COLD Weather Survival: Clothing, Dry, Layers
One of the most difficult survival situations is a cold weather scenario. Every time you venture into the cold, you are pitting yourself against the elements. With a little knowledge of the environment, proper plans, and appropriate equipment, you can overcome the elements. As you remove one or more of these factors, survival becomes increasingly difficult. Remember, winter weather is highly variable. Prepare yourself to adapt to blizzard conditions even during sunny and clear weather.
Cold is a far greater threat to survival than it appears. It decreases your ability to think and weakens your will to do anything except to get warm. Cold is an insidious enemy; as it numbs the mind and body, it subdues the will to survive.
It is more difficult for you to satisfy your basic water, food, and shelter needs in a cold environment than in a warm environment. Even if you have the basic requirements, you must also have adequate protective clothing.
You must not only have enough clothing to protect you from the cold, you must also know how to maximize the warmth you get from it. For example, always keep your head covered. The head, neck, wrist and ankles are areas of the body that are good radiators of heat and have very little insulating fat. The brain is very susceptible to cold and can stand the least amount of cooling. Because there is much blood circulation in the head, most of which is on the surface, you can lose heat quickly if you do not cover your head.
There are four basic principles to follow to keep warm. An easy way to remember these basic principles is to use the word COLD
C Keep clothing clean.
O Avoid overheating.
L Wear clothes loose and in layers.
D Keep clothing dry.
C Keep clothing clean. This principle is always important for sanitation and comfort. In winter, it is also important from the standpoint of warmth. Clothes matted with dirt and grease lose much of their insulation value. Heat can escape more easily from the body through the clothing’s crushed or filled up air pockets.
O Avoid overheating. When you get too hot, you sweat and your clothing absorbs the moisture. This affects your warmth in two ways: dampness decreases the insulation quality of clothing, and as sweat evaporates, your body cools. Adjust your clothing so that you do not sweat. Do this by partially opening your parka or jacket, by removing an inner layer of clothing, by removing heavy outer mittens, or by throwing back your parka hood or changing to lighter headgear. The head and hands act as efficient heat dissipaters when overheated.
L Wear your clothing loose and in layers. Wearing tight clothing and footgear restricts blood circulation and invites cold injury. It also decreases the volume of air trapped between the layers, reducing its insulating value. Several layers of lightweight clothing are better than one equally thick layer of clothing, because the layers have dead-air space between them. The dead-air space provides extra insulation. Also, layers of clothing allow you to take off or add clothing layers to prevent excessive sweating or to increase warmth.
D Keep clothing dry. In cold temperatures, your inner layers of clothing can become wet from sweat and your outer layer, if not water repellent, can become wet from snow and frost melted by body heat. Wear water repellent outer clothing, if available. It will shed most of the water collected from melting snow and frost. Despite the precautions you take, there will be times when you cannot keep from getting wet. At such times, drying your clothing may become a major problem. On the march, hang your damp mittens and socks on your rucksack. Sometimes in freezing temperatures, the wind and sun will dry this clothing. You can also place damp socks or mittens, unfolded, near your body so that your body heat can dry them. In a campsite, hang damp clothing inside the shelter near the top, using drying lines or improvised racks. You may even be able to dry each item by holding it before an open fire. Dry leather items slowly. If no other means are available for drying your boots, put them between your sleeping bag shell and liner. Your body heat will help to dry the leather.
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You want to wear clothing that wicks the moisture away from your body. Poly propylene clothing does that. Get the socks that wick the moisture away from your body too. You can find this clothing at Ski shops or Bicycle shops. Usually in February they have end of the season sales on these items.
Thanks for pointing that out. 100% Cotton is NOT recommended.
Make that five basic principle. You also need food to stay warm. If you take in enough calories, have a reasonable amount of insulation, and a wind break your body can generate enough heat to keep you warm. High calorie food is a must.
Greetings fellow preppers out there,
Since I relocated to a northern climate from Southern California 3 years ago, I have rediscovered the practicality of clothing from Duluth Trading Post for warm durable work clothes at reasonable prices. During the cold weather, a higher % of my wardrobe is of wool fabric. I like the Smartwool brand socks because they do not itch and are comfortable over a long workday. Most of my cotton clothing is saved for spring, summer and warm weather times.
I have a down jacket but most of the time, I find fleece and gore-tex garments keep me warm enough. The absolute coldest activity I’ve done in winter was hunting late season in a tree stand or elevated position. You are keeping still. It is tough to juggle a thermos of coffee and a weapon and there is no coffee table to set things on. You are exposed to the wind and the snow. Under those conditions for a few days, you will gladly pay top dollar for warm clothing.
Lastly, those multiple layers of clothing make it tough to relieve yourself so part of my hunting and fishing gear includes a pee bottle to urinate into. (ladies have a foldable funnel available through backpacking stores so they can also use a pee bottle just like the fellas) Sorry if this was TOO MUCH INFORMATION.
In my opinion one of the most important things I have learned in 30 plus years of working outside is ‘vent early’. Don’t wait until you are getting to hot or are starting to sweat to remove a layer or open your coat. Once this happens you have clothes that are either wet or damp and you now have to keep that water warm so you stay warm, as stated in the ‘avoid overheating’ part. One of the things that I found helps if you know you will be active while outside in the cold is to dress how you think you need to, then stand outside for about five minutes, this will allow any residual heat to leave your cloths. If you are toasty warm then you will not be able to do much work without overheating quickly, but if you are slightly chilled but not cold you will be able to work without overheating as fast. It is still important to monitor your heat level and as soon as you realize you are starting to get a little warm vent before it becomes a problem.