How do you stay warm in wintry weather without a working furnace or fire? Many events, unforeseen or as part of your daily life, may put you into situations of extreme cold in which you risk life-threatening hypothermia and/or frostbite if your aren't prepared. Over the years, I've tried wool, down, fleece, and synthetic materials as I've gone on winter Klondikes with the Boy Scouts, or skiing & other winter activities with my family. I've slept in tents and snow caves and camp trailers. In most circumstances, those winter nights were miserable tests of endurance. My wife & I zip our down sleeping bags together and have been much more comfortable. However, recently we've discovered the benefits of foam clothing & sleeping bags.
Everyone should know by now that in wet winter weather, Cotton Kills! It may be great and breathable in warm weather, but cotton sweatshirts and socks are your worst enemies in winter, especially as they get wet, even from just your own perspiration. Many people find wool uncomfortable, although newer merino wool blends are as comfortable as cotton. It even retains some insulation capacity if it gets wet. Down is the ultimate in warmth, but is totally useless when wet. New synthetic down or water-repellent down are great improvements and still very lightweight, but also very costly. Regardless of the material, eventually it will absorb moisture and lose the ability to insulate you from the cold. After 3-4 days, or even a full week, most of these need aired out so they can dry.
Foam, on the other hand has so many benefits. For one, it can take the cold day after day for indefinite use. You can jump into a frozen lake, squeeze out the water, go to bed under a tarp and not only stay warm, but wake up drier than when you went to bed. Every year, groups of people spend an entire week on top of the mountain pass above Logan, Utah, in blizzard-like conditions, without any tents or campfires in clothing they made themselves from polyurethane foam. They all remark how amazingly comfortable foam clothing & sleeping bags will keep them.
Jim Philips is the pioneer in developing this simple technology and has a lot of great resources on his website www.safeharboralliance.com. He offers classes on how to make your own clothes and even offers ready-made clothing sets. He explains that in an emergency, you can find foam in a lot of places that can be stuffed inside your clothes or wrapped around you and may just save your life if stranded away from home or are suddenly without working heaters at home. Your carpeting has an underlayment of 1/2" foam. Your car seats have thick foam as well. If your alternative is to cut up your carpeting or car seat which will need replaced later versus freezing to death, from which you cannot recover, what will you do? If you have time to plan ahead and secure a full set of foam clothing and sleeping bags before an emergency arrives, how much peace of mind will that provide you and your family?
Local entrepreneur, John Arbon, has taken these concepts even further with high-quality clothing under the brand Fortress Clothing, and four-season sleeping bag systems called Pakanuni. Be aware that there is a waiting list for his sleeping bags. You can find the clothing sets at some emergency preparedness conventions and online. You can have these custom made or download patterns and just buy your foam and material from John (much cheaper than you'll find it anywhere else). You can email him through his website, or contact me for his phone number.
Read the links below and watch the videos that demonstrate how foam out-performs even the most advanced winter sports gear on the market.
http://www.safeharboralliance.com/palstrade/
http://www.fortressclothing.com/
https://pakanuni.com/
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