What do you do when the temperature drops below zero?

I know the basics

Build a fire and wear layers, but when the wind is howling and the temperature is well below zero (Fahrenheit) what do you do? I don't think wearing layers and building a fire will do.

If you're stranded outside trying to survive? An emergency blanket would be nice haha. Build whatever sort of shelter you can find, and build a fire. It would depend on how low below 0 you're talking about; you'd want to avoid working and sweating excessively to reserve energy and the loss of body heat.

reply to post by muse7


If you are prepared, you have an aluminum "shock" blanket that will keep 97% of your heat inside.

If you are not prepared, you have to have shelter from the wind. You can dig a hole, find a rock, build a wooden one or whatever. Hillsides are helpful and require a little less digging. Being inside the earth also provides a little warmth of its own. Snow also makes a great insulator. Inside of an ice or snow shelter, you will be able to maintain at least a 32 degree temperature which is much better than below zero!

Homeless people have a great knack for surviving this stuff. Wad up newspapers and stuff your clothes with them. Wad them loosely, not tightly, to provide more "dead air" space as insulation. Wool is much preferred to cotton because it doesn't hold the moisture close to the skin. If possible a good layer of vaseline really protects the skin from wind burn and frostbite. Potash from a burned out fire can be used to insulate as well if absolutely necessary.

The smaller your enclosure or shelter, the easier it is to keep warm.

If you have company, skin on skin will help you conserve both of your energy and double your layers of protection. Spoon. Your buddy won't mind if he is freezing too.

If my memory serves me right, some recommend building a snow shelter, i.e. digging a hole in the snow big enough for you to stay in, though this would break the no sweating rule. Thermal clothing and some water resistant clothing would be pretty good as well. Also, try not to get snow under your clothes, it's a real PITA. And the frostbites...

And get some good boots.

0*F = -17.7*C

That's pretty cold!

reply to post by getreadyalready


Nicely done! Is this Bear Grylls haha? I'm Canadian and should know these things haha, but I'm guessing by your username you're quite prepared. Star for you!

The cold is an extra stress for the heart
i found some tips for you on subzero
conditions.

TextDon’t go out unless you have to. If you have to go out in fifteen degrees below zero weather, make sure that you bundle up well. If you have to go out in sub zero temperatures, be sure to wear a down coat or a wool coat. Wear a hat, scarf, gloves and earmuffs. Wear your scarf around your face. Always. Winter boots are a must. Make sure that they will keep your feet and legs warm and make sure that they have rubber soles. Rubber soles will help to prevent you from slipping on the ice.

TextTake your showers and shampoo at night. It will make you have more time for yourself to bundle up, and showering at night helps you sleep better. At night, half an hour before you go to bed, put your sleep wear and sheets and towels in the dryer. You’ll be amazed on how warm and comfy cozy you will feel, with heated sleep wear and warm sheets and towels.

good luck, and stay warm my friend.

If you're alone, find shelter facing away from the wind. Even the hollow of a tree, or behind a few rocks - something to keep the wind off you.

Wear as many layers as possible (but allow your skin to breath). Insulate yourself with paper, leaves (dry) even dried ferns.

If you are sleeping in a shelter, hug your water bottle when you sleep, because you don't want to lower your body temperature by drinking frozen water. Keep it body temperature.

Do NOT eat snow or ice. Melt it first. Otherwise you risk hurting yourself internally.

Stay calm. Very important. Stress and anxiety can use a lot of unnecessary energy, as can rapid breathing.

If you are wet... Try and dry your clothes with fire. It's essential that you stay dry.

Don't forget if you're in a group, share body heat, share blankets, hug animals (dogs, cattle etc)...

Originally posted by muse7
I know the basics

Build a fire and wear layers, but when the wind is howling and the temperature is well below zero (Fahrenheit) what do you do? I don't think wearing layers and building a fire will do.

Don't know where you'd be at that temperature, but my hopes are by the time it gets that cold..
You already have shelter built and knew that winter was coming.

The biggest thing in survival besides fire and water is shelter.

Best thing to do? (in a nutshell)
Learn how to build shelter from any material available or your local environment.
Tarps, trees, caves, felled logs, branches and leaves, etc...if you're in the woods.

Get books and read up now and practice when you camp out or whenever you have free time.
There are many different types of shelter that anyone can build, but you have to inform yourself.

Don't get caught in the cold!

It really depends on the terrain. If you are in a "regular" north american forest, build a small shelter from pine boughs. Pick a site: A good site is close (but not too close) to water, wood, and other resources, but is also far enough away from dangers such as animals, winds, or falling objects. Pick a pair of trees that are approximately your body length apart. If you can't find any that fit this description, pick a pair that are no closer together than 4 feet or no further apart than a foot or so longer than your body. There should be enough room behind your trees to lay down with your head at the front of the shelter and your feet at the back. Find out what you will need. Figure out how much and what materials you will need. The minimum that you will need is a long thick and sturdy piece of wood that will stick out about six inches on the sides of the trees you chose. You will also need at least 5 to 7 back beams. The back beams should be thinner than the "main beam" but still sturdy and long. You will also need a lot of pine boughs, unless you have a tarp. Gather materials. This is where you go out and find the materials you will need in the woods. Be careful not to stray too far from the site and get lost. Also remember that in a survival situation, anything is fair game; DO NOT be afraid to cut down trees if you have to. However, if you are just doing this for fun, be kind to the environment and don't cut down trees unnecessarily. Instead, build your Lean to using "deadfall" timber, but check to make sure it is still strong and not rotted. Using a clove hitch, a method of attaching a string to a piece of wood, and square lashings, method of attaching two logs together, attach the crossbeam between two trees as shown in the pictures that will follow. The crossbeam should always be attached at the waist level of the highest person in in a group. While attaching the crossbeam, use your hip to support it in place while you tie it to the trees. Although the lashings are only made of string or roots, they are still very strong. To test the lashings, sit on the crossbeam. Be careful, though, because if the lashings are not strong enough, they will fail and the crossbeam will fall. Attach the back beams as shown in the picture. Make sure that when you lay the back beams on top of the crossbeam that you have enough room on the inside of the shelter so that you can comfortably lay down inside the shelter and not touch any of the back beams. Find some long, flexible, thin branches and weave them through the back beams all the way down to the bottom of the shelter. Space the branches about a foot apart. At this point, if you have a tarp, use it to cover the back of the shelter. Tie it to the two trees and secure it on the crossbeam. Pull it taut from the back of the shelter, covering the entire shelter. Peg or weigh it down so it remains taut. If you do not have a tarp, this is where the pine mentioned previously is used. Weave the pine boughs through the back of the shelter. Make sure that the needles are pointing downwards when you weave the pine so that they will act in a manner similar to the shingles of a roof, causing water to roll down the back of your shelter and not into it. You will have to layer the pine on very thick, about a foot thick. A good way to see if you have enough is to look up through the bottom of the shelter. If you see any sunlight coming through then water can and will get into your shelter. If this is the case put on more pine. Sleeping on the ground will cause you to lose body heat drastically through the night. To prevent this, first clear out any leaves or twigs inside the shelter. All that should be left on the ground is dirt. To make the shelter more comfortable and, more importantly, to prevent the loss of further body heat, you must now put something between you and the dirt to insulate you from the ground. A thin layer of leaves and twigs is not sufficient. Get some more pine or moss and cover the entire bottom of your shelter with it. A heavy layer of dry leaves or pine needles will also work to insulate you from the ground. You now have a place to sleep out the night.

Originally posted by getreadyalready
reply to post by muse7

 

If you are prepared, you have an aluminum "shock" blanket that will keep 97% of your heat inside.

If that's true then why don't people insulate their houses with aluminum shock blankets?

reply to post by havok


I'm just posting this question because right now it feels like -11 in Texas..it really got me thinking about what I would do if something happens and the power supply gets cut off and with most of the population here not used to this kind of weather a lot of us would be in real deep trouble.

reply to post by EssenSieMich


Some do. I will be doing my shed this summer. Some roof decking brands have an aluminum backing (or some variation of it).

Aluminum "conducts" heat very well, so if it is touching anything other than air it is a terrible insulator. As long as it is touching you on one side and only air on the other side, there is nothing to conduct the heat too, and it will not radiate heat, so it is almost a perfect insulator. So, in a home, if it is used on the underside of roof decking, it will not radiate heat from a hot roof to an attic, and it will cut the cooling bills significantly.

A site with some variations of the blankets for sale.

reply to post by LipanConjuring86


i have a couple of the emergency blankets incase its gets really bad, but i mostly would make a shelter and get warm from there

reply to post by muse7


Stay dry. Stay out of the wind. Seek as much cover as you can, such as a digging a foxhole in the snow or a snow cave; snow insulates against subzero temperatures. Pile up brush, then climb under it if that's the only option. Being wet or in the wind kills people fast at those temps.

Originally posted by muse7
I know the basics

Build a fire and wear layers, but when the wind is howling and the temperature is well below zero (Fahrenheit) what do you do? I don't think wearing layers and building a fire will do.

I hear a lot of babies are made in weather like that!

I saw a show on TV one time, where a journalist had traveled into Siberia and found a man and the man's family living in a shelter- in the middle of nowhere, and where the temps got extremely cold. The shelter was like a tent within a tent. And the journalist said that the double shelter helped contain body heat within the inside tent. I remember him commenting on how extremely cold it was outside yet inside it was probably 40 degrees and comfortable. Has anyone else seen this - or know how one would build this type of structure?

reply to post by muse7


"I know the basics."

OK. This goes beyond the basics into the extreme. I don't know the following to be true, but it is interesting.

Supposedly, if trapped in severe weather out in the open praire an old cowboy, if not originally an Indian, trick is to shot a steer/bison, gut it and crawl inside the cavity. I'll not try to dissect that technique (pun intended).

Originally posted by mr-lizard
It's essential that you stay dry.

This is the number one rule in the cold....bar none...

#1 carry energy bars
#2 carry extra socks and glove liners
#3 carry small road flares to start instant fires
#4 carry tomahawk
#5 carry pocket warmers with refills
#6 carry gortex sleeping bag liner
#7 wear face mask
#8 wear goose down coat with hood
#9 wear large insulated boots with 2 pair of socks
#10 wear medium insulated underwear with a pair of sweat pants
#11 wear large gortex mittens with liners
#12 wear goggles and heavy stocking cap.
#13 carry british gortex booty liners as backups only

The danger lies in the fact that your feet and hands will get cold and that you will lose large amounts of heat from the top of your head. the other aspects are that you will overheat and start sweating if you overdress. if you take breaks from moving around and you've been heavily sweating, you will start freezing. with the right lightweight gear that i suggested, you can comfortably move around, and when you need to stop, you can change out wet for dry , which will greatly increase your chances of survival...first #1 rule no matter what "ALWAYS BE PREPARED" you have no excuses...NONE

depending where you are? will determine what you can and cannot have to break the wind and stay relatively warm. then there is time allotted to set up a wind break or any other form of shelter. time is always of the essence, so the sooner you motivate in that direction, the greater your success in survival will be..don't daddle around and don't overstress yourself, because you will sweat heavily.. remove your coat while working so when your done you can get back to a nice comfy dry warmth.

emergency blankets are ok, but a gortex sleeping bag liner will keep you 100% dry and works great for a wind break, no matter where you are. and its light weight.

large insulated pack boots are best, because tight boots you cant wiggle your feet in will quickly freeze and you will lose your will to survive. always wear a cotton and a wool sock in pairs and have extras to change out when your feet get damp..i found that i can take my boots off when resting and changing my socks will let my feet dry off and breath and when i decide to put the boots back on, my feet stay warmer longer. i actually invested in a pair of british gortex booty liners i use when changing out my socks. i never wear them except when i change out the socks , because they are my last defense against frost bite and they must stay dry. you might consider a pair

you need energy so you will need to carry some form of a mainstay energy bar and extra snacks to help you maintain heat. a collapsible stainless steel cup would be very useful as well, for heating things once you have a fire built..like snow or ice for drinking. i found that carrying a pocket full of bullion cubes is handy also to give you a nice hot drink to slup on while you're trying to stay warm especially your hands.

never drink alcohol, it will kill you.

a knife is handy, but a tomahawk will give you quick use in chopping up wood, chopping through ice or dirt and you can drag it like a shovel to dig fire and sleeping pits.

road flares are the fasted most efficient way to start fires in extreme cold weather conditions, care 3 or 4 and if you have a secondary fire source you can cut the flares into shorter pieces to give you more burns for your buck...and again...always practice your skills to ensure mastery. learn all you can learn and put them to practical application so you will survive

I tend to shiver like crazy and try not to piss myself!

My son was a boy scout and one year we earned our polar bear badges by camping out in sub zero temps I know, crazy!). The best advice I got was to fill your nalgene bottle with hot water and keep it in the foot of your sleeping bag. Works great unless your bottle leaks. Then you really will piss yourself.

BTW - Here in Denver, Colorado it's a balmy -9 f tonight.