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The Keys to Survival in Cold Weather Hiking and Camping

It is much more difficult to survive in a cold weather environment than it is in a warm weather environment like tropical forests when it comes to finding food, water and shelter. They're much like the desert but at the opposite spectrum of temperature.

Even when you have food, water and shelter covered you still need to have adequate warm clothing and most importantly the will to survive. Even trained professionals and seasoned mountain climbers have lost their lives hiking in the cold. The will to live is the main reason why less trained individuals are able to survive similar conditions.

While clothing is important, you also need to know how to maximize the warmth you get from it. You should always keep your head covered as the head loses more heat faster than any other part of the body because there is a lot of blood circulation particularly on the surface of the head. Any part of the body that has little fat is also vulnerable to heat loss so try to keep them covered at all times.

The way that clothing keeps you warm is mostly by trapping air which insulates you from the cold. It is important that you keep your clothes clean because dirty clothes are less effective in trapping air and hence in their insulating properties.

Believe it or not, one of the fastest way to lose heat in cold weather is to overheat. When you overheat your body sweats in order to cool down. The body cools down rapidly when the sweat evaporates.

Try to avoid sweating by opening up your parka a little once you feel a bit hot. You can also remove an inner layer of clothing, throw back the parka hood, change to lighter headgear or remove your gloves. The head and hands are effective in dissipating heat.

Another way of dealing with sweat is by wearing clothes in layers. Use the three layer system where the first layer is the wicking layer which wicks away the sweat away from your body, the second layer provides insulation against the cold by trapping warm air and the third layer is the waterproof shell. You can wear additional insulating layer to keep you warmer. A few layers of this is more effective than one layer of the same thickness.

Always try to keep dry when possible. Brush off snow and frost before entering your tent. If your clothes are wet, it may be difficult to dry them. In sub-zero temperatures, the wind and sun may dry your wet clothing. You can also try placing your wet clothes unfolded near your body so your body heat can dry them. Or you can dry them over an open fire if available.

Wearing your clothing loose is highly recommended because tight fitting clothes restricts blood circulation which makes it prone to cold injuries. This applies to your boots as well.

A down sleeping bag is a valuable piece of gear for survival in cold weather but if it gets wet it loses its insulation properties and it takes a long time to dry down. Synthetics are not as good in keeping you warm at night but when it gets wet it still retains its insulation properties and be dried fairly quickly. Either way, you must have a sleeping bag when venturing into the cold.

Other important gear to survival in the cold are a camp stove (liquid fuel), knife, sunglasses, signaling items, fatty foods, map and compass, tent, waterproof matches and flashlight.

Cold weather environments can be very harsh so make sure that you have the right equipment to increase your chances of survival. Your hiking and camping gear is critical so make sure you test them at home especially if they're new.

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