Stay Safe & Comfortable on Your Next Adventure
by Ed H Edwards, Lansing Chapter Member, avid hunter, and fisherman
Stay Warm When the Weather Is Cold and Cool When It Is Hot!
I’m often asked, “How do I stay warm when hunting or fishing in cold weather?” To explain how to stay warm, let’s review the source of body heat and how it can be lost in cold weather.
The human body needs to maintain a stable body temperature. When away from external sources of heat is what we produce internally. Inner body warmth comes from eating food high in carbohydrates. Carbs provide fast energy for muscles, nerves, and the brain are burned in a short period, and must be replenished often to stay warm. Great energy foods to eat on the go include fruits, nuts, and certain candy. Hydration is as equally important in cold as in hot weather.
On a cold day, a person can lose body heat and get cold quickly in any of the following four ways. Let’s look at a hypothetic example of each on a 35F day with gusting wind at times bringing the felt chill down to the mid-20s.
Four hunters leave their vehicles and walk to their open stands and each makes a mistake that results in a miserable cold experience.
Hunter “A” we will call Matt forgot his gloves and did not wear adequately insulated boots for the day. After sitting in the cold metal stand and holding his gun in his bare hands Matt got cold in a hurry as he lost heat and became cold by conduction.
Hunter “B” Marty headed out wearing an uninsulated cap and he got very cold in a short period of time. The human head is the only part of the body where blood vessels do not contract to conserve heat because they supply the brain with oxygen to ensure its proper functioning. An estimate you hear often by cold weather survival experts claims that 50% of the body’s heat production can be lost through an unprotected head. This form of heat loss is radiation.
Hunter “C” Ron dressed way too light for the weather conditions. His clothes did not have enough insulation to stop the cold air from taking away his warmth. The movement of air created a wind chill factor that pulled surface warmth away and replaced it with cold air faster than his body could rewarm it. This heat loss is convection.
Hunter “D” Jim did not have time to get cold on the stand. A dandy 8-point strolled by right at shooting time and he rushed the shot and pulled it a little far back. He followed the blood trail and found the buck after it had gone approximately 150 yards and died deep in a marshy area that was not vehicle accessible. Jim tagged, field dressed, and started to drag the buck to solid ground. It was strenuous work and within minutes Jim was sweating profusely. He had made a clothing error and had on a base layer of a quilted cotton shirt and long johns as his base layer which became damp and made a wet cold layer against his skin. Stopping to rest after pulling the buck to solid ground Jim became cold and shivered back to his vehicle. Sweating is the natural way the human body cools itself, however, sweating can be dangerous during cold weather. There is a big difference between healthy sweating on a summer afternoon playing golf and sweating in cold weather which can lead to shivering, frostbite, and hypothermia. Jim got very cold from the lack of sweat evaporation from his skin.
Okay, so much for the anatomy and chemistry and what not to do, so let’s look at how to dress and stay warm and dry during cold weather.
Clothing for Cold Weather
The only way to dress comfortably for a cold day is to wear clothing that preserves body heat while allowing any sweat to evaporate freely. This is accomplished by wearing clothing that provides insulation and ventilation when necessary after years of trying and tweaking different clothing designs and materials the following works for me.
Upper Body Base Layer. Since it is worn against the skin it should allow moisture to escape via evaporation. The first rule to staying warm is to stay dry. The common undergarment materials are synthetic blends that breathe and are manufactured by Under Armour and others.
Mid layers. For my upper body, I follow with a Merino wool T-shirt, a wind-stopper wool sweater, and a wool vest.
Outer Layer. An insulated wool parka.
The parka and vest normally stay in my backpack until I reach my stand. If the day warms up adjustments can be made by removing layers.
Lower Body. Synthetic base layer followed with heavy fleece long johns, and either light fleece pants of KUIU water resistant pants if rain or snow is expected.
Foot Wear. Heavy merino wool over the calf socks and insulated knee boots or waders.
Head and Neck. Balaclava, insulated cap, and cashmere scarf.
Hands. Heavy wool fingerless gloves are my normal go and a pair of insulated gloves/mitts so go into my pack. Handwarmers are always in my pack but seldom used.
I’m old school and like wool garments but nowadays synthetic materials of equal warmth that are much lighter are available from Sitka, KUIU, and others. These garments will no doubt keep you safe and comfortable, just remember to dress in layers!
Stay Cool When It IS Hot
Heat illnesses range from heat rash, heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and potentially fatal heat stroke.
What constitutes dangerous heat conditions? High air temperature is certainly a common reason for heat illness but there are several other factors that can greatly contribute.
Humans have a narrow range of tolerable internal temperature changes as previously mentioned in the How to stay warm portion of this article. When our core temperature rises a very small amount the body reacts by initiating defenses against overheating (medical term hyperthermia} to protect the brain. Adrenaline increases the heart rate which sends heated bleed to dilated vessels near the skin surface. Several million sweat glands generate perspiration that absorbs skin heat and carries it away via evaporation. Cooled blood then recirculates back to the organs and the heat reduction cycle continues until the core temperature lowers to normal. Heat strain occurs when this physiological process cannot get the job done and the internal temperature does not normalize. Evaporative cooling is the body’s main defense against heat stress. Anything that blocks that process of evaporation is bad and anything that aids it is good.
Humidity can be very bad since sweat is only cooling when it evaporates and the higher the moisture content in the air the slower the rate of evaporation. The heat index takes humidity into account. Take a 90F air temperature and add 90% humidity and the felt temperature on the body is 122F.
The sun’s radiation can add significant heat, especially in desert, tropical, and high-elevation locations. Ultraviolet intensity increases about 10% for every thousand-foot rise in elevation. Direct sun on a cloudless day can add as much as 15F to felt heat.
Another influence on evaporative sweat cooling is air movement. A gentle breeze (even from a moving boat or vehicle} aids evaporation and cooling. Conversely in still humid air sweat pools and drips from the skin which uses up the body’s water without providing any relief. Improper clothing prevents heat dissipation. Proper hot-weather clothing should be thin, loose-fitting, and light color. Garments that are of a wicking material and vented are the best. The human scalp and face are heavy sweat areas and a wide-brimmed hat is a good investment to shade the head from the sun’s radiation. In addition to protective clothing a 50 SPF or higher sunscreen is recommended.
Related: Don’t Get Burned! Protecting Yourself from Skin Cancer
Other influences that can increase heat-related illness include poor physical condition, fatigue, alcohol consumption, and some medications. Anyone with cardiac or high blood pressure problems is at a higher risk and should take extra precautions against heat stress.
The best prevention to avoid heat-related illness besides clothing is to stay hydrated! Staying adequately hydrated is essential for healthy and safe functioning in hot conditions. Thirst alone is not an adequate gauge of hydration needs. Once you feel thirsty your body is already in a state of dehydration. The best practice is to pre-hydrate, maintain hydration, and post-hydration. In hot conditions drink 12 or more ounces of water about an hour before exertion, and slowly drink another 12 ounces per hour during exertion. Slowly drink another 12 ounces one hour after exertion. This is only a suggested minimum amount and depending on conditions consumption needs may be greater.
The test for adequate hydration is urine color which should be clear to light yellow. .Darker colors indicate progressive levels of dehydration. Any illnesses that can cause fluid loss increase the risk of heat illness. Diarrhea, vomiting, fever, and infection, are examples. Dehydration can be cumulative increasing over a period of several days.
It is a good idea to set hot and cold limits when planning outdoor activities. Nowadays I avoid being out if the wind chill is less than 10F and days with a felt heat index higher than 95F.
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Lessons learned from personal careless mistakes.
A very cold miserable day.
It was -2F when we parked the truck for a late-season goose hunt. The river we set up next to was frozen over despite the current. Not much was happening then a small flock came in silent and I managed to drop one about 25 yards from the bank. The goose was dead in the air and came down hard and broke through and stuck in the thin ice. The water was shallow so I was able to break through the ice by sitting on it, taking a step then repeating the slow-going method until I was able to retrieve the goose and my gloves and hands got wet in doing so. The walk back to the truck was not far so I made it back before my hands froze. On future cold weather hunts, a long-handled net always goes into the boat or sled to retrieve the birds and an extra pair of gloves and hand warmers stay in my backpack the entire season!
A hot miserable day.
Fishing is excellent in the Sea of Cortez during the summer months and despite the temperature often reaching the century mark, there is normally enough cloud cover and breeze to make it tolerable as long as you stay hydrated and wear proper clothing. This day that was not the case no breeze or cloud cover. We were after bottom fish (snapper and grouper) and I drooped a two-jig bottom rig in the approximately 100 feet deep- water over a reef. I hooked up with an unwanted eel that wrapped itself around the line numerous times and strangled itself before I could land it creating an awful line tangle. The smart thing to do would have been to cut the line, put the mess into the fish box, rerig, and drink a bottle of water. Instead, I tried to sort it out and became very hot, sweaty, and dehydrated. My head was sweating so badly and dripping into my eyes they burnt as if I had been maced! I had to rinse them out with cool water and hold a wet towel over them until the burning subsided. My stubborn streak got the best of me that day!
Nearly freezing to death on an 85F day.
Fishing about 8 miles out from the Orange Beach, Alabama coast for EARS (Endangered American Red Snapper) we had a good school of fish marked. Several other boats were fishing the same structure but soon we were all alone for good reason. Two storm fronts were approaching one from the north and one from the west. Heading south was not possible since the closest land was Cuba in that direction. We headed east and the 21-foot boat was slammed with five-foot and higher waves and I nearly went overboard several times. We were pelted with raindrops that felt like hail and were ice cold. Three things kept us alive that morning, my brother-in-law’s boat handling experience, a reliable bilge pump, and the single 175 HP Yamaha keep going! We were pushed nearly 20 miles east and able to pull into Pensacola Pass out of rough water completely soaked and shivering from the cold rain water. The storm passed and we were able to dry off and warm up quickly. That boat and motor were sold shortly after that experience and replaced with a wide hull 25-footer with twin 150’s! Since that trip, we always keep a close eye on the sky regardless of the weather forecast!
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