BASIC PRINCIPLES OF COLD
WEATHER SURVIVAL
It is more difficult for you to satisfy your basic water, food, and
shelter needs in a cold environment than in a warm environment.
Even if you have the basic requirements, you must also have
adequate protective clothing and the will to survive. The will to
survive is as important as the basic needs. There have been
incidents when trained and well-equipped individuals have not
survived cold weather situations because they lacked the will to
live. Conversely, this will has sustained individuals less
well-trained and equipped.
There are many different items of cold weather equipment and
clothing available, e.g. newer, lightweight gear such as
polypropylene underwear, GORE-TEX outerwear and boots, and other
special equipment. Remember, however, the older gear will keep you
warm as long as you apply a few cold weather principles. If the
newer types of clothing are available, use them. If not, then your
clothing should be entirely wool, with the possible exception of a
windbreaker.
You must not only have enough clothing to protect you from the
cold, you must also know how to maximize the
warmth you get from it. For example, always keep your head
covered. You can lose 40 to 45 percent of body heat from an
unprotected head and even more from the unprotected neck, wrist,
and ankles. These areas of the body are good radiators of heat and
have very little insulating fat. The brain is very susceptible to
cold and can stand the least amount of cooling. Because there is
much blood circulation in the head, most of which is on the
surface, you can lose heat quickly if you do not cover your
head.
There are four basic principles to follow to keep warm. An easy way
to remember these basic principles is to use the word COLD--
C - Keep clothing clean.
O - Avoid overheating.
L - Wear clothes loose and in layers.
D - Keep clothing dry.
C
-
Keep clothing clean. This principle is always important for
sanitation and comfort. In winter, it is also important from the
standpoint of warmth. Clothes matted with dirt and grease lose much
of their insulation value. Heat can escape more easily from the
body through the clothing's crushed or filled up air pockets.
O
-
Avoid overheating. When you get too hot, you sweat and your
clothing absorbs the moisture. This affects your warmth in two
ways: dampness decreases the insulation quality of clothing, and as
sweat evaporates, your body cools. Adjust your clothing so that you
do not sweat. Do this by partially opening your parka or jacket, by
removing an inner layer of clothing, by removing heavy outer
mittens, or by throwing back your parka hood or changing to lighter
headgear. The head and hands act as efficient heat dissipaters when
overheated.
L
-
Wear your clothing loose and in layers. Wearing tight clothing and
footgear restricts blood circulation and invites cold injury. It
also decreases the volume of air trapped between the layers,
reducing its insulating value. Several layers of lightweight
clothing are better than one equally thick layer of clothing,
because the layers have dead-air space between them. The dead-air
space provides extra insulation. Also, layers of clothing allow you
to take off or add clothing layers to prevent excessive sweating or
to increase warmth.
D
-
Keep clothing dry. In cold temperatures, your inner layers of
clothing can become wet from sweat and your outer layer, if not
water repellent, can become wet from snow and frost melted by body
heat. Wear water repellent outer clothing, if available. It will
shed most of the water collected from melting snow and frost.
Before entering a heated shelter, brush off the snow and
frost.
Despite the precautions you take, there will be times when you
cannot keep from getting wet. At such times, drying your clothing
may become a major problem. On the march, hang your damp mittens
and socks on your rucksack. Sometimes in freezing temperatures, the
wind and sun will dry this clothing. You can also place damp socks
or mittens, unfolded, near your body so that your body heat can dry
them. In a campsite, hang damp clothing inside the shelter near the
top, using drying lines or improvised racks. You may even be able
to dry each item by holding it before an open fire. Dry leather
items slowly. If no other means are available for drying your
boots, put them between your sleeping bag shell and liner. Your
body heat will help to dry the leather.
A heavy, down-lined sleeping bag is a valuable piece of survival
gear in cold weather. Ensure the down remains dry. If wet, it loses
a lot of its insulation value. If you do not have a sleeping bag,
you can make one out of parachute cloth or similar material and
natural dry material, such as leaves, pine needles, or moss. Place
the dry material between two layers of the material.
Other important survival items are a knife; waterproof matches in a
waterproof container, preferably one with a flint attached; a
durable compass; map; watch; waterproof ground cloth and cover;
flashlight; binoculars; dark glasses; fatty emergency foods; food
gathering gear; and signaling items.
Remember, a cold weather environment can be very harsh. Give a good
deal of thought to selecting the right equipment for survival in
the cold. If unsure of an item you have never used, test it in an
"overnight backyard" environment before venturing further. Once you
have selected items that are essential for your survival, do not
lose them after you enter a cold weather environment.
Based on 'U.S. Army Survival Manual', a public
domain work published by the U.S. Department of Defense.
