTS and OSSA. TDG is only needed if you have a class 3 or better license.

No idea about those tickets. haha.

its upwards of $6000 for the haul truck course.. is the work steady year round? im quite interested in this but dont want to spend that much money and only have work for 6 months then get laid off.

Research research research, it's $6000 to potentially make 200k. Much better than 50k to potentially work at Starbucks.
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Not sure if this is re-post

Fort McMoney

still contemplating whether or not I should head up to fort mac, without any intentions of finding a job. The thing is if it's not labour/oil related im 100% sure I can make the same money in Calgary.

Curious. You may have said already, but what are you doing in Calgary for work?

I have a little off-topic question for you guys. What's the situation in Cold Lake? Is there a lot of demand for workers? I know its the smallest oil deposit compared to Fort Mcmurray and Grand Prairie. If oil prices collapse will it be the first to shutdown and turn into a ghost town?

Labour.
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If I REALLY wanted to go to Fort Mac I could probably get a job in a day. Did you start posting wanted ads on Kijiji? Have you dropped by in person to any rigging companies?

Companies get hundreds, if not thousands of resumes if it is a good job. If you want to stand out, show up in person like you own the place and show them you want the job!

But what about the living expenses?

Pretty sure Fort Mac wage > Calgary wage even if it's non labour / oil related. It's one of the reasons they get people working up in Fort Mac.
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I guess this thread has become the official fort mac thread..
I'm heading up there soon and I want to gear before I go to combat the weather conditions. Any recommendations?

jackets, gloves, pants? which brands?

A lot of people recommend Canada goose. Though expensive, I can see why. After doing some research, I think it is worth the investment as my profession is in the mining industry so I could potentially end up anywhere. Opinions?

A Northface murcmurdo down jacket, or the himilayan parka will fine with out the canada goose price tag.
I have a Canada Goose and Nobis jacket, but I also don't do any physical labour, it'll be a pain having to keep ur real fur hood clean especially when you are working on the rigs.

Just remember to layer, good baseline, midlayer and a wind proof shell and you will be fine.
A good pair of insulated steel toe boots, some ear warmers etc
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I wear wool boxers and wool shirt>wool long underwear>jeans and shirt>bulwark coveralls

That setup is good to -15 or so and not bulky
From -15 to -30 I add a bulwark jacket
For -35 and below I have a set of bulwark insulated coveralls but it's all employer supplied.

I find adding jackets easier than adding clothing. I alternate between outside and being in buildings that are 40+ so taking off a jacket is easy. Dont wear cotton next to your skin. Lip balm is good too. I've had Dunlop purofort steeltoe boots for 5 years. Very comfy and warm/waterproof and quick to take on and off. In winter I put tungsten carbide studs in them for ice.
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My base layer usually consists of:

A sporty type of underwear for wicking away ball sweat. Technical Trunk | Mark's.com | Online Shopping for Casual Clothing, Footwear and More
A thin sock I use basically like a sock liner. Again, to help sweat wick away. Helly Hansen Canada - Workwear - Lightweight Boot Sock
A thick sock over top. Helly Hansen Canada - Workwear - Heavyweight Boot Sock OR Wigwam Canada
Long underwear. Helly Hansen Canada - Workwear - Pant
Long sleeve undershirt. Helly Hansen Canada - Workwear - Crewneck

It depends on the temperature to see what I wear overtop of that.
(This is assuming coveralls will be worn as well)
Temperature between Zero and -25 I go with:

Standard work jeans. Carhartt - Product - Series 1889® Relaxed Straight Double Front Work Dungaree
Fire Resistant Tee Shirt. Carhartt - Product - Men's Flame-Resistant Long-Sleeve Henley
Fire Resistant Toque. Helly Hansen Canada - Workwear - FR Tuque

Below -25 I go with:

Insulated Fire Resistant pants. Helly Hansen Canada - Workwear - FR Pant
Insulated Fire Resistant sweater. Helly Hansen Canada - Workwear - FR Sweater
Fire Resistant neck warmer. Helly Hansen Canada - Workwear - FR Neck Gaiter
(I still wear the toque)


I always wear leather gloves or insulated rubber gloves. Doesn't usually matter what kind but I will always wear a glove liner as well. This liner: Helly Hansen Canada - Workwear - Glove Liner works surprisingly well and keeps your fingers agile and workable.


For work boots I always have 3 pairs at work ready to swap out if needed:

My primary pair I wear are Redwings. Product Detail . If you buy Redwings make sure you get the ones made in the USA. They are starting to make some of their models in China from the few that I have seen they are not as reliable. Amazing warranty on these boots and whenever you pop into a Redwings store you can get a pair of laces for free. They give that shit out like lollipops. These boots are waterproof and warm by the way. AMAZINGLY comfortable, you may need to break them in a little, which isn't a bad thing. They will form to your feet.

I keep two pairs of rubber boots at work for when I need go dunk myself a little ways or I have gotten my feet wet and need to change out. When I wear rubber boots I ALWAYS wear Bama Socks. Boot Insulator | Mark's.com | Online Shopping for Casual Clothing, Footwear and More (These aren't the exact ones I buy, but I couldn't find them online) They keep your feet DRY inside a rubber boot and help for warmth and comfort.
These are the only two types of rubber boots worth buying.
Dunlop Purofort Thermo. Purofort Thermo+ full safety | Dunlop Boots
Baffin Icebear. ICE BEAR SAFETY TOE & PLATE

I prefer the grip you get out of the Dunlop better and I find they are more comfortable on the legs as the Baffin as a little bit of a ring around the top of the boot that rubs on my shins (I don't have hair where that ring rubs now) Both are good boots and are decent at -40. The rubber on them starts to get stiff around -30 to -35 and they become a little awkward to move in but still manageable. They have really good grip in the snow and ice. I will not wear the Wigwam brand sock that I linked while wearing these boots as my feet get too warm. I wear the small Helly Hansen sock with the warmer Helly Hansen sock along with the Bama Sock. Feet stay dry and warm. I usually switch out the Bama Sock at lunch or halfway through the shift to make sure my feet stay dry. Dry/warm feet, warm hands, and warm ears are very important in my books. As soon as one of those get cold it becomes harder to do anything. Seems you can warm the rest up with movement and working.

On a side note. I have been using this setup for over 10 years now (minus the Baffin boots) and my body is well adjusted to cold temperatures so you may need to wear some of the insulated stuff a little early.

Lots of good responses here. Thank you guys for your inputs.

I happen to be able to get a Canada goose Chilliwack for relatively cheap from a buddy.
But now I'm deciding if I should get something like Banff/Citadel instead (more coverage)

btw I'm not doing any physical labour up there.

EDIT: Decided on Chilliwack. Buddy was very generous and offered me a price I could not resist lol

Shorts, T-shirt, hard hat. Dont be a pussy. Its just a little wind chill.

No wonder they call you the Iceman