I really can't stay, but baby it's cold outside!

jumpmonkey

jumpmonkey

Joined
Oct 16, 2006
Messages
970
Hey all,

I figured it might be interesting, with the onset of colder weather, if we each took the time to list off 3 things that we have found it useful to consider, be aware of, or carry/wear in the great outdoors when it begins to turn to a winter wonderland (AKA Icy, unforgiving, hypothermic deathtrap.)

I'll give it a start.

1) Don't forget about your neck. Using a neck gator has helped me a great deal. I never realized how much of my core heat would come up through my jacket and how much I plain old loose off my neck until a couple years back. I use a Merino neck gaiter from TAD that is just awesome. It has allowed me to travel much more comfortably in the cold and allows a new level of body heat regulation. Honestly I have it with me during all but the summer.

2) Wear clothing that remains as breathable as possible for the conditions you are in. I did a lot of hiking on the Ouchita trail up by Queen Wilhelmina State park during the early spring a couple years back. The temperature was usually right around or a bit below freezing. I wore mostly a thermal base layer with a Patagonia R1 pullover keeping an umbrella and raincoat for when needed. (I also carried warmer stuff in case.)

3) Pack some calories. I hadn't thought about this until watching some tactical version of "Survivor Man" on the TV one day. The guy carried with him a Jello packet for a quick calorie boost. It makes sense to me in hind site. Every time I got off the mountain (I did day hiking due to lack of proper shelter) I would pound down a huge meal at Wendy's (healthy I know.) This was because of, not just the exertion of hiking, but because of the extra calories burned to stay warm. Don't sit out on the trail with your jello molds. Heat some water to the desired temp, stir in the jello packet, and enjoy a hot fruity calorie drink.

God bless,
Adam
 
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Where are you?

Here is a little hint: If you use the chemical hand or foot warmers don hold them in your hand. Place them next to one of your pressure points. For example if you want your hands warm put the hand warmer where you get your brachial pulse or if that is uncomfortable at least put it on your forearm where it can warm the blood.
 
Partisan,

I am in Pottstown, PA. 2 years ago I was in Springdale, AR for a while and then took work in Mena for a while.

God bless,
Adam
 
I hear you, in the last 2 days the temp dropped down to 28 deg! That's pretty chilly at night for the San Joaquin Valley in Northern Cali at about 20ft elevation. Here's some things I carry in my BOB in the winter to keep me warm.

-In my BOB I carry a Condor Microfleece jacket that works GREAT! It's very packable, lightweight, and pretty damn warm. I'd recommend it to anyone.

-To wear on top of that I have a waterproof Condor Softshell jacket. It's workd absolutely great in rain, still keeps you warm, and is a GREAT value for the price!!! It also packs down into a real small size making it perfect for bug out bags.

-I, like MANY other RAT Packers have a shaved head so keeping my head and neck warm in the winter is must. I carry a wool watch cap which is nice and toasty. I also carry 2 shemaghs that I can use for wrapping around my head and or neck. Sometimes the watch cap is just too hot for me so that's when the shemaghs works great.

-I've got a good pair of Carhartt leather work glove in my bag. They aren't insulated but they are pretty warm so they're good enough to keep my biscuit grippers from going numb.

-I keep 2 pairs of wool socks in my BOB in the winter. Keeping your "go fasters" warm is a must.

-I also carry a lot of extra calories in my bag in the winter. The amount of calories it takes for your body to keep warm in cold weather quickly increases as the temp drops. In perfect weather conditions your body can go for 3 weeks without food, but in really cold weather that time span really shortens since every calorie is spent keeping your body temp at 98.6.
 
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yeah, it's 50° here today and i'm freezing! all bundled up in a hoodie. :D
 
333rm said:
-In my BOB I carry a Condor Microfleece jacket that works GREAT! It's very packable, lightweight, and pretty damn warm. I'd recommend it to anyone.

-To wear on top of that I have a waterproof Condor Softshell jacket. It's workd absolutely great in rain, still keeps you warm, and is a GREAT value for the price!!! It also packs down into a real small size making it perfect for bug out bags.
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didn't know Condor made jackets too. just googled those and they look like great values for the orice.

i've got a SPEARS jacket clone that i got from Cabellas and a GI version that i got cheap at a gunshow because it had a cigarette burn in the sleeve. i was keeping the one with the hole in the truck, but i gave to to mom to repair and now she says i never did and she can't find it there, and i can't find it here. :rolleyes:

i think i'll be looking for some of these Condors for this winter.
 
Good thread; Cold weather hints and tricks. Could eventually be a sticky with the correct input.

I do think in order for it to be a good thread there should be a distinction between survival or evasion. For example: regular fire vs dakota fire using stripped wood. I think the idea of surviving is often confused with evasion far too often.
 
We had a great winter gear thread last year. Don't know if the mods want us to bump it or not.

Cotton kills. Synthetics next to the skin whenever possible! I've become a fan of the Starter brand Under Armour knockoffs. They work great. Get them sweaty and they dry out very quickly.
 
Winter is here so why not. I will have to do a search to read through last years discussion.

No doubt cotton kills. The trouble with synthetics is that it burns real easy and doesn't keep you warm if it is wet. Up in my neck of the woods wool is a common. It keeps you warm whether it is wet or dry and is pretty durable when walking through the thick stuff.
 
I have to say I've increasingly become a fan of organic materials. Synthetics have an advantage on dry time for sure, but I do like non-melting clothes. I'm still evaluating cotton, but wool is some sweet stuff.

333rm,

How do you find the Shemagh's work for you. I know there's been some jump on them over the past few years because they are tacticool. On researching them I've heard the British military picked them up because they found them useful. What are yours made of? How's the insulation on them?

God bless,
Adam
 
adaman04 said:
We had a great winter gear thread last year. Don't know if the mods want us to bump it or not.

Cotton kills. Synthetics next to the skin whenever possible! I've become a fan of the Starter brand Under Armour knockoffs. They work great. Get them sweaty and they dry out very quickly.
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Bump it adam,if it is good useful info :thumbup:
 
1. I have found rule number one for sleeping out is insulate my body from the ground. I carry a closed-cell ultra-light thermarest. It's a nice seat on a hard rock during the day and my sleeping pad at night.

2. I don't have a problem with my head getting cold so much as my feet. Out of necessity a few years ago, I took off the down jacket I was wearing and wrapped my feet in that and shoved it all into the bottom of my sleeping bag. It worked like a charm. Just that extra layer of down.

My 6 year old tends to get cold out camping in the 30's so for him, I boil up a liter of water right before bed, pour it in his Nalgene and throw it in the bottom of the sleeping bag with him. It will stay warm until morning and really calms him down so he can go right to sleep. Plus, he has purified water to drink all day.

2a.I ALWAYS keep a dry pair of smartwool socks in the bottom of my sleeping bag, so when I roll it out at night, I strip off my boots and sweaty socks and instantly feel better. By keeping them in the bottom of my sleeping bag, I always know where they are and there is no chance they'll get wet.

3. Warm breakfast. I like grits with a chunk of hard cheese thrown in so it melts. Grits are light, you only need boiling water to make them and if need be, you could sip them out of a mug as you hike if you're in a hurry (and make them runny enough).
 
I understand what some of you guys mean, but do we really base our wardrobe around whether or not it is flammable? For times I will be around fire, perhaps, but in the middle of winter going for a walk in the woods? Not me. I’m a fan of wool, but it’s heavy. This is probably my favorite garment I own. Just this and a good pair of USGI polypro long johns and you can stay very warm.

It’s called the Cabela’s Over/Under Windshear Fatigue Sweater. Don’t want to deal spot, but they might be having a very good price on them right now for my fellow winter bums.

s7_941194_830_01


The wind chill was -7 this day. :D I emphasize that cotton kills then post a pic of me wearing jeans. I had fleece on underneath and had taken off my bibs.

2a69imh.jpg
 
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jumpmonkey said:
How do you find the Shemagh's work for you. I know there's been some jump on them over the past few years because they are tacticool. On researching them I've heard the British military picked them up because they found them useful. What are yours made of? How's the insulation on them?
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i keep one in my Camelbak for hiking and one in the range bag.

i don't think i've ever seen any that were not all cotton.

i'd probably use them more if i could find them without the tassels.

they're handy if you want to sit unobserved and watch. helps hide that it's a human sitting there. ion one hike with a GF i walked off the trail and sat down in plain view on a rock about 40' away from the trail. put my pack on the ground and got out the shemagh and out it on. she walked past me two or three times, i'd call out to her she'd come back the other way, etc. finally scared the crap out of her when i stood up. :eek: :D

i was wearing earthtones, but sitting in plain site and not moving or silhouetted.

i wish i could find a tan and OD, or tan and coyote instead of OD and black or tan and black. there are some new all tan ones that i've seen, but those still seem a little light. tan and gray would be nice too.
 
333rm said:
-I, like MANY other RAT Packers have a shaved head so keeping my head and neck warm in the winter is must. I carry a wool watch cap which is nice and toasty. I also carry 2 shemaghs that I can use for wrapping around my head and or neck. Sometimes the watch cap is just too hot for me so that's when the shemaghs works great.
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Hmmmmm... that isn't a bad idea with the shemaghs. Except for the cultural overtones. :( I bet it is more comfortable than the balaclava's that I usually wear hunting.
 
Adaman,

I don't worry overmuch about flamability atm, but the more I think about it I tend to wear an awful lot of synthetics; and as much as I hate to say it fires (camp, cooking, house, car, etc) are part of life. I just don't want to be the guy wearing the molten nylon suit when I could have gotten away with only 1st or 2nd degree burns. Plus, I'm beginning to see that while synths have their place and can do some things very well (dry/transport moisture) that some of the organics have amazing capabilities of their own. I guess it boils down to my own personal learning/thinking process. I do appreciate your point though. Also, shame on you and your jeans in the snow! Shame! Shame! Shame! Just kidding.

I wonder if I can commission a wool Shemagh from someone... that'd be sweet. Until then I may have to try out the cotton variety sometime.

God bless,
Adam
 
fixer said:
didn't know Condor made jackets too. just googled those and they look like great values for the orice.

i've got a SPEARS jacket clone that i got from Cabellas and a GI version that i got cheap at a gunshow because it had a cigarette burn in the sleeve. i was keeping the one with the hole in the truck, but i gave to to mom to repair and now she says i never did and she can't find it there, and i can't find it here. :rolleyes:

i think i'll be looking for some of these Condors for this winter.
Click to expand...

A great place to pick them up is US Cavalry!
 
jumpmonkey said:
333rm,

How do you find the Shemagh's work for you. I know there's been some jump on them over the past few years because they are tacticool. On researching them I've heard the British military picked them up because they found them useful. What are yours made of? How's the insulation on them?

God bless,
Adam
Click to expand...

The shemaghs work great. Mine are Proforce, made of 100% cotton and are 42" x 42". I know in some area's they'll make ya look a little mall ninja-ish but the Proforce ones come in all plain colors now so they look like large bandannas. They have desert sand and foliage in plain. I get mine through US Cavalry and at $9.99 they're a steal. The good thing is you only need one to wrap up your neck, face, and head. They are thin and won't protect you from a blizzard but when it's cold out they do keep you warm. I totally recommend getting a few.
 
I bought some new synthetic unders last year, long sleeve tops and bottoms from Carhartt. They are by far heads and shoulders above any other companies garments that I've tried before (Under Armour, Nike). For what they are they're very durable just like the rest of their clothes and warm as all get out! You pay a premium price for them, but you get an AMERICAN made product that is warm as hell and they'll last you a long time!
 
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