Episode 051: Stranded Overnight in Subzero Temperatures

With over a foot of fresh snow and temperatures falling well below zero, it seemed like an opportune time to demonstrate some cold weather survival skills. In my mind, the single most important survival skill is an ability to recognize and avoid a life-threatening situation. In the case of a winter storm, this might mean choosing to spend the night in a stuck vehicle instead of attempting to walk to “better” shelter. Many people die every year in blizzards trying to walk to a house that was “within sight” of where their vehicle got stuck. In this episode, I simulate the mistake of attempting this walk (DO NOT DO THIS!!!). At least I made the smart choice to grab the blanket and tarp that I keep in my truck. After getting myself well-stuck out in the blizzard with nothing but a blanket, a tarp, and the clothes on my back, I demonstrate how to build your emergency overnight shelter to keep from freezing to death. With temperatures falling to -11 F, I won’t claim that it was comfortable, but with a properly rigged emergency shelter, I was far from danger.