Avoid freezing to death

K

KMB

Joined
Feb 14, 1999
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15
I live in the northeastern USA, where it has been in the 20's for the last week or so. If I were in a survival situation, with a tarp or plastic liner sufficient to make a shelter, what other steps could I take to avoid freezing to death in the night? Is it possible to bring the fire inside the shelter (or what type of shelter would be best to construct). Assume I have only the regular winter clothes on my back and no blankets, sleeping bag, etc. You can assume that I would have anything contained in the survival kit covered in Doc Ron's tape.

Thanks,

Kevin
 
Hi Kevin:

I'm sure that you'll get lots of replies to this question!
Just to start things off - it's not as difficult or totally life threatening as you might think - if you start with a plan.
The key to the problem is reflecting heat from a fire into a shelter, and from the back of the shelter onto you. As you well know if you just build a fire your front will be warm while your buns freeze off.
For sure you want to think in terms of some insulation too.
So:
1. Choose a site for a shelter that is out of the wind as much as possible. Any wind should be parallel to the way you will be lying in the shelter. The materials for construction and fire should be close. I'm assuming that there isn't any fallen tree in the right position to act as a ready made fire reflector.
2. Choose a site for a fire that is about one big step in front and start the fire to provide warmth and possibly light if you need it. You are going to need a big fire and it takes a while to build up. Collect lots of firewood - far more than you think you will need.
3. A saw or hatchet comes in handy to drop some green poles. You will need at least three pieces about 5' long, sharpened at one end to pound into the ground on the far side of the fire from your shelter position - leaning away from shelter position ( you may need to thaw the ground before they will go in solidly). Once this is done you will be laying long poles (longer than you are tall) horizontally to make a leaning wall - parallel to the long axis of shelter. This will be the reflector that will reflect heat into your shelter. The key points are that you have built a wall that slopes backward out of green wood that will not burn up in the night. It slopes so that the horizontal poles will not fall down. This wall should be 3 -4' high. If your poles are thin - have them a little further back from fire so they don't burn up.
As the fire gets going - spread it so that it becomes a long fire in front of your reflector or wall.
4. If you have time, start using coals from the fire to dry the ground where your shelter will be. While this is drying out and warming you can be collecting poles to construct the shelter, and evergreen boughs for insulation. Sweep out the fire from your shelter position.
5. construct a lean to facing the fire. About a 30' slope is good. Make a good lattice to support your survival blanket, and string it on. Cover with the evergreen boughs - thicker the better as long as you don't collapse the shelter. Cover the ends of the shelter too, to block any wind.
6. Dry out a bunch of evergreen branches in front of fire and pluck off the fine browse (soft twigs /leaves) to put on floor of shelter to insulate you from the ground. You will need quite a pile since they compress when you lie on them - but by this time you can be working in a nice warm shelter.

For sure you can get a lot more detail from the books. My suggestion would be to get one of the survival blankets with grommets, and go try things. This will form the basis of a shelter that can be modified quickly and easily until you get the angles right. It goes up easily so you can concentrate on practicing with the fire reflector. Because the S blanket reflects so well, you will see where you are going wrong. Better still it reflects a lot of light so you can read in bed! Aluminum foil works well to practise fire reflector stuff too. Practise is important so make it as easy as possible to start doing some - without chopping all the forests down.
If rain and wet snow are a consideration, and you are not using a SB or tarp, your shelter will need more slope to shed water. You could also practise making a fire bed to warm yourself further. This is just a fast start to the information.
Hopefully I'm awake enough before work to have made some sense. Rip at it guys - there's a lot to this, and I've just started with some basics.

Jimbo
 
Great answer Jimbo.

A lot of variables are involved in answering this questin.

1. The climate (is there snow on the ground... is it raining... etc)
2. Amount of daylight left.
3. The environmet (temperate forest? etc.) that provides an unlimited amount of natural resources.

Depending on the answer to these (and many other questions) I would (as always):

1. Stop and recognize the situation I am in.
2. Recognize my "five survival essentials" and prioritize them for the given environment and time of day.
3. Improvise to meet my need using both manmade and natural resources.

Thus, in answer to your question:

if I had time to build a thermolized shelter.... I would (i may even use my tarp as part of its construction)... if not then I would do a down and dirty tarp lean-to.

I would use a fire reflector as Jimbo discussed and also place a log on the back of my shelter... if indicated to add to the value of the reflector. I would spend hours collecting lots and lots of fire wood as I know that I will burn a lot in 20 degree weather if I am not in a thermolize shelter.

I would look for dry duff, leaves, etc to put below and over me to add to my insulation...

I would make sure I had plenty of water so that I stayed hydrated and made appropriate decisions.

I would blow my whistle every 10 minutes and make sure to put out a ground to air signal.

I would do lots more..... and I would not necessarily do it in the order listed above(depends on the environment and time of day, etc.).

If you really want to challenge yourself in this type of scenario.... register for my July class
biggrin.gif
I promise you.... you will learn this and alot more

------------------
Greg Davenport
http://www.ssurvival.com
Are You Ready For The Challenge?
Are You Ready To Learn The Art Of Wilderness Survival?

 
Hi Kevin:

I just read Greg's post. There you have a definite strategy for survival rather than my simple "recipe" for what works here for me. That's what impressed me about his book. There's a lot of difference between a well thought out strategy and following a recipe which may not work if an ingredient is missing. I have things pretty easy being in the middle of a forest!
If you are even concerned about the possiblity of freezing - and lots of people do freeze even here - the course would be well worthwhile. There are lots of little points which you can learn very quickly - or well you can be dumb like me and find out the really hard way over half a lifetime...
If you can't make a course, get the book, and go practise with the survival blanket and tinfoil for fire reflector - it really will teach you a lot about reflecting heat for when you have to things without those advantages.

Jimbo
 
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