Dumping core heat and hypothermia .

K

Kevin the grey

Joined
Aug 26, 2005
Messages
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I,m an overweight son of a gun . Even when I was in shape working made me overheat . Too cold out to be in just a t-shirt and too warm to work with the jacket on . I would often open my jacket and leave just the neck clasp closed .
Of course this would cause me to lose a lot of the excess heat . I always felt comfortable doing this if my neck was warm . As soon as I dumped out enough heat I would zip up and get along with my day .

I have also heard that doing this is a bad thing . That it would give me the chills . To me sweating too much in the cold would be even worse .
 
Hmmm, I've got the same problem. Layering clothing is a solution. I understand there a lot of modern sport fabrics out there that wick off moisture (sweat or rain) but will dry fast and keep you warm. I like cotton in the summer heat. This time of year, with temperatures dropping, I'd go for wool.
 
Layering is always the optimal solution, but frankly the same problem would apply--there's no practical difference between "adding or removing layers" and "opening or closing a jacket."

Do you get chills when you open and close your jacket to work? If not, I'd say that refutes the claim that doing so could give you a chill.

Maybe you want a sleeveless jacket--you can keep it open or closed, but it leaves your arms free to work?
 
Watchfull I most often get sweaters that unbutton or unzip just so I can get rid of heat . I do layer up but I find I am just taking off more layers .

It is actually a little better since I am older and don,t work quite as hard . I always try to keep a hat on and my neck area warm . I let my body dictate the rest . It seems to keep a bare minimum comfort temperature within reach .
 
Kevin,

Generally, it sounds like you Are doing it right.
At some point, unzipping is not enough;
you will need to take off a sweater,
otherwise, the arms will collect sweat.

I am also a great fan of unzipping:
I had 2 side zippers on each leg of my mountain
wind pants. Legs are harder to layer than torso.
Complete side-zip on-off pants are another option,
though they are hard to find, and may be too water-
repellent, causing sweat.

When anyone, stops working,
his body temparature will go down.
If he Also has sweat soaked clothes,
his temparature will plummet, even more.

You can refine your technique, to avoid
collecting sweat.

If you are slowly walking in flat terrain,
and you are comfortable, good.
Now, Before you climb a hill, take off an
insulative layer. This should only take
about 45 seconds.

As you climb, you will go from cold to
confortable, so now unzip a little bit.
Maintain equilibrium this way.

If you are about to stop for lunch,
and are comfortable, put on a
layer, before you sit down and get cold.

If other people in your group, have stopped,
and you are getting cold, you can walk
in place or in a circle, rather than put
on clothes.

Another expedient: if you are cold, and need
another layer temporarily, put it on OVER your
wind breaker. It will come off quickly also.

To speed the process of shedding insulative
layers, you can feed the garment though
the top of the pack-stap-closure, and move on.
If you put the garment INTO the pack, add
another 30-60 seconds.

The key is: react quickly, and better yet,
Anticipate.

Rig your pack, so that you can do everyting
with gloves on. Use speed closures, or larger
cords for easy handling.
Avoid knot-tying, if you can.

If you make your methods convenient,
you will more likely shed or add clothes,
when needed.
 
Good advice . Anticipate . My B:O:B: speed openers are snaps for the pockets . I don,t think I,ll get much better than that The main bag could use some work and I,ll think about that . Your layer removal and storage system makes a lot of sense and I will consider that as well .
 
Kevin, is the T-shirt cotton? If so, you might try a wool or polyester base layer. I share the problem of trying to get a balance that is just enough to prevent too much sweating but not so little insulation that its uncomfortable.
 
Don,t diss my cotton . L:O:L

Its usually construction grade cotton shirts . I like wool but a wool shirt ?
Polyester is an option .
 
Kevin the grey said:
Don,t diss my cotton . L:O:L

Its usually construction grade cotton shirts . I like wool but a wool shirt ?
Polyester is an option .
Click to expand...

Kevin, there's an old winter saying, "Cotton kills!" referring to the fact that once wet, it loses any insulating quality it might have had and it takes forever to dry. Stick with something like Polypro that wicks the moisture away from your body, and, you can add a wool shirt over it. Or a nice Polar fleece, which you might like better.

Doc
 
Doc? Isn,t polypro usually in ski wear ? I guess it must be used in hiking gear as well ?

Thanks I didn,t realise that about cotton . I,m a big fan of wool . I also have a couple of very thick cotton shirts set up like sweaters . I actually like the feel of them . Ah well I,ll keep them for in town light duty .
 
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