5 Tips to Help You Survive Extreme Weather

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Sentry18

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https://thepreppingguide.com/survive-extreme-weather-conditions/

5 Tips to Help You Survive Extreme Weather
By Guest Contributor
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Humans are simply ill-equipped to survive extreme weather conditions without the great ‘products’ of civilization that have been painstakingly developed over millennia. Namely, this is a suggestion of clothes, equipment and skills to help you survive extreme weather conditions. This is specifically aimed at individuals who have decided to brave the cold in any shape or form. With the right preparation and a few tips under your belt, you can survive extreme weather conditions.

1. Dressing up, drying down
Take a tip out of a handbook of individuals that are running in extreme cold – prioritize staying dry over the layering of your clothes. Hypothetically, you will have to stay physically active while exposed to cold, at the very least because you need to prep the camp and ensure your survival.

Exertion and sweating are inevitable, and you’re bound to sweat more if you dress up more. On the upside, the movement will contribute to better circulation.

2. A balancing act – water’s thermal capacity
It’s a tough balancing act. The thing is – water has a far more potent thermal capacity than air, so if you sweat profusely, you will get cold faster. Instead, cover yourself with clothes that will let your skin breathe. That being said, make sure that not an inch of your skin – bar eyes and cheeks – are not exposed to the wind.

3. The golden zone of layers
Tuck yourself in and choose elastic clothing material to avoid chafing. A wind-proof jacket on top of your outfit shouldn’t be a slim-fit. Layering is important, but the golden zone is lower than four and upper from one. A jacket or coats with zippers are better than the ones with buttons.

4. Feet and abdomen – priority hot zones
Gloves are important, protecting your hands as well, but here’s the thing – as long as you are acting out of your hypothetical dwelling in a cold environment, the blood will pump through your arms and they’ll mostly take care of themselves (still, gloves are obligatory!).

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You should be more worried about your feet and your abdomen. Your chest, your stomach, and your back should be kept as warm as possible, which is why having three solid layers of clothing on your abdomen is such a widespread practice. Your feet are a weak zone as well. Thick wool socks and water-resistant shoes are the best combinations since kingdom come, so use it!

5. Sip slowly, eat heartily
Now, under such circumstances, it is important to stay hydrated, but for the reasons mentioned at the beginning of this article, you’ll want to do the same thing that experts advice for surviving extreme heat – steady, small sips throughout the day. No gulps. If you could fix up a thermos of hot soup, that would be wonderful. It’s the most befitting combo of drink and food for the cold.

Eat heartily and rely on filling foods that are reputable for warming-up your insides. Think in terms of thick, meat-laden stew and wholegrain bread. If you don’t consume meat, lentil-mushroom stews are your best bet.

Also, don’t be afraid to take a sip of a spirit that agrees with you. Yes, that’s right, a bit of alcohol with a nice meal can keep your tummy warm for longer than you’d think. Certainly, this doesn’t mean that you should get drunk (or even buzzed), but a cup of a spiked hot-chocolate can make you blush in all the best ways, keep your mood up and make the snow-plowing activities easier.

Conclusion
Exposing yourself to the elements can be akin to walking the very edge of a deadly precipice. Of course, you can easily state that extremely cold weather is a deadly obstacle, and you wouldn’t be wrong, but we should also keep in mind that human beings have managed to survive it all thanks to the crucial tool in their arsenal – the brain.

Trial and error lead to a carefully considered set of tips and advice that can be shared among people, and surviving extreme weather conditions suddenly become more feasible than you could have initially imagined.
 
While I am pretty much a teetotaler, I have consumed a hot toddy before. For medicinal purposes only of course. Maybe that should be #7.
 
Or just dress well, have the right gear and go hiking or backpacking. Fall & Winter is my favorite time to be in the woods. So much to see that you'll never see any other time. Don't have to worry about bugs eating you up, normally have the woods to yourself. Other than wind or water, just dead silence. So peaceful.
 
The head, feet wrists and hands, anywhere that blood vessels are close to the skin are imperative to keep warm. With no wind, I'm quite comfortable in a tee shirt, fur hat, and gloves, for short periods, at -40℃.

Keeping dry can't be overstated, don't sweat or open your coat to let the vapour out.

Layers are important and the material is crucial. High tech materials that wick the moisture are excellent especially next to the skin. Cotton holds water and should be avoided. Water transfers heat 25 times faster than air. Stay dry.

I prefer a fur hat with ear flaps that come down and wraps the back of the neck. My wife has a more stylish fox hat while mine is beaver.

Insulated boots with insulated insoles and insulated liners. Pull the liners at night and let them dry out.

A Mustang Suit https://www.westmarine.com/buy/mustang-survival--anti-exposure-work-suit--P07809809?recordNum=7 is ideal if it is raining or if you are crossing water either liquid or solid. It was nice to have when my snow machine went through the ice, a few hours from town. I've had good luck with insulated coveralls, as well as down pants and coat, if it isn't wet. Zipper control is critical to keep your heat balanced between sweating and freezing.
 
Great post Caribou. I've never been near -40, but have been out in -single digits for long weekends. I couldn't agree more about cotton and staying dry. I am one that sweats profusely no matter the temps. Moisture transfer underwear is a must. I like Goretex around here as an outer layer, water proof and breathable. But I'm not sure how it would do at your temps. Depending on my level of exertion and wind conditions, I will go down to the long john top and depend on the exertion to keep me warm. Then put a jacket or fleece on when I stop and dry off a little bit. Changing sock is vital as well.
 
Gortex is a great outer layer. It cuts the wind and keeps the rain off. It also breathes. It would need to be oversized to allow layers underneath in colder times.
 
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