| Maybe you don't need to learn about survival clothing. | | | | two layers to sandwich it between, but being itchy is |
| Maybe you always hike with a spare jacket. Perhaps | | | | better than being frozen in any case. |
| you never go out into the wilderness overnight, but just | | | | In a jam, you can also use the flat leaves of cattail |
| for day hikes. Or you bring lots of warm clothing when | | | | plants to weave a vest that will block the wind and |
| you do go backpacking. | | | | some rain. Two bread bags full of milkweed down or |
| Nonetheless, hundreds of people die or come close to | | | | other silky plant fibers make warm mittens (tie them at |
| dying every year from exposure. They thought they | | | | the wrists). A plastic bag full of the same could be tied |
| were prepared. They didn't expect their clothes to get | | | | onto your head as a hat. |
| wet from falling in a stream, they didn't think they'd be | | | | Usually, you'll do better to look first at what you have, |
| out there for the night, or they get lost for days. | | | | before looking to kill animals for their skins, or weave |
| Coming down from Mount Whitney I met several | | | | grass skirts. If you have a sleeping bag, it can double |
| young men in t-shirts on their way up, determined to | | | | as a coat - just wrap it around you. Socks can be |
| get to the top. They had no gear, and not enough time, | | | | mittens, and garbage bags can be made into snow |
| but they probably made it there by sunset anyhow. | | | | pants. |
| They also certainly didn't make it the eleven miles back | | | | A garbage bag can also be a raincoat. Otherwise, tie |
| to their car before dark. It was below freezing that | | | | bunches of grass tightly together along a string or strip |
| night, so I imagine they were uncomfortable at best. | | | | of cloth, and then wrap it around your shoulders. This |
| Quick Survival Clothing | | | | will repel a light rain. You can fashion a rain hood of |
| What survival clothing could they have made in that | | | | birchbark as well. |
| situation? One of them did have a light jacket. He could | | | | In the desert you can make a sun-hat of large leaves, |
| have used his t-shirt as a hat (a lot of heat is lost | | | | like those from a fan palm. String some together to |
| through the head) and filled his jacket with the fluff | | | | wrap around your shoulders to prevent sunburn. |
| from the cattail seedheads for insulation. (Cattail down | | | | You'll probably never have to use animal skins for |
| was once used to fill those old orange life preservers.) | | | | survival clothing. You might never lose your shoes and |
| Insulation is the important principle here. You can stuff | | | | need to glue tree bark to your feet with pine sap, for |
| a jacket, shirt, sweater or pants with dry leaves, | | | | hiking. Still, knowing how to improvise a few basic |
| milkweed down, bracken ferns or almost anything that | | | | pieces of survival clothing can make you more |
| creates a lot of "dead air space." It's better if you have | | | | comfortable, and possibly save your life. |