Originally Posted By: Art_in_FL


Fire is not the be and end all of survival. It would be silly to overlook its benefits where possible but to focus on it at the expense of common sense self-protection is no virtue. Wiser often to hunker down, concentrate on reducing heat loss, let your metabolism warm you up, and wait for more favorable conditions.


Fire and shelter go together like ham and eggs. In a serious cold situation, you need to get out of the weather,even in a very small microenvironment, just to have a reasonable chance at lighting a fire. And you need some sort of shelter to contain, even partially, the heat generated by your fire.

I would say I have spent about ten or so unexpected nights out in fairly serious cold, stormy conditions. In all but one of these, the ability to create fire was important in getting through the night. In one instance, I am not sure I would have survived without the fire and the accompanying rudimentary shelter (snow hole underneath a pine tree with a small tarp over all) or at least I would not have retained all my digits.

We don't talk about it very much, but I firmly believe there is a very important psychological component to a fire as well. And nothing helps like a nice cup of tea.
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Geezer in Chief