# Self Sufficiency/Living off the Land or Off the Grid > Making Stuff >  how to stay warm on a winter night

## thinkfree3

if your out in the bush on a winter night and your area happens to have stones/rocks you can take a bunch of em and put them in the fire, then after about 2 hours take them out and burry them under about 6 in of sand/dirt in your shelter, they will keep it nice and toasty! Just make sure they arn't touching anything flamable. If your going to sleep on top of them you should wait for a few till the steam leaves from the sand. Oh an one more thing, if the rocks are wet i hear they can explode if you put them in the fire so you should probably avoid taking rocks from a river or something.

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## Bowcatz

I've read that granite makes a better fire stone than chert or flint. Not as many fissures in granite to hold trapped water to cause a rock to explode violently when heated too fast.

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## thinkfree3

do they hold heat well?

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## Bowcatz

I read that granite isn't as quick to explode when heated like the chert and flint types of stone.

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## the edge

im pretty sure i saw something like this on man vs wild

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## thinkfree3

maybe so, that guy does a lot. I haven't seen all of those or any of the surviver man ones, my only opportunity to is at work because i do not own a TV

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## the edge

i wonder what the tempature would be laying on that and if youll get burns on your back

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## thinkfree3

hard to say, i'd prolly start with a lot of dirt on top and then remove dirt till it was comfortable. It would be better to do it that way then get burned while your figuring it out.

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## Orion

I would probably end up purposely making the rocks explode... you know so it would be like the fourth of july again.. Sorry for my randomness.

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## WildGoth

i;ve tried it the rocks are very hard to get from the fire beacuse of the heat i've burned myself from this method it does work just be CAREFUL

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## FISHorDIE

If you laid rocks in a shape as long as your body. then built a fire on the rocks .you could wait untill it was coals and hot stones before covering them up with dirt. the ground would be hot allready so the heat may last longer. may take too much effort and wood but hey. . . . .just throwin it out there.

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## thinkfree3

that could work, as for the burning yourself there is a way to make a device with sticks to get the stuff out of the fire. I'd have to look it up but if your smart an don't rush you should be able to figure it out eventually... knowing me though i'd prolly be in a hurry and burn myself

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## thinkfree3

Light a fire for a man keep him warm for a night, light a man on fire keep him warm for the rest of his life! 

random joke...

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## Musubi420

[QUOTE=thinkfree3;900]Light a fire for a man keep him warm for a night, light a man on fire keep him warm for the rest of his life! /QUOTE]

 :EEK!:   :Big Grin:  love that line funny but alot of sheeple don't see the humor/truth in that right away.

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## the jack

Yes those rocks do explode. had one the size of a football blast apart and came at me about 10 feet away. got it's moisture from lying in contact with the ground. hot rock beds are fine, just use a big stick to roll them from the fire to your bed pit then cover them up with some earth, adjust depth as needed.

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## KRASH!

> If you laid rocks in a shape as long as your body. then built a fire on the rocks .


To save time and energy in an emergency setting, I'd limit the size to only your upperbody where the heat is needed most.  If its not cold enough to really threaten you, just make you miserable, then I would think about placing a rock at my feet to keep the toes warm.  

Food for thought.

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## nell67

If you placed one around the upper body and one towards the feet,would that not keep you warm if you have a blanket to help hold in the heat?I have at least 1 heat blanket per family member ,and buy up all the little heat packs that I can get on clearance at the end of winter,does anyone else have any other ideas for staying warm in emergencies?

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## FVR

Many years back, I set up camp in Jan.  I always carry a piece of canvas, I just made a tarp, built a fire close, but not too close.  Well close enough that I had a stack of wood that I could grab and throw into the fire.

The fire, was just a fire.  I did however stand a series of logs up on the far side to direct the heat towards me.  Worked out well and it kept me pretty warm.  

I did onetime make a fireless camp while hunting in the Chat. NF.  Froze my but off.  December in Ga., can get cold.  I was hunting pre 1840 style, big time stupid mistake was to get my mocs wet and leggins up to my knees crossing a stream.  It was later in the afternoon.

Worst night in the woods I've ever spent.  Can honestly say that if it was not for the Turkey, I would not have slept.  Next morning, cold, frosty, miserable, had a shot at a spike, cap did not ignite.  While cleaning the nipple an 8 point monster walked up on me, oh about 6' away.

All in all, had a good time as anytime in the woods is good.

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## KRASH!

> While cleaning the nipple an 8 point monster walked up on me, oh about 6' away.


 That's when the real mountain men grab it by the spread and wrestle it into a neck-snapping position.  :Smile: 

I can just imagine that thing walking up on you with a blank "oh s#&" look on your face during mid-cleaning.  And then the buck starts to snort, grunt, and stomp its hoof.  I'd be thinking, "Oh my d@mn!"

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## bear

> The fire, was just a fire.  I did however stand a series of logs up on the far side to direct the heat towards me.  Worked out well and it kept me pretty warm.


This type of fire is called a reflector fire. The ideal sleeping shelter is a lean-to with its back to the wind and a reflector fire directing heat into the shelter. It is a good idea to gather three times as much wood as you think you will need. When rain or snow is not a threat, a reflector fire directing heat toward a large rock or dirt bank that is blocking the wind can make for a warm place to sleep. The heat is reflected toward the rock or bank and then back onto you. Now you have heat reflecting on you from both sides.

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## trax

If you try the rock burying thing under any frozen ground or snow, that's what you're going to wake up in, a a very cold puddle. The rocks will retain their initial heat for a couple of hours and then cool down, colder it is faster they cool obviously, but they'll still be warmer than anything else around you. Just beware of where you're placing them. It's one of the famous scenes in the movie Jeremiah Johnson where the old guy is teaching Redford how to be a mountain man. They would have both woke up in cold puddles. Rocks don't explode when wet from the outside, you could use rocks from rivers. many kinds of rock are porous and have moisture or sand trapped within them. The lighter materials heat faster than the surrounding rock, expand and having nowhere to go, bang! explosion. A good rule of thumb is harder and smoother rocks, less porous material, less chance of explosion. I think the best suggestion I saw here was building the fire and blocking one side of it, you can use logs, a piece of canvas or tarp at a safe distance and the heat deflects into your shelter.

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## trax

How to stay warm on a winter night? Crosby Stills Nash and Young...."if you can't be with the one you love--love the one you're with."

Body heat...mmmm....

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## BillHay

> This type of fire is called a reflector fire. The ideal sleeping shelter is a lean-to with its back to the wind and a reflector fire directing heat into the shelter. It is a good idea to gather three times as much wood as you think you will need. When rain or snow is not a threat, a reflector fire directing heat toward a large rock or dirt bank that is blocking the wind can make for a warm place to sleep. The heat is reflected toward the rock or bank and then back onto you. Now you have heat reflecting on you from both sides.


But with the shelter situated to the wind in this manner, you will be choked with smoke while the fire burns . Beware the eddy effect of the wind! The firebed is an incredible way to keep warm on a winter night. If its not working for you then I suggest your doing it incorrectly.

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## woodzman

I have spent a few winter nights in the woods without a shelter by building two body length fires and sleeping between them. I won't say I had fun, but I managed to stay warm enough and sleep some between fire feedings.

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## owl_girl

...Cuddle  :Wink:

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## woodzman

I like your idea better.

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## donny h

My tips for staying warm on a winters night, these are really backpacking tips but they roughly apply to survival:

Cotton kills. Go wool or synthetic where ever you can.

Eat someting high in fat/calories just before bedtime. Your bodies furnace needs fuel to create heat. This one may be hard for some folks that are kept awake by late snacks, but I swear by it. Chocolate is my favorite. I heard one story of M&Ms going for $1 apiece on Everest.

Generate some body heat before jumping into bed. Jump around, run in place, do some jumping jacks or pushups, the object is to get the blood flowing without actually working up a sweat. Your sleeping gear can't retain heat if there isn't any heat to begin with.

If you are in a decent sleeping bag and it's not extremely cold, then strip down. I've tried both ways many times, I swear I'm warmer in my skivvies in a decent bag than fully dressed in the same bag. It does take a while for body heat to warm up the loft in the bag, a specially marked wide-mouthed hydration bag insures I don't have to leave the bag during the night.

I left the most crucial one for last: Cover your head. Seriously. There's an old saying (Intuit?), "If your feet are cold put on a hat". No efforts to warm yourself will have much success if your bare head is exposed to the chilly air. Find a beanie you can sleep in, and store it in your sleeping bag.

Random thoughts: I tried sleeping in a pit with heated rocks one time, with fair results. It was in the breezy desert, near the middle of a large valley, in sand. I dug a hole deep enough that once the fire warmed rocks were buried in sand, there was room enough for me in the pit and to still be sheltered from the wind.

It worked until the predawn hours when the heat went out of the rocks, then it was ridiculously cold in my little pit. Later I learned about cold air settling in valleys and low pockets, I think the warmed rock principal was sound that night, but my location was flawed.

One time after that, I helped a dude tend his fire for his sweat lodge, and he heated rocks in a roaring oak fire, all day long. I think the lesson I learned was if you want a whole lot of heat in the rocks, it takes a whole lot of fire.

Exploding rocks are the real deal, avoid using rocks gathered from any drainage, pick the ones on high ground, or rocks from existing rings may be dry. Lava rocks are safest. Wear eye-protection (even if you know the rocks are dry), and don't linger at the fire where you're warming them up.

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## Sarge47

I use the Military fleece/polyproprolene long johns, I can also add sweatshirts & pants if I have to, I like fleece jackets as an inner layer as well.

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## Strider

Then number one thing to staying warm is to keep your hands, feet, and head warm, at the least. These are the primary heat producers and if they are cold, you are cold; but, if these are warm, you will also be warm. As for methods, if you have some time on your hands, make a good sized fire and get a good bed of coals. Dig a ditch in the soil/sand about 6 inches deep. (not too close, not too deep) Make sure to clear everything away around the hole for about a meter. (maybe more) Then, scoop the coals off of the fire (leave some if you want a fire too) and into the pit, and spread evenly. The best way to do this is with a mess kit (if you have one) or a few large pieces of bark. On the other hand, you can just heat some rocks AROUND, not IN (explosion if in fire) the fier and bury those. The best way for this is if you have a bunch of flat pieces. Lastly, if you don't care to do this type of work, get two or three strong sticks and lean the at a 70-80 degree angle away from you on the other side of the fire, and pile up smaller sticks across these, making a reflection fire. (Make several if you have time... the more the warmer it is)

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## Sarge47

Here's something I picked up off of one of Discovery's shows and it worked! :EEK!:  If you're laying down and you start feeling cold start tensing all your muscles, then release.  Do this over & over again.  It helps keep the blood moving.

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## trax

Have you all been making the assumption that you've got something to move those hot rocks with? The ones that are going to leave you in a puddle anyway? Because I've been to a whole lot of sweatlodges and we use a pitchfork to carry in the rocks. Second and third degree burns on the hands aren't conducive to doing a really good job of surviving.  What Strider said about staying warm has validity, a wool hat can save your life in colder climates, we lose 80% of our body heat through our heads, hands and feet are next. I guess that was a couple of questions, but I have one more....owl_girl...cuddle? You wanna go hiking in the cold sometime soon? :Big Grin:   :Big Grin:  

Go Wolfpack

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## Strider

Well, if you are like in the arctic and really desperate for warmth... you can find a large animal, slice open it's underside, and crawl inside. Leave the big organs because they will be warm... cover the opening mostly except for a few air holes... of course, I've never done thins, just read about it...
Of course, I'm probably gonna be thought of as a nut because of this... for a better idea, go up a few to my first post.

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## owl_girl

Lol trax.. :Big Grin:

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## trax

north, that is. Any bodies of water farther north than that are almost always cold enough all year round to cause hypothermia to set in. Getting on to dry land initially will make it worse if there's even a breeze. Lakes, specially big ones, don't change their overall temperature much through the year. It just takes them too long to warm up. You don't have to be in the high arctic to be concerned with the effects and if you've got a bullet to kill a large animal with, you've got gunpowder to start a fire with as well.

If you're somewhere where there is thick moss, you can dig out a "grave sized" patch and it'll lift away in a huge block, like down and pull the moss over yourself and it'll keep you alive. Unpleasant as h###, but I know a guy who saved his own life that way.

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## Sarge47

> Well, if you are like in the arctic and really desperate for warmth... you can find a large animal, slice open it's underside, and crawl inside. Leave the big organs because they will be warm... cover the opening mostly except for a few air holes... of curse, I've never done thins, just read about it... other ppl have though, and it has saved a few lives...


Didn't I see that on an old "Star Wars" episode once? :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):

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## Strider

I dunno sarge... I'm not a star wars fan much... might've though... i like history and i remember that the Indians crossing the bering strait killed mammoths for warmth, some to make clothes, others just to crawl inside...

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## trax

> Didn't I see that on an old "Star Wars" episode once?


Just using the force makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, on a completely different note, owl-girl...grab your boots!! :Big Grin:   :Big Grin:

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## nell67

owl-girl LOL u asked for that hehehe!!!!

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## trax

If you're with someone else and staying warm just to survive is an issue, huddling and cuddling will help plenty in keeping you warm enough to stay alive.

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## nell67

yup ,I knoew ,its why if someone fall into frozen water the first thing you should do is remove clothing from both the victom and yourself and get as close as you can to help warm them up.

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## trax

> yup ,I knoew ,its why if someone fall into frozen water the first thing you should do is remove clothing from both the victom and yourself and get as close as you can to help warm them up.


Well if it's really frozen water they'll either bounce or splatter, but freezing cold water...I'm going to start pushing people in (welllll some people..heh heh heh)

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## nell67

run away from the water owl-girl fast!!!!! LOL!

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## owl_girl

Once I dared my uncle to dunk his head in glacier water. He said only if I did it first ( thinking I wouldnt do it ). But of cores I did, and I have to admit it felt like knives stabbing me all over my hed, but it was worth it to see him do it.

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## nell67

BURRRRR thats making me shiver just thinking about it LOL!

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## Sarge47

> yup ,I knoew ,its why if someone fall into frozen water the first thing you should do is remove clothing from both the victom and yourself and get as close as you can to help warm them up.


I tried using that line when I was 17 but no luck! :Wink:   Probably because the weather was wrong and we had no freezing water! :Big Grin:

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## nell67

SARGE!LOL you probably did too hehehe!heard it a few times myself!

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## wareagle69

the only thing that bear has done that made sense to me was to do some pt(sorry didn't mean to ryme it) get the blood moving into the extremities(consentrate  on what im saying trax) need to keep blood in the hands and feet, so some pushups ( hmm) or rather the front leaning rest position and the side straddle hop(jumping jacks for all you civillians) should get the heart pumping.

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## trax

blood to the extremities, yeahhhh, I got that, oh hands and feet....never mind :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):  

that is darn good advice wareagle, movement makes the heart pump and helps keep the core temperature stable.

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## DEET

> I did onetime make a fireless camp while hunting in the Chat. NF.  Froze my but off.  December in Ga., can get cold.  I was hunting pre 1840 style, big time stupid mistake was to get my mocs wet and leggins up to my knees crossing a stream.  It was later in the afternoon.
> 
> Worst night in the woods I've ever spent.  Can honestly say that if it was not for the Turkey, I would not have slept.  Next morning, cold, frosty, miserable, had a shot at a spike, cap did not ignite.  While cleaning the nipple an 8 point monster walked up on me, oh about 6' away.
> 
> All in all, had a good time as anytime in the woods is good.



All you had to do was find a long straight log about 2 feet taller than you and place it in a low crook in a tree, about 3 feet off the ground.  place sticks the whole length on either side leaning against the log.  Fill the space with dry leaves and cover it with dry leaves about 3 feet thick, it looks like a big leaf pile.  Climb inside and cover the opening with more leaves.  I've tried this method and it works surprisingly well, even keeps rain out pretty good.

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## trax

> All you had to do was find a long straight log about 2 feet taller than you and place it in a low crook in a tree, about 3 feet off the ground.  place sticks the whole length on either side leaning against the log.  Fill the space with dry leaves and cover it with dry leaves about 3 feet thick, it looks like a big leaf pile.  Climb inside and cover the opening with more leaves.  I've tried this method and it works surprisingly well, even keeps rain out pretty good.


I read in one of the posting recently someone said how our responses reflect our own geography/environment. How true. While this and many other answers have been very find and workable ones, know what your chances are of finding a leaf in Manitoba in December--February? By the time you've moved enough snow to find one, you've got a lovely snow house to stay warm in anway, lol.

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## carcajou garou

Good wordsBear, a reflecting fire is really a good way to go, even if you have just rocks, build both walls as such, for a front and back reflection and heat sink to boot, watch the wind direction. Buried hot rocks on bottom if a decent layer of mineral earth is to be had or if on a rock ledge get closer to seeping warmth from the fire heat sink.

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## FVR

Deet,

Easy for you to say, I was wet, cold, and the bottle of Turkey was half gone.  Easier to just, pass out.

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