Winter Survival

Staying Warm in Winter

Conservation of Body Heat

By definition winter survival conditions are cold environments. Your main task for surviving in winter is to keep your body temperature regulated to roughly 98.6 degrees F while cold and wet conditions are attempting to rob it of heat.Your body heat is lost to the cold environment in five basic ways: conduction, convection, radiation, respiration, and evaporation. These have been discussed in detail in the Survival Topics articles on Survival Heat Loss and How Body Heat is Lost.

The bottom line when you are surviving in winter is to limit heat loss from your body. If your body loses more heat than it generates or absorbs from fire or heating device, you are likely to succumb to hypothermia or become injured due to frostbite or other cold injury.

Winter Clothing

Your first line of defense against heat loss in wintertime is through proper use of clothing. If you are not already, you should be using the Three Layers of Clothing System.

To properly utilize winter clothing, you need to stay just warm enough to avoid sweating. Sweat is often generated during periods of increased activity or over dress. This can be very dangerous in the winter cold because sweat will wet your body and clothes, which can lead to hypothermia when you lessen your activity level and start to cool down.

The three layer clothing systems allows you to adjust your clothing so that you are always just warm enough but not so warm as to be sweating. Because sweat is so dangerous to the winter survivor a good tip for proper clothing discipline is to keep your body a little on the cool side rather than a little too warm. Remember these important keywords “Stay dry, Stay Alive” – they may just save your life.

Winter Shelter

Body heat is also retained through the proper use of shelter. One way to think of shelter is as another layer of clothing that serves to surround and protect you from the elements while retaining warmth for your body.

In summer conditions shelter is often merely a matter of staying dry. The temperature of the air is such that keeping your body warm is not very difficult. Merely by wearing a few extra clothes and having a light sleeping bag you will be OK.

True cold conditions present the winter survivalist with the difficulty of staying warm enough while the elements attempt to rob you of warmth. This is especially difficult when you are at rest and not generating heat through exercise. If you have become wet with sweat, melting snow, or even water by falling into a stream or lake, your ability to survive is threatened.

Winter survival shelters typically need to be much more insulated than summer counterparts. An adequate shelter for winter use will require more effort and skill to construct. Survival Topics has an article on how to make a winter shelter that can save your life even if you have a minimum of clothing, no sleeping bag, and no fire.

A winter survival shelter allows you to heat the space around your body, so that you can absorb warmth from an outside source. An example of a good survival shelter you can make for winter conditions is shown in the Survival Topic Winter Survival Shelter De-Constructed. A lighted candle or hot rocks from a fire can heat this small shelter and allow you to survive the coldest weather even if you do not have proper clothing.

Fire

The ability to build a fire and maintain it is critical to winter survival. A source of heat will add warmth to your body and dry clothes that are damp with sweat or melted snow. A fire is also well known as a great morale booster. Within its warm circle you can be free of cold’s icy grip so that you can rest or work and cook your food.

Because fire is so important in winter survival conditions, I recommend carrying at least three means of making a fire. For example, carry waterproof matches, a magnesium fire starter or Swedish Firesteel, and a liquid fuel lighter. This will insure you can still kindle a blaze should one or even two methods fail for whatever reason.

High Calorie Survival Food

Food is the fuel your body burns to keep warm. Limited food supplies will limit the amount of heat your body will generate and you will become chilled much more easily.

In winter survival it is important your keep your internal fuel reserves topped off with plenty of high quality, nutritious foods. Rather than a few large meals every day you are better off snacking at intervals. Good survival foods include those high in fats and proteins, with some sugars for quick energy when you need it.

There are a number of high energy meals and snacks on the market today. Traditionally pemmican has been on the list of arctic explorers foodstuffs for centuries and remains one of the best winter survival foods. Old time arctic survival rations are proven beyond a doubt and remain viable to this day.

Water in Winter

Water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink. Many people do not realize that cold winter conditions are also deep drought conditions. Most of the available winter water is locked up in snow and ice, not easily obtainable by wildlife and man alike. You could die from lack of water when surrounded by snow and ice.

Another winter water consideration is that winter air is often as dry as the driest desert and so will serve to rob your body of moisture. This is because cold air does not hold as much moisture as warm air does. This can lead to cracked lips and fingers as your skin dries out.

Very cold conditions will increase your drinking water needs. People who are outdoors in these cold dry air conditions are often unaware they are becoming dehydrated. Because dehydration rapidly decreases your efficiency, this can become very dangerous since you will also become more susceptible to hypothermia and injury.

In order to obtain fresh drinking water in winter you will often have to cut a hole through the ice of a lake or stream. This can be hard work, especially if you do not have the proper tools.

Because it takes a great deal of heat to melt ice and snow you should never try to quench your thirst by eating it. The amount of water you gain in this way will be minimal as it takes a surprising amount of snow to make even a small cup of water. By eating snow you are only wasting precious calories and body heat.

You should use a fire to melt snow and ice for drinking water. You should also try to warm your drinking water before consumption since ice cold water will cool your core body temperature down very quickly if consumed in quantity, and draw a number of calories from your body in order to warm it.

And remember, always treat your water before drinking it. Boiliing water to make it safe to drink remains the most foolproof and effective method, especially in winter when chemicals are less effective and water filters freeze and clog up.

Difficulty of Winter Travel

Traveling in winter brings on its own special set of problems. Perhaps the most obvious in many areas of the world is the ice and deep snow that sets winter apart from the other seasons. Anyone who travels in winter conditions should be prepared for these special winter survival considerations.

If you have ever traveled through deep snow you know how difficult it can be. Often the only way you can travel by foot in deep snow is on snowshoes or skis.

If you are trapped in deep snow you may be able to make snowshoes that work well enough to get you out. Even with these the going can be very slow and draining of energy.

Travel in winter often means moving only several miles per day at best. Because it is so difficult to estimate travel times in winter conditions you may underestimate the amount of time it will take to get from point a to point b. For this reason you need to be prepared to spend the night outdoors whenever you are moving through wilderness country. Failure to properly prepare may mean the end of your life.

Low winter temperatures can also make trails and roads very slippery with ice. Slips and falls can easily lead to broken bones and fractures. Becoming injured can jeopardize your chances of surviving in winter and so extreme caution must be exercised at all times. The use of ice crampons may be necessary for winter wilderness travel on foot and you should always have a pair on hand.

Winter survival conditions may also include blizzards and whiteouts. Whiteouts occur when blowing or falling snow mixes with the snow covered ground to make a scene that is totally white. This obscures all visual cues so that it is easy to become disoriented. Rather than flail about during such inclement weather, risking injury, it is often best to hunker down and wait it out by taking a Survival Nap.

Other Winter Survival Factors

Snow Blindness

Snow and ice can reflect a large amount of ultra violet radiation that normally is absorbed by vegetation and the ground. On sunny days the view can be so bright that it is difficult to see without the use of eye protection that blocks the reflected light.

Exposure of even short duration to this intense UV light can to lead to severe sunburn on any exposed part of the body, but the eyes are most vulnerable. A condition known as "snow blindness" can occur when your eyes become sunburned. When surviving in the winter the last thing you need is to go blind.

A Survival Topic on "How to Make Snow Goggles" has got you covered should you be in bright snow conditions without UV sun glasses. This is an excellent winter survival skill that you should know.

Wind

The effect of wind on your ability to survive in winter cannot be underestimated. Higher winds will lower the wind chill factor and make it feel much colder. Through the process of convection wind can quickly rob your body of warmth. Taken to the extreme, high winds can easily lead to hypothermia and frostbite if you are not prepared with the essential survival gear and knowledge.

Winter Survival Advantages

However difficult winter survival can be, there are some advantages to cold weather. One major item is that cold weather is also dry weather. A 33 degrees F rain is one of the most dangerous weather conditions. Become wet at this temperature and hypothermia will set in rapidly. However survival when it is snowing at 31 degrees F is much easier – the snow is “dry” can be simply brushed off your body. A difference of just a degree or two can make a vast difference in your ability to survive.

Snow and cold temperatures have other advantages:

Snow is an excellent insulator and can be use to construct a warm winter survival shelter.
Often during the winter lakes and streams are sufficiently frozen over to allow you to cross over them.
Snow also allows for the easy tracking of animals or the setting up of snares. When the snow is deep game animals will often keep on trails they have broken out and if you are on snowshoes you can sometimes easily capture them as they flounder in the deep snow.
It is much harder for you to become lost when there is snow on the ground – simply follow your own tracks back out!

Winter survival has its own special considerations for the survivor. By knowing the general principles of cold weather survival and applying your skill and knowledge your ability to survive in the wilderness is greatly enhanced.

If your liked this article on winter survival you may also enjoy reading the Survival Topic 6 Winter Survival Health Hazards.