warm ideas for sleeping in winter.

[Povey]

im going to be bunking trains, and probably hitchin through france.
and its fucking -2 in southern england
any ideas for warm sleeping places, all i got is 2 sleeping bags and a shit load of clothes.
please post soon, im leaving in a few hours.

 

[snor]

Just look for old abandond trailers (like from big rigs) and if they're left behind then they are usually never locked. Also along the same lines like "Budget" or "U-Hauls" trucks are almost always unlocked, but a tad risky. Usually if i'm desperate and looking for attention, i'll sneak into and ATM booth, but the cops usually get called (which if they're friendly then they'll take you to a local shelter). Just look for spots outta the wind, off the cold ground, and dry.

 

[soymilkshakes]

My friend is an Eagle scout and does a lot of winter camping, when I asked him for handy boy scout tips, first thing he told me is to never get a cotton sleeping bag (apparently cotton absorbs the moisture from your body, making you colder). If you have a zero or sub-zero degree bag (I hope you do in -2!!), he said piling on layers doesn't work at keeping you warm as well as having skin exposed to the sleeping bag, 'cause it works off of your body heat. I haven't tried that - the thought of taking off clothes in the winter is not appealing - but I trust his advice since he's still alive and whatnot.
That's all I can think of, but good luck!

 

[Dmac]

your eagle scout friend is right, the more skin contact with the liner of the bag the better. plus when it is cold, taking a plastic garbage bag, and putting it outside, over the foot of the bag, really helps keep the feet warm!

 

[Komjaunimas]

What i have done is ... i would walk into the train station, look for a train that isint leaving for about 6 - 8 hrs , and just crash in the waiting room. If somebody bothered me i would tell them im waiting for a train

 

[IBRRHOBO]

My friend is an Eagle scout and does a lot of winter camping, when I asked him for handy boy scout tips, first thing he told me is to never get a cotton sleeping bag (apparently cotton absorbs the moisture from your body, making you colder). If you have a zero or sub-zero degree bag (I hope you do in -2!!), he said piling on layers doesn't work at keeping you warm as well as having skin exposed to the sleeping bag, 'cause it works off of your body heat. I haven't tried that - the thought of taking off clothes in the winter is not appealing - but I trust his advice since he's still alive and whatnot.
That's all I can think of, but good luck!

Yup, tried and true science there. If u have a few bucks u can throw in a couple of hand warmers. If ur on a metal rail car, use cardboard to make a barrier in between u and the floor. One final note, if ur outside, dig ur firepit 'bout a foot down. When the fire goes into coals put dirt on top, test the temp so as not to burn ur bag, and lie on it. Oh yeah, the service taught us that 65%+ of ur heat leaves the top of ur head so wear a watch cap and tuck ur mummy hood over! Good Hunting!

 

[Lint]

"plus when it is cold, taking a plastic garbage bag, and putting it outside, over the foot of the bag, really helps keep the feet warm!"

This does indeed work by creating a 'vapor barrier' effect, and I've had to use it in a few emergency situations myself. The problem however is that your body produces sweat at night, and if the sweat vapors reach a plastic bag they condense and soak the insulation of your sleeping bag. This moisture causes your bags insulation (down or synthetic fiber) to collapse. If you aren't able to dry out your sleeping bag and get the loft back into the insulation the next day, you're headed down a road of cold. Just sayin', use in an emergency situation only!

Other tips for staying warm; eat a calorie dense meal before bed to stoke your internal fire. Bring a water bottle full of hot water into the sleeping bag with you (make sure the cap is on TIGHT!) Piss before bed so you don't waste precious energy keeping your bladder contents warm. Invest in a closed cell foam pad to sleep on so the ground doesn't suck away your heat. And most importantly, think warm fuzzy thoughts.

 

[dirtyfacedan]

Find some foam!! Hollow fiber sleeping bag's are helpfull too, they work when wet.

 

[GutterMax]

anyone ever seen/heard of those trash bags they make that are 7 or 8 ft deep? my dad told me about them since they line trash cans with them where he works. i would really love to know where to get some.

 

[finn]

Well, I don't know about the skin against the sleeping bag, since I have good thermals and I like being able to roll out of the sleeping bag without getting a chill. The only way I'll do that is if I'm sharing a sleeping bag with the right person.
You can also have a bottle to piss in (this needs to be a bottle that closes very securely and is different enough from your drinking water bottles) since it also functions as a hot water bottle.
Crumpled newspapers can function as extra insulation, as can paper towels, dry grasses, leaves, etc.
Always take off your shoes/boots, because you want all the blood flow available to your toes so you don't get frostbite- tight clothing is a big no in cold weather in general.
Brush and tall plants will serve as a wind break and will cut down on wind chill.
Being under a bridge is better than being under an open sky, because the it will reflect more of your heat back down on you.
With pallets, cardboard, newspapers and/or plastic bags you can make a pretty warm but cramped shelter.

And lastly, ask your questions way ahead of time instead of procrastinating so much.

 

[IBRRHOBO]

anyone ever seen/heard of those trash bags they make that are 7 or 8 ft deep? my dad told me about them since they line trash cans with them where he works. i would really love to know where to get some.

haven't heard of them, but there are packing bags on a lot of boxcars ... they are aired multilayered viscuine (plastic) inside of heavy paper that are used as cushions. cut 'em down one side and viola ...

 

[wokofshame]

yeah, cotton bad

take hot rocks from the fire and wrap them in heavy fabric(not poly) and sleep w/them
steal all the 1/2 and 1/2 packets from gas stns and pop them like candy

sneak into evrywhere you can, lie down and sleep (movie theaters behind the curtain)
get rides w/ truckers and you can sleep while they drive

units

go south

 

[veggieguy12]

thanks to all for the good, useful advice

 

[katiehabits]

recycling bins! in the rain, in the snow, in the cold, anytime! keeps you dry & if there's alot of cardboard in it you can make a house to go inside of/hide yourself. the only problem with this one is if someone sees you & NO SMOKEING cuz someone will think it's on fire.
thanks for the other ideas folks! i'm hitching to winnipeg at the end of the month so it's going to be trucks stops & the back seats of cars for me!

 

[tober]

he said piling on layers doesn't work at keeping you warm as well as having skin exposed to the sleeping bag, 'cause it works off of your body heat.

not true. common misconception

 

[Beegod Santana]

anyone ever seen/heard of those trash bags they make that are 7 or 8 ft deep? my dad told me about them since they line trash cans with them where he works. i would really love to know where to get some.

They're just oversized contractor bags, we used to use em all the time doing demo in NOLA. They're really damn pricey though, like $50-60 for a box at home depot. You might be able to find them cheaper at a lumber yard, but my suggestion would be to find a place using them and yoink one. One will last a long time.

 

[wokofshame]

oh yeah there's these things "grabber mycoal" is one brand , that when you open them, release heat for 12 hours.
you can sleep near vents of large buildings,
and (someone mighta said these already) crumople up newspaper and stuff it inside your jacket and sleeping bag to fill empty space.
if cold air bothers your sinuses get a heat exchanger face mask, i've never had one but heard of em and my sinuses get fucked up in the winter bad

 

[Umbraperagro]

Eat fat.... Loooooots of Fat!!!...
cayanne between your socks, but not on bare feet!!!

 

[Shoestring]

This is the air-bag that "IBRRHOBO" was talking about.
They usually have seven layers of paper and one plastic insert on the final inside layer......(This one that I'm sitting on in the boxcar above was one made from plastic 1,000 mile tarp material), but 99% of the time they are the seven layered paper ones that have a final plastic inner layer.

 

[finn]

You know what? I was thinking Povey was talking degrees Fahrenheit, but he's probably talking Celsius, which means he's talking 28 degrees F. That's no where as bad as I'd though it'd be.