@@Caintuckee64 I made a mistake on an early spring hike and almost got stuck on the opposite side of a river after dark. It was 38 degrees that night and I was wearing shorts. Long story short, I thought two trails would connect but they didn't, so I hiked 22 miles through the mountains on my first hike of the season. I got caught in the woods well after dark. It was a learning experience.
Some tips from a Norwegian Wim Hof'er 1. Woollen underwear. Using wool as a base layer dramatically improves the temperatures you will be able to handle. It also helps when you do start sweating, because wool breathes extremely well and transports moisture away from the skin, BUT the best thing about wool is that it also warms when it's wet. This is Norwegian "common knowledge" and everybody uses it. 2. Sleep with the window open. I have my window open year round, and currently the Norwegian winter is throwing -15C into my bedroom, but I sleep naked under a single down comforter and I never wake up because I'm cold. It improves my sleep and I'm much more rested during my winter sleep. This is also very common in Norway. I heard a story of a man who couldn't close his window anymore because the wood had warped from being open constantly for 10+ years. 3. Cold conditioning. Watch Kenton's videos, start taking cold showers, and buy the Wim Hof Fundamentals course. This is a true game changer for embracing the cold. Use shorts all the time. I use shorts even in -15C (when I'm moving around). Stand outside in your t shirt until you start shivering, wait a bit longer and then go inside. Repeat the process and you'll see you'll be able to endure longer every time, which means you'll stay warmer with clothes on. 4. Jerven Fjellduk Thermo Extreme. This is an insulated bivvy bag produced in Norway that the Norwegian army uses as an emergency winter sleeping bag and wind/water resistant shelter. They've tested these in wind tunnels with -40C temperatures with a clothed person inside, and never did their core temperature drop to dangerous levels. Having one of these in your pack basically eliminates the need for a lot of extra heavy clothing and greatly increases your general comfort and will make a huge difference in a survival situation. 5. Embrace the cold. Start enjoying the feeling of being a bit chilly. Just like Kenton says in this video. Be outside a lot in the snow and love the winter! Realize that your body is a heat producing MACHINE and that it will do this if you give it the chance. In safe environments, push beyond the comfort zones and train your body to start converting stored energy into heat. The chemical processes are happening all day long already, but you can train your body to become more efficient at it. 6. Food. Your body is a product of what you put into it. Food becomes your body. Food is energy, and thus food also determines the energy that is influencing your mind. Food becomes thoughts. The Indians have known this for thousands of years, and their science is called ayurveda. Increasing your pitta (digestive fire) will have enormous effects on your abilities to generate heat.
My friend, so good to see you here! What AMAZING advice -- a treasure-trove! I'm very curious about that Jerven Fjellduk Thermo Extreme. Doesn't look like we can even get it in the U.S. unless we order from overseas. It looks incredible! Thanks for all of this valuable information, straight from Norway!!! Love, Kenton =)
Love the gamer analogy.I have spent three winters homeless, stealth camping without fire, before knowing all of this that I know now like wim hoff...loads of great tips in this one, especially the potato. Not enough people talk about leather pants, I love em. never had brain tanned smoked buck skin though, that would be a major step up for me. The best pair I ever found was a pair of what was sold to me as moleskin, for the price I didn't want to argue, they were actually thick brown upholstery thick veg tanned nubuck but lasted many trips. What I actually want to make at some point is a leather hakama to wear over wool pants, that and a 3/4 kimono/cowl out of an army blanket with a leather outer trench coat. In my opinion a kimono of equivalent material is far more heat efficient than a cloak for less weight. Might not be as great a blanket for some though. I never went anywhere without a hand squeeze training tool, the 4/1 spring ones, this keep up circulation when you are just walking, I never knew then one of the reasons for this is that activating the thumb and fourth finger gives pulses to the triple heater meridian. I now use a mudra for a similar effect that works full body. Try this yourself. tinyurl.com/y7vyk3ja Take off enough layers and sit until you start to shiver, then do this with both hands in or out of your pocket, ONLY if you have either chi reserves or caloric reserves. Notice how quickly you stop shivering? For me it's about a one second delay. Then, interlock the rings made and notice how the heat warms the hands at the same time. Another chi one, grasp the base of each finger in a tight thumb and index finger grip then pull the blood towards the tip. I do this in a twisting motion, that may be my higher self channeling better info but it works for me..., do this three times on each finger, again notice the meridian system clear itself up, instantly. What this actually does is forces the energy to move through and clear energy blockages which revitalises the meridian system. Get a boot one size too big and add a conditioned pram liner sheeps wool, it wears far far longer, my pram liner is currently ancient, I don't know what they do to it but damn it lasts. To the bottom of this with double sided adhesive tape cut a base from a foam windshield reflector, or just use the reflector if you ain't dealing with snow too much. The extra air is constantly recycled through the boot when you walk and it's lighter than a more compact way of carrying warm thick wool socks. Use either merino if you can afford it and find them in stock or regular wool toe socks as your first base sock, then add your regular wool sock above this, same principle as the mittens over gloves and it doesn't restrict meridian energy movement in the toes, which in turn helps realign the lower system, also the anatomical foot benefits to this are amazing. The extra air between both layers should be obvious. Wash the foot in cold water before you go to bed, same shock therapy method as the wim hof in conjunction with the meridians. You can wrap a shemagh around each leg under a pair of fishnet tights it's a pretty good internal chap system. That fancy black merino shemagh would surely be better but I haven't tried it. A double layer of thai silk pants stitched together at the leg hems can be filled with chopped grasses if and when needed, I also discovered dirt doesn't really stick to silk, aside from it's heat trap benefits even empty, it's strong enough to bend steel if it's wet, can be boiled with zero ill effect (the thread might suffer) which means it can be sterilised if needs be. Would I get a pair with too long too baggy a leg so I can tie the bottom together as a sleeping bag lining system....I might...let me see, double layer of silk pants that can be stuffed with no mess versus a silk sleeping bag liner...yeah, I think so. Carry cayenne, not Tabasco as Forrest Gump suggests. It's far better for the blood system and the root chakra. If you don't like chili, suck it up. If you are at all squeamish about eating worms or what ever you'll de glad to have it. Mind you vanilla also flavours everything it touches just as powerfully...but it needs to be carried in glass, chilli can be carried in steel or ti. I would be really surprised to learn that you don't do chi gong or some form of energy work, if you have reached the ability to move energy over any distance you will be able to communicate with trees much more easily. The energy of intent can work as your method of speaking and trees are only too over the moon happy to help warm you if you ask it of them. For this reason I do disagree with your stance on sitting, your back against a tree with hands touching the base of the tree can be very beneficial. It can even tell you where water is and possibly some other foods sources. They are very very wise creatures. A domed roof in your shelter I think circulates heat better and gets lost less, that could be my mind playing tricks though. Over my forearms I used to wear a buff, place the out sretched buff along the whole arm, keep one edge about 2-3 inches over the elbow joint, put the other arm in from the other side and lift the buff up, then twist the top arm, wrap this second loop around the upper wrist. This keeps heat from loss at the vital wrist junction.Another buff secret, slice it down the middle length ways and melt the edge, stitch it together and you can use this as a similar arm or ankle liner, I use these for cycling too to keep my pant leg away from the gears. It's not the same as a proper puttee, but it helps. I haven't used properly shaped puttees to compare but Survival Russia occasionally inspires me to try them. I never have a gap in my mid section in winter, I will pull my inner pants up high over the merino merino base top, then another top layer sits over this, finally my pants cinch these layers together. This would be a Japanese trick I guess, based on wearing a cowl type scarf over the dantien, what I would now call the root and sacral chakra region. I am sure I have more, but thats enough I think.
Wow, what a wealth of material you've provided here! I'm going to be reading over your words multiple times and trying much of this out! Thanks for always bringing your wisdom here! Love, Kenton =)
Well if you haven't tried it before, talking to trees takes a while...lol. but your calm mind and open acceptance will surely speed the process. As always I am glad to be of service.
Wow, you went homeless in winter? That sounds like hard surviving! What were the temps like? That would be a steep learning curve for me, I've been lazy for a few years and now I'm softer than I should be. I have been trying to toughen up a bit with the cold. Awesome giant post.
Think this 'trick' may not be a bad idea, so i put it here separate. If you are going to go outside for long period of time, it's a good idea to bring something to drink with you anyways, so consider getting a metal thermos (so it's 'adverture sturdy' enough), and put some boiling water in there. That water will stay plenty hot for several hours, and thus you can use it to heat up your inner core with nice hot water as a drink when ever you want. If you have a metal drinking cup, you can poor hot water in there and hold the cup, which will heat your hands while you use the hot water to heat your core. ;) … and do not think of this as cheating, because if you COULD make a fire, you would likely use it to make a hot drink to combat the cold anyways, so if you can't have a fire, just bring the hot drink ! … ps. you can insulate the bottle even more by pulling an old (or new) woolen sock(s) over it, to keep it hot for longer.
One thing i noticed this starting winter, is that the mental state matters a lot too, if you tell yourself it's cold, you feel a lot colder than if you let yourself just experience the actual temperature. And i think it's also good to be aware that where you came from before you went out, will also determine how cold you will think it is 'at first'. See, likely you come from inside, where it's 22C or so, and now you step outside and it's 2C … that is a 20C drop, you body will obviously associate that with it being cold, 'but', if you are outside for a bit, and as i just said 'experience the temperature' instead of holding on to that initial thought and feeling in regards to the initial drop, you will likely find it's not that cold at all… Think of this similar to where in summer you go swimming, and when you step in that water it feels mighty dang cold, but once you go through that, it isn't that bad at all… and i noticed this myself while calmly biking to get groceries, i would get all dressed up and even put on gloves due to the initial drop in temperature from inside to outside, but then half way i decided to get a smoke and i put my gloves off and noticed it wasn't that cold at all. And when i realised that, the rest of me didn't feel that cold either, actually felt a bit to warm as i come to grips with the actual outside temperature, and not so much the temperature difference and perception that stuck in my mind from the inside to outside drop.
This is SO true. That mental state has such a powerful impact. One of our forest monks, Aaron, has been doing a lot of barefoot and "dressing down" this winter outside. Yet he finds that when he goes inside, he can be a bit chilly even though it's warmer! He recognizes that it has to do with mental expectations about how an environment "should" feel. =) Kenton
Surprisingly hydration makes a difference. If when I wake up in the morning and my feet are cold, I take a big drink of water, my feet will warm up... almost immediately. It doesn't matter if the water is hot or cold. 💜🌞🌵
Great point about hydration. I was also thinking the same when not sweating was mentioned. If we are sweating we are not only losing water as well as heat and getting the under layer wet creating a place for the cold to adhere to the body. Also creating a condition where one has to drink more water, and if we are continuing to think of this situation with no fire it maybe that the water we are drinking will be cold, further losing heat.
@@craigslaunwhite579, if you are in snow conditions any water you will be drinking will probably be warmer than the air temperature. My dad swears by a theory that if you drink cold liquid in cold weather you won't feel so cold. Or if you drink hot liquid in hot weather you won't feel hot. Truth is if you're dehydrated you gotta get water in you no matter what temperature the water or you aren't going any further. Just like the brake system on your car won't work without fluid. They say if you think you are thirsty, then you are already dehydrated. So drink up! 💜🌞🌵
I've seen a hydrated blood under a microscope and the cells were kinda glued together before and started moving after the hydration. I try to stay away from garlic whenever possible. It makes my armpits sweat even when I'm shivering from cold, which makes it worse. Garlic is not a good winter herb. It's not a very pleasant summer herb either :)
I place cold on these spots in summer when I get over heated (easy to do in sunny 🌞 Arizona 🌵) but I'm sure it would work in winter with your hot potato. You mentioned armpits, but truth is... any where on the inside of your arm where that huge artery runs. Another place is the inside if your thighs is one of the largest of arteries. (Easier to keep your potato here when sitting or standing.) Oh, and don't forget the sides of your neck where the carotid artery run. I have found that one side of my neck works better than the other as blood flows up one side and down the other. So next time you are cold you know where to stick that hot potato! LOL! 💜🌞🌵
You spoke about the line between your shirt and pants letting cold to penetrate. I have found that if you alternate tucking your pants and shirts you'll be quite a bit warmer. I start with my under pants, then my t-shirt, then my thermal pants, then my thermal top... keep alternating the layers over your belly and you'll be toasty warm. 💜🌞🌵
Wow so articulate, so many good points that you made obvious about conductive heat loss. And your hot potato defense just totally made me rethink this zippo fluid hand warmer I bought, 2021 is totally the type of year to make cloaks mainstream in America lol! My cloak will be khaki green, although brown is more camouflage as illustrated by nearly all land dwelling creatures. But none the less gunna go with khaki green as it is my favorite color, outranking black aka a void of colors. Khaki green will be quite camo still and match my eyes. Anyways thanks for the wisdom!
Yes! Cloaks for 2021!! Though this one is brown, I'm with you -- khaki green is my favorite =) Thanks so much for watching -- I hope to see you here more, as your comment was fun to read! =) Kenton
@@user-pr2rz4jr5p I'll keep it as a back thought, but at this point I'm focusing more on other areas. Thank you, though, for the suggestion and interest! =)
Light snow, over several days, and everything is buried in ice and snow! Breakfast is not available for about thirty hours after eating ☆ kirtle, in English, a little shirt/ skirt.☆♡☆ old camera seems better ☆ keep out of the wind, mostly, hands in my hoody pocket. Thin and thick pair of socks. Thin layers.
I just watched your naked in the forest video as well. I admire what you're doing, however, I think my sense of ecology differs. You said you think nature is benevolent in your naked video. I spent a lot of time walking these forests and I came away with the opposite perception. To me, everything is looking for lunch. For instance, those coyotes in your naked video were probably there scoping you out. What is this human doing out here? How long will he last? Should we attack? I admire that you get out and face the reality of life without all of the distractions, but really, we are all, at every second facing mortality. That was another thing I learned by spending time in wilderness. No matter where you go, there you are. A person can sit anywhere on the planet, and there it is right in front of you. The wild. I agree with you that people try desperately to distract themselves from this fact. However, even the distraction is the reality, or so I came to realize. There is a wonderful book called, "I Contain Multitudes" about the microbiome and how microbes control the patterns of life. It's written by Ed Yong. You might enjoy it. He also has a RU-vid channel. i find that when I sit long enough in the forest, I soon realize that everything around me begins to recognize that I am there and adjusts accordingly. The insects, the birds, the animals, all recognize I am there. They are trying to decide if I am in mutual accordance with their existence, or if I am a pathogen. And visa versa. I am doing the same. And that's how it works down to the microbial level. I mentioned before that i think these forests have been decimated by human activity. If this society did falter, I don't think humans could survive in this version of the wilderness for very long. It's not the same forest that existed prior to European arrival. The wilderness would not support billions of people. To change that, my vision would be to treat the wilderness as a park. We would respect and care for it, and not exceed carrying capacity. Vasectomies seems the most real thing that a man could do today knowing the reality of the wilds. We have reached habitat overshoot, and frankly, it makes me very nervous watching what's happening. The wilderness does not care if we survive. I am curious why you think nature is benign? That naked in the forest video was striking and wonderful, but you would probably have died soon after if you continued. Or do you think that death is just a part of life, and that is benign? With that I would agree, but as one gets older it becomes very apparent that each day, each moment is wrestling with mortality. Some give up. Some, people like myself, keep wrestling. It feels mechanistic at best, cruel at worst. However, I do feel it is benign at times as well. But then I think wait, that's me distracting myself again. It's a conundrum. To me it comes down to treating wilderness as landscape. Or maybe say we tend to treat ecology as landscape. Landscape is a back drop to our adventures. Ecology is the situational reality of our existence. So, yeah, what are you seeing when you say that nature is basically benign? Is there a video you did about that? My benign moment... ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-hMi54qgxVOY.html Also, on another note, a friend suggested you watch Sitting and Smiling, the young man who meditates for endless hours. He thought a conversation between you two would be most interesting.
James, this is such an important question, I think I'm going to just do a video on it. Give me a little time, but I'll try to do justice to your great question and thoughts here! Thanks for that link, too. Just beautiful!! "I am breathing the forest, and the forest is breathing me." Love, Kenton =)
If you can get the focus nailed down, that will be awesome. The new camera looks great. Much better color saturation and representation. The audio sounds great too, but that might just be my imagination. I was wondering if the kjortel was going to make an appearance.
Thanks for that feedback! I noticed much better color, and I think the autofocus and other issues were just from my ignorance of the correct settings. Hopefully the next video will be cleaner! I wear that kjortel all the time -- one of my favorite pieces of clothing! =) Kenton
One important thing often overlooked in winter apparel: where to put your heat. Heat leads to sweat. Sweat is there to cool the body on the plains of Africa where humanity comes from. We are not adapted to live in temperate regions... so we clothe ourselves. Moisture against or on the skin has a massive cooling effect. So. We don’t want it. If we wear wool or silk or a modern material that wick a moisture off the skin... we solve the bitterly cold feeling of my youth. But. If you’ve wicked, insulated and shell covered (preventing loss of the air pocket around you), you could end up too warm. So. Solution: take off your mitts. Or hat. If you go inside a heated area: at a minimum, open your coat. Or take it off. Making sure the inside gets maximum exposure. This will expel moisture. On a bus: hat off, gloves off, coat open. I see far too many people staying bundled up. Don’t over heat. Remove insulation to adapt to conditions.
I find being mentally ok with a little discomfort helps ie ... to cold, wet, hot, hungry, thirsty, no coffee : ). I view this as "temporary discomfort". As long as not life threatening it will eventually pass in time to be forgotten.
Interesting question indeed! My guess is it had to do with our growing population and bands spreading about to make room. I'm glad it happened that way, as it gave us a diversity of cultures in this world =)
@@ReWildUniversity I love watching your videos, it feels like watching myself in a different body carrying out the extreme versions of my already “crazy” ideas & dreams (some of them i carry out too) 😅 But i still wanna be in the tropical trees eating fruits like a money 🥭🐒 (where i can sleep under the open sky as i already did every year for months 🥰)
@@adriennemiller.music. I love that you have dreams that might be called "crazy", but they are still a part of you. So easy to hide those away and pretend they aren't there. Do you live in the tropics? We spent time living in Hawai'i, and the fruit was indeed pretty amazing! Now we're back in Wisconsin, but the local food movement here is so strong that although there are no mangoes or papaya or guava, we get to enjoy a pretty steady supply of kale and spinach and lots of wild greens, plus of course our beloved apples which we missed in Hawai'i. Still, we often miss many of those amazing fruits that we just never see in Wisconsin as they are too delicate to ship -- I always enjoyed the "chocolate pudding" fruit!! Ha! Thanks for your positive voice here!!!
Just rewatched this. First thing I noticed was that you looked quite a bit younger just a year ago! I think I'll try slighty less clothing this winter but I do need to be careful of my feet if I have to be out a while. Raynauds syndrome may not be terribly serious but it sure can be painful when rewarming too cold toes!
Aagh! I'm getting older! ;) Please let me know, my friend, how it goes "dressing down" a bit this winter. Take care since you're dealing with Raynauds!
I'm always genuinely stunned at how 'cold' people think they are. Someone in the office wrapped up in a winter coat, with the hood up, and the thermometers showing 25c! I used to share a house with a woman who wanted the living room so hot that I once measured 29c. (I think both these people were smokers, which I understand can lead to this.) People really need to stop cranking up the heating.
Agreed -- our addiction to always-warm temps definitely erodes our cold adaptation. I live in a shared home where the temps are often higher than I'd like, and when I compare myself to forest monks who are "living colder", I feel like a wimp!!! =) Kenton
We get to those temps, but not often. That's chilly! I've often used Steger Mukluks, but it's necessary to have the sheepskin inserts at those temps, and I feel like their quality has gone down over the years. There is a legendary boot maker in Duluth, MN, and I actually own a pair that I lucked upon in a second-hand store. I searched online and couldn't find them. They are made all of canvas, and usually have a year or two waiting list. Even more legendary is the woman in far northern MN that hand-makes wool liners for mukluks and boots -- her work is unsurpassed and with her liners and those canvas boots, my feet have NEVER been cold in any temperatures. To hunt her down you'd have to listen to our podcasts. We talked about her in one of our episodes, but I can't remember which one. I tried hunting her down online but to no avail. She does have a website, but it isn't coming up in my searches. I hope this is helpful, or at least can inspire a quest! =)
*To the Adventurer in question* … while you may not be allowed by law to make a fire, but maybe still wanting your adventure to include 'a fire', i doubt there is a law about making a pile of deadfall, nor about collecting tinder during your adventure, in fact: you can practice all aspects of making a fire (finding tinder, kindling and fuelwood from deadfall (if you also can't cut trees down); making a fire lay, arranging all the components as you'd want to or seen or learned), but you just can not ignite it to make the fire ;) … now sure, thus you can also not warm yourself to it, but more then likely a lot of the activities kept you moving, you can practice squatting to make it, etc. … and if you read my other advice, to take a metal thermos with hot water with you, you can drink that once you made your 'not ignited fire' and still get warm hand and warm on the inside from that warm water... and thus you included pretty much everything related to having a fire in your adventure, barring lighting the fire and thus breaking the law. And i would advice sticking to the law, but that doesn't mean you can not do anything else that the law doesn't forbid ;) … have fun out there, and be safe !
You know, I didn't think of this, but it's such great advice. An ingenious way to practice fire and still stay within the realms of legality! =) Kenton
Why don't use a hat ? The head is the most important part of your body to preserve heat. The amount of blood in your head makes you lose a lot heat Rly fast without a hat.
I wear hats quite often, and was looking for my wool hat for this video, but it is misplaced somewhere (I have kids and a dog =). So I decided to just film sans hat rather than wear my little extra one that doesn't even cover my ears =)
I like how friendly and logical this video puts it :) Some great tips too. Thanks! I'm not a survival or wild environment enthusiast, but being born and bred in cold climate I do have some experience of exposure to cold outdoors/hiking/cross country skiing. I'm also a beginner winter swimming enthusiast. Few things that I'd like to mention: 1. The main way body looses heat in cold weather is through breath. The area of internal surface of your lungs that comes in direct contact with cold air is huge. Also, there's nothing between this surface and cold air, there's no insulation at all. The contact is direct. Also, the lung internal lining is where your blood vessels come very close to the surface (for oxygen and CO2 exchange), therefore the heat exchange is very quick. So. It is VERY important to try to trap the WARM air that you exhale and get it to mix with the FRESH COLD air that you are about to inhale. This way some of the heat that escaped from your body when you breathed out is reused to warm up the next portion of the fresh air. Ways to save the warmth from exhale vary. Simplest is wrap your lower face with a scarf, leaving some space between the scarf and your mouth/nose. Another way is mentioned in this video - a big hood. There are commercially available heat exchange masks, but I don't know how effective they are. The main idea is to create some volume where the air your exhaled is trapped and mixed with some fresh air. If you think about it, any tent or shelter protects you from cold MAINLY by trapping the air in some small space, so that you don't let the heat from your exhale escape. 2. If you need to get warm quickly, you need sweet hot drink. Sugar is very effective fuel (but it burns out quickly too). 3. Move. 4. If you stand on some wood, and not on the snow, you'll limit the heat loss from your feet. I noticed that if you have cross country skis on, your feet never get cold, even though the cross country ski boots are usually thin. If you stand in these boot directly on snow, your feet get cold quickly. 5. Hands get cold quickly and it can be quite painful. You can warm them up by taking off your gloves and sticking your hands under your beanie/hat. The upper part of your head is always warm, you can use it. But beware, you can loose heat through it too. 6. While you keep one of your hands under your beanie, you can take the empty glove and breathe into it 3-4 times (as if you were inflating a balloon) to warm the inside of the glove. Do it immediately before putting the glove on. Don't overdo it, as it can get wet from your breath. 7. Actually, although hands can feel very painful, it's not that bad. I don't know about other people, but I noticed that if you tolerate the pain in cold hands for about an hour, they stop giving you the pain. All you need to do is warm them up from time to time (see previous point) 8. Another way to get your hand warm quickly is to stick it under your clothes, into the armpit area. But it's not always practical, as you usually need to do a lot of unbuttoning to get to this area. 9. Wear multiple layers of clothing, and tuck them well, especially at the waist and cuff areas. Try not to leave any cracks. 10. Try not to get snow into your boots. If you did get snow inside your boots, don't leave it there, take your boot off immediately, get all the snow out immediately before it melts. Sorry for poor English, hope this helps.
great video, great advice! I think the new camera has sharper image, I liked that. You will get that autofocus in check :) Even if you film with potato, I will be watching! But its better for your channel to have a good equip in general. Good luck, thank you!
Great set of winter essential tricks and tips, combined they are a super great anti-coldness outdoor winter . I would add yogi breathing techniques for starting and spreading your inner fire.
And get to know you ayurvedic body type ... so you will know how good you can withstand the cold and winter conditions.. sesame oil applied to whole body for kapha type keeps kapha type very warm..
Several layers of light clothing and preferably wicking. Steady movement during the day and proper hydration. I have found that at night it helps a lot to eat close to bedtime. The chemical reactions involved in digestion help keep your core temperature up. I do completely agree about getting acclimated to the environment. Great video as always. Also, would Rebecca consider doing a "how to" for making the cloak?
As someone who gets chilly easily, I've found simple acceptance of the temperature to be a major help. I'm guessing it ties into the stress idea. If I worry about being cold, I'm more likely to be cold, but worrying about being cold also usually ends in wearing too much when venturing outside for long periods, out of worry that being cold will ruin the adventure, and then I get far too hot! Silly, isn't it? This year I've chosen to embrace the frigid Minnesotan winter! I like to mix conditioning into my daily life, like wearing minimal clothing while out running errands, forgetting my coat when I leave for work in the morning, or going barefoot while taking out the trash.
Minnesota! I'm right next door in Wisconsin! I hope that cold conditioning brings additional winter joy for your -- it sounds like you get out for some awesome adventures! =) Kenton
A while ago I got some wristlets [I'm in UK, Scotland, so British army woollen wristlets] I've found keeping your wrists covered helps a lot with keeping fingers warmer, it also helps put a layer at the intersection between coat sleeve and glove cuff. We don't get real cold maybe -10 [c] in winter. I've done the hot potato, but with hard boiled eggs - good hand warmers and lunch snack. I've been watching a guy called shug on youtube, he goes winter camping in Minnesota and is hugely entertaining.
Hard boiled eggs! Awesome idea! And I'll have to check out shug. Great idea with the wristlets, by the way! I have a pair of woolen socks that is developing some holes -- might be time to make them into wristlets! =) Kenton
As it happens Shug has just been doing a "Talking Winter Camping" series, outlining what he wears and what he does in the winter :) - My wife thought I was nuts sleeping out in the garden in the hammock last Christmas in the snow, but I thought it was a perfectly reasonable thing to do!
I loved the hot potato idea. There's nothing like being in the cold to give you an appetite. Cayenne pepper in the socks can help. Another trick I've used is a vigorous massage with BenGay then put on the socks and boots if I knew I was going to be out for a while and had time to prepare before going out. Alternate tucking of multiple layers helped keep my middle warm without a flappy cape to get caught on something and send me into an I'm stuck panic. =) Maude
Hi Maude! I'll have to try the cayenne and BenGay (maybe I could use my Tiger Balm? Quite similar I think.) with some friends who can't seem to get over those cold feet! Thanks my friend! Love, Kenton =)
Tiger balm should work I think. I think getting the feet warm with the rubbing had to be a big part of why it worked. Or maybe because I thought it did. Thawing other people's frozen pipes during a record breaking cold spell was brutal. I may have mentioned last winter that our truck started every day except for one and we got a day off because the potential customer who said he'd come and pick us up couldn't get any of his vehicles started! =) Maude
It's nice to get down to some COLD, hard facts. It's nice to get practical! To your point about sweat, being a huge ogre myself, I basically take stuff off and open my coat when I'm doing snow removal. I try to avoid sweating. For a huge guy at 300lbs, I can actually squat like a Slav! But I want to sit after a couple of hours. I like the kneeling idea. ...Oh and the microphone on the new cam is a better! Very clean sound.
That's awesome that you can squat like that! Most of us lose our squat by mid or late teens! Thanks for the feedback on the microphone, too -- I noticed the sound was much better. I had the wrong settings on the new camera for video, I found out, so I'm hoping the next video looks as well as sounds much better!! =) Kenton
@@ReWildUniversity You know what? I think I will stop swearing in my posts around here. This channel is too classy for unnecessary swearing. Everyone here is quite nice and I think I'll just clean up the language. I noticed it in my last post, and it seemed kinda stupid in retrospect. I should save my swearing for when I need it. Not that I think you would even care, but in general swearing like that seems boorish and I should get over that.
@@lsb2623 Well, you are appreciated just as you are, Leon, swearing and half-gorilla and all! But at the same time, we appreciate your monastic attitude as you "step into the monastery". It does bring lots of pondering. I'm looking out the window at Poppy the Porcupine right now. She has learned to co-exist with our dog, both of them sort of acting "out of character" by not getting into constant scuffles. It makes one wonder if our "character" is static, or if it can adapt to difference circumstances. By adapting, the dog and porcupine now can meet each other up close -- something that would usually end up in blood for a porcupine and a face full of quills for a dog. So in playing with their roles a little bit, they now can experience something different. Anyway, I'm just typing as I ponder along with you . . . I read someone saying that we should "be ourselves" or act the same, no matter who we are with or what situation we're in, but I can equally see that sometimes we open doors of experience by "shapeshifting" a little, as long as we do it consciously, I suppose. Thanks, my friend, for the thinking you instigate!!! Love, Kenton
hi Kenton , excellent video , as a chilly guy who love being warm , i try to not wear cotton clothing , i put wool on me , i layering clothe , 3 layer at least and i can remove some when i move a lot , i also have a few chauferrettes it is a lighter fuel small slow burnng stove in metal inside a wool pouch and it generate a lot of heat you can put some in your pocket , or take it in your hands to warm them up , in your sleeping bag ... it about 4 inch long 2,5 wide and half a inch thick and work like a zippo lighter without flame , pretty cheap i always have 2 with me in winter outdoor time and i think i will buy 2 more so i can put them in my boots at night . i had to take cold shower this week not really by choice but because of a failure in my water heater at home , not too bad though and a great way to wake you up in the morning , much love to you all.
I'm intrigued by those chauferrettes! I tried to Google it but can't seem to find the small stoves you're talking about. Could you send a link? I haven't heard of these before! Love from the whole family! KaRaMaL =)
I've found acceptance is the best shield against cold, once you accept it's winter, you're gonna be cold and miserable, enduring cold is a lot easier, and everytime you're miserable you'll fell kinda ok. About a week ago we had a significant temperature drop to below -25, the apartment I live in couldn't keep up the warmth and it was +14. I just put on wool shirt but my parents we're going crazy. Expect to be cold and you're happy everytime you're only chilly. Luckily it only lasted for a few days. Also, nice I'm not the only one running around in leather pants and jacket. It's not cheap but very good.
Awesome video! Very interesting tips I never thought about. I like the new camera a lot. I work in visual media a little bit, I don't know cameras extremely well, but it seems like the lens on the new camera has more of a "telephoto (higher mm) effect" going on than the lens of the original camera. I think the telephoto effect is really cool -- it flattens distance between objects and yet somehow makes the scene look LARGER and more "spacious" and ”depthy"... hard to explain. Aside from the image being more crisp, the new camera also treats colors nicely, more warmth (more red / pink). It does a better job bringing out your skin tone. Although, you can probably change the color balance in the camera menu to whatever you like. Edit: Oh also, I think the frame rate is lower in the new camera (perhaps 24fps?) creating a more "cinematic movie" motion, as opposed to the "home video / documentary" motion that the original camera has. Not sure what your preference is... In the camera menu, you can probably change it to 30fps (or even 60fps) if you want smoother motion like the original camera has. …..at around the half way point in the video, there is this strange background-sound that starts to come on. It gets especially noticeable towards the end of the video. It's not annoying. I find it sorta soothing actually. It sounds like a bird-cricket-alien humming a beautiful little song lol. I can’t figure it out. Do you know what that is?
You are GOOD! That was indeed at 24fps. It turns out I accidentally had the camera set to 4k, which is where the autofocus problem came in. The next video I did (uploading tonight -- the ice bath one) was set on FHD30. I'd be interested to hear what you think! The chirping sound -- that's been present in all my videos, I believe. Maybe because it's always there people don't notice it? In the summer it sounds like crickets =) My research suggests that it's the autofocus on that camera, always making minor adjustments. I could never find a way to fix it, but it didn't seem to bother people. Here, contrasted by the truer sound on the new camera, it really stands out. I also used an external mic on the ice bath video -- do you think it makes a difference? I'm planning to upload in about an hour or so. Love, Kenton =)
@@ReWildUniversity Wow! Lucky guess XD Oh, the auto-focus is making that noise -- that makes sense. That’s interesting that the sound has always been there, and only in its absence / re-emergence was I able to notice. Kinda makes you think about how other things in life work like that …Not noticing something was ever even there, until it’s gone… Sure, I’ll check out the new video now.
Some recollections of indigenous appropriate local technology from the Indian Himalaya observed in the early 1990s of mountain shepherds and hill farmers adapted to winter snow. Almost all clothing was wool. Everyone wore a wool poncho or button up cloak over everything. Rather than attempt to heat a large indoor space with a huge fire ( fuel wood was precious / scarce ), everyone instead had personal space heaters worn under their wool ponchos, consisting of a 8 inch terracotta pot, sometimes snug inside a basket worn on a strap around your neck, into which was loaded a small shovel of coals. These portable personal heaters could accompany you on journeys outside your shelter for up to 40 minutes. Smoke inhalation was not as bad as I feared but there is clearly a risk of burns and something to experiment with only if you are in layers of 100% wool only. No synthetics!! You are also carrying a means to start another fire with you. Try it winter camping ( substitute a metal cook pot inside an old wool sock for the clay pot maybe ? ) or in a grid-down emergency. Their home made footwear proved to be vastly superior to my modern western mountaineering boots. Whilst I was freezing my toes in wet leather boots and post holing up to my thighs in deep drifts, my local guides were floating almost effortlessly on the surface of the snow on large hand made grass oversized sandals / small snowshoes. These had taken around 3 hours per pair to fabricate the evening beforehand, from scratch using hay from the barn, first reverse wrapping yards of grass rope before coiling it and weaving it into an oversized sandal sole, with more hay cordage for bindings to secure them. They wore no socks. Just 2 layers of wool foot cloths on show inside the grass rope sandals. They claimed that their feet were were warm and dry ( excellent breathability and freedom of blood circulation ). A win for primitive technology! - but their ancestors have been living there for 1000s of years so they have had ample time to innovate and experiment.
@@ReWildUniversity My trip to the Himalaya was in April 1991, which pre-dates digital photography and the interweb. I suspect their rope weaving construction technique is similar to Japanese WARAJI rope sandals but much bigger in scale, both in gauge of rope used ( at least 1/2 inch diameter ) and finished size being nearer tennis racket dimensions. You are aiming for a compact snow shoe. There are RU-vid tutorials on making Waraji rope sandals for inspiration and methodology. It sounds like a fun project for along dark winter evening. Many thanks for your interesting content.
@@ReWildUniversity I am no expert, but reportedly Waraji rope sandals were constructed and laced in different ways depending on your social standing. One construction method was exclusively used to designate the shoes owner was Samurai, another for a monk and different again for a merchant or a peasant farmer. So there is no right or wrong way to do it. RU-vid tutorials vary in method but should give you a starting point to experiment from.
Another thought... If you incorporate hollow reeds or rushes or wheat straw into the sole, then the trapped air may help insulate your feet from the snow ? The Japanese probably used rice straw.
3:50 is interesting because the opposite is true for most of us sedentary overweight city dwellers, where for similar calorie quantities, protein gives a longer sensation of satiation (fullness) than do carbohydrates or fats. Hence in part why high protein diets, such as the Atkins Diet, allowed people to eat less calories yet not feel as hungry as they might otherwise. In survival situations it is about cramming in plenty of calories. While often just the calories comparison is given between sugar & protein which both contain 4 calories verses the 9 calories in 1 gram of fat, the three food types require different amounts of energy to digest and release their contained energy: protein requires about 20-30% of its total calories to digest it, carbohydrates need 5-10% and fats 0-3%. Therefore 100g of protein / carbohydrates / fats give respectively about 280-320 /360-380 / 873 net calories. So while the quoted calorie difference between protein and fats is 9 calories / 4 calories = 2.25 times, in practice fats give 2.36 times as much useful energy as carbohydrates and 2.91 times as much as lean protein.
Yes I began to notice 6 years ago when camping in the winter that I craved fatty meat incredibly when it was cold. Now I have gone primal and keto. I understand running the body on fat for fuel.
*I always check with local Rangers when in a state or National forest or park,some areas can change in a few hours. Rangers are people too, some have a bad day and fine a lot of people!*
Great point! Here, when snow is on the ground, fires are legal in most of our public lands. But one must ALWAYS be wary of conditions, as there are times when starting a fire is much too dangerous. =) Kenton
Breathe slower to stay warm, breathe faster to coll down. Speaking of squatting, ever wonder why Slavs squat so much, even on benches at bus stops? It's because they spend a lot of time outside in the cold. You *could* sit on the bench at the bus stop in winter, but only if you don't mind sitting there until the spring thaws your arse off the seat.
Awesome video! It's so much better to have natural materials heating your body such as leather and wool. A good idea is to learn to make your own clothes and shoes from the materials around you. Have you heard of dog wool? It is up to 80% warmer than sheep wool. It is a common mitten and sock material here in North-Eastern Europe. If you have a dog and a spinning wheel you can make your own warm clothing. Something I plan to try is to make wool from wolf and bear fur. You don't need to kill the animal, just comb its hairs and spin it into yarn. There are some people in my country who own bears as pets, when the shedding season comes I will ask them to sell me some hairs. If you know of any people in your area who keep wild animals as pets, perhaps you would be willing to let me know? It would be interesting to try it out with different species, if the owners would be willing to ship me animal hairs, haha. :)
So interesting, Kat! We used to have a dog that shed like mad -- I wish I knew about this then! Wild animals as pets are pretty restricted here in the U.S., but I'll have to keep my eye open for such thing now that you've let me know about this! =) Kenton
I've done a lot of Wim Hof, and explored some of the other pranayama associated with Tummo. Definitely an area of interest and exploration for me! Share any knowledge you like, if you would! =) Kenton
@@ReWildUniversity Alright. I'm curious about different breathing techniques - and as you know, there are so many opinions about how best to breath, which I think would be entirely dependent on the aim. I have realized a tendency in my to breath very shallowly - now improving/reversing that thru awareness, meditation, fasting... I did the Wim Hof 10-week course about two years ago, and experienced some great benefit and growth from it - becoming more conscious about my breath and expanding my comfort zone. But am generally not practicing those techniques nowadays. I only experimented a bit with Tummo and the like with varied success, but definitely seems to work. I think the most challenging part is visualization. Love ad libitum
I know -- and campfires are such a powerful atmosphere for human sharing. I can understand concerns of forest fires and such, but the benefits of connecting people to each other and nature through the freedom of having campfires seems too important. =) Kenton
I'm glad to see the recommendation for returning to more natural materials in winter clothing. We really, really (REALLY) need to get away from petro-chemical clothing, especially fleece - which is a significant source of the microplastics that are ending up in the water (due to washing the fleece & all the little particles that come off - washing machine filters are too large to catch those particles). I'd also love it if you were to list sources of places to look for affordable canvas boots, wool clothing, etc. Is ArmyNavy Surplus the best? ebay? etsy? Just wondering. Thanks, Kenton, for all you do!
I love your boots! My current boots are Muck knockoffs 2 sizes too big. They look ridiculous but the friend who got them for me said you don't want them tight if you're trying to keep warm. I've noticed collecting maple sap that there are big differences in the temperature in the backyard and then into the woods. Sunny side of tree or not. Windy side or not. And mom loved her capes. My best gloves ever were a pair of soft leather hunting gloves. Thin enough and smooth enough to wear for good. Warm enough to survive a 25 minute drive in a vehicle with no heat. Then there's the apparent temperature difference when feeding my critters and exploring the winter woods or running around hunting jumper cables and tools. I generally do better with a bit of foraging for wild things growing under the snow while hubby would be whining about how stupid this is and how cold it is. He does better hunting tools when I'm suffering from the minute the truck didn't start. I think for him it's a matter of focus because he'll be fine until he's done and figures out he is cold! =) Maude
Well, my friend, you summed up some of the most important aspects of winter warmth with witty enthusiasm! Loose boots, awareness of our environment, and our mindset! Love to you! Kenton =)
All the things you address fit nicely into the C.O.L.D. acronym I learned from John Wiseman: keep it Clean, avoid Overheating, wear it Loose, and keep it Dry (outside and inside!). :-)
When I was up in Scotland in January in the mountains I found that you really needed a wind proof set of clothing, Didn't matter how much I layered wool the wind went straight through the layers. To be fair it was 70-100 mph wind and about -20C but still. A really dense cotton outer shell was really a godsend as it just stopped the wind straight away. When you are on the move you warm up and have to either take clothing off or rest for a bit to cool down. When I was stopped though I could sit around in that condition for hours and not cool down.
So glad you found something to cut that wind! Those are some intense winds you were dealing with -- it doesn't surprise me that they wiggled into your wool!!! =)
I had snow boots that were rated very cold, but even if I wore no socks, they were so warm that my feet would sweat and then get cold. So a cold rating isn't always a good thing! 💜🌞🌵
Very interesting. I live in a cold country and I took the habit, before going out, to oil my face and hands. A few drops on exposed skin. It makes a difference. Also breathing putting hands in front of the nose so not to get an air that is too cold. But this can't last too long because moving the arms while walking helps keeping warm too. An other thing I do: I put my boots on at least 10 minutes before going out. This warms up the boots and after, they stay warm when outside.
I saw the comment about the Jerven thermos extreme. It can be bought from a Finnish site called Varustaleka. I have bought many things from them and shipping is only 9.99 to the US. And they ship fast also. I think the biggest thing missing from all these RU-vid channels is the fact that you may not be able to have a fire for whatever reason. Always a person should be prepared to survive and sleep somewhat comfortably without a fire. Keeping a fire going requires a tremendous amount of exertion and time spent gathering and preparing. Not to mention massive quantities of wood. We must become accustomed to the cold if we are to go out in winter. You may even be stuck in your car in the cold. I have visualized myself being enveloped in a red ball of energy and heat when I have been cold and the cold feeling is considerably less. Not toasty warm of course but it takes away the bite and slows down the shivering. The brain is powerful and we can train it to help us. Or should I say tap into our own powers more precisely. We have to give in to the situation so to speak and go with the flow and accept we will be very cold or very hot for that matter and resist the feeling of panic which makes us not relax and we feel even worse. Keeping calm will keep you alive. The whole key with clothing is to keep the body vapors moving away from our skin and out. Loose fitting clothing is the best of course. I love the cloak. Much like a poncho. Keep airflow and warmth without building up sweat. A very good item of clothing is fishnet long johns. They keep clothing off the skin and allow vapor to leave our skin while creating a pocket of warm air next to our skin. The Norwegians came up with fishnets in the 1930's. I wear them and they are fantastic if you don't mind looking a little kinky underneath 😂😂😂.
Thanks for that info about Varustaleka! And great things you're sharing in the rest of your comment -- our power of mind is IMMENSE! That was great about the fishnets, too -- I didn't know they were invented in Norway!!! Love, Kenton =)
Your tips for staying warm without a fire, comes in real handy for those of us in an urban environment and/or an E&E situation. One question, how to know when to quit doing exercises for those of us that have overactive sweat glands? Thanks for sharing all your knowledge.
Great question. Some of us definitely sweat more than others =) I just try to do workouts in various temps/conditions, and as you do so, you should get a "feel" just before you are about to sweat. Once you learn to read this, you can then stop appropriately. Unfortunately, the point of sweat is highly variable based on temp, humidity, our stress level, our hydration level, and more. So learning to read the "just before sweat" point is pretty important if you're concerned with E and E skills. =) Kenton
I agree with your adage Kenton "be bold start cold". I find that having some clothing that breaks the wind but breathes coupled with a hat and gloves which I use to regulate my temperature (by adding and removing) will cover a surprising range of temperatures. The final important thing in my location is staying dry as rain and wind is a killer even at above freezing. I love natural materials like wool and cotton but an interesting man made alternative is fleece pile and pertex. These garments where designed to mimic animal fur. Worn next to the skin they are wind and weather resistant (not waterproof but highly breathable) very warm and importantly stay warm even when saturated. Thanks for another great video.
Pertex isn't something I've heard of! I'll have to check it out! Adding rain changes SO much -- cold and dry is one thing, but cold and wet is much more challenging! =) Kenton
7:16 No I'm sorry but animals should not have to be slaughtered just so that you can be warm. There are other options. Try to think about what it would be like to be the animal, would you want someone to harm you? If not then why do it to them? I like the saying "Treat others the way you would like to be treated."
I love wool and leather too. I'm in the process now of making some wool and leather moccasins for myself. They're sorta like mukluks but not exactly. I'm going to use goop and ground up tire rubber on the sole. I'd like to use sheep skin on the interior but for now i have to settle for Sorrel inserts. I have spent a winter here with no heat before. Everything you say is good advice.
Rick, I'm excited about those moccasins. Someone recently turned me on to 3M 3200 (I think that was it) Marine Caulk. It's meant for boats and ships, and seemed to create a great rubber sole replacement on my daughter's mukluks. It takes a LONG time to set, though. Let me know how yours turn out! Love, Kenton =)
More great info Kenton! You mentioned that diet would be a whole other video. That's something I would be interested in seeing, along with what to eat if you're in a stranded/lost situation. I've been trying to cold condition by driving to and from work without turning on the heat. Also, I still take a warm (not hot anymore) shower, but at the end, turn off the warm completely and embrace the cold water for a few minutes. At 5 am it's a good way to wake up and get my day started. Your new camera seems to have a crisper video over the old one.
Rob, driving may not be the best place to practice our cold conditioning, but I have to admit it's one of my favorites. And those cold showers do indeed wake us up! Thanks for the camera feedback, too -- I have to learn how to work its settings, but I do think it will be an improvement after I figure it out! =) Kenton
I give you a thumb up defore i start watching, cause i am sure it will be excellent, like the others video's you have shared with us. Greetings from Greece
When I lived in the PNW I ate a lot of smoked salmon in the winter to stay warm outdoors. I love that internal heat from fatty foods. Antidotally, animal fats seem to burn hotter in me than vegetable fats.
Its to bad you cant wear old wool clothes like that in the cities without people looking at you funny. I realy hate what you said about modern clothes having a line that lets heat escape. Tucking several layers of shirts inside your pants and hoodie and jacket on top is the best solution i know.
It definitely become more and more challenging as the temps drop, and when it's a blizzard, as you've mentioned here, then the wind adds considerably to the difficulty. Interestingly, though, even if you're going to build a fire, many of the same principles apply -- getting out of the wind, not losing body heat though conductive loss, and keeping your heat in you as much as possible, plus generating your own heat through calories/movement. I've had some interesting adventures with forest monks where we are walking through the cold winter woods and they are getting a bit chilly, then they stop to build a fire and get REALLY cold, because they had stopped moving, hadn't thought to properly shelter, and sat on the ground. So ideally we'd have both worlds -- these techniques plus a fire. =) Kenton
These are all great tips. For me personally ice baths are the most important thing of them all. I remember a story of a woman asking me if I was crazy because I sat outside waiting for the bus with just a T-Shirt on although there were -10°C/14°F and i had a sweater with me. But I was not feeling cold at all since I took a bath at the lake nearby almost every day. That was seven years ago when I was 13 years old or so. Today I still do it 2-3 times per week and many of my friends are now doing it as well since I encouraged them to do so. And now they cannot get enough, haha. The second important point for me is eating very fatty. I like to eat fatback from the pig when I am outside. Wool clothes are great too! And when it's really cold (here that's around -20°C), I like to use these pocket warmers you can cook outside in the pot to "recharge" them again if you know what I mean. Wonderful invention. :)
@@ReWildUniversity Indeed. There was also a teacher who was always upset because I wore shorts in winter. Who knows... maybe today she is taking ice baths herself, haha.
Awesome video, thanks for the knowledge! I have recently fleshed and dried an elk hide from a friend, but I can't find any brains to tan it with - do you know any good substitutes for brain to tan a hide with?
Yes! You just need an emulsified fat. I've used dishwashing liquid (unscented) with bacon fat to good effect. Here's a site that has some great info: www.braintan.com/tanown/index.htm Love, Kenton
Thanks for a great video! I'm going to have to look into some similar clothing. One question I have for you is what would you put on if you were going to spend the whole day out doing hard physical work in the cold? I have lots of days where I'm moving wood, planting plants, moving rocks, moving mulch, etc. These days during the winter are often in cold and very wet conditions. I need to be able to move easily, protect myself from injury, and also not get so warm that I'm sweating a bunch. Often I ended up going with a relatively simple outfit and just get wet but rely on the work to keep me warm. Since I'm moving and I can go inside at night to warm up this seems to work. What would you use in this situation?
I do much the same if I'm going to be working hard -- the looser garments just don't work very well, tending to get caught up in things. I still like wool (if one can tolerate it next to your skin) which seems to breath well if I'm too hot but still retains some insulative capacity if it gets sweaty. So a wool underlayer, a wool sweater (tight-woven so it's not picking up too much wood chips, getting snagged on sticks, etc. The buckskin, if one can get it, is also awesome. Those leather pants are great as workpants, being snag-proof and protecting the skin from abrasions and cuts and even from some bruises (they tend to displace blunt trauma by "spreading" the impact more than other fabrics). If one had a fringe-free leather top, you could do wool under, leather over, and have a great cold-weather work outfit. =) Kenton
@@ReWildUniversity thanks Kenton! :) I really should find some good leather pants. I keep wearing out my work pants in only 6 to 8 months of heavy use. Plus they don't really stop the blackberry thorns I deal with on a regular basis... thanks for the advice!
Indeed! Even those good, heavy-duty pants that are almost like canvas (thinking Carhart or Duluth Trading Company) can't hold back those blackberry thorns! They are wicked sharp!!! =) Kenton
I just bought myself a blanket pin, and am wearing a blanket often now. I love it! :) Thanks for the tips! Would your lady be willing to share how she made that hood on the cloak? And I use layering, when I go outside. Then you can take off or add a layer if you need. T-shirt with long sleeves, thin sweater, thick sweater, coat or something. Much love to you all! xxx
@@ReWildUniversity Yes! I now just made a hood putting the blanket over my head, and then pinning it. Works too, but I love the way yours is! You got me to find the blanket pin. I did not know what it was called in my land. It is called a Fibula. :D Never heard of that before! I think it comes from ancient Roman times, or there around. The Highlanders did wear a different pin, but I like the round one better. I found it in a shop that sells stuff for people that go to midevil events, or sortlike things. They also sell swords, knight armour, and what not, I LOVE that shop! I have to controle myself not to go buy that stuff, lol! Hugs to you!
I know the feeling! I have a little pin I got off of Etsy -- those medieval looking things are so awesome! I've been considering doing a video on how to make one of these cloaks . . . we'll see if I can put it together! Love, Kenton
@@ReWildUniversity Yea, sometimes I feel I was born in the wrong time. :P I would be happy if you would just show it with your cloak, how it was done. You don't have to make a whole new one, if you don't need one! Thanks for considering! Have a beautiful Sunday! Hugs to all of you! xxx
I remember when I was young, my father and I would go on long snowmobile rides. We stopped to take break and I was getting very cold. Dad noticed and asked me if I had to pee. I told him yes. He said to go and I immediately warmed up. I might be alone in this one but it has always worked ever since. Maybe it was a father's mind trick. Maybe the five minutes of struggle it took get out of the snow suit helped too. The new camera looks great in the colors and clarity! Stay warm my big footed brother.
Shawn, that's so interesting! The "pee debate" is a big one, with people arguing fervently on either side of the issue =). I'm going to have to pay more attention next time I pee when cold! Love, Kenton
Definitely a plus! I'm just not very hairy, so if I grew mine out it would probably make you laugh, plus it wouldn't do much to shield the wind. But it would be cool!!! =) Kenton
Great tips Kenton. I always seem to have a problem with my feet. I usually soak my foot insulation with sweat. and have trouble drying it out. Cloaks are awesome. Is yours cut in a certain pattern? Would like to see the pattern you used. Nate
Hmmm. Are your boots "breathable"? One of our forest monks here gets really hot feet -- I often see him walking in sandals in the winter!! Nate, as far as the cloak, maybe I'll make a video on it at some point -- Rebecca is sitting next to me trying to explain it, but it is basically a blanket with one strip cut off for a hood and gathered to put the hood on. She kept it really simple, because most cloaks require more sewing. I'll consider doing a vid at some point! =) Kenton
Dumbest thing I ever did is go on what we thought was going to be a short hike that ended up being several miles down into the grand canyon during winter we didn't bring water. Was very dehydrated and weak when returning.
Wow, intense! I've only had one small experience with thinking I might be lost in an arid place (the badlands). Not as intense as yours, but still, it made me feel that I'd much rather be lost in the cold than in the hot =)
@@ReWildUniversity it was about 35 in winter, definitly the best time to visit the grand canyon. I cant immagine what it would be like in the heat. I'll take cold over extreme heat most days.
