Does anyone have any plans for the coming Ice Age?

[Mari]

I have some „practical“ questions; clothing.

When temperatures drop to subzero, I don’t think that „play in the snow“ clothes you can buy anywhere will do.

There are a lot of stuff online, from 30€ to +300€ and that also doesn’t mean anything.

In case of scenario where one lives in an apartment and the whole building or city doesn’t have a power supply because one reason or another, one can freeze in their own homes.

There are sleeping bags that can indure -20 and lower temperatures, designed for mountain climbers and explorers.
The same is with clothing.

What would be the best boots type to buy? Is it enough to buy some skiing clothes?
Maybe someone from codler parts who has experience in heavy winters can advice....

I‘ve read somewhere that people in cold parts dress in lots pf layers. Still, in the sea of various brands and types, all of them claiming to be the best, what do you think would be best choice for freezing temperatures and what sould I pay attention to?

Thank you!

 

[Cosmos]

There are sleeping bags that can indure -20 and lower temperatures, designed for mountain climbers and explorers.
The same is with clothing.

A sleeping bag of that kind is always a good idea to have at hand. You can also get bags that meet those low temperature requirements that are not so heavy which is good in case one has to walk by foot. The rule when you have to rely on foot is always: the lighter (weight wise) the better.

What would be the best boots type to buy? Is it enough to buy some skiing clothes?
Maybe someone from codler parts who has experience in heavy winters can advice....

I have two pairs of heavy winter boots (one rated for -30 C° and one for -50 °C) . The two main criteria I was looking for were: 1 = made for low temperatures, 2 = water resistant. Additionally again, the lighter, the better. Usually the lower the temperature a boot sustains heat to the foot, the clumpier they can get (which can be disadvantageous if you have to walk on foot a lot). So the best case would be a shoe that meets all the above criteria while still being reasonably good to walk in. Additionally, it would be good that the shoe can also "breath" so that you don't start to sweat. Sweat can get rather dangerous at low temperatures if you are exposed to cold temperatures for long stretches of time.

I‘ve read somewhere that people in cold parts dress in lots pf layers. Still, in the sea of various brands and types, all of them claiming to be the best, what do you think would be best choice for freezing temperatures and what sould I pay attention to?

Yeah, as far as I understood the layered clothing principle is the way to go in low temperatures. As long as you don't exercise or walk a lot, any warm clothes do the trick. But if you start exercising your body (walking, working and such) layering is the key. The idea is to prevent yourself from sweating which can get dangerous in the cold. Let's say you climb a mountain, then you need some good layered clothes since you will start to heat up and sweat pretty quickly no matter how cold it is. You dispose of one layer after the other when climbing to prevent yourself from sweating too much. When you cool down again you put a layer back on again and so forth.

 

[whitecoast]

Yeah, as far as I understood the layered clothing principle is the way to go in low temperatures. As long as you don't exercise or walk a lot, any warm clothes do the trick. But if you start exercising your body (walking, working and such) layering is the key

I would also recommend avoiding cotton clothing at all costs unless indoors, since the moment cotton gets wet it loses its insulation properties; other materials (eg wool) can still insulate even when wet. There’s a reason search and rescue volunteers and culture call cotton “death cloth - they suffer hypothermia much earlier on after becoming lost or caught out in deadly weather.

 

[Yupo]

A couple of thoughts on dressing for warmth:
Motorcycle clothing can be battery heated, like an electric blanket. It can keep you warm enough in a very cold room.

Heated Clothing - Electric Clothing - Heated Socks & Heated Gloves

heated clothing, heated cloths, electric socks, electric gloves, heating socks, heated sock, warming socks, warming clothing, happ...

www.thewarmingstore.com

Reflective mylar sheeting can go on the outside of your sheets to keep you Very warm at night. Very inexpensive. Always keep some in handbag and car.

Emergency Rescue Blanket S-23360 - Uline

Retains up to 90 of body heat when a blanket is not available. Used for marathons and emergency response. Individually wrapped. Waterproof.ULINE offers over 38,500 boxes, plastic poly bags, mailing tubes, warehouse supplies and bubble wrap for your storage, packaging, or shipping supplies.

www.uline.com

Heat-reflective insoles are available for shoes and boots.

Amazon.com: 2 Pairs Heat Reflecting Insoles for Shoes To Keep Warm : Health & Household

Buy 2 Pairs Heat Reflecting Insoles for Shoes To Keep Warm on Amazon.com ✓ FREE SHIPPING on qualified orders

www.amazon.com

Foam under and outer wear is extremely insulating.

Make Your Own Extreme-cold-weather Clothing – Mother Earth News

If you love the feel of winter wind on your cheeks but don't want to spend your last dime, here are some sewing patterns for extreme-cold-weather clothing. Originally published as "Make Your Own Cold-weather Clothing" in the January/February 1985 issue of MOTHER EARTH NEWS.

www.motherearthnews.com

 

[Yupo]

I'm moving house soon, staying in eastern NC. House improvements I plan to make on the new place are for some solar heat gain and insulation of large window areas. The room with a fireplace will be kitted out for winter living, with convertible (to bed) furniture and fireplace cooking setup. I want to reinforce the roof supports in case of unusual snow loads. I'd like to put in geothermal tubes to help with cooling and heating, but not sure I can afford to do this, except DIY. I'm thinking a large 'root cellar' might be a good idea for emergency shelter. House is on a slab, but the yard is large. The city allows chickens and food rabbits. Probably could grow some fish discreetly in a decorative water feature.

 

[Yupo]

I was looking around for decent human powered snow moving equipment. There are a lot of good snow. pushing tools for this out there. Here is my favorite, which takes up no space whatsoever in the shed:

 

[Yupo]

I just read that Germany's wind farms are frozen stiff and solar farms are covered in snow.
Note to self: don't put solar array on the roof!
Brrrr!:

Russia Revisited: Germany’s Winter Wind & Solar Drought Results in Soviet Style Power Rationing

Soviet shortages led to the gag about “what has 100 legs and eats cabbage?” 50 Muscovites lining up to buy sausage. Wind and solar obsessed Germans must feel a little like the USSR’s (unwilling) ve…

stopthesethings.com

 

[Lucius]

I just read that Germany's wind farms are frozen stiff and solar farms are covered in snow.
Note to self: don't put solar array on the roof!
Brrrr!:

Russia Revisited: Germany’s Winter Wind & Solar Drought Results in Soviet Style Power Rationing

Soviet shortages led to the gag about “what has 100 legs and eats cabbage?” 50 Muscovites lining up to buy sausage. Wind and solar obsessed Germans must feel a little like the USSR’s (unwilling) ve…

stopthesethings.com

From what I have read the problem with solar panels is that they are not designed for minus temperatures, which causes them to freeze (liquid) and they have to be thrown away.

Beyond the weight of snow, our panels are tested for freezing temperatures as well. When the temperature drops below freezing, any water that has accumulated on solar panels can freeze. When that happens, the frozen water expands and could potentially cause cracks in the solar cells. It’s possible for panels to fracture due to shifting hot/cold temperatures, which can crack solar cells, disturb the soldered joints, and damage the inner components over the course of time.

 

[Yupo]

From what I have read the problem with solar panels is that they are not designed for minus temperatures, which causes them to freeze (liquid) and they have to be thrown away.

Yikes! I'm getting the flat, thin, semi-flexible panels that are lightweight and easy to move around. Hope this will not be a problem with them. I wanted something I could easily lift and travel with, using them where and when needed. Planning to use a solar generator to keep essentials only running in an emergency.

 

[MikaelYosef]

The world governments have been working on this for over 100 years (for the elite). What they have done is to construct deep underground cities and various installations. They are all linked - globally - by "trains" which travel through tubes kept at a near vacuum. They travel at at least mach 2 and some up to mach 7. A 40 year supp;y of food and other necessities are stored and the food is constantly recycled with the older food sold to the "surface people" (who will not survive). Everything is powered by "free energy" discovered by Tesla years ago but kept secret from "ordinary people". That is their plan.

This is written with apparent authority but with no references. Can you please share you source for this information? I'm partially agreeable to the intentions/aspirations but very skeptical of the specifics.

 

[zak]

and what sould I pay attention to?

Hi Mari, in addition to the good advice of others, I would like to underline the importance of understanding the clothing system, to give a little idea of the thing in practice, a small video:

Then, according to David Manise and Julien Imbert in their life/survival manual, great cold, the purpose of the clothing system, which is the first bulwark against the cold and other elements, is for:

-To evacuate the humidity produced by the skin: the phenomenon of perspiration
And of course in case of physical activity transpiration.
The evaporation of this moisture to the outside is important in the clothing system.
Materials made of merino wool, for example, wick away this moisture while retaining their insulating properties.

-Keeping warm, stabilised air close to the body: down/duvet, polyester fleece etc. create a pore volume, where the air is both warmed and mobile, which produces this insulating layer.

-Protect the insulating layers from wind and external moisture: in the clothing system this is the outer shell, it must be waterproof, windproof and breathable at the same time.

"By understanding the purpose and limitations of each layer of the clothing system, one can easily adapt one's outfit to the various situations encountered in winter nature.
Layers can be removed or added as needed throughout the day, in a precise and meticulous manner to both manage your temperature and protect your clothing from moisture.
The aim is to stay dry and 'comfortably cold' during activity and 'dry and warm' during rest and inactivity".

So the addition or removal of layers of clothing will depend on :
-Level of activity
-Air temperature
-The presence of wind
-rain/snow contact...

A small note on the importance of the hat/beanie and scarf to keep warm, because on average we lose 20% of our warmth on it.

Perspiration - Wikipedia

In the same order of ideas:

To wick away moisture, cotton is not very good, it's true, it has a tendency to absorb it, it's even hydrophilic.
In order to avoid spinning bad cotton, this property can be put to good use in a specific context, e.g. during intense activity, wearing a cotton T-shirt, taking it off immediately after a break and replacing it with technical underwear, thus wicking moisture away from the clothing system immediately.
Also put a cotton scarf in the sleeping bag to absorb moisture from the environment.
The disadvantage is that the cotton needs to be dried somewhere.

I would also like to add the importance of breathing in the cold environment.
Our breathing in the extreme cold, where the air is very dry, dehydrates us enormously. In order to minimise this loss of liquid, it is advisable to breathe only through the nose, because unlike our mouth, which vaporises, our nose allows us to recover some moisture.

Another thing for dehydration in the extreme cold is to understand the couple of cooling and warming.
Cooling: contraction of peripheral blood vessels>>>> Increase in blood pressure>>>> Urine production to reduce blood pressure.

Warming up: Re-dilation of peripheral blood vessels>>> Lowering of blood pressure>>> Water intake to restore normal blood pressure


While taking a look at this thread, I came across this post of AzarHyun:
Does anyone have any plans for the coming Ice Age?

that led me to this one by Laura:
Kantek

which echoed the latter:
Human body temperature has decreased in United States, study finds

And finally this video in French, subtitled in English to put which started off rather well, with some interesting connections on the decrease of body heat, with viruses... But ended up on the global warming of the centric body:

 

[Mari]

Thank you all!!! Most helpful!!!
I was thinking in the similar lines, regarding fabric choice and so on, great to read I was on right track.

Tnx!!!

 

[Pierre]

How to protect your vehicle against EMP:

 

[c.a.]

Oppenheimer Ranch Project covers the latest on the current deep freeze in the USA.

My current position as of 11/12/21 and very nippy.

Via AccuWeather, Inc.

Next winter storm could be a 'huge snowstorm for New England​

Here’s how subzero temps feel and what they can do to your body​

22 years since more than 22 inches of snow in central NC​

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1485751507471503361

​

 

[syldan]

It is - 27C tonight where I live right now, and having adopted the method and lifestyle hints of WIM HOF, I can say that it has made our lives smoother!

What is the Wim Hof Method? | Practice The Method

Discover each of the 3 pillars underlying the Wim Hof Method and the various ways you can learn to practice the method. Start your journey today.

www.wimhofmethod.com

I recommend to look into this, wherever you may live.
We live in the mountains, one and a half hour walk to the first village. The cold showers/ baths, and walking barefoot in the snow, including changes in our breathing and our food intake, have made us much better adapted to out environment. If you subscribe, you can get FREE basic courses online. It's all pretty much self-explanatory. I know that the forum has been enlightened to these techniques on other threads so they are becoming more essential as the planet goes through changes.