I know, you’re thinking “Dude, unless you’re driving naked why would you need to pack clothes. You’re already wearing clothes!” True, but think of the circumstances…maybe youre on your way to/from the office Christmas party..you’re in your nice slacks, dorky sweater, loafers, and a too-light coat…after all, you only were going to be outside for the time it took to go from the parking lot to the restaurant. Annnnnnd..Murphy happens: you get stuck and you’re out there trying to shovel your stuck vehicle out while youre wearing loafers, thin socks, slacks, a light jacket, and probably no hat and gloves. Owie. Or you tried to shovel your way out of your situation..now your shoes and socks are soaked, pants are wet, and youre missing a glove. Wouldn’t dry clean clothes feel good right about now?
So: pack extra clothes. You’re smart, you know what you need. But, if not, imagine this: you’re dropped naked into an abandoned car in the middle of winter. What do you need? Footwear, warm socks, long underwear, winter undershirt, long pants, heavyweight shirt, coat, gloves, scarf, hat..at least. You might add extra socks and extra mitts to swap out as they get wet.
I pack a complete change of clothes, plus winter coat, plus ‘accoutrements’ (scarf, hat, mitts). Everything that can, gets vacuum sealed. This serves two purposes: it keeps everything dry and clean, and it helps to keep things compact to fit in the Box O’ Gear. If you have them, and I highly recommend these, pack a set of insulated Carhart bibs. Wear these under your heavy coat you will not know cold. Theyre bulky, so they don’t fit in my Box O’ Gear, but I just roll ’em up and throw ’em in the back. I have worn them while working in -15 weather and they kept my legs, thighs, and abdomen just toasty as can be.
Don’t just go to your closet and pull out some old clothes and throw them in your vehicle. Use some common sense and think about the circumstances you’ll be using those clothes under. Don’t pull out those old hunting boots with the torn eyelets, the wool pants that ‘shrank’ in the waistline, and the mittens grandma knitted for you. You’re in a car trying not to freeze to death…wear clothes that fit, are well made, and made for cold weather. Good boots, wool socks, polypro undergarments, heavy shirt, heavy coat, thick hat, several pairs of warm liners for your mitts, etc. Vacuum seal as much of it as you can to save space.
Wool, polypro, whatever…just make sure you’ve got a couple layers. And while I always recommend staying with the vehicle, it’s a good idea to pack clothing as if you weren’t going to stay with the vehicle.
I’ve no desire to freeze to death or lose some fingers/toes to frostbite. I pack the warmest clothes I can find and then I add one or two extra pieces ‘just in case’. It’s a bit of work fitting all that in the Box O’ Gear but on some late night on the side of the road when it’s blowing -10 (much like it is outside right now) that little bit of extra might mean the difference between an uncomfortable nights sleep and physical therapy for the nubs where my fingers used to be.
Where ever you go, dress to walk home. Follow that rule, and you will be fine.
If you are worried about your mittens getting wet, it’s not very cold – and that’s bad. +30F is more dangerous than -30F, because at -30F, you can easily stay dry.
While knowing I will be critiqued consider adding a Milwaukee heated vest or coat & a car adapter In Addition to your other items. They go on sale about now & should last a day between a charged battery, maybe a spare & car battery. If the engines running, fuel would be the limit.
ps-med.com has a whole line of hypothermia products, and other medical supplies. I have 4 bps12r compact sleeping bags in my truck, my only complaint is they really can’t be re packed very well. FWIW these guys are VERY EZ to deal with & have been very gracious in supporting my Scouting troop. The big advantage to these is size, basically a paperback book. They are not cheap thin Mylar & should hold up for 3-4 days in actual roadside emergency use.
complete agree with pullover like bibs with suspenders. socks are very important. feet sweat and with most snow boots moisture transfer is non-existent, you need to change socks to keep your feet insulated. another important is goggles, like last night 0F with 20mph North-wind blowing snow. if you want extreme, a deer/bird goes thru your window now you have to drive X miles with no windscreen. another articular are waterproof gaiters. as with any snow winter cloths except your base layers, always buy one size bigger and long. if you are learning about winter clothes and science behind insulation these videos are worth there weight in gold. https://safeharboralliance.com/clothing-videos/
When I was growing up, mom always had us take boxes with grandma’s knitted blankets and stuff in them out every month. We’d spread the blankets and things out to let them “breath” and then put them away… the story was that fabric that is stored tightly and not allowed to “air out” will somehow get ruined… lose the ability to keep you warm or something.
This concerns me about the clothes I have vacuum sealed in my car… though it’s nothing so elaborate as I live in SoCal.
Anyway, is there anything to this notion of letting things air out or they’ll be “ruined”, or was that just an old wives tale? Anyone know?
I’ve heard that too, and have memories of Mom and I pulling out big quilts and such from the Hope Chest to ‘breath’ on Spring days. This was always said to be to air them out from the moth ball smell, and to check for moth damage, though. At least that was the story in my childhood home.
I’ve not personally heard that packing clothing into bags will ruin them if they don’t breath. I think with today’s modern materials that items should be able to survive indefinitely in an airless vacubag.
I’ve pulled out fleece blankets, sheets, and big comforters from the vacubags used when changing seasons. So, maybe 8 months of storage? Probably not long enough of a test, but they’ve always popped back right into form once popping the seal.
Don’t worry – your stuff will be fine. Airing blankets & clothing outside actually invites moths to take up housekeeping in the stored cloth. Vacuum sealing blankets & clothing for your vehicle is a good idea. Just make sure they are clean & absolutely dry before sealing. If you don’t use them it might be a good idea to unseal them every couple of years to let the fibers get loose again, but what’s in the vehicle isn’t exactly high fashion, so that might not be necessary.
It can be an issue with some synthetic insulation. The old military “intermediate cold” bags were notorious for being damaged by storage while tightly rolled.
Looks like CZ got some new backgrounds?
Changes in scenery are always good.
“Theyre bulky, so they don’t fit in my Box O’ Gear, but I just roll ’em up and throw ’em in the back.”
Hit Wallyworld for some x-large vacuum bags. They have various sizes, and you will find bags big enough to fit those insulated clothes into. Consider a double bagging to ensure they stay small, or use straps, after vacuum. Some of those bags are large enough to fit a couple of parkas into, without folding first!
They’re found in the storage/shelving area.