Dealing with the heat

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Spikedriver said:
This year, Mother Nature didn't give us the chance to acclimate. It went from the 60s directly to 90°. I think that's why my hands swelled up so bad a few days ago.
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Very similar here. We had a few days (nights, I guess) that were below freezing, and the next day it was in the 80's. It has stayed in the 80's for a while, which I find very pleasant, but I don't mind the heat. I am still a desert rat at heart.
 
It took 2 years of sailing the Med and Caribbean to acclimate me to the heat. Early in my first winter back home I had adapted to -40º. Some bodies just prefer one or the other.
 
Caribou said:
It took 2 years of sailing the Med and Caribbean to acclimate me to the heat. Early in my first winter back home I had adapted to -40º. Some bodies just prefer one or the other.
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I spent 5 if my formative years in Duluth MN and prefer the cold.

When working outside in high heat I don't eun the car AC on the way there to adjust. Once there I sit in the shade and drink ice water for a bit. Then I take breaks every hour to drink water.

Ben
 
Plainflatlander said:
I have a neckflap on my hats, keeping my neck cooler. Water and I drink it at air temp, no ice in it.
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I prefer my water a bit warmer too. Not air temp, but cool. Not ice cold. I don't usually have time to sip water at work. I need to chug as much as I can and get back to work, and I can't do that if it gives me a brain freeze...
 
I find myself drinking more water at room temperature than cold. When I am working outside, I am usually sitting, and the water may start cold, but doesn't last long. If I have a preference it would be on the warmer side. I prefer it not be ice cold.
 
I remember reading about ice water and dieting to try and lose weight. IN THE WINTER MONTHS if you drink ice water your body will have to burn calories to warm your body after having the ice cold drink. I know, it is minimal but if you are trying to burn calories every bit helps. Having worked 18 years in the extremely hot desert heat in the Las Vegas Valley I would take the coldest ice water possible whenever available but if the only thing available was hot water I would drink that as fast as possible. I remember having a ride along, a Police Officer from Kansas City who was just curious about cop life in the Vegas Area, and at the start of shift we hit 7-Eleven for a big gulp. I got Mt Dew and he got a Pepsi. A couple hours later after a lengthy call where the car was off and baking in the sun we got back to the car and I took a drink of my hot Mt Dew and he took a drink of his hot Pepsi. He spit it out as fast as he tried to drink it. I guess I forgot to mention that hot Pepsi tastes nasty but hot Mt Dew is tolerable. That was funny. The things you learn living in the desert. I eventually switched to just water and now I never drink any pop. But I have learned that unless the ice is ground fine kind of like a Slurpee the ice cubes can't get it cool enough to cause brain freeze. Or I am just so hot from the high temps the ice cube water can't cool my brain enough to cause the brain freeze, or I don't have a big enough brain to actually notice the brain freeze. :ghostly:
 
We were over 100 degrees yesterday, and it is past time for rehydration for the heat. I came here to look at the recipes for rehydration beverages. We are having a heat wave, and some of you will be experiencing it as well.

Talking with a man about the heat, who was in Romania for training recently, with the army reserves. He said MRE's have an electrolyte packet in them, but he doesn't care for them.

Previously posted in this thread was this recipe, and this is what I'm making for today.
Sports Drink (makes 2 quarts)
1 packet unsweetened Kool-Aid, any flavor
8 tablespoons sugar (1/2 cup) (or 10 packets sweetener)
3/8 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon salt substitute (potassium chloride)
2 quarts water
Said to be close to Gatorade, but not as sweet. You can adjust the sweetness to taste.

I was re-watching videos from the past few years, looking for a particular one, when I saw videos of dog bowls at dog parks that I had filled with ice from my ice maker on my fridge, and the dogs were thoroughly enjoying. I needed the reminder. I'll be filling my Nalgene bottle with ice to take to the park with me.
 
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If one had a portable cooling unit for liquid, one could wrap the hose around their throat
and cool the blood as it goes through the arteries.
 
Years ago I worked as an iron worker out in the field. The hottest temp that I remember was 115 degs. There was never any talk about the heat. We were expected to work in the heat or the cold, just suck it up and do our job. I would take a frozen 1 gallon plastic jug of water to work with me. Of course I sweat out more than that in a day. Typically on a field job we'd work 7 days a week with a minimum of 12 hour days with no breaks. The overtime during those years helped me get to where I am today. I loved the OT pay for working over 10 hours in a day and for Sundays and holidays. I think too much time is spent pampering and coddling employees now days. I grew up working on ranches putting up hay in the heat all summer too. Now that I'm retired I can go to the lake instead of working in the heat.
 
Po' Boy's A/C: wet clothes and let 'em dry on ya, the evaporative cooling really helps, especially if there's a breeze. I also wet my face and neck while watering, that helps cool me down, and I grab shade whenever I can, better to stand in the cool shade instead of the hot sun. In Arizona, a wet shirt would dry in 10 or 15 minutes... same goes for the high desert in New Mexico, water or sweat dries fast. Drinking plenty of water also helps... I like chugging a cold blend of iced tea & lemonade whenever I come inside after a watering session in the yard, that blend really quenches my thirst, but I always follow it with a water chaser, lol. That action falls under 'dental care'---no need to leave sugar on my teeth or gums. :cool:

Edit: While I'm watering in the yard, I often point the hose nozzle up in such a way that the spray drifts right back down on me, and it feels wonderful, lol. As a lifelong small craft sailor, I'll use the breeze to bring that cool spray down on me, it's a good feeling! Once it gets too hot, I soak my shirt, but I try to water early or late enough in the day to avoid the real heat. ;)
 
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Weedygarden said:
Preparing rehydration packets

I have been thinking that since I have all of this, I should mix up packets of the powders, package the dry servings in small zip top bags, put the packages in another container, along with directions to keep in BOBs. It is easier to get it together now and to prepackage it, than to have to measure each one out in a tough situation.

I found No-Salt in the discount bin at the grocery store and bought all of them.



koolaid for flavor


^ This would be a good thing to make for groups to share.
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I made up the one that is considered a Sports Drink and keep some in the fridge now. It is not bad, but I prefer to consume things that are simpler ingredients.

A man I know at a dog park is in the Army Reserves. He was telling me about being in Romania earlier this summer for a couple weeks training exercise. It was hot and they had water to drink, but got a packet of something in their MRE's to add to their water. He said he didn't care for it, so he didn't use it, but realized that water wasn't quite enough for staying hydrated in the heat. I told him about the sports drink recipe and printed out a copy of it for him. The recipe makes two quarts, but when they are together, doing their training, they use 5 gallon dispensers. He said he is going to try this recipe and may make up packets of it to add to the 5 gallon dispensers when he is participating in AR. I have no idea if it will be allowed in AR, but not a bad idea.
I printed the recipe out on a sheet of 4 copies of the recipe per page. I want to get it laminated and keep it with my preps, and in my kitchen camping kit.

We have this recipe out there, but here it is again:
Sports Drink (makes 2 quarts)
1 packet unsweetened Kool-Aid, any flavor
½ cup sugar (or 10 packets sweetener)
3/8 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon salt substitute (potassium chloride)
2 quarts water
Said to be close to Gatorade, but not as sweet. You can adjust the sweetness to taste.

In order to potentially make a 5 gallon batch, I multiplied the recipe times 10. Does anyone want to check my math, please? I've double checked it, but mistakes happen!

Sports Drink (makes 5 gallons)
10 packets unsweetened Kool-Aid, any flavor
5 cups sugar (or 50 packets sweetener)
3 and 3/4 teaspoons salt
1 and1/4 teaspoons salt substitute (potassium chloride)
20 quarts water (5 gallons)
Said to be close to Gatorade, but not as sweet. You can adjust the sweetness to taste.
 
Wingnut said:
Po' Boy's A/C: wet clothes and let 'em dry on ya, the evaporative cooling really helps, especially if there's a breeze.
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Works for you in a dry climate, and we used that technique regularly when I lived in Arizona. Do that here, and you will be clammy wet, and never dry off. When you go from the heat into air conditioning it is very uncomfortable. I always have a spare shirt to change into.

If I know I will be outside for a prolonged period I will have Gatorade or some sports drink to replace electrolytes, and a lot of water. I usually have something wet and cool to put around my neck.
 
This has probably been mentioned before in this thread, and I danged sure ain't going back to check, lol, so here's my advice: park in the shade wherever you can find it, even if it means walking (or pushing a loaded shopping cart) that much farther. The difference in the interior temp of your car will be significant... also, if you have no choice but to park in the sun, open all vehicle doors and let the hot air escape as you load your groceries. Even cracked doors will allow heat to escape. When I get back to my Camry after being stuck in Walmart for an hour or more (no shade trees in the lot), the interior of the car is like the temperature of the sun, lol... sometimes the friggin' steering wheel is so hot it burns my hands! Like a branding iron! Maybe I should buy one of those folding cardboard sunscreens for my windshield, the dash of the car would probably thank me. At least I have good cover at home with the dual metal carport, that saves wear and tear on the dash, upholstery, tires, etc. :cool:
 
Hey, in AZ & NM, it only takes 6 or 7 years for the fierce desert sun to DESTROY a vehicle's dashboard! This was straight from my friend, a really good mechanic who lived in AZ for half his life! He said the sun would just tear up the dash vinyl (or whatever covering), didn't matter if the vehicle was new or old! I'm thinking I should bag one of those screens, ya know? The Camry dash ain't all cracked yet, but a screen might save it or help prolong its life, lol... BTW, I ain't joking about the high desert sun being fierce, you could literally fry an egg on the hood or cabin top if you wanted, especially in this goldurned heat we gots now! Probably burn the egg black before ya even scrape it off the rig!!! :oops:

P.S. At least I've had good covered parking at home the whole time I've been in AZ & NM... makes a big difference! 🥵
 
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Bacpacker said:
I dont need to wet my clothes around here. Give me 30 and you could wring em out
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I do it here on the few days it reaches 90 and I have to do something like pick beans in the heat. They go from cold and wet, to warm and wet, and I just stick them back under the faucet to make them cold again, our water is spring and really cold but when it is really hot here generally there is not much humidity
 
Wingnut said:
This has probably been mentioned before in this thread, and I danged sure ain't going back to check, lol, so here's my advice: park in the shade wherever you can find it, even if it means walking (or pushing a loaded shopping cart) that much farther. The difference in the interior temp of your car will be significant... also, if you have no choice but to park in the sun, open all vehicle doors and let the hot air escape as you load your groceries. Even cracked doors will allow heat to escape. When I get back to my Camry after being stuck in Walmart for an hour or more (no shade trees in the lot), the interior of the car is like the temperature of the sun, lol... sometimes the friggin' steering wheel is so hot it burns my hands! Like a branding iron! Maybe I should buy one of those folding cardboard sunscreens for my windshield, the dash of the car would probably thank me. At least I have good cover at home with the dual metal carport, that saves wear and tear on the dash, upholstery, tires, etc. :cool:
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Brings back a lot of memories. Remember the little plastic statues you put on your dashboard? It didn't take more than a day, and they were turned into modern art. Another blast from the past: vinyl seats. Does the term "waffle butt" remind you of sitting on the blazing hot seat. You jumped out of the car like you sat on a rattlesnake. I always had a couple of towels; one for the seat and one for the steering wheel. Without them the car was not driveable. Not nearly as bad here.
 
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