Survival in Extreme Temperatures (Cold)

Chris Pierce said:
Well it turns out that I've been reading the Celsius side of my thermometer. AND reading it wrong. So it's actually been in the teens when I thought it was in the high 20's. I guess I don't feel so bad. Tonight is particularly cold. It warmed up and the snow melted down some today. But now it's about 13 degrees Fahrenheit. Which is about 10 below on the Celsius side of things. At least there's no real wind to speak of.
Wearing my fingerless gloves I felt like my fingers were going to break off like icicles after 10 minutes outside. I actually put on long johns just to go have a smoke.
I think I might actually start looking at insulated boots, which I haven't worn in years.
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We're lucky for this mild winter :)
 
Chris Pierce said:
Wearing my fingerless gloves I felt like my fingers were going to break off like icicles after 10 minutes outside. I actually put on long johns just to go have a smoke.
I think I might actually start looking at insulated boots, which I haven't worn in years.
Click to expand...

Heh. Yeh... Exposed fingers can "go" pretty quickly as you head towards single digits (f)! As others have eluded to, I find that I "acclimate" to colder temps but it takes a bit.

Light long johns work for me both indoors and out for city life. I don't overheat and it buys a lot of comfort outside.

Getting back to your question of how it's done when camping... I don't generally just sit around outside in the cold when camping. I'll stop along the trail for breaks, obviously. But then the body is still hot or overheating from work and it takes a bit to cool down. Big huge "I won't die in teh woods tonight" parka goes on over everything as I start to cool down. Often called "Belay Parkas" for this reason. But such breaks last 15 minutes, 30 minutes max.

Once in camp, I seek the shelter of the tarp/tent where it's noticeably warmer. And after camp is settled (work-> warmth) and dinner is cooked and cleaned up, I usually retire to the deep warmth of a proper winter sleeping bag.

Need to catch up on sleep? Does the idea of going to bed at 8pm and sleeping till 7am sound like a nice idea? Winter camping is the ticket.
 
It's funny. I always end up going to bed shortly after dark when I'm camping, and I'll usually wake up at dawn. It's nice not to have a real schedule, and you know, electric lights.
 
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