Emergency Cache and Cold weather Camping

[JohnHarrelson]

While browsing the Forums I came across a discussion on sleeping in a car in cold weather. Rather than highjack that thread I thought I would start a new one covering more aspects than just sleeping in a car.

Please remember these are just my experiences and each of us have had different ones and I welcome yours in this discussion.

I have Always... as in … ALWAYS... even if only driving around the corner to the grocery store.. carried an Emergency Cache  in my vehicle.

In it is a set of "Sweats" along with 2x underwear and socks plus sneakers and a HEAVY coat, warm hat and gloves.
it also includes two wool army blankets and a 99 cent plastic painter's drop cloth, (10' x 12' )

included in the cache are paper towels, toilet paper, toothbrush and toothpaste, deodorant, comb, small mirror, flashlight, spare batteries and  first aid kit.
Plus... some simple foods that have a long shelf life and don't require preparation.. candy bars, jerky, crackers, bottled water and nuts.

All these things fit inside an "under the bed" plastic tote that fits perfectly "under" the back seat of my 2010 F-150

I have personally carried all these things plus more in my pick-up truck inside a plastic bag, and later in a plastic tote, for over 50 years.. changing out the entire cache every six months to insure freshness and safety.

as to sleeping in cold weather...
* What is under you is just as important as what's over you.. always carry two (or more) blankets, one to lay on and one to cover up with.
* Always remove your socks and put on a clean pair.. the sweat/moisture in the first pair will make your feet cold.
* Remove outer clothing and slip on a pair of loose or baggy sweat pants and sweat shirt.. 
   Loose fitting clothing traps body heat, tight fitting clothing does not.
* Wear a loose fitting cap when sleeping, the soft cotton style is best.. it traps heat but allows your head to breath instead of sweating. 
   (My old Army helmet clothe liner works great)
* Do not eat or drink anything two hours before going to bed and have a "PEECUP" within reach of the bed

These are just some things I have learned over the years.  (some learned the hard way)

To quote my favorite author  (me)   "A day without learning is like a day without sunshine.. Dull and Dreary"  

When I get too old to stop learning, throw the dirt in my face.. So now lets hear about some of your ideas. 

John

 

[AMGS3]

Back when I was in high school drivers Ed I remember clearly one day in class our teacher spent about half the class period on what to pack in a roadside emergency kit. Basically it was a set of two coffee cans with all the things he thought we'd need to not freeze to death if we became stranded in the winter.

I still carry the same basic setup, except it's in a large metal coffee can and a large aluminum Aladdin lunch box now. The all metal is so mice don't get into it. I've got a few cleaned out metal cans to use as candle holders for my emergency candles and to melt snow if it comes to that. There's no water in my emergency kit because it would just freeze about half the year. A couple of those emergency foil blankets. A book of matches. About 3 dozen of those long lasting emergency candles. 4 or 5 carabineers of different sizes. Asmall first aid kit. A reflective foldable sheet with suction cups to put in the rear window of the truck or the back window of the topper if I have the topper on. A fire starter fero rod and a multi tool knife. And a couple quart sized Mason jars packed with hard candies.

If its at all even close to freezing I bring my winter coat, hat, mittens, and snow boots. The only time I've ever had to unexpectedly spend the night in the truck it was the first week of Oct and boy was I ever glad for those boots and gear.

I always bring my half gallon water bottle and some type of granola bar, jerky, etc... with me whenever I leave. It originally started as a super frugal habit in my early 20s but has definitely come in handy the past couple decades.

The hard candies are because I watched this surviver show a long time ago and the 'survival expert' that was interviewed said in a situation where you're waiting for help to arrive you don't need a ton of food to survive. If you stay in your vehicle all you have to do is keep warm, as opposed to being lost in the forest where you'd have to build a shelter and fight the wind, which takes much more energy. Calorically if you have water (or melted snow) and a handful of hard candy daily you're not going to starve.

I also keep an emergency shovel and a bag of sand or kitty litter, in addition to the regular jumper cables and tools I have in the truck. So far I've been lucky. I've helped other people out, or let them use my stuff to help themselves out, almost every winter, but haven't really needed them much for myself.

I know I'm forgetting things. One is a bundle of paracord. That stuff comes in handy for everything. I even wound it back and forth between my truck and a stuck car one time a few years back (until there was 6 layers of it) and pulled a little Mazda right out of the mud. It was axel deep too. I thought it was going to snap the cord but it didn't.

~angie

Sent from my VS501 using Tapatalk

 

[bullfrog]

If you are going to carry jumper cables carry some steel wool wrapped up in the rag you use to check you oil with. Makes a great fire starter. Just spread out the steel wool a little lay the rag with smaller pieces of wood on top, attach the battery cables to the battery and one to one end of the steel wool then touch the other battery cable to the farthest side of the steel wool. The steel wool with turn red hot and ignite in seconds. Steel wool should be in your tool kit for cleaning electrical cables any way.

 

[WILD@HEART]

Be Aware & Prepare For Emergencies (because they happen...)

I keep....9v batteries & steel wool (Fire), Ferous rod/ Magnesium striker (Fire), vaseilne & cotton balls (Fire) Bic lighters (Fire) , 
Maglights/ flashlights Gorilla tape, Zip ties, tools, emergency flares/beacons/reflective triangles, first-aid kit, space blankets, wool blankets extra clothing/outerwear/ wool (if wool gets wet it will still keep you warm) ETC....plan accordingly.. 
 
RULE OF 3'S

3 is Best, Two is one, One is none. (Redundancy is good)

You can survive...

3 seconds without hope,
3 minutes without air, 
3 hours of exposure
3 days without water
3 weeks without food

 

[QinReno]

Along these lines, hikers are always advised to take the 10 Essentials in their daypacks.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Essentials

Speaking of 3s, I have all of the following and will leave the exact contents of the 3 bags to your own imagination. 
- #1: a fully equipped emergency bag similar to what's been described here by others.
- #2: I've been carrying 2 such bags in my SUV for some time - something similar to #1, plus a bag of extra warm clothing during the winter months.
- #3: I also have a small zipper pouch with the most important of the 10 Essentials (sans water and food and extra clothing) to go into the secondary pocket of my daypacks. 

To me the highly important thing to have in all 3 packs is the mylar emergency blanket, then the Swiss army knife. Also, in my emergency pack, I have a plastic tube tent, which is what we used to use years ago for backpacking. Weighs only ounces, and you could survive for days in one of these in bad weather. Staying dry is #1.
https://www.walmart.com/search/?query=tube+tent

There is another option, #4, talked about in the survival magazines called the "Bugout Bag". This is basically similar to much of what's described above, but stripped down to being lightweight and carrying the exact items one would want in an immediate emergency situation to survive for a few days. Easy to figure out the contents.

I also mentioned this on another thread recently. If stranded in a car in the winter, one can use a candle to help keep the inside of the car from freezing. Crack the window a bit for ventilation.
https://www.consumeraffairs.com/new...xpensive-emergency-heating-system-012914.html

 

[Jack]

Fantastic thread!  I wish more would post their own supplies.  You never know what will resonate with someone else.  Living in MinneSNOWta and having been through tornados and earthquakes, I'm a firm believer in survival kits.  Not having a vehicle at the moment, I don't have one.  But I am taking notes.