Wilderness Adventures: Newsletter: Survival Information and Products

Topic: STAYING WARM

Staying warm and sleeping warm can be a real challenge unless some very basic principles are applied. Surprisingly, most people are totally unaware of the principles of insulation.

A good rule of thumb is thicker is warmer. This is why layers of loose fitting clothing insulate so well. The air trapped between the layers builds a barrier from the colder outside temperatures and retains body heat inside. Avoid cotton thermal under garments when choosing cold weather apparel. Cotton clothing is very effective summer clothing, but should be avoided in winter. Cotton has the ability to absorb moisture and retain it. Cotton clothing is also difficult to dry once wet. Being wet and cold at the same time can be dangerous and deadly.

Never wear tight fitting outer garments. Loose fitting clothing is always warmer. Again due to the air trapping ability of loose layers. Tight fitting clothing also restricts blood flow, which robs body parts of valuable heat and oxygen carrying blood.

Be sure to wear a hat, there are thousands of blood vessels in the head, which run just under the skin and radiate a tremendous amount of heat to the atmosphere. Keeping your head warm will help keep the rest of your body warm, including your feet. When warming your hands, warm the backside, the major blood vessels flow across the backside of your hands. Cover your mouth with a scarf to recycle body heat and moisture.

Drink water, lots of water. Staying hydrated is a major factor in staying warm. Keep your feet and socks dry. Stand on some sort of insulator to prevent feet from loosing heat to ground through conduction. Stay out of the wind, Wind chill is extremely dangerous in low temperatures. The cold wind will strip your body heat quickly and freeze any exposed flesh. Stay active, moving your body causes muscles to generate heat. Eat high calorie foods. When bedding down for night be sure to relieve yourself prior to slipping into your bag. The body is forced to work harder to keep the bladder and fluid warm. Eat something before bedding down. Carbohydrates are a good energy source, protein is harder to digest and requires more fluid than carbohydrates thus creating a bit more heat. If you have a sleeping bag, always fluff it up and allow it to loft before climbing into it.

Old advice was to avoid wearing the clothing you had on during the day. The thought behind this was twofold. One being your body could not warm up the sleeping bag. Not true. The second was if your clothing was damp from perspiration it would be very hard for them to dry, thus destroying the insulating ability of the bag. While this may be true for clothing that has considerable moisture build up. It is not true for dry clothing. Thicker layers equate to more warmth. The exception to this would be layers so thick they compress the insulation in the bag. It is warmer to remove your jacket and lay it across your body while in sleeping bag. If you have insulated boots remove liners and wear them in your bag to keep feet warm. They will dry better also. This trick will prove worthwhile the next morning when putting on boots. If you have ever tried to step into frozen boots you know what I mean.