Fall is definitely on the way out. The evenings and early mornings are getting downright chilly. Time to pull the Filsons out of storage and start gearing up for the cold.
I have absolutely no faith that anyone can predict the kind of winter we’re going to have. In fact, I genuinely believe most weather forecasts in Montana should just be a pre-records loop of “And now here’s Ted with the weather. Thanks…might rain, might not. Back to you Steve.”
However, getting caught unprepared is always something to be avoided. And it doesn’t have to be something dramatic. It can be something as stupid as you ducking out of your house without a jacket to just run to your car for a forgotten item, and locking yourself out of the building. People have died in this town from similar experiences. A few years ago some old guy got locked out of his car and froze to death. Maybe he didnt have the strength to bust a window, or maybe he was just reluctant. But either way, he became a statistic because of something as simple as forgetting that his car auto-locked when he got out of it.
I keep a heavy coat and other outwear in the truck, and I have a spare key on the outside of the truck to get into it in a crisis. But I also keep the Winter Module in my Bag O’ Tricks(tm) and that’d definitely make a difference in a pinch. But….the main point here is: don’t go outside without proper clothing even if its only for a few minutes…because life has a way of throwing curve balls at you that will suddenly turn ‘a few minutes’ into an hour and you can lose a lot of toes and fingers to the cold in an hour.
Its that time of year, guys. If you took the sleeping bags and blankets out of the truck over the summer, it’s time to put them back in. And for the love of Crom, raingear in winter is always a good idea. Because cold and wet will kill you a zillion times faster than just cold. Suspenders and a belt, guys.
The small town where I used to live had a weather forecaster on the radio. EVERY SINGLE DAY he would say: ‘Clear to partly cloudy with a chance of precipitation.’
Never varied.
Following, Good prep points thank you. If one is somewhat advanced in their preps and have adequate seasonal gear the cold seasons should only be at a mere nuisance level of discomfort or inconveniences. Use winter time as an off season from other things and engage in many of those other indoor projects that need to be worked on anyway. (Clean those guns again troops!) I actually sought out a cold (climate zone 4, 6k ft elevation, bounded by usfs mountain ranges, Wolverines country) A.O. for it’s s own intrinsic tactical or strategic attributes that aid in my own macro-survival objectives. Don’t be scared of just the weather out there, always nagging about it.Sideways blowing snow and subzero temps can be your friend if it is hindering your enemies and affecting their own joy quotient. Stay frosty, and tough it out, spring-summer will arrive again.
I always keep a spare key to my vehicle in my wallet. Handy when I have to quickly access it to put – take an item out or zip in to move it without having to get my regular key chain. The key I leave for my mechanic when vehicle is being serviced (no need to remove my regular key off the chain).
Never been in situation where weather can kill you in a matter of minutes. That does sound scary.
Yep. It is rare in our advanced systems. But as Commander posted occasionally, there are incidents where individuals get mogged by the weather and are in over their head and just get simply killed. Like pioneers of Olde, one. Has to be crafty, shrewed, and above all resourceful. Simple as. Stay frosty, stay warmest.
forecast yesterday was mostly sunny/light winds/1% change of rain. it was menacingly cloudy all day and about dark a blizzard came out of nowhere. would have been ugly if caught out in it long. the manipulators need to coordinate with the forecasters. and yeah, the cold weather gear goes back in my truck today.
But my friend. You must remember. A weather forecast has a shelf life of about 17 seconds.
And politicians and weather forecasters are the only people who can be wrong 95% of the time and still have a job.
With all the equipment and gizmos they have they should be able to tell you how many drops of rain will fall on your yard in a given time span.
But then we have to remember. NOAA is a government agency. And we all know how good Gummit is at pretty much nothing. Especially with the Dementia patient in the White House in charge.
Commander;
I don’t know if America has this saying –
“There is no such thing as bad weather, there is simply wrong clothes!”
A lot of truth to it…
I like that one
Yes. Solid lore to go by. Go pro with your cold ops kit.. Military surplus vendors are your friend, buy bulk, buy on the cheap or bargain sale, and lay in years of depth of inventory. Just because. Stay frosty
Most milsurp is greatly outdated therefore surplus.Besides a snorkel parka,Mickey mouse boots and good helmet liner few things are worth the weight and price. Writing this after a 4 hr motorcycle ride at 15 deg F. Proper layers and acclimating are key. For top of line try cold weather motorcycle gear or snowmobile gear. Buy at end of season for good price or ho to uniform store that caters to
outdoor workers. Expedition quality camping gear can break the bank though
Thanks for the common sense reminder . The fact it needs to be stated shows how uncommon “sense” is .
Unfortunately that applies to me, guilty as charged . I’ll
Just run out and feed the cows with no gloves and a hoodie . Half an hour later fingers are numb !!
Yup, getting cold down here too. Was 61 and I needed wool socks and a jacket to walk the dog. I experienced a new problem. Car parts. I have a older 05 Buick with only 110K miles. Broke down and the shop has had it for a week. They cannot find a part. Never had that happen (this is a very good shop). Owner has noticed problems with the quality of parts too. New batteries with dead cells from major brands. Spark plugs that don’t spark. He has really noticed the changes. Can’t get a part for a Buick? How do you secure your transportation?
Put a new thermostat in my ’99 Dodge, bought a couple new from RockAuto.
250 miles later the back-up thermostat went in after the first one stuck closed on the way to work and getting caught in construction.
Easier to pop out a thermostat and drive home cool than take all day to keep letting it cool down, so have some tools no matter how good the repair was.
Working in truck repair for last several years and the parts situation is horrible and going to get worse(on purpose). Best way to trap you in 15 minute city is obsolete your vehicle(parts not available)
I keep a couple of space blankets in the pocket on the back of the passenger seat of both vehicles year round and add more gear for winter. The space blankets can be used to keep you warm in winter, cooler in summer (used for shade – paracord recommended), and to help keep you dry in an emergency. They take up so little space and are so cheap that there is really no excuse to not keep several in your vehicles.
Don’t forget to toss a book or two into the cold-weather emergency kit. Getting cut off by an avalanche or two may not damage you or your vehicle but getting stuck 8 hours or more may kill you from boredom. 🙂
Life hack: go to shopgoodwill.com and search Filson. You’re welcome. Back when I was working for a utility 24/7 one trick was to wire a door key for the vehicle somewhere under the body and wrap it in electrical tape to protect it. Won’t start the newer trucks but it will let you get in the door without breaking a window. Saved my bacon a bunch of times.
Read this after reading article on cars stuck on I-90 between Erie,PA and Buffalo. This is a planned occurrence as the area has the equipment and expertise to easily deal with a little snow (for them). To say they’re trying to kill you might not be a surprise to readers here but the NPC are shocked. BTW I drove that route for almost a decade and have driven it in white out conditions and only saw it shut down 2-3 times and then they close the gates and do not let anyone on the road. Can we charge Hockul with public endangerment and attempted murder?