CRAZY PREPARED

[Richter]

Reminder:  Cotton, in a wet environment is DEATH.

If cotton clothes get wet, they will leach heat out of your body as they dry. You are better off removing them and hanging around naked. 
Yes, I've tried this.  Everyone EXCEPT the ones trained in surviving cold / wet conditions thought I was crazy.  Your body can heat itself decently when it has to.  (How LONG it can do this, however depends on the person and the conditions.)   

Fabrics that won't (off the top of my head) :  WOOL.  POLY (ester and propylene).  RAYON.

[East Coast Hustle]

acrylic is fucking AWESOME. It has most of the same properties as wool but it is lighter and (unless you're like me and only buy merino) more comfortable.

[Cain]

http://www.empowerthyself.com/overview

Heard this might be useful, though I haven't really had a chance to look much.

[Cainad (dec.)]

ProTip: Don't have Raynaud's Syndrome.

If civilization degrades to the point where getting hot water and just plain ol' warmth become a serious problem, people like me are gonna lose our fingers come winter.

[Rumckle]

Also, Yatto reminded me of something I was thinking about:
Crossbow vs Bow, what's the opinion?
both in ease to make (and make well), and usefulness in such situations.

[willem]

If cotton clothes get wet, they will leach heat out of your body as they dry. You are better off removing them and hanging around naked.
Yes, I've tried this.  Everyone EXCEPT the ones trained in surviving cold / wet conditions thought I was crazy.

And the ones who have basic knowledge of thermodynamics... or just plain everyday cooling systems - what happens when liquids evaporate.

[Requia ☣]

Also, Yatto reminded me of something I was thinking about:
Crossbow vs Bow, what's the opinion?
both in ease to make (and make well), and usefulness in such situations.

Unless you're already good with a bow, or else are in it for an extremely long haul, don't bother, crossbows are probably easier to use, and might be easier to make, assuming you have the wreckage of civilization to salvage parts from.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Also, Yatto reminded me of something I was thinking about:
Crossbow vs Bow, what's the opinion?
both in ease to make (and make well), and usefulness in such situations.

Unless you're already good with a bow, or else are in it for an extremely long haul, don't bother, crossbows are probably easier to use, and might be easier to make, assuming you have the wreckage of civilization to salvage parts from.

My assumption is that if we're at a point where I'm contemplating needing a bow, it's a permanent situation. Being able to teach your kids to make a bow from natural materials could, at that point, mean survival of the family line.

[Richter]

If cotton clothes get wet, they will leach heat out of your body as they dry. You are better off removing them and hanging around naked.
Yes, I've tried this.  Everyone EXCEPT the ones trained in surviving cold / wet conditions thought I was crazy.

And the ones who have basic knowledge of thermodynamics... or just plain everyday cooling systems - what happens when liquids evaporate.

The ones who said I was doing it right were trained in survival by the US Coast Guard.

  Yeah though, crazy prepared often means SEEMING crazy to the less prepared.

Then it works, and they STFU.

[Kai]

ProTip: Don't have Raynaud's Syndrome.

If civilization degrades to the point where getting hot water and just plain ol' warmth become a serious problem, people like me are gonna lose our fingers come winter.

And me.

The only way I can keep warm hands is by being in a rather warm place these days. Hot water is an only temporary fix.

[the last yatto]

crossbows can be fired with only one hand,
and can use attachments much easiler like grappling hook, or repeater clip
and i do believe both can be made with seminatural materials
(I would say all natural but having a metal crossbar is a must, imho)

[Richter]

Scavenge a truck's leaf spring and emergency brake cable for the crossbar / string.  One method advised scavenging both of a deuce and a half truck, and carving the stock out of the densest hardwood you can get.  You'll need a pretty serious release lever setup, and a come - along to cock the thing, but the draw weight should place it almost in the anti - material category.

You probably could weld the crossbar to a peice of structural steel instead of a wood stock, but unless you really knew what you were doing, I could see the welds getting broken easily by the stress.

Rod stock or rebar with a tip ground on for ammo.

BTW: This all annoys the SHIT out of me.  I saw an IDEAL leaf spring on the road this morning, but couldn't stop to grab it 

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

What good is that going to do your descendants in 150 years?

[Requia ☣]

Presumably, it will keep you fed long enough to figure out how to make glue from tree sap (or whatever the fuck you make glue out of) and flint knives, so you can make a more traditional bow.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Yes but, following the conversation, first it might be good to know HOW to make a traditional bow...