Hardening to cold weather

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randyt said:
I have read that houdini would soak in a tub of ice water in order to harden to cold temps.
Any thoughts or experience?
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Honestly sounds like a bad idea to me. Just cold water sure, even awesome in hot temperatures. But ice water, first it's going to start hurting sooner rather than later. Sticking your arm in a bucket of ice and water and holding it there will show that. And if you persistent past the pain, nothing like a case of self inflicted hypothermia to ruin your day. I suppose theoretically it would work to an extent, personally I get my cold adjustment just by living through winter. And I do my best to stay out of ice water! But thinking about it, if you fall through the ice into a lake or river, no matter how many ice baths you have taken that water will lower you body temperature at a given rate, and at certain point if you don't warm up, you die.
 
I am not an expert, but I had a friend who worked outside. He would say that once you put on your coat in the winter you are married to it. I found that if I minimized my winter clothing to the edge of uncomfortable I could handle to cold better through the winter. But I think at it is a delicate balance between hypothermia and cold weather functionality. When I was rebuilding my engine outside in an unheated tent in the winter, I found that I was better off to heat my tools than trying to heat me... I can handle being a little cold, but grabbing a super-cooled steel wrench was just the worst...
 
I simply dress for the weather. I moved to Alaska from the Bayous of the delta in the middle of winter, and your body does quickly acclimatize. I wouldn't want to try Houdini's method as that sounds like punishment.
 
Houdini aside there is some evidence that suggests cold water baths strengthens the immune system. Not sure about ice baths
 
When I get into a cold water bath it heats up to 74F before I get cooled down, so I have to drain and refill the tub.
 
I just do it the normal way.....give it time. Acclimatization is 100% a real thing, for hot and cold...but for me its always just happened the normal way, by pushing through it. As far as I know, there is now way to speed it up, you just do it.
 
Aerindel said:
I just do it the normal way.....give it time. Acclimatization is 100% a real thing, for hot and cold...but for me its always just happened the normal way, by pushing through it. As far as I know, there is now way to speed it up, you just do it.
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I have to agree with that.

My formative years were spent in Duluth MN where there was maybe 3 weeks of summer. I got used to it and being in cold is my preference.

"
In cold weather you simply put on more layers. In summer there are days when you cant take enough clothes off!

"

When it is hot I start as soon as I exit the door. I dont use air conditioning in the Jeep. When preparing to start the day I start slowly getting used to the heat. Blah blah blah this thread is about cold Ben!

I start with multiple layers sometime 6-7 layers.start working and start shedding layers as I warm up. If I go idle, I start adding layers.

Nuff said

Ben
 
I will never forget my first winter in Fairbanks when it went five weeks at one stretch without ever getting over -20º and one day it warmed up to 0º and it felt so warm I ate lunch outside in just a long sleeved T Shirt and it felt like a nice cool spring day.
 
Acclimatization is a thing. So is Mind Over Matter. If you whine and complain about the weather, then being out in that weather is going to suck. When it's 102 outside, you just suck it up and sweat. When it's -20, you wear what you need to and you suck it up and shiver. Being cold or hot isn't fatal unless you're stupid about it...
 
Spikedriver said:
Acclimatization is a thing. So is Mind Over Matter. If you whine and complain about the weather, then being out in that weather is going to suck. When it's 102 outside, you just suck it up and sweat. When it's -20, you wear what you need to and you suck it up and shiver. Being cold or hot isn't fatal unless you're stupid about it...
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We should probably do another thread on surviving the heat. There are lots of 'tricks' to it.
I know a lot of 'em.
I have seen many times more people have health problems from being overheated instead of being too cold.
 
I once moved from Alabama to Buffalo NY in December. Acclimation is a process, take a little time, within a few weeks I was out and about going about my business, no big deal. But like sup42 said... heat is the more dangerous of the 2, especially for the elderly. Their bodies don't regulate heat as well, same for folks with health issues.
 
Supervisor42 said:
We should probably do another thread on surviving the heat. There are lots of 'tricks' to it.
I know a lot of 'em.
I have seen many times more people have health problems from being overheated instead of being too cold.
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A heat thread is a good idea. The solutions are so simple, but not always easy to do. A thread about heat might be a good reminder for the members here...
 
I haven't spent lots of time in hot , hot n humid, wether but I know cold. And wear frostbite scars. The one thing about cold that hot doesn't have is the amount of pain it can inflict. And it can get bad.
The crazy thing about hypothermia is that in your mind you feel warm n cozy while you're core body temperature continues to drop. I know I remember feeling like I was laying on the living room sofa. While I fell asleep. Glad my beautiful wife was there or that could have been a really long nap.
Having cold hands is easy to simulate just smack your hands really hard with a board. Good luck
 
Reading a article in the latest Backwoodsman magazine about apache stamina. There is a line I found interesting." The apache were noted for many unusual tactics to build endurance including a odd motivation involving cold water swims"
 
I can add that from my perspective. Too cold hurts . A lot n once a body part gets cold like that. Other cold finds that spot n it hurts again. Hot can suck but I think cold scares me more
Of course the best way get acclimated is get out there. And better if you can take one make one
 
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