Wise Winter Ways
One Basic Principle for Winter Camping:
Be warm & comfortable and dry on the outside
o
Use the C-O-L-D method to stay warm
o Avoid/minimize those HTPs (heat transfer points). Cover your heads, hands and feet and the rest of you in warm gear
o
Sleep in dry clothes
o
Tents shelter you from wind and precipitation (from
above), not the cold!
o
Bring an extra tarp to protect against water from the ground
o Avoid situations leading to hypothermia and frostbite
o Stay "wet on the inside", do not get dehydrated
o
C => Clean clothing helps keep insulating dead-air spaces open.
o
O => avoid Overheating, if you overheat, then you sweat, which
makes you "wet on the outside". Use layers to regulate the heat you
produce. Remember your outer layer (winter coat) is your main protection
against cold. As you adjust layers,
this outer layer should always go back on as it is your primary
defense against the cold.
o
L => loose Layers to help you regulate your warmth, vent moisture
and keep blood circulating, to stay " warm & comfortable". See avoid
Overheating above and the
section below on What To Wear.
o
D => keep your clothing Dry. Wet clothes can cause
heat to transfer up to 25 times faster than dry clothes, so stay "dry on
the outside". Wear wool or synthetics (polypropylene) or blends that do
not hold wetness, like cotton does. Change and dry your clothes to stay
"warm & comfortable and dry on the outside".
o
Tents shelter you from the wind, rain, snow, sleet, etc., but not
from the cold. If it is cold outside the tent, it will be cold inside. Use your
clothes and your sleeping gear to keep you warm. Do not expect the tent to keep
you warm. Never use a stove, flame or other fiery device
to heat a small tent!
o
Pitch your tent away from snowy tree branches, away from low spots,
on an eastern/southern exposure, broadside to the wind, with the opening down hill.
At least try to get as many of these as you can. The key thing is to avoid
getting the tent wet from melting snow or ice.
o
Besides your ground cloth under the tent, put another water-proof
tarp inside the tent, just in case. The last thing you want is wet gear in the
wintertime.
o
Keep the vents in the front and back of the tent open slightly at
all times. This vents the moisture that collects while you are sleeping. It
will freeze on the top of the tent and drip down during the day if it cannot
escape.
o
Use a properly rated sleeping bag. The suggestions in the
What to Wear section are just that, suggestions. Use a bag/ bag combination
(like two bags together or a fleece/other liner) rated for the temperatures you
will be in. To get an idea of what you need, check the weather forecast and
subtract 5 degrees from the predicted nighttime lows; your sleeping bag
arrangement should have at least that rating.
o
Change into clean, dry clothes before going to bed. You may be cold
for a few moments doing that, but you will be warmer and more comfortable
quicker in your sleeping bag after doing that. Set your day clothes out to dry.
o
Wear your wool hat to bed to keep your head warm.
o
Use an insulating pad under your bag that is large enough to provide
the coverage you need.
o
You can place dry clothes for tomorrow in the bag with
you so they will be warm in the morning when you change again.
o
Air out, and allow your sleeping bag to dry out, daily.
·
Hypothermia, Dehydration, Frostbite
o
As with any serious condition, you should try to get expert
emergency medical help and evacuate the affected person in addition to
administering first aid.
o Hypothermia is when you are not producing enough heat inside your body to combat the heat loss due to the cold outside. If you dress properly and follow the principles/common sense, you should avoid this situation. A summary of information on hypothermia follows. A more complete set of information can be found here: http://www.macscouter.com/KeepWarm/hypsikil.html or http://www.princeton.edu/~oa/safety/hypocold.shtml
STAGES OF HYPOTHERMIA:
98 - 95 degrees - Sensation of chilliness, skin numbness; minor impairment
in muscular performance, especially in use of hands; shivering begins.
95 - 93 degrees - More obvious muscle non-coordination and weakness; slow
stumbling pace; mild confusion and apathy. Skin pale and cold to touch.
93 - 90 degrees - Gross muscular non-coordination with frequent stumbling
and falling and inability to use hands; mental sluggishness with slow thought
and speech; retrograde amnesia.
90 - 86 degrees - Cessation of shivering; severe muscular non-coordination
with stiffness and inability to walk or stand; incoherence, confusion,
irrationality.
86 - 82 degrees - Severe muscular rigidity; patient barely arousable;
dilatation of pupils; non-apparent heartbeat and pulse. Skin ice cold.
82- 78 degrees and below - Unconsciousness; death due to cessation of
heart action.
Symptoms:
· Loss of ability to reason
· Shivering
· Slowing, drowsiness, fatigue
· Stumbling
· Thickness of speech
· Amnesia
· Irrationality, poor judgment
· Hallucinations
· Cyanosis
· Dilation of pupils of eyes
· Decreased heart and
respiration rate
· Stupor
Treatment:
Shelter the victim from wind and weather. Insulate the victim from the ground.
Change wet clothing. Put on windproof, waterproof gear. Increase exercise, if
possible. Put the victim in a pre warmed sleeping bag. Give hot drinks,
followed by candy or other high-sugar foods. Apply external heat; hot stones,
hot canteens. Huddle for body heat from others. Place victim in a tub of 105
degree water. Never above 110 degrees.
o
Dehydration is when you lose too much water from inside your body. Winter
air is dry and sucks water from you when you sweat and when you breathe.
Dehydration can contribute to hypothermia. Drink plenty of liquids, even if you
do not feel thirsty. When you feel thirsty, you are already at least a quart
low! Drink at least 2 quarts a day in addition to what you drink with your
meals. Do not eat snow for moisture. Most headaches are caused by dehydration.
Dehydration can also cause flu-like symptoms such as nausea. Warm drinks help
maintain body temperature rather than deplete it as cold drinks do.
Prevention:
· Drink at least 2 quarts of
water a day
· Avoid dehydrating foods
(high protein) and fluids (coffee, caffeine).
· Increase fluid intake at
first signs of darker urine
Symptoms:
1 to 5% deficiency
· Increased pulse rate
· Nausea and loss of appetite
· Dark urine or constipation
· Irritability, fatigue
· Thirst
6 to 10% deficiency
· Headache, dizziness
· Labored breathing
· Tingling
· Absence of salivation
· Inability to walk
· Cyanosis (bluish or grayish
skin color)
11 to 20% deficiency
· Swollen tongue, inability to
swallow
· Dim vision, deafness
· Shriveled, numb skin
· Painful urination
· Delirium, unconsciousness
Treatment:
Mild cases- drink liquids, keep warm. More severe cases require medical
treatment.
o Frostnip/Frostbite is when your skin tissue begins to freeze. It is easily avoidable by wearing the proper clothing, like gloves/mittens, socks and head/face protection when you are in the cold. See the following link for more details: http://www.princeton.edu/~oa/safety/hypocold.shtml
Frostnip
· Freezing of top layers
of skin tissue
· It is generally
reversible
· White, waxy skin, top
layer feels hard, rubbery but deeper tissue is still soft
· Numbness
· Most typically seen on
cheeks, earlobes, fingers, and toes
Treatment: Rewarm the area gently, generally by
blowing warm air on it or placing the area against a warm body part (partner's
stomach or armpit). Do not rub the area - this can damage the effected
tissue by having ice crystals tear the cell.
Frostbite
· Skin is white and
"wooden" feel all the way through
· Superficial frostbite
includes all layers of skin
· Numbness, possible
anesthesia
· Deep frostbite can
include freezing of muscle and/or bone, it is very difficult to rewarm the
appendage without some damage occurring
Treatment:
Superficial frostbite may be rewarmed as frostnip if only a small area is
involved. If deep frostbite, get help.
The following are suggestions adapted from the material found via the links below. Remember the basic principle is to be warm and dry on the outside. Choose your clothes wisely; layers are important, so are materials. Give preference to wool, polypropylene synthetics, blends. For those of you going on the Klondike, take special note of items marked: (no!! exceptions) as they are specifically required.
Head:
____ Wool or poly type stocking cap (no!! exceptions)
____ Ski Mask or Balaclava
Upper Body:
____ 2 or more polypro or wool long underwear shirts
____ Wool or Fleece type shirts (use layers)
____ Wind jacket
____ Winter coat (lofting/insulating coat if you have one) Remember, this layer stays on outside!
Hands:
____ Gloves (wool or fleece type if you have them) (no!!
exceptions)
____ Mittens (if you have them)
____ Glove Liners (if you have them)
Lower Body:
____ Underwear
____ Long Underwear- Polypro or synthetic or wool
____ Heavier lined or other pants (if you have them, try to avoid cotton, like jeans, unless they are lined)
____ Wind Pants- Nylon type (Gore-Tex can double as rain pants)
____ Over Pants (something like ski pants, if you have them)
Feet:
____ Liner Socks - Thin- Wicking type. 2 or More Pr. (if you have them)
____ Wool or wool/poly pro Socks (no!! exceptions)
____ Boots (water-proof them if they are not water-proof) (no!!
exceptions)
____ Comfortable footwear for the tent/sleeping (such as down booties if you have them, NOT sneakers)
Raingear:
____ Rain Jacket / Pants - Breathable type
____ Poncho
____ Synthetic/Down Sleeping Bag - Rated to 30* degrees or lower (use a liner if necessary) (no!! exceptions)
* use a bag to match the temperatures you will be in at night. See details
under tenting.
____ Foam Pad or Thermarest type pad (no!! exceptions)
____ Pillow (optional)
____ Sleeping Clothes-Sweat suit or a set of polys
In
other words: Be Prepared!