By day seven of getting ready for severe winter weather, you have already:
- Prepared your car
- Maintained your home
- Purchased a NOAA radio
- Stocked foods to keep you warm
- Bought fresh batteries
- Made an emergency kit for your car
Day eight is the day to add essential cold-weather gear to your emergency kit.
When the power goes out, so does the heat. You would be surprised how quickly your house can get chilly. During my first year of college, I lived in a small London flat without heat. Over the Christmas holiday, condensation on the inside of the kitchen window froze overnight. What a miserable winter. Fortunately, pub culture was alive and well in jolly old England and just under my flat was a toasty—and welcoming—pub that served warm cider and kept a roaring fire. Now that I live in Texas, I don’t have to worry as much. However, I keep a supply of gear that will keep me warm—and in my own home—when the power goes out.
A cold-weather kit includes items made specifically to warm your body, including layers such as thermal shirts, scarves and beanies to emergency blankets and tents. What do you put in a cold-weather emergency kit? These six essential items will keep you warm during severe winter weather:
- Chemical hand warmers
- Beanie and neck gaiter
- Plastic poncho
- Emergency tent
- Sleeping bag
- Propane heater
Chemical Hand Warmers, Beanie and Neck Gaiter
We lose most of our body heat through out hands and head. Chemical hand warmers will maintain a temperature of 135 to 156 degrees Fahrenheit for up to seven hours. You can either hold them or stick them in your gloves and pockets to keep your hands and fingers warm. Cover your head with a fleece hat or beanie.
A clear plastic poncho serves so many purposes, you should purchase more than one. The obvious reason to keep a poncho is to stay dry if you must go outside while snow, freezing rain or sleet is falling. Another reason to keep them is to cut them up and cover your windows. The clear plastic allows warm sunlight to enter, while preventing heat from escaping. You may also use ponchos to seal drafty windows and doors.
Create a close-quarters sleeping area in your living room. Setting up tents in close proximity will retain heat while you are sleeping. The reflective material in an emergency tent conserves body heat.
Besides wool blankets and flannel sheets—two of the warmest materials—a top quality sleeping bag designed for serious mountain trekking will keep you warm. There are hardcore sleeping bags rated to minus 50 degrees Fahrenheit, but with your warm layers, hand warmers and tent, a sleeping bag rated for freezing should suffice. The Chinook Trailside Sundowner sleeping bag is affordable and rated to +5 degrees Fahrenheit.
Besides bundling up, a heater that uses an alternative source of power keeps the chill at bay. Mr. Heater’s Little Buddy is CSA-certified to use safely indoors. Connect it to a one-pound disposable propane cylinder and the Little Buddy heats up to 100 square-feet for 5.5 hours. With multiple safety features, you can rest assured.
If you have to hunker down during severe winter weather, staying warm is a top priority. Don’t be caught without the little extras that make a big difference. Add these six items to your cold weather kit and you will be toasty in no time.