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Category:Staying Warm
When Buying Clothing and Gear
- Select wool or synthetic materials for all layers; never cotton (except to deliberately keep cool such as in desert environs)
- Focus on breathability and wind resistance;
- Many waterproof breathable layers breathe very poorly and should only be selected for clothing items where waterproofing is absolutely necessary, such as rainwear
While Hiking
- When windy, wear a wind shell to prevent convective heat loss
- Wear a hat, so less heat is diverted to your head/neck area, thus conserving energy for keeping your core warm
- Dress and pace yourself to avoid sweating; this is usually just on the cool side of comfortable
- Remove sweaty clothing which may be chilling body
- Slow down hiking a mile or two before camp, so you have time to dry if you are sweaty; This allows you to stay in your hiking clothing when reaching camp, avoiding losing heat when changing, and carrying less clothing
At Camp
- Remove damp/wet clothing upon arrival to camp
- Put on insulating layers as necessary to keep warm
- Eat a hot meal or drink some hot tea
- Put some hot water in a water bottle and sleep with it between your thighs
- In cold conditions crawl into your sleeping bag early
In Your Sleeping Bag
- Put on dry socks, even if your other base layers are damp; this will help keep feet from becoming chilled
- Wear clothing to bed, particularly base and insulating layers
- Wear a hat, balaclava, or insulated hood to bed
- Eat something high in calories (especially fatty calories); the calories can be converted to body heat via metabolism
- Do stomach crunches, quadriceps contractions, or other isometric exercises in bed
- Wrap body in non-breathable poncho, emergency blanket, etc. to minimize evaporative cooling
When Your Clothes are Wet
- Change into a dry base layer to reduce conductive heat loss when in camp
- Wear a wind proof outer layer to minimize evaporative cooling
- Never carry more clothes than you can wear at once. This means that in extended periods of wet weather, all your clothing will be somewhat damp. However, if your clothing is non water absorbent and you keep moving, its possible to still stay warm.
