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Thread: Let's talk cold

  1. #71
    Senior Member Beckyinma's Avatar
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    Next weekend will be the first time we're testing the gear (my son and I) in real potential frost inducing cold. We will absolutely have the foam pads and extra fleece on stand-by incase the DIY stuff doesn't cut it. Always have a "Plan B"! Always....

  2. #72
    Member CanoeJoe's Avatar
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    Lots of great info here. Thanks for the write up.
    “The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.”
    ― Albert Einstein

  3. #73
    Senior Member jofish's Avatar
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    Great thread. Thanks again, Cannibal. Many, many great thoughts all around in this thread. To these many awesome comments I will add a few main thoughts from my own experience (already posted above, but I think worth seeing again):

    -Always do multiple rounds of testing in mild as well as poor, but warmer weather where it is easy to bail out for any reason. Either backyard camping or car camping. Another great thing about these situations (easy to bail out) is that you can also have extra gear readily accessible if you want to test a few different configurations.

    -Keep yourself and your gear dry at all costs. Other than one winter tent camping experience when I was a teenager, the closest I've come to dangerous hypothermia situations have actually come when the the temps were just above freezing, raining, and windy. That can be a really bad combination even if you're well-geared and experienced. When I've backpacked in really cold temperatures there is also the issue of staying dry; dry from your own sweat. I'm a sweaty guy to begin with and when I'm hiking with a 30 pound (or more) pack I will sweat regardless of how cold it is. Even good wicking clothes will get wet if you sweat a lot.

    -Don't forget to consider the clothes you wear to sleep as "gear". There is a HUGE difference between jumping in a hammock in your underwear versus wearing long underwear, wool socks, and a warm winter hat. On the flip side, I've found that wearing too much clothing can actually be a detriment by causing you to sweat too much (see point 2, moisture = bad). I keep a set of dry clothes specifically for sleeping in. After a long day, not much beats a clean pair of warm socks.

    -Food! In colder weather I always bring a high-energy snack to eat shortly before jumping in the hammock. I like to go with something like a protein bar or some other food with high protein (cheese, meat, etc).

    -Stay hydrated; you lose more moisture by breathing in the cold winter air and therefore need to drink more water. Dehydration will only exacerbate issues such as hypothermia.

  4. #74
    Senior Member TonyYarusso's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cannibal View Post
    The cold makes you think funny.
    The freakiest part for me is when you start to feel sleepily tired. Both my mom and I have experienced that part. Winter camping is a lot of work, whether it's skiing or just making dinner. Sometimes the thought crosses your mind along the lines of "you know, what if I just ... lay down for a bit ... it's so quiet and peaceful out ... maybe catch some sleep ... right here ...". Hopefully you're still with it enough to think that through and remember that could well end up with sleeping forever. It just seems too easy to fall into, you know?

  5. #75
    Senior Member OneClick's Avatar
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    Cannibal, water money, sarge...oldschool thread! Feedback you'll no longer get, so I think it's important to pull up old threads to expand on them instead of starting 20 new ones.

    It's winter time, so have at it! 8 pages of good stuff here for any new-ish members to read up on.

  6. #76
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    Quote Originally Posted by OneClick View Post
    Cannibal, water money, sarge...oldschool thread! Feedback you'll no longer get, so I think it's important to pull up old threads to expand on them instead of starting 20 new ones.

    It's winter time, so have at it! 8 pages of good stuff here for any new-ish members to read up on.
    OneClick, you read my mind! I read through all 8 pages. Yes, all great advice in this thread. Read up, folks, and stay safe out there this winter.

  7. #77

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    Heard Cannibal on the HYOH podcast not long ago. His posts here are from before my time.

    Wayne

  8. #78
    PappyAmos's Avatar
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    Wish he and the others would come back.

  9. #79
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    A few years ago a new comer to camping and hammocks wanted to come visit me. I was living full time in Northern B.C. Visiting was fine. Hanging out on my property in winter NOT okay. The fellow reassured me he knew how to protect himself from Wolverines! I basically freaked out.

    I my home in Canada is a mile up a cutline off the Alaska Highway. People die every year from the cold, absolutely not a place to play around. If you get into trouble you are on your own, no calling for help.

    I think Cannible's message should be a Stickie and reposted every year in the Fall. Even here in mild Western Oregon we have people get in trouble camping when it suddenly turns cold. Almost always it is inexperience that is the root cause. Inappropriate equipment is the second cause for camper error.

  10. #80
    cougarmeat's Avatar
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    As this thread was recently referenced, I’ll make a pre-winter post. The warning sign for me - think of the Uuugah, Uuugah sound you hear in navy movies when the submarine is about to dive - is the thought, either in my head or voiced by adventure companions, “I just need to lie down and take a rest.” That’s when it’s time to stop, drink water, eat food, take a breath - BUT NOT A NAP. It can be so deceiving because you ARE working hard, xc skiing, snowshoeing, pulling a pulk. But there’s a subtle difference between being physically a bit naturally tired (and you probably shouldn’t push yourself that hard), and that little voice in your head that says you just need to take a nap.

    These days, always if overnight and often on day trips, I bring a thermos of hot coffee/chocolate. It is usually not “hot” by the time I drink it, but it is pleasantly warm.

    In a SCUBA class (decades ago - probably illegal now) we were given nitros oxide from a tank and told to count backward from 100. The exercise was to allow us, in the classroom, to experience what the onset of nitrogen narcosis was like. That way, we might recognize it if it starts to occur in the water, and do something about it.

    I’m not going to try to suggest doing something like that with hypothermia - don’t want to get sued - but it could be useful to see how you or one (at a time) of your adventure partners reacts to that condition. People are different. I have one friend, X, who is often sarcastic. Once, on a xc ski slog out of Yellowstone, he was getting real polite - a change. My other friend and I positioned ourselves so X was in between us. Once we reached the car, we turned the heat on, and started to feed X snacks - we always leave food/water in the car because we don’t know what kind of condition we’ll be in when we return. Once X started complaining that the cookies were stale, we knew he was back with us.

    As a team member we know our companions. Everyone is alert to personality changes in each other. At least that’s how it was Old School. These days everyone is looking at their app.
    In order to see what few have seen, you must go where few have gone. And DO what few have done.

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