WINTER SURVIVAL TIPS

Tips for facing the Winter head on!

When the “outside comes inside,” when extreme winter conditions reach you at home or on the road, in your house or your car, there are a few things we can do to face that Winter Assault head on.

Like any emergency situation, our preparation for those impromptu occurrences can begin long before we finds ourselves with our backs against the wall.

Before we get to the gear, we need to focus on a few facts.

1. When you Panic, you Perish….as the saying goes. You need to know that YOU WILL SURVIVE IF YOU KEEP YOURSELF CALM AND FOCUSED ON SURVIVAL.

2. Dress for the Weather – we do so to keep the heat in, NOT TO KEEP THE COLD OUT! Thanks to the food and water you consume, your body will generate sufficient heat.  That said, warm bodies do there best at donating that heat. We need to interrupt that cycle. We need to trap that heat to survive.

3. There are some tools you can use to accomplish the above two points. Know your abilities and your gear and you dramatically improve your chances of survival.

In Your Home

Let’s say a ice storm knocks out your power, your lights are gone, your heat is gone, your home begins to freeze right along with you. In this situation you need to dress as if you were trapped outdoors. Clean, dry hats, boots and gloves are a must. I also keep a Thermo-Lite Bivvy on hand for every person in the house. They reflect your body heat back to you. Keep away from exterior walls, find a smaller room to occupy, keep your feet off the floor whenever possible except when moving around to generate body heat. Don’t overdo it though. If we sweat and get wet, our body will only cool faster.

You can also prepare yourself ahead of time with a backup generator as an emergency power supply. I have the PowerSource 1800, a solar powered generator offering up to 1800 watts of household power minus the gas and fumes typically associated with generators.

In Your Vehicle

I start with always making sure I have a pair of GORE-TEX gloves and boots/shoes. They are guaranteed to keep you hands and feet dry. Wet surfaces conduct heat 23 times faster than dry ones. Keeping your hands and feet dry are imperative. If  your changing a tire or putting on your tire chains and standing in snow or slush while doing so, you will instantly feel the difference. I like having a WindStopper hat with me to prevent convective heat loss from my ears and head. A first aid kit with a waterproof, windproof Thermo-Lite Bivvy enclosed is a must. A head lamp serves two purposes. No conductive heat loss through your hands by grabbing a cold flash light and having your hands free, even if just to keep them in your pockets is a huge plus in a winter emergency situation.