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Arctic Survival

Arctic Survival

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How to survive in the below zero environments where there is nothing but snow.

Survival Arctic

We live in fairly moderate climate most of the year, but it is known to drop to -40F in the winter. The most dangerous thing to avoid is skin exposure to cold. Especially when the wind chill is in effect. With the humidity fairly low, it is a little safer, but you should never go anywhere without being prepared. That includes, a good coat, hat to cover the ears, gloves and long sleeves and long pants. Also, in your car, there should always be blankets, flares, matches or similar, flashlight...the usual things needed in case your car freezes up or you slide off the road. If you find your self stuck in a blizzard and have to pull off to the side of the road, use your engine sparingly and leave a crack in the window for fresh air. I lived in Colorado during one of those freak storms and the people who didn't survive were actually asphyxiated because they forgot about carbon monoxide from their idoling car.

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I heard somewhere that to escape the cold in the night, you gid a cave in the snow and it is much warmer under the snow. Also u cant start a fire because the wind is too strong...and if there is little wind, its hard to light it because u would need to take a glove off...making ur hard freeze almost instantly
chilly

Survival Arctic

I don't know if I can survive in the cold. I'm not used to it since I live in an equatorial climate country. I think I have a better chance of survival in the forest

Anyway if I want to survive in the cold, I would do what Fun suggested; dig a cave in the snow and stay there until I get rescued.

Survival Arctic

I lived in Elko Nv.for about 10 years,and talk about cold,-48below when we moved there from Cali where it was 75.About 10 days a year it is the coldest place in the country,it can also snow any month of the year.

As for survival in that type of enviroment,well if you get stuck in your car remember to not only crack your window,but make sure you get out and check the tailpipe,as snow can drift and freeze it over which will cause a backup in the system,and into your car,and it wont matter if you left the window open.

If your car stalls then you may need to dig a small cave,however there isnt always snow when its cold,so make sure you have the proper gear for cold weather.

I.E. Thick jacket,thermal underwear,beanie,wool socks,scarf,and be aware that in temps below 0 degrees,the air from breathing can actually freeze your lungs(killing you),so protect your face as well.
Also always keep a shovel with you,and your cell phone.

We used to work in temps below 10,framing,roofing,wiring,siding houses, the key was to keep moving,and do your best to stay out of the wind.because at -2 a 3mph wind will feel like a thousand knives stabbing at you.

Anyway I hope this helps everyone.

Arctic Survival

These are some of the things I learned from sometimes rather painful experiences during my army service in northern Norway. I'll concentrate on clothing and the dangers of frostbites. I hope it proves useful.

One thing you must remember when trekking in cold environments is making sure you don't have to much clothing on. Keep your jacket on and maybe a T-shirt if you have to, and carry all sweaters in a bundle or a backpack. There are several reasons for this. First is that when you walk in cold surroundings, your body automatically produces much more heat than usual, and so you'll get very warm very quickly. If you wear all your sweaters, you'll soak them with sweat and you'll freeze to a block of ice once you stop moving. If you have only a jacket on, you can change into a dry sweater after stopping, thus keeping you warm.
The other reason to limit your clothes under your jacket is that the air inside can be very isolating once it's heated up. The more air between you and your jacket, the warmer you'll stay. But remember to button up your neck and sleeves to release humidity if your jacket is water isolating.

If you have a choice between cotton and wool sweaters, use wool in wet conditions. While cotton is useless when wet, wool can still isolate as long as it doesn't freeze.

Remove all ice and snow from clothes when entering a tent or snowcave. If you're careless you'll end up soaking wet and contract frostbites.


In freezing conditions the most vulnerable parts of your body are your face, fingers and toes.

Never, ever cover mouth and nose with any type of cloth. Your breath will condense, soaking it, and you'll get frostbites in your face. A good way to loose your nose. If you have a mirror with you, continually check your face for white spots. If you see one, warm it with your hands, but do NOT rub them. Friction will make the frostbite worse. Use your hand and just hold it still over the frozen area until you get your natural color back.
Always wear a cap if you have one. Your ears are very vulnerable to frostbites, and should be covered at all times. Remember that your head is responsible for the biggest loss of body heat, so even if you feel like your boiling, keep the cap on. You'll thank yourself later when you've stopped moving.

When moving, your toes should be just fine and warm. However when you sit down, it won't take long before you'll loose feeling in them. When this happens, wriggle your toes as much as you can. Also, loosen your bootlaces. This creates space inside your boots, because as you remember, hot air isolates. Loosening the boots also improves circulation.

Use gloves if available and be careful when handling objects with your bare fingers. Do not under any circumstances touch metal in sub-zero temperatures. (Celsius)
If you experience that your fingers are in danger of freezing, warm them in your crotch. Don't be prudent, your crotch is the warmest place on your body and may just save your fingers.

If you feel your dirty and have access to water, don't be too tempted. Keep the washing to a minimum. You want to keep the natural layer of fat on your skin, which helps isolate the cold.

Drink water. If you have a flask, tie it around your neck and wear it on your chest under your clothes. Then you can refill it with snow when you drink and melt it when you walk using bodyheat. But don't drink it all at once, you'll have a hard time melting the snow if there is no water left in the flask.


Corvus

Arctic Survival

First of all great post Raven. .I disagree with the part about covering your face though,the moisture build up can be hazardous, however, sometimes it is absolutely nessecary to protect as much of the face as possible,this can be done by wrapping your scarf losely around the face but still in front of it, so the wind block is still there,but dont forget to check it constanly. I always like to have something to pull up over my face when needed. I would also like to add again breathing in -0 degrees F can flash freeze the lungs,this usually occurs when on the move since more air intake is needed,many a jogger and snow shoveler in my home town did not heed this warning and now they are dead. Again this is really cold weather,sometimes close to -50 degrees F. When you have to spend the entire day is such weather you better be preparded mentally and physically.

I would like to emphisize how poor cotton is for warmth.Here is something to remember when dressing for warmth: COTTON KILLS.
As Raven mentioned wool is good a keeping you warm and dry,and its ability to warm you up even after it gets wet is great. However, there are much better materials these days than even wool.
Synthetic fibers are by far the most superior when it comes to all enviroment survival,namely Gortex,this material is a God send,it repells water like a ducks back,and allows your body to release its moisture thus keeping you extremely warm,and it only weighs like 13 ounces.Here is a good example: I have a U.S marine issue Gortex cold weather parka,and recently I took it fishing in a down pour,the temp. was around 42 degrees with a little wind (I know its not that cold,but its my most recent example.).Anyway,it poured for about 25 minutes,and while the outer shell was soaked,I was completely dry inside. With the humidity being what it was,I figured it would not dry for the rest of the night, I was sure surprised to find out that within 20 minutes it was completely dry(amazing!), thus I was ready for the next shower,and it went on like this all through the night. If you have the means I highly recommend picking one up.They are a little steep though,as with most synthetics. Around $250-275.00 U.S.dollars.There are also trousers with the same exceptional ability.Same price as the parka I believe.
Northface is a good civilian retailer for synthetic cold weather apparel.

There is all sorts of different synthetics on the market today depending on your needs. Most of them are designed,so you can dress in layers,and still get the proper venting required so as not to build up too much heat and moisture(like the parka I mentioned,it has zippers on the under side of each arm,so as you warm up from moving,you just unzip the arm and you have a nice vent,that remains weather proof,all can be done while on the move.)

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Goretex? Hehe, US soldiers are spoiled rotten.

Goretex is preferable, yes, if you can get your hands on it. Combined with a fleece sweater underneath, it's the best solution yet. At least for those of us who aren't millionaires.

About the protection of mouth and nose, I think we can agree that it's quite a dilemma. If temperatures drop so low that air becomes too cold to breathe, you really shouldn't be outside at all. But, there may come a time where you really don't have a choice. At least you should make sure that you adjust your scarf regularly.