Thought I would share some of my fav Winter Survival Tips & Tricks
Winter is one of the harshest seasons of all, but yet it’s on of my favorites! If properly prepared it can be one of the most beautiful, peaceful and enjoyable.
So get out there and enjoy, just be safe & PREPARED
- Eat a large dinner before you go to bed. The human body is essentially a furnace, and digesting calories generates heat, carbs are the best
- Stay warmer longer by elevating your internal body core temps, get out and go for a quick brisk hike before hitting the sack
- Wear a beanie to bed, while science has proven that we don’t loose 80% of our body heat through our head like previously thought, it’s more like 7-10%. It’s it’s still a good idea and an easy way to retain some body heat
- Bring a Pee Bottle to bed, nobody wants to get out of their warm sleeping bag in the middle of the night and lose heat just to pee. Just Make SURE you have this bottle specially marked or identifiable in the dark, i.e something taped to it.
- To keep your water bottles from freezing place them in a wool sock or something insulated, also I like to stash a couple of mine in the foot of my sleeping bag
- Another tip to keep your water bottles from freezing is to turn them upside down, water will freeze at the bottom of the bottle first now
- If you are melting snow for water, put a small amount of water in the pot first to keep from “scorching” the pot before the snow starts to melt
- Absolutely avoid cotton if you can, once it gets wet it’s about useless for retaining heat, infact it will do more harm than good with wicking action
- You can’t have enough extra pairs of dry socks. Wool blend is imparitive in the winter, I will often double my socks for warmth and to prevent blisters
- Don’t forget the gloves, I usually have several pairs because they are so crucial yet easy to lose. We often take them off for moments of needed dexterity, so try a tether so as not to l
- When setting up a camp site, think about wind protection, avoid high ridges
- In snow it’s often hard to use stakes to anchor a tent, try filling bags or sacks with snow or rocks and burrying them in the snow
- Ground insulation is almost more important than what you have on top of you, the more ground pad and insulation you have the warmer you will be
- When setting up a winter campsite pack down any snow as best as you can, and dig down into the snow a couple feet if possible the snow will act as a barrier to wind & help retain heat
- Remember the loft in your sleeping bag is what traps air and insulates, so loft/fluff your bag before bet time
- One of my fav tips is before you go to bed boil water and fill a nalgene bottle with it. Place it in a sock and in the foot of your sleeping bag, it will keep you warm most of the night as the feet won’t require as much blood and heating
- Avoid drinking alcohol,while it may burn going down it does nothing to keep you warm, infact it thins your blood making you colder.
- Snow usually contains between 10-40% water by volume, making melting it for water inefficient. Ice if available is a much better option
- If you must melt snow for water, put some water in the bottom of the pot or container first to prevent scorching the pot and the snow
- If you are intentionally heading out into the wilderness in Winter, then try and bring a insulated thermos of hot soup or drink to keep you warm and your spirits up
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