Did you read about that family in Nevada that survived for 2 days out in the cold after a car accident? They wouldn’t have made it if they had not had used ingenious survival techniques. Their story is a really good reminder that you just never know what life is going to deliver and a little preparation goes a long way.
Here’s 10 quick tips to keep in mind, should you ever need to survive in the cold unexpectedly:
- The easiest way to remember the basics is to remember C.O.L.D. First, the C: Clothing clean. Keep you clothes clean. Clothes caked in dirt or grease lost their insulation value. Plus, if you are going to be out there any length of time, dirty clothes will become a sanitation issue.
- O: Overheating. Avoid overheating. When you get too hot, you start to sweat. Your clothes will become damp and you will lose valuable water. Try to dress in lots of layers during the winter. This will allow you to shed and add clothing as needed.
- L: Loose and layers. I know it already mentioned it, but loose layers of clothing allow you to regulate temperature as well as potentially share layers with others.
- D: Dry. Keep dry. Getting wet is a gateway to trouble. Find a place to stay dry, whether it is in a car, or under a makeshift shelter.
- Put a basic survival kit in your car. Put everything into a metal coffee can {that way, you will have a dry place to build a fire, if you need to}. Include matches, paper, a small first aid kit, knife {or multi-tool}, snacks, and bottled water. I always keep a blanket in the back of my car {mostly to cover up with at kids sporting events, but it could really come in handy as a layer of insulation, in an emergency situation.
- Keep top and bottom warm. Wear a hat, or create a head covering and make sure your feet stay warm.
- ALWAYS tell someone where you are going. If you are headed out for a hike or driving to Aunt Margie’s house, make sure to let someone know. It’s pretty hard to rescue you if you don’t know where to look.
- Follow the rule of 3. In any extreme environment, you have 3 hours to find shelter, 3 days without water, and 3 weeks without food.
- Keep snow boots in the car at all times during the winter. Even if you have something as silly as a flat tire, you will want to slip them on.
- Never, never, never leave the house without a coat at least in hand. Get in the habit of bringing it, even if you are just running down to the corner store.
Have you ever needed to use any of these tips? What other tips do you have for surviving the cold weather, if you suddenly needed to?
~Mavis
This post may contain affiliate links. These affiliate links help support this site. For more information, please see my disclosure policy. Thank you for supporting One Hundred Dollars a Month.
Beks says
It’s interesting you should post this. The last couple of days, the mornings here in Iowa have been pretty nice (like 40 degrees), so I didn’t take my coat to work. Temperatures dropped into the 20’s. I wore a hoodie, but it wasn’t nearly warm enough!
Michele C. says
I have tried to instill the idea of being prepared for a car emergency into my children. Of course they scoff, but it something my parents taught me and it is a very valuable lesson. They are not allowed to leave the house without coats hats, gloves, etc. We have an emergency bag we pack every Fall before bad weather and put it into the vehicles. It includes a couple of candles which can serve several purposes and flares, tarp or plastic, snacks, blankets, water etc. I think the coffee can is a great idea!
Ellen in Clackamas says
Michele, this sounds very much like the list my Dad taught me to put in the car in the fall. Two other things are a small shovel (like a camp shovel) and a bag of (cheap) kitty litter. Those things can help if you get stuck in the ditch or just in your driveway (ooo..don’t ask!!!)
Charly says
I use large popcorn tins to create emergency kits that I leave in each car. The tins are large enough to store pretty much everything, and innocous enough that they can stay in the trunk and not be disturbed. The kit contains: A cheap wool blanket (you can find them a military surplus stores cheap), a waterproof tarp, a couple of packs of hand warmers, a couple of Capri Suns, Food (peanut butter,raisins, energy bars, nuts), 4 plastic shopping bags (you can use them on feet under boots to help stay dry), 1-2 cheap polar fleece hats (stitch a tube out of polarfleece, cut to head size and knot or stitch closed), 1-2 pair mens tube socks (they can go on hands or feet), wooden matches, 1/2 role of toilet paper flattened (can be used for tinder too), first aid kit, and a crank flashlight. I seal the can with electrical tape so I know if its been opened and know to check it.
I would also recommend putting a couple of the carpet sample squares in the trunk. You can put them under your tires for added traction.
CathyB says
Even in Alaska, my kids want to jump in the car with just a sweatshirt. We are usually just driving around town, so I know we wouldn’t be hours out in the elements, but I still remind them that we could break down or slide off the road and have to walk a ways to get help. I always say, “Do you want to walk for a mile in that?” They don’t have to wear the coat, but at least take it with them!