Winter Survival

[Kingoftheflock]

i never really thought about it too much, but recently ive been thinking. winter survival would be much harder to do than survival in the spring or summer, and i wanted to figure out if survival would be possible heading right into the woods during the winter. ive head stories of people in colonies dying off by the dozen becuase of the silent killer, the cold. does anyone have any ideas on how to survive a winter in the woods after heading right into it? becuase frankly im out of ideas.

[coon4492]

i wanted to figure out if survival would be possible heading right into the woods during the winter.

Well if your calm and thinking straight, you can improvise and have the will to live you can survive just about anything. A good shelter and a fire would keep out the cold easily. You would have to make sure to not sweat to much or eat the snow off the ground directly(if there is snow)

[Kingoftheflock]

well yea too bad i suck at maing fires .

[LDS]

Boys, there are whole books written on this subject. Again, all you need to do is google cold weather camping.

It has been part of the Boy Scout skills since they started and there is a special "frozen foot" (or something like that) merit badge. There is even one scout troop in AK or MN that plans a weekend camp for the coldest night of their year, normally about -30. I saw that one on PBS a year or so back.

Tha US military has a cold weather survival school in AK and every career combat trooper should have to attend. Every soldier winds up operating in extreme cold at least once in their career. By operate I do not mean running outside for a few hours and going back to the house, I mean going out and staying there 24/7 for an extended time. Conducting a military mission does not always allow one to follow safe recomendations, so one must be able to adapt and improvise.

Remember, the Russian winter defeated the German army in WWII. It defeated Napolian in 1812. Neither group was prepared or trained to operate in the extremes they faced.

[dixieangler]

Conducting a military mission does not always allow one to follow safe recomendations, so one must be able to adapt and improvise.

That is the truth.

Remember, the Russian winter defeated the German army in WWII. It defeated Napolian in 1812. Neither group was prepared or trained to operate in the extremes they faced.

Unprepared for the cold and the fact that both armies were led by megalomaniac dictators. Neither of them were carrying a full load so to speak. LOL

[LDS]

Yes, and both dictators were in a much warmer place than the troops.

Was it in 1984 where Orwell predected that all future wars would be fought in the areas of fringe climate; tropics, desart, artic regions, with a war raging eternally and allies changing randomly and without reason. Sounds like we made it!

My own best answer to winter survival is a good -20 rated sleeping bag and a nice soft sleeping mat. It generally takes me about a day to get aclimatized and i am ok after that. I catch myself doing chores in my shirtsleeves at temps way too low for good sense. As long as I can stay out of the wind and sleep warm I am OK.

[Kingoftheflock]

just seems difficult. ill try something like that this winter, bcuase its perked my interest all of a sudden. i was reading on using snow to block the wind instead of a shelter, becuase ive made an igloo before where i could almost stand up, and that took 2 peope and shovels and an afternoon.as far as google goes im not a fan of that company too much, ill stick to bing. besides i dont like to trust internet sources unless its from a place that i know is legit, like here. thanks for the info.

[coon4492]

i have my winter shelter made and ready to go. Its small and very well insulated with a tipi shape to it. it will be a warm little shelter during those below freezing days. I made the skeleton structure of it in extremely high winds I got it so sturdy that the sticks didn't even budge. It has pounds and pounds of grass insulation compressed down by more sticks. I made a short stone wall in the doorway that I plan to somehow convert into a small stone fire pit or something.