posted on Sep, 13 2007 @ 09:21 PM
My experience says that the 2 most important things are to keep your feet and head warm.
A good pair of cold weather boots and a watch cap (stocking cap) will keep you reasonably comfortable.
Ask any diver and they will tell you that with the addition of a hood or a beanie you stay a lot warmer for a lot longer...its amazing the difference
it makes. I can tolerate cold in a shortie and beanie that I couldnt in a full wetsuit.
I found that this with polypro bottoms and a fieldjacket liner under my uniform kept me warm enough that I didnt need much else. This was working on
helicopters w/ blades turning in the snow.
I spent 10 days in the mountians of southern germany in a winter survival course(in dec) wearing this and was reasonably comfortable (who am I kidding
it was cold as H...L
) As You well know this all depends on your activity level and weather conditions...In a wet environment this would not cut
it....Add Gortex jacket and pants and you would be golden.
There are a lot of new fabrics out there with wicking properties but dont forget the old tried and true...WOOL. Wool is a wonderful fabric...it is
reasonably fire resistant and even when soaked it maintains something crazy like 70% of its insulating properties. Heavy and bulky but worth keeping
in the closet.
You may think this is crazy but it was a trick I learned while in a special ops unit from some old soldiers was to wear panty hose...amazing how well
they work to keep you warm and prevent blisters from walking. Plus they take up very little room and have plenty other uses in a survival
situations.
they key is to keep dry...I was mentioned earlier that people have suffered hypothermia in fairly warm temps...it happens in the desert so educate
yourself and pay attention to what you body is telling you.
I am sure most of this is common knowledge but sometimes we forget the easy things
Kafer