Personally when I go out into the freezing snow with a snowjacket, gloves, and winter boots IRL, I'm not a shivering helpless mess of zombie-bait within minutes, or even a few hours if I have a warm hat on. It's really annoying ingame to be constantly spammed with YOUR PINKY FEELS CHILLY or YOUR TOES ARE SOLID ICE BECAUSE YOU STEPPED ON A SNOW IN HEAVY BOOTS
Just throwing the BS flag on this one, since you *would* be a helpless mess
without pants on.
And while I do agree somewhat with the sentiment, there's nothing in the lore (AFAIK anyway) that says our character isn't a new arrival to the area, meaning there's no reason to assume they're acclimated.
I'm no Russian, and although I live and was born in South Florida, I have also lived many other places, including Syracuse NY, and Ft. Lost-in-the-woods in Mo during the '09-'10 winter (lowest annual avg temp for both years for the area due to the lows and how long they stayed low). The temperature system may not be quite so real-to-life as it could be, but it's pretty damn close compared to almost any other game out there.
Additionally, I think a lot of people complaining haven't experienced exposure, (average US citizen has never gone more than a day without power, much less some form of shelter) and don't understand how hard it can hit.
Personally, I feel the temperature system is just fine, though I'm not expecting to maintain low encumbrance and still avoid he effects of the cold. If my Bad Day Archer can survive over an hour with nothing more than a blanket, after at least 10 minutes with only a wet towel, and still not have frostbite, then the system definitely isn't too harsh. (eventually ran out of corners to hide behind
)