I strap a backpack on my rack in the summer. For convenience I do prefer a box of some kind or panniers.

I should be clear, this is a second generation project since I used the prototype all last winter, daily commute. I took last winter's setup down because a) it was way too hot in the summer for a fairing and b) I wanted to train and the reduced drag was making me lazy. Plus there's a minor issue in handling I need to resolve.

I've seen pictures of some of the setups you Canadians use. Bar mitts, layers on layers, chipping off the ice and so on. To be frank I'm not sure I'd want to ride your winters - I don't even change my tires out here. However I do know there's a difference in bundling up and braving the elements versus just hopping on in my street clothes (without a jacket or sweater for example) and riding to work in relative comfort and that's what I'm working toward.

Generally there isn't an issue about whether a fairing will keep you warmer (kind of obvious on the face of it) or more comfortable in the rain, protective of the clothing etc. In other words, conventional wisdom doesn't take to task with the objectives. The main objections to fairings on diamond frames generally run to: there is usually an aerodynamic penalty due to greater frontal area, a penalty and discomfort to the enclosure which is typically fabric, the excess weight involved with mounting and support, susceptibility to cross winds, and restricted handling and constricted turn radius. Many of which are resolved or else redundant if you started with a recumbent so the final objection is "get a recumbent." But I don't have a 'bent and don't particularly want one - I want it all on my road bike!