True ... staying dry is really important.

One of the earlier posts mentioned that it is uplifting to get a hot drink. That's dead right - peoples' mental attitude can completely turn around if you give them some hot tea or cocoa when they are tired and cold. S&R teams know this, and sometimes carry a thermos just for this reason.

If a person gets wet (soaked to the skin), and then chilled as well - the risk of serious hypothermia is greatly increased. If you are alone and this happens at night, it is potentially dangerous and difficult to recover from (unless you have a spare set of dry clothes). It is much harder to maintain a positive mental attitude under wet-and-freezing conditions. At this stage - a hot drink that takes warm liquid to the inside core of the body can literally be a life saver.

Pete