Over the years it seems that our members have more difficultly staying warm than anything else. Being a group of mostly native Arizonians this doesn’t surprise me, but with some planning and preparation we should be able to stay warm all winter long in any conditions we can find in Arizona. While this article is NOT a comprehensive discussion on dressing for extreme cold weather, it is a primer that covers Kachina Rescue’s operational needs very well. Individuals interested in building a clothing/shelter kit for extreme cold weather should feel free to contact me for assistance.

More often than not, the members that are miserable because of the cold are under or completely unprepared for the conditions we are operating in. However, don’t underestimate the psychological factor. If you head out with the attitude that you are going to be cold, you more than likely will feel be. Use your physical preparation to get you in the right psychological mode, if you planned properly and are prepared you will be warm; you just need to believe it!

Over the years I have come up with 10 rules that have kept me warm in severe cold/wet weather. Most of these rules have their foundation in what I was taught by my grandfather and father and what I learned Scouting and camping in northern New England as a teenager, over the past 10 years I added more tricks to my tool box as I learned more about hypothermia and patient care. I recently wrote down all the little tricks I have used to keep warm and distilled them into these ten rules in response to a question posted on an internet forum. My Ten Rules for Warmth in the Outdoors are:

• COTTON KILLS! Cotton or Poly-cotton blends should never be used as a base layer.
• DRESS IN LAYERS. More layers equal more options and allow you to adapt to changing conditions and activities.
• Bring extra clothing, extra layers and clean/dry clothing just for sleeping in.
• Never forget you head, face, neck, eyes, feet or hands.
• Clean clothing is warm clothing.
• Test you gear before you go.
• Proper hydration and nutrition are as important as proper clothing.
• Have a plan to get warm and dry before you are wet and cold.
• Being able to make a fire is good, having a gas camping stove is better!
• Money spent on quality clothing is money well spent. It is often the little details that the cheaper clothing misses that make the difference.

A Clothing System

Your clothing system is how you protect yourself from the elements. While this is a pretty self explanatory description, there are many common pitfalls along the way to developing a good cold weather kit that this article will hopefully help you avoid. If done right, your cold weather kit should keep you warm and dry and help keep you from becoming part of the emergency we are we are trying to resolve or experience an emergency all of your own. Dressing for cold weather is not a cheap endeavor, quality costs and quality appropriate clothing = a warmer, dryer wearer! Although building

your kit will be somewhat expensive, buying the latest and greatest Gucci gear can make it more expensive than it needs to be. Shopping smart can lead you to some exceptional deals, for example my REI Mistral jacket is as warm, windproof and water resistant as similar “name brand” soft shells but cost me $75 (last year’s model) vs. $300 for the “name brand” or $130 for the current year’s model which differed in only color. Shop the sales! Companies like REI which have their own store brand often have products that are equal or better quality then “name brands” for much less. The internet and eBay can also your friend when looking for deals. Building your kit can easily be accomplished in increments, replacing lesser clothing over time and as always, some of our senior members likely have clothing they can donate or lend to our less well equipped members.

Base Layer

The base layer serves two purposes, provide you the first layer of insulation and wick your perspiration away from your skin keeping you warm and dry. In order to accomplish these goals base layer garments should be tight fitting but not restricting. Your base layer is simply that, a base layer, it is the foundation of your whole clothing system, there to build upon.

Like the rules say, Cotton Kills. Cotton or poly-cotton blends should never be used as a base layer or underwear in cold weather. In warm conditions cotton dries very, very slowly and never dries in cold weather. Cotton can be great in hot weather, absorbing perspiration and cooling you. In Cold weather this same property causes cotton to sap heat energy from your body and speed the onset of hypothermia. Polypropylene or other hydrophobic synthetic fabrics work differently and “wick” perspiration away from the skin, keeping you dry and warm. Besides cotton, avoid wool and fleece for base layers, while both materials are better than cotton, neither have great wicking properties and are better suited as insulation.

Insulating Layers

Too often I seem member wearing HUGE jackets that are better suited for arctic conditions. While obviously warm, when you invest all of your insulation into one garment you have limited your options to either 100% of you insulation or none. Layering gives you a variety of insulation options and the air trapped between the layers adds additional insulation.

For my upper body I usually have three or four insulating layers for cold weather. One or more of these layers are light to mid-weight ¼ - ½ zip tops like The North Face’s El Cap. One of my layers will be a full zip fleece like The North Face’s Denali top or soft-shell like the REI’s Mistral Jacket. The last layer will always be a windproof fleece vest like The North Face’s WindWall 1 Vest. While I may not wear all of these layers at once, I do have that option if needed or I can mix and match to stay warm in just about any conditions or activity level.

My clothing system for the lower body is slightly simpler. Since legs produce much more heat while moving and I can slip into a sleeping bag if static for an extended period of time, I usually only carry one or two insulating layers for my lower body. Similar to my upper body clothing system one of my layers options will be a light to mid-weight pant like The North Face’s Moxie Pant and the other will be a fleece/soft-shell like REI’s Mistral Pant. However, in most conditions Arizona offers, my base layer and an outer layer is sufficient to stay warm while moving.

Outer Shell

The outer layer of our clothing system is our first line of defense against the elements. The outer layer may or may not add insulation to our system, but it must be capable of deflecting the wind and keeping us dry. I like to keep my outer shell garments lightweight, packable and breathable. I choose Marmot’s Precip jacket and over pant for my shell. The both back down smaller then a Nalgene bottle, are breathable enough to run in, are extraordinarily light and perform better than many articles twice their price! As the weather warms, I may only carry these two garments in my kit in case the weather worsens. While not a replacement for insulation, being able to protect yourself from the wind and rain can make the difference in being comfortable and miserable. In all but the coldest and wettest weather, REI’s Mistral Pant and jacket (or similar soft-shell garments) are great choices for a combination outer shell and insulating layer.

Work Clothes

One of the many dilemmas of dressing for cold weather is how poor our standard uniform for cold weather wear. All of our uniform shirts are 100% cotton, and most of our uniform pants are either 100% cotton or a poly-cotton blend. In most cases our uniform shirts can be worn over our base layer, if needed, with little problem. Our typical uniform pants are s different story all together. While out uniform shirts will likely be buried under other layers, our uniform pants are often our outer most layer. While I have had good luck with the drying capabilities of 65%/35% Poly-cotton blend BDU style pants from Tru-Spec and 5.11, I won’t trust my life when the temperature begins to drop below freezing. BDU style pants that are made with a nylon-cotton blend or, better yet, 100% nylon are a good option when the temperature begins to drop. 5.11 makes a nylon version of their tactical pant, and a number of companies make good “quick-drying” pants designed for hiking and trekking that may be better suited to our needs for SAR work. WORK UNIFORMS ARE NOT PART OF OUR LAYERING SYSTEM! When the temperature drops, feel free to leave you uniform in your car and wear clothing that is appropriate to the conditions… Function wins over form here.

Head, FACE, neck, EYES, Hands and Feet

Most of our members are pretty good at making sure that these critical points are covered, however it is worth discussing because they are so important. Protecting our head, face, eyes, hands and feet can go a long way to improving our comfort even if we are not 100% warm. Don’t skimp here! Spending a few bucks more on a good hat, boots or gloves can mean a HUGE improvement in performance.

Head Face and neck

Let’s start from the top down. You head is key to keeping the rest of our body warm. Ever notice how a tiny head wound bleeds profusely? The same mass of blood vessels that causes that bleeding also causes HUGE amounts of heat to be lost from the head. Cover you head and you will likely increase how warm you feel across your whole body! So, if your feet are cold cover your head, as the old mountain adage goes.

Our first priority in protecting our head should be keeping it dry. If you have a quality outer shell with a good hood you have this aspect covered. You could get a waterproof hat like Outdoor Research’s Seattle Sombrero or Marmot’s Precip Ball cap or Safari Hat if you have some extra cash to spend, and they are all very cool (yes I do have one of each) but the hood of a good outer shell will suffice. For warmth a good fleece cap should be sufficient for most conditions. I like Outdoor Research’s Fleece hats, they are warm light and cheap for the quality. Their Novo Watch Cap is my favorite and can be found for around $12 online and locally, it is light but warm enough for me down to about 10F and fits under a helmet comfortably. A slightly warmer option is the Mithril Bennie which is wind and waterproof or the gold standard for mountaineering caps the Peruvian Hat. Avoid cheap knit caps, they provide minimal insulation and no wind protection. There are a number of high quality knit caps available but they are typically much more expensive then good fleece caps.

You neck and face are another important areas to protect. Again, the hood from our outer shell jacket goes a long way in protecting our face and neck from wind and rain/snow but we will likely need to add some insulation as the temperature drops. In extreme cold, covering your face and filtering/warming the cold air can be the little advantage you body needs to stay warm.

While I love my Shemagh’s, desert scarf, for dust and moderate cold weather, they are 100% cotton and not suited for cold wet weather. A fleece neck gaiter like Outdoor Research’s or Seirus Polar Scarf is a better choice. A balaclava is also a good option, adding additional head protection if needed. Nomex or PBI firefighting hoods are not replacements for balaclavas, they are nowhere near as warm and they take forever to dry. While better than nothing, a $20 fleece/polypro balaclava is a much better choice.

Eyes

Don’t forget your eye protection. I have been asked more times that I can remember why so many “10 Essentials” lists have sunglasses on listed. There are two main reason sun glasses can be so important. First, sun and snow together can produce an environment brighter than any summer day in the desert. Especially at higher altitudes, conditions can be so bright that it can cause snow blindness, an extremely painful condition similar to the condition caused by looking into a welder’s arc. Sunglasses that block 99% of UV light and allow only 5-10% light transmission should be worn in these conditions to prevent this.

Sunglasses or goggles can also help keep our eyes warm, blocking yet another route for heat to escape. While a complete pain to keep fog free, in extreme cold weather glasses or preferably goggles are essential. For our purposes a good pair of sunglasses will usually be adequate, but a good pair of ski goggles can be found for under $30 if desired. I prefer sunglasses that have interchangeable lenses, having dark lenses for bright condition, orange or yellow for low light/overcast conditions and clear lenses for dark/night conditions make a single pair of glasses much more versatile. Just about every major sports glasses companies make glasses with interchangeable lenses and offers kits. I found that Ryder Eyewear makes some of the best glasses for the money, for about a quarter of what the other big brands cost you can get a great pair of glasses with 3-4 sets of lenses and a protective carrying case. Ryder’s optical quality isn’t as good as Oakley or Rudy Project (my company of choice); it shouldn’t be noticeable unless you have a severe astigmatism.

Hands

Buy Outdoor Research gloves and mittens! You can’t get better quality for the money. REI carries a number of their products suitable for our purposes. Personally I treat my hands like any other part of my body, using two or three layers to get better warmth and performance over a single glove. I start with a liner and insulating layer, depending on the conditions my liner may be simply a light polypropylene glove up to a heavier fleece glove. In extreme cold I may wear both. If the conditions dictate I will add an outer shell, Outdoor Research’s Snowline Mitts are my choice but there are a number of options providing addition insulation and built in liners. The Latitude Mitt System is more expensive but offers you the option of a durable stand alone glove; add a simple thin liner and you have a complete system! I like having a glove liner and a mitten outer shell for extreme cold, the glove liner allows me to take off my shell and have some protection while maintaining dexterity and mittens provide better warmth then gloves by reducing surface area to release heat to the outside. Most heavy gloves are useless dexterity wise, so why sacrifice the warmth? In colder conditions where you need to work with your hands a lot, use a heavier liner or winter work glove under you mittens. The options are limitless, but whatever your setup make sure that it provides for warmth as well as dryness.

Feet

You would be surprised at the number of people that spend hundreds on high quality winter clothing only to head outdoors with cotton socks and boots/shoes suitable for summer conditions. For most, there is no need to go out and spend huge amounts of money of specialized winter boots. In fact, for Kachina Rescue events and training a simple pair of well fitting hiking boots that are water proof will be adequate as long as you dress your feet correctly underneath. If you are shopping for a new pair of boots, consider getting a pair that are waterproof, because keeping your feet dry goes a long way to keeping them warm!

Again, start with a thin sock liner made from a good hydrophobic material can help your feet stay comfortable wicking moisture away from the skin, keeping them warm and helping reduce blister causing friction. Liners are cheap, good polypropylene liners go for under $5, and can make a huge difference in long term comfort.

Over the liner we need a sock that provides good insulation but is still comfortable to hike in. When shopping for socks for cold weather hiking/SAR work look for socks that are described as Hiking, trekking or mountaineering and avoid ski socks. Ski socks are designed more static activities, where the foot isn’t actually moving, that we will be doing. There are a number of quality hiking/trekking socks on the market today but Smartwool makes my socks of choice for just about every condition and activity, they use very high quality material, are comfortable and very durable. For some, a light hiking sock may be a better choice for a liner if they have big problems keeping their feet warm.

While boots that are waterproof are preferred, as they keep their insulating value longer, a pair of waterproof over socks may be another option. Cheaper then a new pair of boots, these can help keep your feet dry even if you boots are soaked through.

A word of warning though, before you go out and buy a ton of thick socks make sure that you feet will still fit in your boots with them on! When buying socks, bring the boots you intend to wear them with and try the entire system on, liner, sock, and over sock to make sure that you are able to get you boot on without cutting off circulation to your feet.

As always, extra socks are a must! While we recommend that you have at least one pair of extra socks in your 24 hour search kit during the summer, we recommend having 2 extra sets for the winter (minimum). Having a nice dry and warm set of socks when getting into a sleeping bag to warm up is a beautiful thing.

The rest of it

While your clothing system is you shelter while you are working and moving, when you are stationary you may need to provide yourself with better protection from the elements. When you are active, your body helps keep you warm by providing heat from exertion. When stationary, that added heat goes away and additional layers are needed. One quick and easy way to stay warm when stopped for an extended period is to get into a sleeping bag. Sleeping bags appropriate to the conditions help you conserve body heat much better than any clothing system could. Having the appropriate supplies in your first and second line kits to build a shelter quickly or make a warm meal and drink are very important. We will discuss warming and re-warming more in future training.

Speaking of nutrition and hydration, your body will burn a lot of calories trying to stay warm. Skimping on food, or trying to eat healthy (i.e. low fat, low calories) when out working in the cold is simple dumb. You will be significantly colder and more miserable then you need to be. Many people neglect their hydration as it gets colder, but cold weather brings drier conditions which can dry us out as quickly as the summer heat. While it can be an annoyance to have to keep undressing to relieve yourself, not drinking so you don’t have to is also just plain dumb. Even mild dehydration can expedite hypothermia or cause other conditions that can cause you to need to be carried off the mountain!

On last note, keep your stuff dry! Pack extra clothing in waterproof bags and avoid getting anything wet if possible. A few minutes spent to stay out of the wet stuff are well spent and can mean the difference between an enjoyable experience and the leading role in a rescue.