You underestimate how stupid people can be. Remember, even deodorant needs warning labels.
Cold Weather Tips
- Thread starter kb2012
- Start date
The only extra stuff I'm bringing is some of the stuff recommended here: OCS Packing List | OCS Blog
Extra white tape, red headlamp, laundry markets, clear tape for lamination, and Rite in the Rain notebooks. I can't imagine I'll get in trouble for bringing these things if OCS graduates recommend bringing them with you.
There's probably a few young guys who aren't on the forum right now because they are currently in their parents garage soaking their socks in anti freeze as we speak.....
The kind of guys who once they get in you send them to the CQ to uplift a can of camouflage spray paint or a long weight.
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At the time of posting this, my vetting has not yet been pushed through so I apologize if what I say needs to be put on hold until that comes through but:
As a former Marine Grunt who has woken up and had to crack the ice off of himself more than a few times, and as one who spent the better part of a month sleeping on the ground in Korea in December, I have a few suggestions.
I am surprised no one has said this before but: Do not sleep with your boots on. Sure, you may think - I'll keep my feet warm as I sleep. You would be making a crucial error. I learned the hard way. As a young Lance Corporal in my umpteenth day in the field, I decided it was too cold to take my boots off as I laid down, and that somehow that was a good idea. I woke up and tried to stand, but could not. I was walking around like a baby deer with cement shoes on for almost two hours, and fell over more than once because my feet were near frostbitten. The pain I felt when I regained feeling in my legs was worse than any shiver...Luckily my platoon was very understanding, and allowed me to rest and regain my strength... and by that I mean, no one gave a shit and I had to pack up and hump out as fast as anyone. Sleep with socks on at most, and change them out in the morning. I used to stick my morning pair of socks in my crotch as I slept and first thing in the morning I would put on a nice, fresh pair of field-crotch socks. Don't use socks you have worn earlier in the field op this way, it's a great way of getting dick-itch from the nearly 100 percent chance that you have athletes foot from the showers of OCS. But I digress...
Change your socks a lot. This has been talked about. I am also a fan of the pantyhose/neoprene/lady's stockings under socks, but knowing your feet and what they respond to best is better than the promises of any high-speed sock label.
Humping with layers is a good way to get a thermometer in your ass in front of your peers.
Don't wear your fleece cap underneath your kevlar if you're going to be physically active. It probably won't drop you like a layer of polypro on a 20k would, but it still sucks. It also, in my opinion, looks and feels dumb.
As for staying warm... I have the best piece of advice for you, but it is hard to do before you have to do it:
Lean into the suck. OCS will suck, and though it will likely look like a cake walk to you later in your career, it will still suck at the time. Fighting that suck is what makes you pay attention to how much something sucks - makes you shiver extra hard, and is a good path to what makes you lose heart. You always hear that phrase "embrace the suck" for a reason. When you start to feel miserable - and you will feel miserable - don't fight it. That does not mean layer yourself in a false sense of motivation, which is duct tape on gun shot wound. What I mean is: Just stop trying to find little ways of being happy/comfortable/warm. Understand on an intrinsic level that this is going to suck and let go. The ability to enjoy misery will be your biggest friend in many cases, depending on the career path you follow. Bitch, moan, complain all you want but the moment you start looking for any and every way to stop the suck, you lose focus on what you are doing. Few if not no one can do that 24 hours a day forever, but it is a mentality that you can foster.
One more thing: Take comfort in your fellow...cadets? I know that OCS is more...social than regular bootcamp, so invest in being a good team member and making the most of bullshitting with the people around you. My best friend from the Corps went to OCS after our enlistment was over, and he said the first thing he noticed was how individual everyone there was. Having a laugh or a moment with your buddies can strip the cold away.
Bonus suggestion for when you are not in the schoolhouse: There is one piece of unnecessary gear that I would never leave without in cold weather training, and that was a JetBoil. Despite what I said earlier about leaning into the suck, there is something so unbelievably amazing about a hot cup of coffee when you are frozen down to your soul. Worth the weight of a small tank, the container, and a few packs of instant coffee / The dogshit that comes in MREs.
Hope you enjoyed my novel. Good luck to you, and do not buy anything from the vendor's outside the PX, no matter how cool the family-crest shield would be!
As a former Marine Grunt who has woken up and had to crack the ice off of himself more than a few times, and as one who spent the better part of a month sleeping on the ground in Korea in December, I have a few suggestions.
I am surprised no one has said this before but: Do not sleep with your boots on. Sure, you may think - I'll keep my feet warm as I sleep. You would be making a crucial error. I learned the hard way. As a young Lance Corporal in my umpteenth day in the field, I decided it was too cold to take my boots off as I laid down, and that somehow that was a good idea. I woke up and tried to stand, but could not. I was walking around like a baby deer with cement shoes on for almost two hours, and fell over more than once because my feet were near frostbitten. The pain I felt when I regained feeling in my legs was worse than any shiver...Luckily my platoon was very understanding, and allowed me to rest and regain my strength... and by that I mean, no one gave a shit and I had to pack up and hump out as fast as anyone. Sleep with socks on at most, and change them out in the morning. I used to stick my morning pair of socks in my crotch as I slept and first thing in the morning I would put on a nice, fresh pair of field-crotch socks. Don't use socks you have worn earlier in the field op this way, it's a great way of getting dick-itch from the nearly 100 percent chance that you have athletes foot from the showers of OCS. But I digress...
Change your socks a lot. This has been talked about. I am also a fan of the pantyhose/neoprene/lady's stockings under socks, but knowing your feet and what they respond to best is better than the promises of any high-speed sock label.
Humping with layers is a good way to get a thermometer in your ass in front of your peers.
Don't wear your fleece cap underneath your kevlar if you're going to be physically active. It probably won't drop you like a layer of polypro on a 20k would, but it still sucks. It also, in my opinion, looks and feels dumb.
As for staying warm... I have the best piece of advice for you, but it is hard to do before you have to do it:
Lean into the suck. OCS will suck, and though it will likely look like a cake walk to you later in your career, it will still suck at the time. Fighting that suck is what makes you pay attention to how much something sucks - makes you shiver extra hard, and is a good path to what makes you lose heart. You always hear that phrase "embrace the suck" for a reason. When you start to feel miserable - and you will feel miserable - don't fight it. That does not mean layer yourself in a false sense of motivation, which is duct tape on gun shot wound. What I mean is: Just stop trying to find little ways of being happy/comfortable/warm. Understand on an intrinsic level that this is going to suck and let go. The ability to enjoy misery will be your biggest friend in many cases, depending on the career path you follow. Bitch, moan, complain all you want but the moment you start looking for any and every way to stop the suck, you lose focus on what you are doing. Few if not no one can do that 24 hours a day forever, but it is a mentality that you can foster.
One more thing: Take comfort in your fellow...cadets? I know that OCS is more...social than regular bootcamp, so invest in being a good team member and making the most of bullshitting with the people around you. My best friend from the Corps went to OCS after our enlistment was over, and he said the first thing he noticed was how individual everyone there was. Having a laugh or a moment with your buddies can strip the cold away.
Bonus suggestion for when you are not in the schoolhouse: There is one piece of unnecessary gear that I would never leave without in cold weather training, and that was a JetBoil. Despite what I said earlier about leaning into the suck, there is something so unbelievably amazing about a hot cup of coffee when you are frozen down to your soul. Worth the weight of a small tank, the container, and a few packs of instant coffee / The dogshit that comes in MREs.
Hope you enjoyed my novel. Good luck to you, and do not buy anything from the vendor's outside the PX, no matter how cool the family-crest shield would be!
Having used MSA stoves, heat tabs, hexamine, c-4, and wood fires while n the cold.... HOT LIQUIDS are GOOD ... they raise your core temp, but alas, conditions (tactical or practical) may not allow that heat source. If possible, a 20mil thick 16 oz bladder kept near your body(under the outer layers) will stay warm enough to warm your innards, and should be thick enough not to burst and get you wet and cold.
C
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1. Keep it CLEAN. Not always possible, but dirty clothing loses its ability to trap dead air molecules.
2. Avoid OVERHEATING. Like has been said before, wear your items loose and in layers. If you don't adjust your clothing before doing something strenuous because you're cold, once the activity starts, you'll begin to heat up and sweat. Sweating is not good. Once your rate of activity slows, adjust accordingly.
3. Wear your clothing LOOSE and it LAYERS. Tight fitting clothing diminishes in it's ability to trap those dead air molecules I mentioned earlier. Layers means Outer wear - water resistant and breathable e.g. Gore-tex. Intermediate layer - Your insulating layer - Wool, Thinsulate etc. Base layer - Polypropylene, Capilene, items that breathe and have the ability to wick away moisture. Your body is like a furnace. Keeping your core warm keeps you warm. You lose heat faster if you have your head and neck exposed. Same with your hands and feet. Again, adjust what you wear according to your level of activity. Stationary or stagnant? Bundle up. Moving or working? Shed what you don't need until you feel cold and go from there.
4. Keep it DRY. Self explanatory. Wool will still do its job if wet, but at a reduced level of about 50%. Keep the rest of your stuff dry as well.
Even though you won't be in an arctic environment, you can still apply these principles.
One other thing, don't forget to keep hydrated. Cold deadens the body's thirst mechanism. Make a conscious decision to stay hydrated.
Learned this years ago and it still holds true to this day.
O
L
D
1. Keep it CLEAN. Not always possible, but dirty clothing loses its ability to trap dead air molecules.
2. Avoid OVERHEATING. Like has been said before, wear your items loose and in layers. If you don't adjust your clothing before doing something strenuous because you're cold, once the activity starts, you'll begin to heat up and sweat. Sweating is not good. Once your rate of activity slows, adjust accordingly.
3. Wear your clothing LOOSE and it LAYERS. Tight fitting clothing diminishes in it's ability to trap those dead air molecules I mentioned earlier. Layers means Outer wear - water resistant and breathable e.g. Gore-tex. Intermediate layer - Your insulating layer - Wool, Thinsulate etc. Base layer - Polypropylene, Capilene, items that breathe and have the ability to wick away moisture. Your body is like a furnace. Keeping your core warm keeps you warm. You lose heat faster if you have your head and neck exposed. Same with your hands and feet. Again, adjust what you wear according to your level of activity. Stationary or stagnant? Bundle up. Moving or working? Shed what you don't need until you feel cold and go from there.
4. Keep it DRY. Self explanatory. Wool will still do its job if wet, but at a reduced level of about 50%. Keep the rest of your stuff dry as well.
Even though you won't be in an arctic environment, you can still apply these principles.
One other thing, don't forget to keep hydrated. Cold deadens the body's thirst mechanism. Make a conscious decision to stay hydrated.
Learned this years ago and it still holds true to this day.
SpongeBob*24
Verified Military
I would rank it head, hands and feet:
Head - There are sexxxy beanies out there that are super thin and covers your ears but won't interfere with comms, keeps your heat in, and doesn't make your helmet stick up any higher. Also in head includes scarf or hoodie or neck gator, something to keep the wind off your neck. There is a reason our Euro friends wear these....
Hands - A good set of gloves are priceless. Hand warmers are invaluable, they also help keep electronics warm, ie cell phones or any commo stuff as well as your hands. NFL handwarmer from some hunting store also more then worth its weight.
Feet - Go as big as you can on socks, if you can 2 pair of socks, one thin and one huge wool one.
That's just me.....good luck!!!!
Head - There are sexxxy beanies out there that are super thin and covers your ears but won't interfere with comms, keeps your heat in, and doesn't make your helmet stick up any higher. Also in head includes scarf or hoodie or neck gator, something to keep the wind off your neck. There is a reason our Euro friends wear these....
Hands - A good set of gloves are priceless. Hand warmers are invaluable, they also help keep electronics warm, ie cell phones or any commo stuff as well as your hands. NFL handwarmer from some hunting store also more then worth its weight.
Feet - Go as big as you can on socks, if you can 2 pair of socks, one thin and one huge wool one.
That's just me.....good luck!!!!
pardus
Verified Military
- Joined
- Sep 7, 2006
- Messages
- 10,534
I got a nice case of hypothermia while still in my initial training as a young fella many moons ago. Why? Ignorance.
I took heed of what I was told and have continued to take an interest in weather injuries ever since. It's a fascinating subject and a cause of evil delight for a medic.
Great post with great tips.
One exercise I was on as an Infantryman, open landscape, 18" of snow on the ground, cold as a witch's tit, patrolling with 80+ lb rucks all day, and setting tactical harbours at night with single man hootchies (see image below).
As you may imagine it was not cosy and warm.
All of the casualties we sustained that exercise were heat injuries. Why? Because it was so cold no one was drinking, our water bottles were freezing if left untended.
One guy patrolling in front of me took a nose dive into the snow. We had to carry the fucker 5km to a road to get him medevaced. He had heatstroke and spent a week in ICU IIRC.
Keeping hydrated takes effort and sucks at times, but cannot be understated as vital.
I took heed of what I was told and have continued to take an interest in weather injuries ever since. It's a fascinating subject and a cause of evil delight for a medic.
Great post with great tips.
One exercise I was on as an Infantryman, open landscape, 18" of snow on the ground, cold as a witch's tit, patrolling with 80+ lb rucks all day, and setting tactical harbours at night with single man hootchies (see image below).
As you may imagine it was not cosy and warm.
All of the casualties we sustained that exercise were heat injuries. Why? Because it was so cold no one was drinking, our water bottles were freezing if left untended.
One guy patrolling in front of me took a nose dive into the snow. We had to carry the fucker 5km to a road to get him medevaced. He had heatstroke and spent a week in ICU IIRC.
Keeping hydrated takes effort and sucks at times, but cannot be understated as vital.
Ahhh, foot marches in the cold are so freaking awesome, until you stop.
Never ruck with cold weather gear on. Cut down on the layers until you finish movement and than layer up as soon as you stop. This is how you keep from over heating, soaking all your layers in sweat and from being the dumbass who needs to strip during a halt.
Of course this wouldn't apply to artic style weather. I'm talking it's just freezing outside, not snowing, raining, 2 foot of snow on the ground. You will not see artic weather during OCS.
Never ruck with cold weather gear on. Cut down on the layers until you finish movement and than layer up as soon as you stop. This is how you keep from over heating, soaking all your layers in sweat and from being the dumbass who needs to strip during a halt.
Of course this wouldn't apply to artic style weather. I'm talking it's just freezing outside, not snowing, raining, 2 foot of snow on the ground. You will not see artic weather during OCS.
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2010
- Messages
- 2,186
From everything I've heard, OCS is comparable to most other initial entry training.
- You will probably be told what to wear and when to wear it.
- You probably won't be allowed to have anything sexy.
- You will probably be watched like a hawk, at all times.
- You will probably be told what to wear and when to wear it.
- You probably won't be allowed to have anything sexy.
- You will probably be watched like a hawk, at all times.
I did not know that, thank you for the tip. It seems common sense now that I read it, which is always the way. I have my old jetboil in my vehicle bag, but I'll look into a quality bladder for hikes I might do this late winter/early spring. I have a spare small camelbak bladder, but its more than twice that volume.
