Wear Dry Clothing (preferably made of wool)
If you get wet from rain, snow or sweat, change into clothing that is dry. Wet clothing loses its insulation value and extracts body heat 240 times faster than dry clothing. Wool clothing and blankets are preferred. Cotton clothing, particularly denim, retains water. Wool clothing is
insulating, water resistant, and keeps your body warm even if it is wet.
Wear Hats and Mittens/Gloves
Covering your head is vital as you can lose up to 80% of your body heat through your head. A knitted wool stocking hat is good. Mittens will keep your hands warmer than gloves due to the body heat generated from your fingers touching each other. But if you need to work with your hands you may
find gloves to be more useful.
Wear Insulated Boots/Shoes
Feet can be kept warm by wearing wool socks and wearing two pairs if your shoes are large enough. A towel could also be wrapped over shoes and duct-taped on.
Layer Your Clothing
Several thin layers of loose-fitting clothing retain body heat and can be removed easily if the
body starts to perspire and/or you are chilling. Wear water & wind resistant outer clothing with a hood. Also, use a scarf or towel to cover your mouth to keep cold air from your lungs.
Combine Sleeping Bags
Two or more people huddled together inside two sleeping bags zipped together will be warmer than each in separate sleeping bags. A smaller bag can also be placed inside a larger-sized one.
Use Your Car Heater
If you are trapped in your car during a snowstorm, run the heater for just 10 minutes every hour. Make sure the exhaust pipe is not blocked by snow and open one window a crack to allow ventilation.
Use Mylar Emergency Blankets
While they don't seem like they would keep you warm, they are great to use in wind or rain. Put a wool
blanket between you and the Mylar blanket, if possible to increase the effectiveness.
Use Traditional Survival Heat Tools
Survival or "100 hour" candles will provide light and a little bit of heat. Hand and foot warmers can be used for some short term comfort. You can buy sterno or "heat in a can" or even make your own coffee can heater.
Use
Heat Packs or Bricks
You can buy heating pads with a tab you click that will heat them up. They will maintain heat for a period of time. After they cool you simply submerge in boiling water and they will go back to their original state. Rocks or bricks can also be heated thoroughly, then carefully wrapped in towels or newspapers. Place these items near your feet in bed to stay warm at night.
Wear
Thermal Undergarments
Adding a layer of clothing that actually helps retain heat can make a big difference in your body temperature. Store thermal undergarments and wear them as necessary if your heat is unavailable or you have to evacuate in the winter.
Insulate Your Clothing
Create a layer of insulation by stuffing eaves, newspaper, straw, etc. between two layers of clothing. Tie
your shoe laces around the cuffs of your pants to hold the material in. If you were trapped in a car during a snowstorm, you could use the stuffing from the seat cushions.
Keep a Plastic Garbage Bag Handy
This can be worn as a rain jacket or windbreaker but can also be helpful to create insulated clothing if you don't have enough layers. Insulate by stuffing with dry leaves or grass once you've created a
jacket out of it.
Fortress Clothing
One of our favorite new "heat storage" solutions is the new line of cold weather clothing from Fortress Clothing. You can get an entire bug out bag of gear to outfit your entire body in clothes that can withstand temperatures up to -30 degrees but can be useful for everyday chilly weather as well. You can save a lot of time and money by having good clothing instead of
finding and burning fuel to keep warm.
