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Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Staying warm in an emergency – Insulation

In a survival situation knowing how to properly insulate yourself and your cold weather shelter can mean the difference between life and death.
Similar to how double pane glass insulates your home by trapping air between its layers, to properly insulate yourself from the elements you need to trap air between your body and whats outside.
Whether you are in an urban or wilderness setting there are a number of things that you can use to stay warm.
Insulating a shelter with leavesWilderness Situation:
Fibrous plants, grasses, layers of bark, pine needles, leaves, wood, and even snow are all types of materials that you can use to insulate yourself and your shelter.
To insulate your shelter use the materials to build a thick layer over and inside your shelter. Layering the materials will help trap air, and more efficiently keep the heat inside your shelter. Make sure you also use a thick layer of insulating materials inside your makeshift mattress. Doing so will insulate yourself from the cold ground.
Don’t forget to insulate yourself.
One of the most effective ways of staying warm is to insulate yourself from the elements. To do this you need to create layers of material that will trap air between your body and the elements.
The best way to insulate your body is to shove fibrous materials, grass, cattail, or dried leaves between the layers of your clothing. If possible, try to put the insulating materials between a couple different layers of clothing.
Urban Insulation:
Urban environments have numerous types of materials that you can use to keep warm. Cardboard, foam, cloths, plastic, and bedding materials are just a few of the things that you will be able to find in an urban setting.
During an emergency a small room or closet could easily be turned into an insulted fortress. Couch cushions, blankets, towels and mattresses can all be used to add extra insulation to your little area.  You should also line your clothing with crumbled up newspapers, paper towels or any other insulating materials that you can find.

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