Cold weather tips
Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2020 3:15 pm
Following on from the bikepacking.com video causing the stir about fires I thought I'd post up some notes that I made at a winter training camp we did in Norway back in January. Obviously many are aimed at really cold temps but there should be things that apply at typical UK winter temps. There's no real order to things and possibly one or two things get mentioned twice.
Sweat is your worst enemy. Water transfers heat 7x more efficiently than air so modify your level of effort and your clothing to match your effort.
Clothing should be snug, neither tight nor loose. If it's too tight then it may restrict bloodflow. the baselayer should be snug rather than loose to avoid there being air between your skin and the garment. Contact between skin and the base layer is necessary to allow moisture to move away from the body and through the baselayer to the outer layers.
Consider the use of a mesh style vest as a base layer, it lifts the base layer off the skin but there's still contact to allow moisture to move and the "holes" trap air.
Extra insulation on the arms, like armwarmers, can help keep the hands warm while preventing the torso from overheating
Smell! bacteria don't like hair or wool so consider a mixed garment to avoid annoying others. (This may not apply to BBers )
Avoid bunching of clothing at points like boot tops. Try out new clothing items as part of the whole system to make sure it doesn't snag or create problems.
outer layers should be BIG! so they can be put on over everything else rather than taking layers off to fit them.
Skull caps often have a visor or peak, if you wear a balaclava over the top then the peak helps the balaclava move with your head from side to side.
Jacket hood that goes over your helmet to avoid having to take your helmet off. Similarly a zip-up jacket rather than a pullover.
Kineso tape or even duct tape on the bridge of your nose and the cheeks can be used to protect those areas from damp buffs, etc. sticking to them. Put on once and only take off after the race/event.
Monitor your warmth at all times and be prepared to add or remove layers in accordance with how you feel and the prevailing conditions. If you know the next section is exposed then layer up before you get there rather than fight with the wind, etc.
General point: ease of use of all items.
A big, full, beard isn't good as there will be a big build up of icicles that when you are in your sleeping bag will melt and get it wet.
Goretex doesn't work well in very cold temps as the dew point is inside the garment.
Gaiters for use in overflow and river crossings.
Multiple liner gloves. help avoid contact burns.
When really cold the glue on duct tape and the like doesn't work.
Boots should be walkable in. Don't constrict bloodflow by wearing too many socks. If it's going to be icy, fit tyre studs to the soles of your boots.
VBL socks, can use turkey bags. (I find it needs to be at least -5C for VBL to be practical)
Handwarmers need air to work. Foot versions say to put under arch of foot but this isn't good for pedalling or walking. Put in front of shin at top of boot
Hydration and eating.
Cold air is also dry air so you lose fluid just by breathing.
Poor hydration leads to feeling cold. pee when you need to, don't wait as that will also make you feel cold.
To stay warm you need exercise and/or energy. For energy you need food. Don't try to diet in severe cold.
Do the freezer test. Put whatever food you wish to try into the freezer overnight and then try and eat it. Things like Mars bars can be cut into small pieces which will melt in your mouth before you try to eat them.
Fat and protein have a high thermogenic effect, i.e. just by eating them you generate heat.
Keto diet is OK if you are used to it or start it at least a month or two before the event.
Cold vs. warm foods - some foods like chili are "warm", others like diary are "cool" in that they have that effect on you.
Oats, raisins, linseed oil and a bit of cinnamon. Blend and put in a bag, can be made into a drink or porridge/muesli.
headlight and handlebar light - Carry a light that is not fitted to the bike so you have something to work with..
handwarmers are useful when working on the bike, both to keep you warm and to warm the parts.
General point: PRACTICE!!!!!
A big ride isn't the place to try out something new. Do lots of short rides near home to work things out, even if logically it doesn't make sense in terms of the ride. So stop to make a brew, set up your bivy system - you might only be a kilometre from home so it doesn't matter if you are slow or get things wrong. The more often you do things the easier and more proficient you'll get.
Practice bike and tyre repairs, put holes and cuts in an old tyre and fix them.
Cooking:
In severe cold the only fuel that really works is petrol. The stoves of choice are the MSR stoves, the XGK and the Whisperlite. Both are reliable and field serviceable. (The XGK will actually run on just about anything - I've used "dry cleaning fluid" when in Kenya, don't know what it actually was but it worked even at 4000 metres!)
To melt snow you actually need a starter volume of water otherwise the snow evaporates rather than melts and you burn the pan. this generally means not using all your current stock. You'll need a bigger pan than in summer, probably two or even three litres in size, width is preferable to height.
When collecting snow for water create a "quarry face" type pit behind the stove so that the source is close to hand, discard the surface layer which will often have debris in it then just add enough snow to keep things moving. Depending on the size of your pan you might have to tilt it so that the water forms a pool in which to add the snow. Snow often has particles of grit in it so carefully pour into another container for cooking/drinking.
The commercial freeze dried ready meals take up a lot of space, the packaging is bulky and sturdy as it needs a long shelf life and to be able to withstand shipping and handling in the shop. Decant into zip-lock bags before the trip, remembering to take out the sachet of silica gel, bulk should reduce to about 1/3 of the original. In permanent marker write how much water to add on the side of the bag or, better, make fill-line allowing for the contents already in there.
in the morning if it's really cold then it's often best just to get moving and make breakfast after you have warmed up a bit.
Keep things simple
Sweat is your worst enemy. Water transfers heat 7x more efficiently than air so modify your level of effort and your clothing to match your effort.
Clothing should be snug, neither tight nor loose. If it's too tight then it may restrict bloodflow. the baselayer should be snug rather than loose to avoid there being air between your skin and the garment. Contact between skin and the base layer is necessary to allow moisture to move away from the body and through the baselayer to the outer layers.
Consider the use of a mesh style vest as a base layer, it lifts the base layer off the skin but there's still contact to allow moisture to move and the "holes" trap air.
Extra insulation on the arms, like armwarmers, can help keep the hands warm while preventing the torso from overheating
Smell! bacteria don't like hair or wool so consider a mixed garment to avoid annoying others. (This may not apply to BBers )
Avoid bunching of clothing at points like boot tops. Try out new clothing items as part of the whole system to make sure it doesn't snag or create problems.
outer layers should be BIG! so they can be put on over everything else rather than taking layers off to fit them.
Skull caps often have a visor or peak, if you wear a balaclava over the top then the peak helps the balaclava move with your head from side to side.
Jacket hood that goes over your helmet to avoid having to take your helmet off. Similarly a zip-up jacket rather than a pullover.
Kineso tape or even duct tape on the bridge of your nose and the cheeks can be used to protect those areas from damp buffs, etc. sticking to them. Put on once and only take off after the race/event.
Monitor your warmth at all times and be prepared to add or remove layers in accordance with how you feel and the prevailing conditions. If you know the next section is exposed then layer up before you get there rather than fight with the wind, etc.
General point: ease of use of all items.
A big, full, beard isn't good as there will be a big build up of icicles that when you are in your sleeping bag will melt and get it wet.
Goretex doesn't work well in very cold temps as the dew point is inside the garment.
Gaiters for use in overflow and river crossings.
Multiple liner gloves. help avoid contact burns.
When really cold the glue on duct tape and the like doesn't work.
Boots should be walkable in. Don't constrict bloodflow by wearing too many socks. If it's going to be icy, fit tyre studs to the soles of your boots.
VBL socks, can use turkey bags. (I find it needs to be at least -5C for VBL to be practical)
Handwarmers need air to work. Foot versions say to put under arch of foot but this isn't good for pedalling or walking. Put in front of shin at top of boot
Hydration and eating.
Cold air is also dry air so you lose fluid just by breathing.
Poor hydration leads to feeling cold. pee when you need to, don't wait as that will also make you feel cold.
To stay warm you need exercise and/or energy. For energy you need food. Don't try to diet in severe cold.
Do the freezer test. Put whatever food you wish to try into the freezer overnight and then try and eat it. Things like Mars bars can be cut into small pieces which will melt in your mouth before you try to eat them.
Fat and protein have a high thermogenic effect, i.e. just by eating them you generate heat.
Keto diet is OK if you are used to it or start it at least a month or two before the event.
Cold vs. warm foods - some foods like chili are "warm", others like diary are "cool" in that they have that effect on you.
Oats, raisins, linseed oil and a bit of cinnamon. Blend and put in a bag, can be made into a drink or porridge/muesli.
headlight and handlebar light - Carry a light that is not fitted to the bike so you have something to work with..
handwarmers are useful when working on the bike, both to keep you warm and to warm the parts.
General point: PRACTICE!!!!!
A big ride isn't the place to try out something new. Do lots of short rides near home to work things out, even if logically it doesn't make sense in terms of the ride. So stop to make a brew, set up your bivy system - you might only be a kilometre from home so it doesn't matter if you are slow or get things wrong. The more often you do things the easier and more proficient you'll get.
Practice bike and tyre repairs, put holes and cuts in an old tyre and fix them.
Cooking:
In severe cold the only fuel that really works is petrol. The stoves of choice are the MSR stoves, the XGK and the Whisperlite. Both are reliable and field serviceable. (The XGK will actually run on just about anything - I've used "dry cleaning fluid" when in Kenya, don't know what it actually was but it worked even at 4000 metres!)
To melt snow you actually need a starter volume of water otherwise the snow evaporates rather than melts and you burn the pan. this generally means not using all your current stock. You'll need a bigger pan than in summer, probably two or even three litres in size, width is preferable to height.
When collecting snow for water create a "quarry face" type pit behind the stove so that the source is close to hand, discard the surface layer which will often have debris in it then just add enough snow to keep things moving. Depending on the size of your pan you might have to tilt it so that the water forms a pool in which to add the snow. Snow often has particles of grit in it so carefully pour into another container for cooking/drinking.
The commercial freeze dried ready meals take up a lot of space, the packaging is bulky and sturdy as it needs a long shelf life and to be able to withstand shipping and handling in the shop. Decant into zip-lock bags before the trip, remembering to take out the sachet of silica gel, bulk should reduce to about 1/3 of the original. In permanent marker write how much water to add on the side of the bag or, better, make fill-line allowing for the contents already in there.
in the morning if it's really cold then it's often best just to get moving and make breakfast after you have warmed up a bit.
Keep things simple