E
EagleRiverDee
Well-known member
On staying warm in a survival situation:
One- always carry a candle. I keep one in my small emergency kit. It's one of those 12 hour jobbers that's about 1" dia by 4" long. You can use your shovel for a base for it, drip some wax on the shovel and then put the candle on the hot wax to hold it down, place the base in between your feet and then cover yourself with your space blanket (leave an airhole) and it will stay WARM under the blanket with that candle. One candle can also keep a snow cave quite warm. A candle is also handy to light other things on fire, as it will stay burning and not burn your fingertips as you are trying to start your fire.
Two- I agree with always having some sort of firestarting material. Vaseline soaked cotton balls, fatwood, etc. I carry an automotive flare in my pack. If all else fails, I've never seen a flare fail. It stinks, though, so I try other methods first to start a fire. I have had to use a flare before, though. I was glad I had it.
Three- if you do have emergency gear in packs, make sure everyone knows how to use it. Christopher's idea of having identical packs is great, but if he's handing them out to whoever is riding with him, they need to know how to use the gear. It never ceases to amaze me how people carry emergency gear but actually have no idea (even theoretical!) how to use it.
Four- if offered by the local university or other organization, consider taking a winter survival course. I took one through University of Alaska and it was fun, informative and contained invaluable information. Part of the course involved weekend outings where shelter could be anything but a tent. We slept in snow caves, ranger trenches, tarp shelters and even built deadfall shelters (but didn't actually sleep in those). One thing I found fascinating is that a snow shelter in winter is ALWAYS warmer than a tarp shelter or a tent, as well as quieter and more wind proof. We also learned various ways of staying warm and would brainstorm ways to use equipment we had in non-standard ways (sort of like Survivorman except that show wasn't on yet).
One- always carry a candle. I keep one in my small emergency kit. It's one of those 12 hour jobbers that's about 1" dia by 4" long. You can use your shovel for a base for it, drip some wax on the shovel and then put the candle on the hot wax to hold it down, place the base in between your feet and then cover yourself with your space blanket (leave an airhole) and it will stay WARM under the blanket with that candle. One candle can also keep a snow cave quite warm. A candle is also handy to light other things on fire, as it will stay burning and not burn your fingertips as you are trying to start your fire.
Two- I agree with always having some sort of firestarting material. Vaseline soaked cotton balls, fatwood, etc. I carry an automotive flare in my pack. If all else fails, I've never seen a flare fail. It stinks, though, so I try other methods first to start a fire. I have had to use a flare before, though. I was glad I had it.
Three- if you do have emergency gear in packs, make sure everyone knows how to use it. Christopher's idea of having identical packs is great, but if he's handing them out to whoever is riding with him, they need to know how to use the gear. It never ceases to amaze me how people carry emergency gear but actually have no idea (even theoretical!) how to use it.
Four- if offered by the local university or other organization, consider taking a winter survival course. I took one through University of Alaska and it was fun, informative and contained invaluable information. Part of the course involved weekend outings where shelter could be anything but a tent. We slept in snow caves, ranger trenches, tarp shelters and even built deadfall shelters (but didn't actually sleep in those). One thing I found fascinating is that a snow shelter in winter is ALWAYS warmer than a tarp shelter or a tent, as well as quieter and more wind proof. We also learned various ways of staying warm and would brainstorm ways to use equipment we had in non-standard ways (sort of like Survivorman except that show wasn't on yet).
