How clothing helps
Your warmth comes from the clothes you wear and your backpack; body and leg clothing count the most. Damaged clothes keep you less warm. Wet clothes lose most of their warmth, and soaked clothes even make you colder.
Each clothing page shows its warmth. A bigger backpack is not automatically the better choice.
Drying and shelter
- Rain soaks you quickly outside.
- A fire dries you fast and warms you strongly – stand next to it, not in it.
- Indoors you dry slowly; outside in dry weather hardly at all.
- Shelter keeps you warmer. Cold makes you burn more energy, heat makes you lose more water.
When it gets cold
Nights are the coldest part of the day, and fog, rain and snow make it colder still. Plan a warm, dry place for the night.
Keep reading
Food, water & digestion
Half of what you eat or drink helps right away; the rest digests within about a minute.
Health, blood & first aid
Stop the bleeding first. Health, blood and shock recover in different ways.
Illness & treatment
Match the treatment to the problem. A pill is not a universal cure.
Gas masks & contamination
A mask needs a working filter. Leave the gas before treating yourself.