Questions tagged [cold-weather]
Cold weather can mean a period of specific low temperatures, frequently the freezing point or below. It also describes atmospheric conditions, including wind and factors which lower temperature. It's also a subjective term, including the feeling of cold under certain conditions, and what to do or use to acclimate during periods of cold, in order to feel warmer.
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Are mittens warmer than gloves?
Given a mitten and a glove (made of the same materials, thickness, etc), is the mitten warmer than the glove?
It seems to me that having all four fingers together in one area (vs separate fingers for ...
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Is it warmer to sleep naked in a sleeping bag?
When camping in cold weather, some people say it is actually warmer to sleep naked than to sleep with clothes on.
Is that true, or is it better to leave warm clothes on while in the bag?
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If I have to cross an icy, flowing river, what are some ways I can cross safely?
If I'm alone in a survival situation and I have to cross a very cold river that's still flowing, how should I accomplish this safely?
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Keeping warm in an emergency
When roaming the outdoors, it might happen that one finds oneself in a situation that is much, much colder than one planned for.
What can one do in such an emergency, especially when it's so cold ...
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Are Ice grips worth buying?
The cold weather has finally hit the UK and once again I am tempted to buy something like Yaktrax Pro Ice Grips. For those of you not in the UK we get some snow each year (enough to make everything ...
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How to prevent fingers from freezing?
I am a traffic officer and in winter I always have issues with fingers freezing. Are there any hints besides hand warmers to keep my fingertips from getting so cold they hurt? I direct traffic so ...
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Stove/fuel setup for harsh conditions
We already have topics on fuels here and here which give quite an overview. Also REI gives some info how to choose your stove and fuel properly.
Still I would like to know what are the best options ...
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How to warm up your cold toes and fingers?
In winter your hand and feet (especially toes and fingers) may get painfully cold or you may even stop feeling them. How can you warm them up?
This usually happens, when it's below 0°С or when it's ...
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What do I do to prevent and treat frostbite?
I'm going to be winter camping, and I'm concerned about getting frostbite. What can I do to protect myself?
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Falling into an ice cold body of water
I've never been hiking in such extreme situations, but if in the situation in the question, i.e. you're hiking in very cold weather and someone falls in (let's say so pretty much their whole body is ...
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How to stay hydrated with minimum water usage
A friend of mine asked a experienced long distance hiker, how to drink during such a hike. The answer was, drink 0.1l water per hour and then you are fine.
Is this correct and can anyone add some ...
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How can I prevent batteries from losing charge in cold weather?
Since batteries (for cameras, cell phones, etc) will lose charge in cold weather, what can I do to prevent loss of charge, or at least extend the battery life as long as possible?
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How should I treat hypothermia?
When I recognize the symptoms of hypothermia, how should I treat it? And what are the dangers if the symptoms are ignored?
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Preferred way to wrap someone with Hypothermia?
So I know How to treat hypothermia. That question and answer, however, do not address the old recommendation I have heard a 100 times of strip them down and get in a sleeping bag with them. Is that ...
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Yosemite in late March a good idea?
My wife and I have never been to Yosemite. We will have some time off in a couple of weeks (end of March) and we're considering planning a trip to Yosemite.
The amount of rain and snow in recent ...
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My car broke down in Siberia. What do I do now?
Some time ago, while driving on a snowy road, someone told me a kind of horror story.
It involved a guy who was driving alone with an old car on an overland road in Siberia during winter, so the ...
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How do you take field notes at below 0 °C, without freezing fingers?
I'm taking inventory on my tree farm. The temperature today is -7 °C with a light breeze. Windchill of -10 °C.
I figure that there are lots of people who have this problem. Writing a journal, ...
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Is it warmer to sleep in a car or in a tent?
Is it warmer to sleep in a car or in a tent?
Suppose that our old internal-combustion-engine car breaks down in a remote place at -30°C, -40°C, or -50°C, and the engine won't run at all. Suppose we'...
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Is it dangerous to sleep in a tent alone in a forest in -20°C?
Can I spend the night alone in a tent in a forest outside Stockholm in -20°C without risking my life?
The backstory
From the end of January, I'm starting my studies in a suburb of Stockholm. I've ...
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Is sleeping on the ground in cold weather better than on an air mattress?
My friend and I had an argument about this topic. He says that the cold air in the mattress will stay at the ambient temperature, so if it's -20 outside the air in the mattress will stay at -20 so I'...
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What's the difference between a 2, 3, 4, and 5 season tent?
I'm looking to buy a new trekking tent, a good quality one, e.g. Hilleberg, Fjällräven, Vaude, etc. At Vaude they categorise tents in 2, 3, 4, or 5-season. What's the difference between a 4- and a 5-...
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What clothing would be appropriate for hiking in -18°C with up to 30 km/hr wind?
I recently moved to Germany and am planning to do a hike in the Harz mountains. The weather is expected to be around -18°C. Most of the trail will be sheltered by forest, but the mountaintop is ...
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Under what conditions does heating a tent artificially make objective sense?
My question is motivated by the earlier question How To Quickly Warm A Tent, which generated a lot of interest, and one of the best comments ever on TGO:
All I could think about after reading your ...
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How do I recognize if someone is suffering from hypothermia?
How can I recognize symptoms of hypothermia on myself and other people I camp with?
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How to set up a tent in deep snow
How should I set up a two-layer dome tent for 2/4 people in deep snow (waist height)? Do I need some additional equipment (snow shovel)? Insulation under the floor (further than the sleeping pads)?
...
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Using a "tarp" over the entrance of a snow cave
Is it true that a tarp shouldn't be covering the entrance of a snow-cave while sleeping in one? What's the reasoning to that? Is using a sleeping bag in them just fine?
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Winter Camping: How to warm up your boots in the morning?
Is there a good technique to warm up your boots in the morning? Should you just put them on and warm them up with your feet or is there a better alternative?
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Using a thermometer for hypothermia diagnosis in backcountry?
Has anyone had good experience using an ordinary drugstore oral thermometer in the backcountry in winter weather, and getting trustworthy readings? I made the experiment (on a night that was around ...
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Are there any exceptions to the layer principle?
This question asks why we don't apply the layer principle on trousers. Personally, I disagree with the pretext of the question: I certainly do apply the layer principle on trousers when cycling in ...
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How dangerous is it to walk with wet feet in cold terrain?
Let us say we have around 0 degrees celsius and I have wet feet and I am in the middle of nowhere (let us say 2 days away from any civilisation). On the one hand people say it is no problem to walk in ...
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Recovering from Hypothermia
I am not much used to Camping in Cold areas. But I have been told by hikers that Hypothermia is something that I should be very careful of. Since childhood, it has been like, I don't catch cold very ...
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What clothing would be suitable for hiking and camping in 0°C?
I intend to hike and camp where the forecast temperature is around freezing. It can get windy in exposed areas, but I would be starting low and camping amongst the snow gums.
During the day air ...
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What is the most severe temperature that a proper snow cave can protect you from?
This question was prompted by my answer to Under what conditions does heating a backpacking tent artificially make objective sense?. In my answer, I mention the possibility of hiking across Antarctica ...
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What material is best for durable, waterproof, gloves in many temperatures and weather conditions?
I have a problem with one hand that has bad circulation, this means that if my hand gets cold and wet for extended times I get chilblains which are more than a nuisance.
The problem is that I have ...
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Why are Fjällräven sleeping bags so expensive?
The Fjällräven POLAR -20 REG has the following specs:
850 EUR
1650g and 25cm x 40cm volume
EN/ISO: -12°C comfort, -20°C limit, -42°C extreme
95/5 Down; 800 cuin
The MARMOT - Never Summer seems to be ...
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What are the considerations for using chemical heat pads in sleeping bags?
A now-deleted answer to this question suggested using chemical heating pads in sleeping bags at night to provide added warmth. The product suggested is the 'Thermacare ... Fe-loaded material' I ...
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What was the temperature without windchill for the climbers that "Minus 148 Degrees" is written about?
The book Minus 148 Degrees is written about a winter climb of Denali in which a rapid weather change forced the climbers to seek refuge in an emergency snow cave.
The title is a reference to the ...
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