BASIC PRINCIPLES OF COLD WEATHER SURVIVAL(ZZ)

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BASIC PRINCIPLES OF COLD WEATHER SURVIVAL

It is more difficult for you to satisfy your basic water, food, and shelter needs in a cold environment than
in a warm environment. Even if you have the basic requirements, you must also have adequate protective
clothing and the will to survive. The will to survive is as important as the basic needs. There have been
incidents when trained and well-equipped individuals have not survived cold weather situations because
they lacked the will to live. Conversely, this will has sustained individuals less well-trained and
equipped.
There are many different items of cold weather equipment and clothing issued by the U.S. Army today.
Specialized units may have access to newer, lightweight gear such as polypropylene underwear,
GORE-TEX outerwear and boots, and other special equipment. Remember, however, the older gear will
keep you warm as long as you apply a few cold weather principles. If the newer types of clothing are
available, use them. If not, then your clothing should be entirely wool, with the possible exception of a
windbreaker.
You must not only have enough clothing to protect you from the cold, you must also know how to
maximize the warmth you get from it. For example, always keep your head covered. You can lose 40 to
45 percent of body heat from an unprotected head and even more from the unprotected neck, wrist, and
ankles. These areas of the body are good radiators of heat and have very little insulating fat. The brain is
very susceptible to cold and can stand the least amount of cooling. Because there is much blood
circulation in the head, most of which is on the surface, you can lose heat quickly if you do not cover
your head.
There are four basic principles to follow to keep warm. An easy way to remember these basic principles
is to use the word COLD--

C - Keep clothing clean.
O - Avoid overheating.
L - Wear clothes loose and in layers.
D - Keep clothing dry.


C - Keep clothing clean. This principle is always important for sanitation and comfort. In winter,
it is also important from the standpoint of warmth. Clothes matted with dirt and grease lose
much of their insulation value. Heat can escape more easily from the body through the
clothing's crushed or filled up air pockets.

O - Avoid overheating. When you get too hot, you sweat and your clothing absorbs the moisture.
This affects your warmth in two ways: dampness decreases the insulation quality of clothing,
and as sweat evaporates, your body cools. Adjust your clothing so that you do not sweat. Do
this by partially opening your parka or jacket, by removing an inner layer of clothing, by
removing heavy outer mittens, or by throwing back your parka hood or changing to lighter
headgear. The head and hands act as efficient heat dissipaters when overheated.

L - Wear your clothing loose and in layers. Wearing tight clothing and footgear restricts blood
circulation and invites cold injury. It also decreases the volume of air trapped between the
layers, reducing its insulating value. Several layers of lightweight clothing are better than one
equally thick layer of clothing, because the layers have dead-air space between them. The
dead-air space provides extra insulation. Also, layers of clothing allow you to take off or add
clothing layers to prevent excessive sweating or to increase warmth.

D - Keep clothing dry. In cold temperatures, your inner layers of clothing can become wet from
sweat and your outer layer, if not water repellent, can become wet from snow and frost melted
by body heat. Wear water repellent outer clothing, if available. It will shed most of the water
collected from melting snow and frost. Before entering a heated shelter, brush off the snow
and frost. Despite the precautions you take, there will be times when you cannot keep from
getting wet. At such times, drying your clothing may become a major problem. On the march,
hang your damp mittens and socks on your rucksack. Sometimes in freezing temperatures, the
wind and sun will dry this clothing. You can also place damp socks or mittens, unfolded, near
your body so that your body heat can dry them. In a campsite, hang damp clothing inside the
shelter near the top, using drying lines or improvised racks. You may even be able to dry each
item by holding it before an open fire. Dry leather items slowly. If no other means are
available for drying your boots, put them between your sleeping bag shell and liner. Your
body heat will help to dry the leather.


A heavy, down-lined sleeping bag is a valuable piece of survival gear in cold weather. Ensure the down
remains dry. If wet, it loses a lot of its insulation value. If you do not have a sleeping bag, you can make
one out of parachute cloth or similar material and natural dry material, such as leaves, pine needles, or
moss. Place the dry material between two layers of the material.
Other important survival items are a knife; waterproof matches in a waterproof container, preferably one
with a flint attached; a durable compass; map; watch; waterproof ground cloth and cover; flashlight;
binoculars; dark glasses; fatty emergency foods; food gathering gear; and signaling items.
Remember, a cold weather environment can be very harsh. Give a good deal of thought to selecting the
right equipment for survival in the cold. If unsure of an item you have never used, test it in an "overnight
backyard" environment before venturing further. Once you have selected items that are essential for your
survival, do not lose them after you enter a cold weather environment.