Cold Weather Clothing and Equipment

Prepared for CAP ESSE- M. Bennett

Topics

• Cold Weather Clothing–Why do you stay warm–What do you need to stay warm– Fabric Structures – Common Materials– The Layer Principle

• Getting Some Sleep– Adequate Shelter– Clothing and Gear– Sleeping Bag and Ground Pads

Cold Wx Clothing – Why Do You Need to Stay Warm?

• Positive Mental Attitude– Being cold sucks.

• Prevent Hypothermia–Maintain core body heat (98.6!)– Stay dry

• Prevent Frostbite– Frozen fingers can’t start fires– Frozen feet hurt to walk

Cold Wx Clothing – What Do You Need to Stay Warm?

• Head and Neck– How much body

heat is lost from the head and neck?

– Knit caps– Ear muffs– Scarves– Face Masks

• Hands– Gloves– Mittens

• Core Body– Thermal layers to

trap body heat– Barriers against

water and wind

• Feet– Socks– Sock Liners– Proper Boots

Cold Wx Clothing – Fabric Structures

• Two primary structures for cold weather fabrics–Woven Fabrics• Tight structure using parallel yarns to

increase density• Good for resisting wind; bad as a thermal

insulator

– Knit Fabrics• Loose structure utilizing loops for stretch• Good as a thermal insulator; bad at

resisting wind

Cold Wx Clothing – Fabric Structures

• Woven Fabrics– Repetitive over/under

pattern– Yarns are pulled tight

during weaving, so finished fabric has little stretch

– Very little space between yarns = good protection against the elements

Cold Wx Clothing – Fabric Structures

• Knit Fabrics– Rows of intersecting

loops going across a fabric horizontally

– Yarns are loose, and finished fabric can stretch easily

–Millions of small air pockets in loops = good thermal insulator

Cold Wx Clothing – Common Materials

Synthetic Fabrics• Polypropylene Fleece• Gortex• Nylon/Polyester/

Elastane Blends (Under Armor®)

Natural Fabrics• Silk• Cotton• Wool • Down

• Hydrophilic or Hydrophobic?• Primary Use?

Cold Wx Clothing – The Layer Principle

• Many light layers are better than one heavy layer

• Use only as many layers as needed to stay warm

• Prevents sweating under one heavy layer

• Each layer traps pockets of warm air to insulate you against the cold

Cold Wx Clothing – The Layer Principle

• Black vertical lines represent an individual layer of cold wx clothing.

1: Base Layer (Thermal)

2: Polypropylene Fleece (Thermal)

3: BDU’s (Protective)4: Heavy Jacket/Pants

(Protective)

4 3 21

Getting Some Sleep – Adequate Shelter

• The level of shelter necessary to allow for adequate sleep will vary with changing weather conditions.

• Tarp/Poncho Shelters• Natural Shelters• Snow Caves/Igloos

Getting Some Sleep – Clothing and Gear

• How should you prepare your gear and excess clothing for the night?

• Take off your boots• Remove belts and small items from

pockets• Wet or icy clothing/equipment should

be left outside to freeze• Unworn shirts or socks should be in

the sleeping bag with you.

Getting Some Sleep – Sleeping Bags and Ground Pads

• Most sleeping bags work by trapping heat in small air pockets

• Compressing the sleeping bag material reduces heat conservation

• Ground pads provide an extra layer of insulation between your body heat and the frozen ground

Questions?