All Things Survival: Show 28: Cold Weather Survial and Sempers Shopping Trip to Knife Heaven!!!!, page 1

Due to being "on call" for work, I really didn't have the opportunity to expound on some other situational topics for cold weather. I feel that sorta cheated the audience so I will summarize some things I wanted to include.

Keeping your core temperature up is a key element. But there are times, especially this time of year when you can be caught unprepared for the weather. Such as your car breaks down on the way home from visiting friends and the sweatjacket that was fine for riding in the car isn't nearly enough having to walk.

For me, that could be several miles walking back roads in the country just to have a cell signal. Key here is improvised insulation. Depending on your surroundings, you can use lightly cumpled newspapers or my personal favorite catfish fluff. Pound for pound cattail fluff has more insulation than goose down and if you have ever had a down coat, they are very warm. Best part is that you can quickly remove stuffing is you are too warm. Wearing a sweatjacket, use that as the inner liner if you happen to have one of those cheap nylon rain jackets that zip up into their own pocket as the outer shell and stuff between the two layers.

Which brings to mind an experiment I want to try with using cattail fluff as the wicking material in a simple alcohol heater. If it works as I think it should, expect a thread or maybe even a video to be forthcoming.

As we are heading into winter months some forgotten essentials for the car: stocking cap and gloves or mittens, a blanket, a spare jacket (even the above mentioned one is better than nothing), HEET (or other liquid de-icer--this is an alcohol based product and can be very handy for starting a small fire for warmth).

Which brings up another small point. Even if you do not smoke or even know anyone that smokes, can you really justify a good reason why you shouldn't always carry a Bic lighter in your pocket? The minor inconvienience and negligible weight is absolutely invaluable should you ever need to make a fire quickly. I have an uncle that has not smoked in 20 years learn the hard way after having had to spend a late October night in the woods with only a pocket flashlight between him and my aunt who does smoke. It was a long chilly night for the both of them. He carries one all the time now.