One of the most important things to prepare for is figuring how to stay warm in winter if the grid goes down.

Any self-respecting prepper will tell you that relying on the government to help you during a crisis is pretty useless.

The best way to survive any uncertain event such as the power going out during winter is to prepare for the situation before it becomes a reality.

Indoor wood burning stoves, thermal blankets, battery-operated lanterns, ready-to-eat meals, etc. will come in very useful when you have no electricity and it’s freezing outside.

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Stay Warm In Winter Even If You Aren’t Prepared

But what do you do if you’re not prepared?

In this article, we will look at a few ways you can survive the cold, even if you lack the usual survival gear.

It won’t be easy to stay warm in winter, but it can be done.

Let’s face it, not everyone is going to prepare for the unexpected no matter how much they know they should.

Sometimes it is due to financial circumstances even though there are ways to prepare for survival on a budget for those who are interested.

Sometimes it is due to procrastination or the thought that nothing like that will ever happen to me.

Stay Warm In Winter By Layering Your Clothes

This is probably the most obvious step and yet, people get it wrong.

One way to stay warm in winter is to wear thermal underwear that’s not made of cotton.

If you sweat your perspiration will soak the cotton clothing and you’ll end up feeling even colder.

It’s best to wear Merino wool thermal underwear because wool wicks away your perspiration.

Add a layer of pants, followed by a few shirts on top of that.

Then layer mittens, socks, a jacket or coat, etc.

Stay Warm In Winter By Keeping Your Hands And Feet Warm

Wearing warm socks and gloves is crucial to staying warm because your extremities tend to get cold faster due to the reduced blood circulation.

When your hands and feet are cold, your entire body will feel cold.

Remember to avoid standing barefoot on the floor during cold weather.

Your body radiates heat and it will be absorbed by the ground and you will feel colder.

It is better to wear shoes, winter boots or rubber soled slippers that don’t conduct the cold as well as your bare feet do.

Stay Warm In Winter By Camping Out In Smaller Rooms

Let’s face it, smaller rooms are easier to heat and simply put, retain heat better than larger areas.

Ideally, you should stay in just one room that has a connecting bathroom.

The smaller the room, the easier it will be to keep it warm.

Try to get all your family members to stay in this room throughout the day so that their body heat radiates out and raises the temperature of the room.

It is a good idea to stay in an upstairs room in your house if you have one because heat naturally rises and these rooms might be warmer to start with.

Staying in an upstairs room might not make that big of a difference, but every bit helps.

Keep the room of your door closed and place a towel at the bottom of the door to prevent cold drafts.

Hang a thick blanket over the door and any windows in the room to further block potential drafts, especially if you live in an older house.

How To Make A Room Smaller

Make the room you choose even smaller by setting up a pop-up tent and huddle inside the tent.

Now your living area has become even smaller and the heat from your body is trapped within the tent.

In the event you don’t have a tent, make one out of chairs and blankets like you did when you were a kid.

Covering up with a pile of blankets, preferably wool, will help to keep you warm.

Cold weather has a tendency to seep into your bones, just ask an older person especially someone with arthritis.

However, if you layer your clothing and cover up with blankets, you will raise your core body temperature and feel warmer.

You might even want to crawl inside a sleeping bag then cover yourself with blankets while inside the tent.

Once you understand the principle of trapping heat within a micro-environment, you will know what you need to do to maintain enough heat to stay alive.

Stay Warm In Winter By Covering Your Face

While the last thing anyone wants to do is wear a mask inside of their home, it’s important to realize masks are just not for COVID-19.

By wearing a mask, you prevent your body from radiating heat as much as it normally would.

So, you will stay warmer.

It also helps to cover your face and keep it warm.

Use a cloth mask, a scarf or wear a balaclava

Whatever you have, even a hand towel or a t-shirt, you need to use it to help retain as much of your body heat as possible.

Stay Warm In Winter By Using A Hot Water Bottle

Heat water up using whatever means you have available and pour it into a hot water bottle.

Of course, since the power is out, you will need to figure out a way, such as using a portable stove to boil the water.

For those who did not prepare well enough, it is pretty easy to make a DIY portable stove that will work in an emergency situation.

This is why it is of paramount importance to be prepared and have all these crucial items ready for you to use when life hits you with freezing weather and a power outage.

Find Ways To Heat Up The House So You Stay Warm In Winter

There are numerous methods to heat up the house when the power grid is down.

If you have a wood stove, you can use it.

Alternatively, if you have a terracotta clay pot such as the ones usually used as a flower pot, you can place it on top of three bricks arranged in a square with an opening so that it is elevated.

Now light 2-3 small tea light candles and place them under the pot.

The pot and the bricks will get hot and emanate heat throughout the room.

You will be amazed to see that this method can actually heat up an entire room.

If you don’t have a pot or bricks, lighting a few candles or even a kerosene lamp will help to heat up the room.

As long as there is an open flame, the air in the room will heat up to some degree.

Just be careful of having an open flame around kids, pets or at night.

Be sure to keep the open flame up high enough that it doesn’t get knocked off and start a fire.

Invest In A Good Carbon Monoxide Alarm And A Portable Generator

It is imperative that you have a carbon monoxide alarm in your room and in your house, if you are using indoor generators, wood stoves, or kerosene heaters.

Carbon monoxide is an odorless gas that can knock you out and even kill you without you being aware that you are in danger.

This is why portable generators should always be placed outside and away from the house.

But of course, you need to be prepared enough to own one, and unfortunately, not many people are that well-prepared.

Buy a portable generator and the proper fuel to power it.

They do not run on electricity.

A portable generator is one of the best purchases you can make as a survivalist.

Stay Warm In Winter By Keeping The Cold Out

Besides doing your best to stay warm, you will also need to be proactive about keeping the cold out.

Close the doors of all your rooms even if you are not staying in them.

Hang thick blankets on windows and doors to prevent the cold from seeping in.

Place towels at the bottom of all the doors that lead outside as well as the interior doors to prevent drafts.

Other Ways You Can Stay Warm In Winter

Besides the ways mentioned above, there are a few other ideas to stay warm in winter that will serve you well.

Remember that every measure counts.

Men can grow beards to keep warm and then shave them off once the power grid comes back online.

Proper Hydration Helps You Stay Warm In Winter

Hydrate often even if you are not thirsty.

If you can drink warm water, that is even better.

Avoid coffee as it indirectly makes you feel colder once the effects of the caffeine wears off.

Liquor can be used to make you feel warm temporarily and is best used only if you’re cold to the point where your teeth are chattering or you feel weak.

Bourbon may make you feel warm quickly but this is just a short-term solution.

Alcohol is a vasodilator and will actually make you feel colder once the effects wear off.

If you sweat, you will lose heat and your attempt to exercise to stay warm in the winter won’t work.

Sweat will affect your body’s natural temperature regulation.

So, consume alcohol and anything with caffeine minimally and only when in desperate need.

Then quickly layer up with clothes and follow the advice above to stay warm.

Stay Warm In Winter By Eating

Eating will also help to raise your body temperature.

Appetite may be the last thing you have when you are feeling colder than the neighborhood snowmen, but you should eat regularly.

It will not only fuel your body but also help to keep you warm.

Exercise To Stay Warm In Winter

Light exercise will help raise your body temperature and get your blood circulation going.

Doing a set or two of squats is extremely helpful.

Alternatively, 2 minutes of skipping will do the job just as well and might be easier for younger members of the family.

Remember not to exercise for too long.

Short bouts will raise your metabolism, but if you start sweating, you will lose body heat and your efforts will be counterproductive.

Less is more when you are trying to stay warm in winter.

Final Thoughts On How To Stay Warm In Winter

Buy portable stoves, thermal blankets, fuel, candles, packaged meals, thermal underwear, a portable generator, hot water bottles, tents, mess tins and whatever else you think you will need in order to stay warm before you ever need it.

When the weather turns freezing cold and the roads get icy, not only will the stores be closed or empty of supplies, but trying to get what you want delivered may not be possible.

When people panic, they buy items irrationally and things sell out quickly which is what caused the toilet paper shortage.

The grid is known to go down on a regular basis during winter snow storms because the temperatures fall and the wind picks up, so the best thing you can do is prepare for a potential emergency situation beforehand.

Be sure to use the suggestions in this article to stay warm in winter and remain safe until the power is restored.

Emergency Planning And Preparedness Tips

The Importance Of Taking Survival Preparedness Seriously

Survival preparedness needs to be taken seriously because you never know when a natural disaster or a man-made catastrophe might happen. A disaster can occur when you least expect it, and this is why it is extremely important to be well-prepared before you are caught off-guard.