Cold weather survival - Small Cabin Forum

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KinAlberta Member	# Posted: 27 Feb 2020 18:08 - Edited by: KinAlberta Reply Some useful information in this article. Example: the plastic bag vs the reflective wrap Note the discussion of the Alaska cabin fire of late 2019.* The man who refused to freeze to death https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200226-how-to-survive-in-the-extreme-cold *Purchased an Alaska Dream Parcel - Small Cabin Forum http://www.small-cabin.com/forum/6_9460_0.html#msg131680

NorthRick Member	# Posted: 27 Feb 2020 19:18 Reply Holy crap! That Iceland guy must be part beluga whale to survive 6 hours in 40F water.

KinAlberta Member	# Posted: 5 Mar 2020 16:13 - Edited by: KinAlberta Reply Did you see the part about having a big plastic bag rather than a reflective blanket? Looks like a market opportunity for a hybrid. From that article above: â€œ Tipton says one of the big successes his team at the University of Portsmouth have had was to encourage the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to ditch their expensive foil space blankets in favour of cheap, tough, plastic survival bags. Space blankets, the kind that are wrapped around marathon runners at the end of races, are good at protecting against radiative heat loss, but less good when it comes to...â€

Aklogcabin Member	# Posted: 1 Jun 2020 11:12 - Edited by: Aklogcabin Reply Tough guy . I know that the cold sneaks up on you slowly. Although you are aware of it . Having been unlucky enough to get wet in freezing temperatures is just painful. Mostly the fellow didnâ€™t panic. Interesting research on the large bag holding heat. As someone who has fallen to the effects of hypothermia, I never saw it coming. In fact I thought I was in total control. Remember thinking that spending that rainey fall night under a spruce tree was going to be easy. And literally thinking I was very comfortable. Comparing it in my mind to laying on my sofa in the sun. Just blessed that my beautiful wife recognized it when I fell asleep. And she got me to my feet. I spend lotâ€™s of time outdoors in the winter and try to stay on my game. Iâ€™ve spent the night outdoors at -25 . This one almost got me . It was in the mid forties and raining. But my body was exhausted by the end of a long hard day. I had no reserves in the tank. Because I didnâ€™t want take the time to eat properly and rest properly. I didnâ€™t have a clue how dangerous this was. I suspect I may have been overconfident. And like is quoted often, Mother Nature can sneak up on you fast and bam. The fellow in boat and the cabin both knew the risks surrounding what they were doing. Boats capsize n cabins in the woods catch fire. Best we can do is try to stay alert. And be prepared. For the things you thought could never happen to you.

KinAlberta Member	# Posted: 28 Dec 2021 03:59 - Edited by: KinAlberta Reply Great article on â€œWind Chillâ€ Wind chill is a meaningless number. So why are we still using it? https://slate.com/technology/2019/01/wind-chill-warning-temperature-useless.html Note how wind chill is used as a headline grabber here: 'Dangerous territory': Western Canada sees extreme cold reaching -56 C â€œ In Edmonton, temperatures dropped to -41.6 C on Monday morning, feeling like -55 C with the wind chill. Calgary also saw temperatures as cold as -31 C, or -43 C with the wind chill.â€ â€¦ â€œ The coldest community was Grande Prairie, Alta., which saw temperatures plummet to -44.4 C, beating the record set in 1984. That's -56 C with the wind chill.â€ https://www.ctvnews.ca/climate-and-environment/dangerous-territory-western-canada-see s-extreme-cold-reaching-56-c-1.5720447

Fanman Member	# Posted: 28 Dec 2021 16:59 Reply Wind chill isn't a "meaningless number" at all. Now the way they calculate it may be flawed, but it's certainly true that you'll get cold faster when the wind is blowing than if it isn't, that's basic heat transfer theory.

NorthRick Member	# Posted: 28 Dec 2021 19:48 Reply Quoting: Fanman Wind chill isn't a "meaningless number" at all. Now the way they calculate it may be flawed, but it's certainly true that you'll get cold faster when the wind is blowing than if it isn't, that's basic heat transfer theory. Agree that it isn't a meaningless number for a human body trying to maintain a temperature of 98F or so. However, it does get misused by the press and misunderstood by people that weren't paying attention in high school physics class.

Aklogcabin Member	# Posted: 29 Dec 2021 09:44 Reply If I remember physics class correctly. Wind chill only effects people , animals n such that produce heat. It does not effect an object.

KinAlberta Member	# Posted: 29 Dec 2021 13:22 Reply Itâ€™s likely useful for some people at their cabins where they will actually be outside. If they are rather clueless. However a lot of reporting is heard by an urban audience who mainly go from their vehicles into stores etc.

Janemarie Member	# Posted: 3 Feb 2023 21:37 Reply What a useful post this all has been. The plastic bag point was great. I had intended to go to my cabin today but it is near zero F with high winds and I would have been moving firewood alone. Decided to stay in town.

Daaaaaaaan Member	# Posted: 26 Feb 2023 18:47 Reply While I'm sure a big garbage bag can do a similar job, this validated the value of the $10 (probably $15) emergency bivvy I have in my car if I should ever need it.