Comments on: 5 Tips for Surviving Outdoors in the Cold

By: MaRiane Kooistra

MaRiane Kooistra — Sun, 17 Dec 2017 23:31:47 +0000

One basic comment. Make sure your vehicle can handle the snow depth. I live at 7K ft we get a lot of snow. When you are stuck you are stuck. Most back roads are not plowed and if you are far out in the back country it can take a long time to get out. It took me 3 weeks to dig out of 5 ft of snow on my 800 feet long driveway.

By: PetfishEric

PetfishEric — Sat, 16 Dec 2017 03:00:59 +0000

Great topic for this time of year. I have never let the temperature stop me from getting out. I will note that the coldest I have ever been was out side of Pensacola Florida in November with the temperature just under 32F and sleeping on the ground. Because it was considered "Jungle" training we were not allowed cold weather gear.

Having lived in various places in the US I have had the opportunity to camp in many different climates and I have always enjoyed the winter, especially in Maine and New Hampshire. The article wasn't bad and made some key points about keeping yourself alive. I would add several things.

1. Know the forecast. when you are out in the back county if the weather changes you can find yourself stranded for days from a wet heavy snowfall in the early winter or late spring.

2. Pace yourself, especially if you find yourself outside of your rig trying to get it unstuck because you failed to follow the 1st bit of advice. If you overheat you will be more susceptible to hypothermia.

3. Increase your calorie consumption, you will use about twice the calories in cold weather if you are out in the elements.

4. Alcohol = Bad, well not good alcohol will contribute to dehydration and make you more susceptible to hypothermia. Especially when you're passed out in the snow.

5. Double check your vehicles cooling system, I have seen plenty of overheated vehicles in the winter. If your cooling system won't transfer the engines heat away from the engine it doesn't matter what the temp is outside.

Cold weather shouldn't stop you from getting out but be smart about it.

By: Julian Cook

Julian Cook — Thu, 14 Dec 2017 22:38:34 +0000

In reply to ArmyofMike. Go to the nearest Lowes or home depot and purchase a role of "Reflectics" it is 48in tall by about 10ft long and is a silver Mylar insulating foil material similar to a car window heat shade, but much, much better, cut the material to fit your windows and you will see a dramatic difference in heat and cold protection. It can also be used around the perimeter of a tent or under the sleeping bag to reflect heat.

By: kickkem

kickkem — Wed, 15 Nov 2017 01:16:04 +0000

Absolutely the finest set of cold weather camping/exploring set of instructions you will find anywhere on the planet. Plan on a winter expedition? Print this, memories it, and use it as a checklist anyway. The section about water proof spray is so correct and essential. Do it, and you will never notice it, fail to check this off and suffer the consequences. We are not talking about comfort, we are talking about continued existence. Until they prop us old folks on the ice flow, this is our goal.

By: WillRunner

WillRunner — Mon, 30 Oct 2017 16:15:25 +0000

Great article with great info! I just got back from a weekend camping trip in North Georgia, the weather brought heavy rains and 40 degree temps on Saturday, and the temp dropped to freezing with sleet on Sunday. I was prepared for the cold in some areas but lacked in others… I want to be better prepared for snow and colder temps this winter.

By: ArmyofMike

ArmyofMike — Thu, 26 Oct 2017 17:09:23 +0000

[QUOTE="Zol, post: 164169, member: 16792"]This is awesome I'm living out of my 4runner right now and I've got all those bases covered except for window fog overnight. Anyone know how to prevent that?[/QUOTE]

Here's a good video by [USER=465]@vagabondexpedition[/USER] about bedding and window nets to keep condensation down and bugs (not a big worry in the winter, but overall.) Even in the winter cold, leaving a window cracked will help with condensation, but not totally eliminate it. Once in 9 degree weather, sleeping in my Jeep, the condensation was so bad, it actually made stalactites on my roof/hardtop! HAHAHAHA!

[MEDIA=youtube]3geRcWFc3wU[/MEDIA]

By: Zol

Zol — Thu, 26 Oct 2017 15:06:50 +0000

This is awesome I’m living out of my 4runner right now and I’ve got all those bases covered except for window fog overnight. Anyone know how to prevent that?

By: squishware

squishware — Sun, 22 Oct 2017 14:43:29 +0000

Drink a shot of olive oil before bed, if sleeping near the limits of your sleeping bag. Fat burns hotter than grains/sugars.

By: Lintnercorey

Lintnercorey — Sat, 21 Oct 2017 01:59:35 +0000

Back in my scouting days we would go on an annual snow camp out. We always brought a stack of cardboard, the bigger the sheets the better like from refrigerator boxes. We would stack them on the bottom with our gear on top, and after we got our tents set up we’d layer the bottom of the tent with them. It made a nice and free insulating layer for the tent. We’d also bring 4x4’ish pieces of plywood to sit our chairs on to not sink into the snow and keep our feet insulated.

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By: billum v2.0

billum v2.0 — Fri, 20 Oct 2017 21:13:18 +0000

Agree with much previously written. In particular, take a one night trip (backyard works) to determine the reality vs. theory of all your gear. Completely dry change of clothes for sleeping. My winter nemesis is hydration. Don't feel thirsty. When temps fall under 40°, the humidity drops significantly as well, so your lungs have to do double duty both warming and hydrating each breath. Depending on exertion and temps, can require up to an additional 2 qts. of fluids to make up for this loss alone. I'm normally away from any water sources, so in temps under 20° with several inches of snow cover combined and an active day, I've ended up melting 50 qts. of snow per day just to meet my hydration requirements. Cooking snow ends up being a half day affair if someone else is along.