How to Stay Warm and how to go to the bathroom outdoors PAD3O

How to Stay Warm and Happy Dress appropriately for the current weather conditions and be prepared for weather changes to extremes in either direction (warmer, colder, wetter, and drier).

This is best accomplished by using the following layering system. 1. Wicking Layer next to the skin – helps one stay dry Polypropylene, Capilene, or silk

2. Insulating Layer(s) – use as many layers as necessary Wool, pile, fleece, etc. (not cotton if you are going to be active)

3. Weather protection / shell layer – breaks wind and/or sheds water Nylon, cotton/polyester, dense weave

The key to staying warm and comfortable is to stay warm and dry. Use your layers to ventilate yourself and regulate your body temperature.

Don’t forget your hands, feet, and HEAD

These are extremely important and should receive as much attention as the rest of your body. In the cold, a body without a hat is analogous to leaving the front door open to your house; the furnace will run but the house will not stay warm.

2. Sleeping outside 1) When the ground is cold you require more insulation below than above. Remember that sleeping bags compress when you lie on them Day use and extra clothes go in or under sleeping pad

2) Staying dry is, again, the key: Don’t wear the same clothes to bed that you have been wearing during the day. ( the built up moisture will make you cold) Don’t warm your nose by breathing into your sleeping bag. You can accumulate a great deal of moisture during the night inside the bag this way.

3) Cover your head, either with a warm hat(s) and/or a sleeping bag hood

4) Sleep with a hot water bottle

5) The smaller the sleeping bag (mummy vs square), the less dead air to be heated and hence the warmer you should be. A smaller, well-insulated home is easier to warm than a large, poorly insulated one.

6) Your body is your furnace. Therefore, it makes a great deal of difference if you eat a well balanced meal to replenish used stores of energy. Drinking water also helps to keep the system running efficiently. So don’t go to bed hungry and/or dehydrated. Also ensure you have gone to the bathroom

7) Make sure your tent is well ventilated.

Going to the bathroom in the woods

Believe it or not but there is a book on this by Kathleen Meyers called How to Sh*t in the Woods.

Whether going #1 or 2, these are things to take into consideration: Avoid any place within 200 ft of a water source Animals will be attracted to the smell Some animals will try to eat it – this can cause them issues

Human waste can kill plants so avoid going on top of them Stay within voice range of your group

Trying to hold in waste is bad for you It is essentially toxic to your body Can lead to bladder infections

Human waste can stay as a biohazard for a whole year

Steps 1) Find a spot away from the trail, campsite or water source 2) Dig a cathole with a small trowel or sticks. The deeper the better. 6-8 inches deep.

4) If you use toilet paper there are two schools of thought as toilet paper takes a long time to break down. A) Put the used paper in a ziplock bag and pack it out

B) Burn it (watch out for forest fires)

C) If no TP use soft leaves that are not waxy C) If no TP use soft leaves that are not waxy. Avoid any poisonous plants, thorny ones, or hog weed.

4) Cover up the hole with dirt and leaves 5) Place a stick in the ground to mark the hole an warn others 6)Sanitize hands

If you are willing to pack all of it out 5 Gallon bucket with a garbage bag inside Pool noodle on top is optional Do your business Tie up bag and throw out in trash later.