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Fieldcraft Survival & Fieldcraft

Phil1

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Mar 3, 2009
465
7
Minot N.D.
Here is my two cents on the issues of field-craft as it relates to wilderness survival.

I'm not concerned with zombie end of the world situations. I'll leave that to others.

The most important issue with regards to surviving in the wilderness is controlling body temperature. To keep it from getting too hot and too cold. Either will kill you. Cold within minutes, i.e. -40 below in street clothes. As long as you can keep your body and your extremities within a reasonable temperature range in most cases you'll be fine.

In most cases a extra fleece(or wool/poly) jacket, fleece pants, goretex(or similar breathable)shell jacket & pants, balaclava, gloves. Will take you down to -20 safely overnight and longer if the temperatures are moderate. If you have a sleeping bag and a tarp, or better yet a tent. You can be warm almost indefinitely.

Almost all of my jackets have a bic lighter(wrapped in duck tape), swiss army knife(with the wood saw),fleece balaclava and fox 40 whistle.I have never had a bic lighter fail to light when it had lighter fluid in it. Hey it keeps a couple billion nicotine addicted smokers hitting it without delay.

Fire. <span style="font-weight: bold">You don't need it</span>. The longest I've personally been wet continuously was a week. That was when I was bowhunting moose. It had been raining for a week prior to the hunt and either rained or drizzled for the 10 days I was hunting. After three days everything I owned was wet. However I never got cold, even though its the shits sleeping in wet sleeping bags day after day. Being wet continuously was however mentally draining. I had a campstove for cooking and hot drinks. It was not possible to light a open fire.

I concede a open fire is a morale booster. However unless you're in the 2'-3' range from a fire it will not keep you warm. Fire can turn a fleece/nylon and/or polyester clad person into a big candle in a hurry. Be careful.

Water. I hear again and again that you can survive two days without water. To that I say <span style="font-weight: bold">try it</span>. Most people(say 165lbs) drink a gallon of fluids a day, or 128 ounces/8lbs. If the average person looses 2% of bodymass water they will begin to feel the effects of dehydration. Two percent is 52 ounces of water for a 165 lb. person.

"Exercise performance is impaired when an individual is dehydrated by as little as 2% of body weight. <span style="font-weight: bold">Losses in excess of 5% of body weight can decrease the capacity for work by about 30%"</span>
http://www.humankinetics.com/excerpts/excerpts/dehydration-and-its-effects-on-performance

Severe dehydration starts at 10% so a loss of two gallons. Severe dehydration means that your legs will cramp at any effort. You WILL not be able to walk uphill for any distance. If you start vomiting you will be in real trouble.
"When the body's fluid supply is severely depleted, hypovolemic shock is likely to occur. This condition, which is also called physical collapse, is characterized by pale, cool, clammy skin; rapid heartbeat; and shallow breathing."
http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/dehydration

Don't plan on finding or traveling to water if your dehydration is over 10%. Your mobility will be severely limited. At 15% I personally would likely be on the floor in the hurt. Think UFC fighters after their weight cuts. They are beat. At 15% You will be almost immobile.

Food. Its nice, but generally you don't need it especially if you carry a pinch or two of fat.

99 per cent is mental. Learn how to read a map and use a compass. Learn how to find a route on a map, i.e. the easiest way from point "a" to point "b" depending on the terrain. Go out into the bush(think 10 miles or more from the nearest road and/or person or anything manmade-better 30 miles), by yourself, without a gun, for a couple days. For a week. For longer.

You won't get attacked by bears, wolves,etc. You might feel lonely ,scared, cold, tired, hungry, etc. If you feel the need, take a GPS, but don't use it. If you get lost don't reach for the GPS!! Figure it out for yourself!

Getting lost is merely the state of heading in the wrong direction till you find yourself. You would be well served to get so lost such that you feel the sensation of panic. The first three(or so) times I've been lost thats what I felt. Where you think you are really screwed. That signal fires for aircraft are the only option. As long as you have a direction to a major physical feature/road you can figure it out. That will start to give you the confidence to go further.

The mental comes in when you need to travel to "X" and can say I need water-no I don't need water. I need to stay where I am but I can figure on a week for rescue. The hell with rescue I have the clothes and means to navigate the 20 or more miles through solid bush to where I need to be. Knowing that that the solid bush has deadfall every 10' and that I'll have to take a 5 mile detour to avoid steep terrain. That I can cross that river but can't cross that creek.

The mental and the experience comes into play when you can say I need water so I'll stay exactly where I am. I can do this but its too risky to do that. To say to someone else that nobody is going to cross that convex open slope because it snowed 12" two days ago.

Shelter. I see lots of elaborate shelters. Constructed of spruce branches, cut up logs, etc. In simple "A" frame, to lean-to, to open C shaped affairs encircling a fire. Most are not waterproof unless the branches are a foot thick, with lots of slope to the branches in the same direction. I've only built three. But spending 2-3 hours building one, getting covered with pine sap either building it or overnight when the sap drips on your sleeping bag. Is the shits. It will not keep you warmer, unless its windy in the exact location where you are sleeping.. There is no insulation value in 6" or even a foot of tree branches- its all psychological. It's like the old idea that a tent is warmer. It will keep the wind off you.

Go backpacking, snowshoeing,canoeing,x-country skiing, etc. Get out in the bush and move. Staying in one campsite or taking hikes on defined trails will not teach you navigation. It will not develop your confidence.You need to travel across country on routes you define in advance using a map, ideally more than 10 miles. Then a 100 mile canoe trip with unmarked portages.

The mental will not come from reading and talking about this. You have to field test your brain.

 
Re: Survival & Fieldcraft

You must be awful mad at moose to hunt em 10 days wet. That doesn't sound like recreation, but an endurance tester.
 
Re: Survival & Fieldcraft

Why not just stop and build a fire to dry out.

I've seen it rain in Alaska for several days straight. I never seen it get so wet you couldn't build a fire.

As mentioned several times I always have my ruck. In it is a small one man tent.

Build a fire to dry your cloths. While they are drying you can get comfy in your tent. You'd be supprised how warm you can get with just a candle in a small tent.
 
Re: Survival & Fieldcraft

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: kraigWY</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Why not just stop and build a fire to dry out.

I've seen it rain in Alaska for several days straight. I never seen it get so wet you couldn't build a fire.

As mentioned several times I always have my ruck. In it is a small one man tent.

Build a fire to dry your cloths. While they are drying you can get comfy in your tent. You'd be supprised homw warm you can get with just a candle in a small tent. </div></div>

I'd be the first to concede that I'm not the best fire starter in the back country.

It had been raining for a week every day prior to the hunt. It either rained or drizzled continuously during the entire hunt. When the humidity is 100% and precipitation is falling. You, your clothes, tent, tent fly, sleeping bag, spare clothes, outside of pack, inside of pack are all either soaked or damp. I doubt a fire would have dried anything If I'd had a large tarp and roaring fire. Which I didn't.

I've tried to dry sleeping bags over a open fire and its a guaranteed recipe for a burnt bag. Absolutely guaranteed. If it takes an hour to dry a bag under the tumbling action at 150 degrees in a clothes dryer. It ain't a gonna happen in the rain over a open fire.

I wasn't about to loose hunting time messing about trying to either start a fire or dry equipment.The worst was even though I had a couple days of holidays left. I quit without getting a moose.
 
Re: Survival & Fieldcraft

Its NEVER too wet to start a fire. Its an aquired skill and a lot more than a morale boost. Its a lifesaver.

Do you drybag your kit? . . . I've never had everything saturated that bad without it distinctly being my own fault. With correct packing you should be able to submerge your bag and have no issues with wet kit.

I concede that you can't always carry a complete pack for every eventuality. But a tarp/rain fly is kinda the bare basic for any trip outside 24hrs unless you have one hell of a bivvie bag.
 
Re: Survival & Fieldcraft

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Phil1</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: kraigWY</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Why not just stop and build a fire to dry out.

I've seen it rain in Alaska for several days straight. I never seen it get so wet you couldn't build a fire.

As mentioned several times I always have my ruck. In it is a small one man tent.

Build a fire to dry your cloths. While they are drying you can get comfy in your tent. You'd be supprised homw warm you can get with just a candle in a small tent. </div></div>

I'd be the first to concede that I'm not the best fire starter in the back country.

It had been raining for a week every day prior to the hunt. It either rained or drizzled continuously during the entire hunt. When the humidity is 100% and precipitation is falling. You, your clothes, tent, tent fly, sleeping bag, spare clothes, outside of pack, inside of pack are all either soaked or damp. I doubt a fire would have dried anything If I'd had a large tarp and roaring fire. Which I didn't.

I've tried to dry sleeping bags over a open fire and its a guaranteed recipe for a burnt bag. Absolutely guaranteed. If it takes an hour to dry a bag under the tumbling action at 150 degrees in a clothes dryer. It ain't a gonna happen in the rain over a open fire.

I wasn't about to loose hunting time messing about trying to either start a fire or dry equipment.The worst was even though I had a couple days of holidays left. I quit without getting a moose. </div></div>

What clothing system and sleeping bag are you using? I have been in more wet cold damp blow snain deep in the backcountry, high up in the alpine than most. I have been and gotten wet but always dried out. Got wet again! Very few AO are as wet, damp, windy and cold as south central Alaska.

The body is a good dryer with the proper system. As long as your clothing system is porous (breathable) the body will force moisture away from it, into the clothing system to dry. As long as your sleeping bag or system is porous it will dry also. Open weave nylon is the best outer shell for a sleeping bag. I prefer Pertex. Primaloft is the best insulation for sleeping bags and clothing systems. On many occasions I have slid into my sleeping bag cold and wet wearing all my clothes and in a short time, the micro climate around my body has worked to warm the body and start drying clothes. By the morning my clothes are dry, forced all the dampness into my sleeping bag where I turn my sleeping bag inside out as soon as I get out of it and squeeze it hard to expel all that warm moist air out.

I love camp fires for enjoying them. I am not a fan of them drying things out. Nothing like laying around a river bottom at -30 with a roaring camp fire, watching the sky dance or falling snow. Its fairly easy to find dry fire starter even in a week long rain or some brought from home.

A backpack stove will heat the inside of the tent up to dramatic levels. I prefer a hanging stove, MSR Superfly with Bibler hanging kit. I have had clients laying inside the tent well below 0 outside wearing nothing but base layers decompressing from the day. We hung wet clothes on P cord strung inside the tent and the dry hot air from the stove will dry them quickly and safely if they are that wet. This works extremely well with single wall tents like Bibler and now Black Diamond. If clothes are just damp, sleep with them on to dry them. Even a candle can dry and warm the air inside a tent enough to dry damp clothes.

A good way to keep pack contents dry in rain, snain and snow, place a contractor plastic bag inside your backpack as a liner. This will help protect its contents from the rain, snain and snow. Or, use a dry bag or a dry bag backpack like Sherri Tingy makes, Arcteyx copied her design.
 
Re: Survival & Fieldcraft

If you don't want a small stove in your tent there are other ways to dry you gear. Those space blankets with a reflector side can be used. Set it up as a wind breaker. Build your fire, and hang your gear between the fire and space blanket. You'd be supprised how much heat would be reflected back on your gear.

I use a MSR Whisperlite stove. My favorite. I'm not afraid to put it in my tent (as small as it is). I just light it outside the door and don't bring it in until its cookin'. Then I bring it in to warm up the tent and use a candle to keep it in.

I use water proof bags for my sleeping bag (I use a North face down bag) and never really got it wet. Had the same bag since hte 70s.

Personally, (maybe its because I'm lazy) but I just don't see the need to chop down half the national forest to build a house. Every one I've seen gets wet as soon as the fire starts warming things up. Not to mention you leave a huge footprint when you move out.

As 45.308 says, you can dry out damp clothing by sleeping in it. Heated stones can dry out your boots.
 
Re: Survival & Fieldcraft

On that trip I had a polyfill(hollofill 11 I'm guessing) bag made by Cabelas, the tent was a REI branded cheapie and my pack was a open bag, likely a North Face. This trip was in about 1980.

Clothing was two layers of wool, leather boots.

I always hear that its never too wet to start a fire and that could be true. That a fire is a lifesaver and that could be true depending on circumstances.

I've never personally started a fire in the open when its drizzling. My stove always starts.IMO a cup of hot tea or soup is as much a picker upper as any fire.

I however have never had game walk into my campsite with a fire burning. I have never dried out anything larger than a jacket on a open fire without a tarp.

The sole point that I would make with regards to many peoples lovefest with fires is that they are not as important as clothing appropriate to conditions.

A fire fixes your position. As soon as you lose it you are cold if you are not dressed appropriately. Wet WILL NOT kill you if you remain warm.

The point that I would make is that depending on clothing that keeps you warm, you can be wet. Depending on clothing that keeps you warm, no fire is needed. Depending on clothing that keeps you warm you can survive almost any night.

To survive in the wilderness you only need clothes, possibly water, to keep your wits about your rate of travel, direction of travel and your brain.

The biggest issue with being wet is that its generally uncomfortable and can wear on your mind. There are quite a few ways to dry equipment out. A single tarp and a small fire can dry out every piece of equipment, given sufficient time.

Today I generally use gore-tex clothing although there may be better, similar products. Given the right rate of exertion you can dry out most of the clothing you are wearing. Depending on humidity.

There are alot of nice camping and outdoor products to make life comfortable in the backcountry.I never travel without my titanium cookware and all my MSR filters, etc. I'm paranoid about ingested microorganisms. The intent of this thread and discussion would be the essentials for survival and self rescue.

I will restate my personal position. Two layers of fleece/wool/polyester or some similar combination. Complete covering from a goretex boonie hat/fleece balaclava down to 9' high goretex boots. A water bag. Is all you need!

... could I please have a map in a plastic pouch ... how about a compass. Alright as a last request bic- lighter and swiss army knife with wood saw. My lighter has about five layers of duct tape wrapped around it.

Thats it. I'll concede, winter travel in the mountains would be tough.Sure some mylar, i.e. a "survival blanket", some tyvex house wrap or a tarp wouldn't weigh much more. But not necessary.
 
Re: Survival & Fieldcraft

fire is essential, there's a difference between survival mode and "roughing it on a hunting trip" mode

not only for the morale boosting and drying out, but as for a survival point:

to signal to your location

to help "sterilize" any water found, hopefully you have packed out a metal container. if not, some plastic folded up in your pack to gather the morning dew for water.

to cook whatever meat, vegetation or insects you've been able to scrounge. reduces parasites and grubs taste better crispy. also can be used to "jerky" the same for the trip ahead or until help finds you.


besides hypothermia, being wet adds weight - several additional pounds depending on the saturation - probably more energy used to drag that weight around than building a fire and shelter and the benefits of both.

hypothermia and dehydration are not mental, they are quite physical and will kill before anything else. a slow, methodical, and executing a calm exit plan are also key in a survival situation - panic = death.

proper clothing and equipment from the start is important, no doubt, but at the end of the day i'd rather have a pack of matches than a gortex jacket.
 
Re: Survival & Fieldcraft

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: kraigWY</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Wet = hypothermia , hypothermia will kill you. </div></div>

<span style="color: #FF0000">Wrong.</span>

Hypothermia is strictly the bodies inability to regulate or maintain core temperature. That is unrelated to "wet".
 
Re: Survival & Fieldcraft

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Phil1</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: kraigWY</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Wet = hypothermia , hypothermia will kill you. </div></div>

<span style="color: #FF0000">Wrong.</span>

Hypothermia is strictly the bodies inability to regulate or maintain core temperature. That is unrelated to "wet". </div></div>

Youre reading it wrong Phil!.. Kraig is saying that you get wet, you have a very high probably ability of getting cold as wet clothes strip away body heat at a much faster rate thus resulting in hypothermia.

Sit back, breath, and think for a min before you jump to criticize someone. If you read just a bit more, you'll learn real quick that Kraig probably has more cold weather experience than the majority of this board.
 
Re: Survival & Fieldcraft

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: TOP PREDATOR</div><div class="ubbcode-body">fire is essential, there's a difference between survival mode and "roughing it on a hunting trip" mode

not only for the morale boosting and drying out, but as for a survival point:

to signal to your location

to help "sterilize" any water found, hopefully you have packed out a metal container. if not, some plastic folded up in your pack to gather the morning dew for water.

to cook whatever meat, vegetation or insects you've been able to scrounge. reduces parasites and grubs taste better crispy. also can be used to "jerky" the same for the trip ahead or until help finds you.


besides hypothermia, being wet adds weight - several additional pounds depending on the saturation - probably more energy used to drag that weight around than building a fire and shelter and the benefits of both.

hypothermia and dehydration are not mental, they are quite physical and will kill before anything else. a slow, methodical, and executing a calm exit plan are also key in a survival situation - panic = death.

proper clothing and equipment from the start is important, no doubt, but at the end of the day i'd rather have a pack of matches than a gortex jacket. </div></div>

Inuit have traveled and existed above the tree line for 1000's of years and done so without open fires to "morale boosting and drying out".

I've spent alot of time with native Indians in northern Saskatchewan and i have never seen them light a fire for morale. Not ever.I've never heard of a native Indian lighting a fire for morale. In fact after a day fishing or hunting its a day around the coleman campstove drinking tea.
 
Re: Survival & Fieldcraft

so all of the doctors, in all of the world, over all of the hundreds, nay thousands of years are wrong about hypothermia?

so all of the first aid / first responders in all of the world, over all of the hundreds, nay thousands of years are wrong about hypothermia?

so all the field manuals, survival books, "how to" "in the case of" books and "survival kits" are wrong, all they need is one page with a coupon attached for wool socks.

so all of the coast guard, boy scouts, instructors in benning, instructors in the navy, life guards, everyone on the weather channel, santa claus, st. benards and the ski patrol, bear grylls, that survivorman guy, that barefooted hippie and that scout sniper dude, rambo, & john mcclain are all wrong, they all just need wool socks.


"Hypothermia is strictly the bodies inability to regulate or maintain core temperature. That is unrelated to "wet".

how the hell do you think the body is loosing it's core temperature? do you think maybe, i don't know, the body will lose it quicker if wet? if anything evaporational cooling plays a part, not to mention the heat transfer itself using the wet condition as the media.

indians in Saskatchewan - don't need morale, that's how they live every day. it's apples and oranges. any stockbroker off wall street in the woods alone an hour after sunset or for that matter anyone that doesn't survive off of seal blubber on a daily basis - or for that matter just about anyone you know - do they feel a bit more secure and less panicky around a fire? i'll betcha a set of wool socks the answer will be yes.

an african tilling dirt with a stick is doing it cause it's the only thing he knows, and does pretty good with it. give him a john deere for a year then take it away. surely his morale will deminish in about 30 seconds.


hyperthermia (heat stroke, excessive temperature)
hypothermia (loss of body temperature)

here's some mayo for ya: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hypothermia/DS00333

a little encyclopedia for ya: (note the largest of texts)

Hypothermia

Definition

Hypothermia, a potentially fatal condition, occurs when body temperature falls below 95°F (35°C).

Description

Although hypothermia is an obvious danger for people living in cold climates, many cases have occurred when the air temperature is well above the freezing mark. Elderly people, for instance, have succumbed to hypothermia after prolonged exposure to indoor air temperatures of 50-65°F (10-18.3°C). In the United States, hypothermia is primarily an urban phenomenon associated with alcoholism, drug addiction, mental illness, and cold—water immersion accidents. The victims are often homeless male alcoholics. Officially, 11,817 deaths were attributed to hypothermia in the United States from 1979 to 1994, but experts suspect that many fatal cases go unrecognized. Nearly half the victims were 65 or older, with males dominating every age group. Nonwhites were also overrepresented in the statistics. Among males 65 and older, nonwhites outnumbered whites by more than four to one.

Causes and symptoms

Measured orally, a healthy person's body temperature can fluctuate between 97°F (36.1°C) and 100°F (37.8°C). Survival depends on maintaining temperature stability within this range by balancing the heat produced by metabolism with the heat lost to the environment through (for the most part) the skin and lungs. When environmental or other changes cause heat loss to outpace heat production, the brain triggers physiological and behavioral responses to restore the balance. The involuntary muscular activity of shivering, for example, aids heat production by accelerating metabolism. But if the cold stress is too great and the body's defenses are overwhelmed, body temperature begins to fall. Hypothermia is considered to begin once body temperature reaches 95°F (35°C), though even smaller drops in temperature can have an adverse effect.

Hypothermia is divided into two types: primary and secondary. Primary hypothermia occurs when the body's heat-balancing mechanisms are working properly but are subjected to extreme cold, whereas secondary hypothermia affects people whose heat-balancing mechanisms are impaired in some way and cannot respond adequately to moderate or perhaps even mild cold. Primary hypothermia typically involves exposure to cold air or immersion in cold water. The cold air variety usually takes at least several hours to develop, but immersion hypothermia will occur within about an hour of entering the water,
<span style="font-size: 20pt"> since water draws heat away from the body much faster than air does. </span>
since water draws heat away from the body much faster than air does. In secondary hypothermia, the body's heat-balancing mechanisms can fail for any number of reasons, including strokes, diabetes, malnutrition, bacterial infection, thyroid disease, spinal cord injuries (which prevent the brain from receiving crucial temperature-related information from other parts of the body), and the use of medications and other substances that affect the brain or spinal cord. Alcohol is one such substance. In smaller amounts it can put people at risk by interfering with their ability to recognize and avoid cold-weather dangers. In larger amounts it shuts down the body's heat-balancing mechanisms.

Secondary hypothermia is often a threat to the elderly, who may be on medications or suffering from illnesses that affect their ability to conserve heat. Malnutrition and immobility can also put the elderly at risk. Some medical research suggests as well that shivering and blood vessel narrowing—two of the body's defenses against cold—may not be triggered as quickly in older people. For these and other reasons, the elderly can, over a period of days or even weeks, fall victim to hypothermia in poorly insulated homes or other surroundings that family, friends, and caregivers may not recognize as life threatening. Another risk for the elderly is the fact that hypothermia can easily be misdiagnosed as a stroke or some other common illness of old age.

The signs and symptoms of hypothermia follow a typical course, though the body temperatures at which they occur vary from person to person depending on age, health, and other factors. The impact of hypothermia on the nervous system often becomes apparent quite early. Coordination, for instance, may begin to suffer as soon as body temperature reaches 95°F (35°C). The early signs of hypothermia also include cold and pale skin and intense shivering; the latter stops between 90°F (32.2°C) and 86°F (30°C). As body temperature continues to fall, speech becomes slurred, the muscles go rigid, and the victim becomes disoriented and experiences eyesight problems. Other harmful consequences include dehydration as well as liver and kidney failure. Heart rate, respiratory rate, and blood pressure rise during the first stages of hypothermia, but fall once the 90°F (32.2°C) mark is passed. Below 86°F (30°C) most victims are comatose, and below 82°F (27.8°C) the heart's rhythm becomes dangerously disordered. Yet even at very low body temperatures, people can survive for several hours and be successfully revived, though they may appear to be dead.

Diagnosis

Information on the patient's prior health and activities often helps doctors establish a correct diagnosis and treatment plan. Pulse, blood pressure, temperature, and respiration require immediate monitoring. Because the temperature of the mouth is not an accurate guide to the body's core temperature, readings are taken at one or two other sites, usually the ear, rectum, or esophagus. Other diagnostic tools include electrocardiography, which is used to evaluate heart rhythm, and blood and urine tests, which provide several kinds of key information; a chest x ray is also required. A computed tomography scan (CT scan) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may be needed to check for head and other injuries.

Treatment

Emergency medical help should be summoned whenever a person appears hypothermic. The danger signs include intense shivering; stiffness and numbness in the arms and legs; stumbling and clumsiness; sleepiness, confusion, disorientation, amnesia, and irrational behavior; and difficulty speaking.
<span style="font-size: 20pt"> Until emergency help arrives, a victim of outdoor hypothermia should be brought to shelter and warmed by removing wet clothing and footwear, drying the skin, and wrapping him or her in warm blankets or a sleeping bag. Gentle handling is necessary when moving the victim to avoid disturbing the heart. Rubbing the skin or giving the victim alcohol can be harmful, though warm drinks such as clear soup and tea are recommended for those who can swallow.</span> Anyone who aids a victim of hypothermia should also look for signs of frostbite and be aware that attempting to rewarm a frostbitten area of the body before emergency help arrives can be extremely dangerous. For this reason, frostbitten areas must be kept away from heat sources such as campfires and car heaters.

Rewarming is the essence of hospital treatment for hypothermia. How rewarming proceeds depends on the body temperature. Different approaches are used for patients who are mildly hypothermic (the patient's body temperature is 90-95 °F [32.2-35 °C]), moderately hypothermic (86-90 °F [30-32.2 °C]), or severely hypothermic (less than 86 °F [30 °C]). Other considerations, such as the patient's age or the condition of the heart, can also influence treatment choices.

Mild hypothermia is reversed with passive rewarming. This technique relies on the patient's own metabolism to rewarm the body.
<span style="font-size: 20pt"> Once wet clothing is removed and the skin is dried, the patient is covered with blankets and placed in a warm room. The goal is to raise the patient's temperature by 0.5-2 °C an hour.
</span>


Moderate hypothermia is often treated first with active external rewarming and then with passive rewarming. Active external rewarming involves applying heat to the skin, for instance by placing the patient in a warm bath or wrapping the patient in electric heating blankets.

Severe hypothermia requires active internal rewarming, which is recommended for some cases of moderate hypothermia as well. There are several types of active internal rewarming. Cardiopulmonary bypass, in which the patient's blood is circulated through a rewarming device and then returned to the body, is considered the best, and can raise body temperature by 1-2 °C every 3-5 minutes. However, many hospitals are not equipped to offer this treatment. The alternative is to introduce warm oxygen or fluids into the body.

Hypothermia treatment can also include, among other things, insulin, antibiotics, and fluid replacement therapy. When the heart has stopped, both cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and rewarming are necessary. Once a patient's condition has stabilized, he or she may need treatment for an underlying problem such as alcoholism or thyroid disease.

Prognosis

Victims of mild or moderate hypothermia usually enjoy a complete recovery. In regard to severely hypothermic patients, the prognosis for survival varies due to differences in people's physiological responses to cold.

KEY TERMS

Antibiotics—Substances used against microorganisms that cause infection.

Computed tomography—A process that uses x rays to create three-dimensional images of structures inside the body.

Esophagus—A muscular tube through which food and liquids pass on their way to the stomach.

Insulin—A substance that regulates blood glucose levels. Glucose is a sugar.

Magnetic resonance imaging—The use of electromagnetic energy to create images of structures inside the body.

Metabolism—The chemical changes by which the body breaks down food and other substances and builds new substances necessary for life.

Nervous system—The system that transmits information, in the form of electrochemical impulses, throughout the body. It comprises the brain, spinal cord, and nerves.

Rectum—The lower section of the large intestine. The intestines are part of the digestive system.

Stroke—A condition involving loss of blood flow to the brain.

Thyroid—A gland (fluid-secreting structure) in the neck. It plays an important role in metabolism.

Prevention

People who spend time outdoors in cold weather can reduce heat loss by wearing their clothing loosely and in layers and by keeping their hands, feet, and head well covered (30-50% of body heat is lost through the head).

<span style="font-size: 20pt"> Because water draws heat away from the body so easily, staying dry is important, and wet clothing and footwear should be replaced as quickly as possible. Wind- and water-resistant outer garments are also crucial.</span>
Alcohol should be avoided because it promotes heat loss by expanding the blood vessels that carry body heat to the skin.

Preventing hypothermia among the elderly requires vigilance on the part of family, friends, and caregivers. An elderly person's home should be properly insulated and heated, with living areas kept at a temperature of 70 °F (21.1 °C). Warm clothing and bedding are essential, as are adequate food, rest, and exercise; warming the bed and bedroom before going to sleep is also recommended. Older people who live alone should be visited regularly—at least once a day during very cold weather—to ensure that their health remains sound and that they are taking good care of themselves. For help and advice, family members and others can turn to government and social service agencies. Meals on wheels and visiting nurse programs, for instance, may be available, and it may be possible to obtain financial aid for winterizing and heating homes.




bonus links:

http://seagrant.umn.edu/coastal_communities/hypothermia
http://www.simplesurvival.net/hypothermia.htm
http://survivalworld.com/first_aid/hypothermia.html
http://www.ar15.com/content/manuals/FM21-76_SurvivalManual.pdf
http://www.ultimatesurvivalskills.com/su...d-climates.html
http://www.equipped.com/fm21-76.htm
http://www.scribd.com/doc/2960322/USMC-Winter-Survival-Course
http://www.trails.com/how_9360_survive-hypothermia-wilderness.html



...and so on. seems wet clothes removal is highly recommended by other folks by that go by the name of Marines, Army, etc., guess they are wrong too.

not much mention of "no need to worry about succumbing to hypothermia 'cause it's just in your mind"

of course, those references weren't written by saskatewanian indiginous personnel either.

for sake of sounding like a know it all, i'll concede that you may not need fire or dry garments, however chances of surviving without them are greatly reduced and foolish to try when the logical option is available.
 
Re: Survival & Fieldcraft

I had two hypothermia safeties called during my tenure of guiding / instructing both civilian and military in Alaska.

Back in January 85, very cold windy trip, over night low was -30 and got up to -teens in the sun, when a gentleman got soaked from the inside, he was wearing gore-tex, as we ascended waist deep snow up a long slope. On the ridge the wind picked up and he went south quickly. Stumbling, slurring his words, incoherent thoughts, a bolt hole was dug, he was stripped of his wet clothing inside the hole, wrapped up in a dry sleeping bag and placed on a foam pad, the stove was sparked and boiled hot for him to sip. Took quite awhile for him to be able to sip. He said he was OK and warm, bad sign. He finally came around and we all got back to the rigs. No fuel for a fire, just dry clothes and into dry bag, got him out of the wind in a bolt hole and hot fluids.

September 1999 on a winter camping course, I went against my judgement and let a young couple from Cali wear down clothing, they had no money to buy good clothing. Temps were around 35-38 and it started snowing about half hour before reaching our camp site we picked out on the map to find and camp, 5 miles in giant wet flakes with some snain thrown in. We built snow huts, called quinzhee. These huts require an enormous amount of energy to construct. The precip was falling at a good rate. As I went to each to group instructing, things seemed good. I let my guard down and someone says they need me ASAP, The young lady was in trouble. She was wet head to toe, water was dripping from her hair like she just got out of the shower, her down clothing was wet from the inside sweat to outside falling snain. Hypothermia people do strange things like think they are warm and take clothes off to cool. I tried to talk to her but all she could do was mumble incoherently if she responded at all. I sent runners to get help. Up went my Bibler I tent, got her inside, pulled off her wet clothes and put my dry clothes on her, stuffed her in a dry sleeping bag, her core was cool to the touch. Her partner got inside the sleeping bag with her. We sparked the stove, boiled water bottles, placed on her heart, then underarms and crotch inside the sleeping bag. She warmed up and was finally able to talk and sip hot. I was up all night checking her at first every 10-15 mins, then 30 then an hour, her core was warm to the touch, she could carry on a conversation and then I let her doze off waking checking her.

As youngins, sledding up in the gach wearing old Norwegian army wool. The wool would get wet and we would get chilled, removing the wet wool we got warmer with out the wet wool clothing on. Spin the wool around over our heads to expel most of the water, put them back on, repeat.

Moral is, wet clothes can cause hypothermia that can kill, the body goes south very quickly. You can still get hypothermia with dry clothes if the body loses heat faster than it can generate heat. At one time during my EMT/responder training, most cases of hypothermia happened above freezing, somewhere around 45f.

Its a push pull, clothing needs to be dry so the core can maintain with dry clothing.

The 1800s, a fire was needed for these tough adventures to dry and build up the mind. Today, not so much with packing stoves and our clothing and learning from these old timers mistakes.
 
Re: Survival & Fieldcraft

Phil1, I'm going to ignor your hypothermia coments. I don't think you really believe what you're saying.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I've never heard of a native Indian lighting a fire for morale. In fact after a day fishing or hunting its a day around the coleman campstove drinking tea.</div></div>

Sure, I can understand that. I don't normaly build a fire when hunting or fishing either, unless I have the grand kids with hot dogs and marshmellow.

Morale is not needed in those incidents.

But, when you're lost, cold, and/or wet. Every survival instructor I know of, will tell you to stop. Build a fire, if for nothing else, morale purposes. Relax and get your thoughts together.

I contend if you're wet, you need to shed your cloths. Get into dry cloths if you have them. A dry sleeping bag if not. Even if you don't have dry clothing or sleeping gear still shed your coths. You'd be supprises how warm you can be neked between your fire and space blanket EVEN IN SUB-ZERO TEMPS. And hot liquids. I'm a coffee drinker and but I aways carry tea.

I've not one for sleeping in cloths in the winter. You're gonna sleep warmer without them.

I'm still a fan of small tents. It doesn't take much to warm up a one man tent. I use candles.

As far as natives. I spent a great deal of time with the Alaska Natives on the Bering Sea. I was the XO of A Company 1/297th AK ARNG on St Lawernce Island and CO of C Company 1/297 AK ARNG, which consisted of Shishmaref, Brevig Mission, Teller, Little Diomede, and Wales.

I spent a great deal of time with these (great) people, hunting, fishing, camping, not to mention NG Guard Drills.

Some of the villages don't have access to a lot of wood, they use seal oil lamps to warm their shelters. The villages that do have access to forest did infact build fires.

I was task with teaching survival to these people, if you can believe that. I learned more then I taught.

Anyway one thing you will see with Alaska natives, is they don't do "WET". If they get wet you can bet your boots they stop and dry out. They don't use ice igloos, they build their shelters using skin tents or now, those light weight mountain tents. For larger parties they take the NGs Squad or 12 man tents and yukon stoves (even if they arn't suppose to).

Again, if you want "warm" to dry clothing or other gear, you don't need a big fire. All you need is heat reflection of one of those silver space blankets. If you can build a reflection oven out of tin foil to use to the sun to bake bread, you can certainly do the same thing to dry out your gear.

I always like down sleeping bags. They are lighter and warmer. In my 22 years camping in Alaska, (summer, fall, winter and spring) I've never got my sleeping bag get wet.

It will get a bit damp from your sweat over night. In the winter I turn it inside out. The moisture will freeze and you can shake it out. In the wet seasons. I hang it inside out in the tent and let the candle dry it out before I pack up.

No matter how wet it is, you can get dry firewood. If you split wet wood you'll find it dry on the inside. Use that to start the fire, it will dry out the rest of you wood.

Camp.jpg
 
Re: Survival & Fieldcraft

Avoid staying in wet clothes for any length of time

Pack rain gear
Pack ruck so contents stay dry

FIRE
always ensure you have means to start one even in worst conditions you can imagine, think blast match etc

Hydrate

Based on some comments here, your a danger to yourself outside the confines of your yard ...
 
Re: Survival & Fieldcraft

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: kraigWY</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> I don't normaly build a fire when hunting or fishing either, unless I have the grand kids with hot dogs and marshmellow. </div></div>

I build fires every time if on rock or fire pit, not pristine backcountry though.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: kraigWY</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
But, when you're lost, cold, and/or wet. Every survival instructor I know of, will tell you to stop. Build a fire, if for nothing else, morale purposes. Relax and get your thoughts together. </div></div>

Its one of the first things taught.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: kraigWY</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
Even if you don't have dry clothing or sleeping gear still shed your coths. You'd be supprises how warm you can be neked between your fire and space blanket EVEN IN SUB-ZERO TEMPS. And hot liquids. I'm a coffee drinker and but I aways carry tea.</div></div>

Not sure I want to test this. But, I was hiking in the backcountry, came over a ridge and found 3 young ladies butt naked sun bathing. I always carry a small thermos filled with hot water and 2 soup and 2 hot chocolate packages with 2 coffee bags. I also carry rocket fuel, chocolate covered coffee beans from Kaladi.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: kraigWY</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
I've not one for sleeping in cloths in the winter. You're gonna sleep warmer without them.</div></div>

I do. Insulation is insulation. I use an ID primaloft filled +20f sleeping bag with open weave nylon shell down to below zero, -20f. I carry clothes that means weight on my back so I sleep with them on. My parka is laid over my feet on the outside of my sleeping bag at times but when its cold, all my clothes are on. I lay maps, gloves, hot water bottles at my feet, anything and everything I can on my chest to increase insulation.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: kraigWY</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
I'm still a fan of small tents. It doesn't take much to warm up a one man tent. I use candles.</div></div>

Said it before and will again, a small single wall tent takes less time to set up with the poles on the inside, less than a minute from pack to up, has vertical walls for shedding rain and snow and more internal room and are quite light, mine is around 3# for two.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: kraigWY</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
They don't use ice igloos, they build their shelters using skin tents or now, those light weight mountain tents. For larger parties they take the NGs Squad or 12 man tents and yukon stoves (even if they arn't suppose to).</div></div>

Igloos are a misconception. Eskimos used them.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: kraigWY</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
I always like down sleeping bags. They are lighter and warmer. In my 22 years camping in Alaska, (summer, fall, winter and spring) I've never got my sleeping bag get wet. </div></div>

I prefer down for its comfort range over a wide temp range over synthetic but its not lighter and warmer these days side by side with a high end ID primaloft bag. Have a down bag built and a Primaloft bag built with identical inner and outer fabrics on the same design and there is virtually no weight difference. But, down does drape around the body better so there is less dead air space for the body to heat. Yes, this could mean they are warmer but in the backcounty in Alaska, I have yet to find that bag. Only until the temp get to -20 or so would I consider a down bag and only with an open weave shell, no goretex. Down does not get wet from the outside like we have been told for decades, it gets wet from the inside. And beside, not like down bag companies understate the weight of their down bags!

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: kraigWY</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
It will get a bit damp from your sweat over night. In the winter I turn it inside out. The moisture will freeze and you can shake it out. In the wet seasons. I hang it inside out in the tent and let the candle dry it out before I pack up.</div></div>

This is the main reason I prefer and recommend primaloft sleeping bags. Down absorbs body moisture over night that collects in the down. Being a natural fiber, down does not disperse moisture but absorbs it. Over days of use, the down will continue to collect body moisture deep into the middle fibers and freeze losing its ability to hold warmth. No matter how much squeezing and drying is done. If you turn your bag inside out first thing after you get out of it, squeeze it hard a few times, this will expel water vapor that is between the fibers and some that is adsorbed by the down out before it has time to solid or freeze, pulling dry air in.

Primaloft by its very nature, cannot absorb a single molecule of water. It is actually water repelling. The only water that collects in primaloft is between the fibers, not inside the fiber. Since primaloft hates water and pushes water away from it, the bodies micro climate will push body moisture away from the body into the sleeping bag where it will continue to get pushed to the open weave shell. This simple process will dry the body, the clothes you are wearing and eventually the insulation in the sleeping bag Vs down that absorbs body vapor. The body remains warmer, the sleeping bag remains able to insulate and less weight.

Some acquaintances had to dig a snow cave over in Wrangells. One had a synthetic sleeping bag the other had a down. After a week long storm and a rescue, the down bag guy had to have the frozen down bag cut off him as it was froze to him, he lost a foot and part of a leg, the synthetic sleeping bag friend was treated for hypothermia and dehydration and released from Prov the next day.

Another friend with partner got into trouble in winter. Their down clothing was wet, their down sleeping bags also wet after a few days in snain. They found a trappers cabin and cache. Inside they found synthetic sleeping bags covered in snow and snain, had to pull them apart frozen. They used these bags to survive until the blow broke and they could ski out. They left their down bags at the cabin.

I had a brand new Feathered Friends down sleeping bag rate to -20 complete with goretex shell. Altimeter said high pressure so up we went. Day 2 a severe low pressure system hit, with a low pressure system the temps go up and precip falls. After a couple nights of steady rain and wind, my $800 down bag was wet, I feared the seams would rip when I tried to pick it up and stuff it was so logged with water. At times I was laying in a pool of water. I squeezed and squeezed. I carried that frozen wet clump up and up then down and down. Back in base camp, I was very cold and tired and had to lay in a cold wet bag. I had to wear clothes as a barrier against the wet down. 3 days later my bag was still wet even hanging it over the tent in the sun to dry. Back home it took a week of hanging to dry. My two buds had synthetic bags, warm and dry the whole trip.

And yes as a disclosure, I was a sponsored guide by Albany Mills, and my name and company was on a Primaloft hang tags, my writings and endorsements was on their and a few vendor web sites.

Brimfrost, gotta love those days....not really!!