Lost in the Wilderness - How to NOT Freeze to Death! Winter Survival & Bushcraft (No Tent or Bag)
With winter weather and subzero temperatures, getting lost in the wilderness in winter could be a deadly mistake. It's not uncommon to hear about a hunter or hiker getting lost in the wilderness and having to spend an unplanned night in the forest. Without proper gear or the knowledge to deal with cold weather and snow some don't survive. In this winter survival video I'll show a few survival skills to help get you through a cold night in the winter woods. I'll have no sleeping bag or tent. Aside from the winter clothing I have on, all I'll have to survive the night is a lighter, a multitool, and a small folding saw. I've also got a small metal canister for making tea and coffee (I mean, I'm not a total savage...).
If you're ever caught in a real-life wilderness survival situation like this, what you need to do to survive will depend heavily on the resources you have at your disposal. So, what I do here, in the Pacific Northwest, may be very different than what I'd need to do in another location. With that said, several of these survival skills can be applied in a variety of circumstances. This is real world whiteout survival!
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If you want to learn cold weather camping start in a place near your car... NEVER learn or test your gear in the wilderness where you won't have the ability to retreat in case of major failure...
I agree, 100%. This hill behind Clay looks like it’s right behind his house when looking at his other videos. Do not try this in the middle of the wilderness without knowing what you’re doing first.
I'm hoping people don't need to be told this.
Well our house is in the middle of the Forest and Tigers and Elephants they come near our house... At night. No chance camping outside 😅😢
@@studleyjb3172 My daughter always laughs at me and says “what’s your first mistake?”, whenever I say “you’d think”. 😂 Never underestimate how dumb people can be. You definitely have to tell a great majority of people that they need to do this close to an emergency place, to go to in a fail situation.
@@anordkiri6207 Does not sound too wintery to me anyways..... seems you get to practice other survival skills instead....
As a forest owner, I've taken many classes on how to help the trees on my property and have seen what selective thinning can do to reduce overcrowding, improve wildlife habitat, reduce fire danger, etc... In many cases the best friend of the forest is a chainsaw. Another well done Clay.
💯
Or a controlled burn, hard to do out here in the west.
I would add that people who criticize cutting a tree down probably have never cut a tree down.
@@Jaden48108 or step out of their apartment...
exactly
Hi Clay, I homeless in the central Oregon. I lived a large portion of my life in the bush of Alaska and frequented the swamps of the south in my younger years. A week and half ago we had 3 sub zero nights. Watching the weather 2 days before I decided to head out in the Ochoco's. I dug a pretty big scout pit deep as I could. I collected about 1/2 a cord of wood over 2 days. The day the cold was coming I built a huge fire in my pit and pilled rocks on the fire. It was 36 that day with forecasted negative temps for the night and for the next 3 days. At dark I covered up the rocks and coals with about 12 inches or so of dirt and built a insulated covering over it. I climbed in for the night but had to either add dirt or remove dirt every few hours. The next day about noon I tore it all apart and repeated the same process for the next couple of nights. I made it but one of my friends died in town and another lost his lower legs. Both fell asleep drunk... Every time we get a cold snap coming, I head for the woods where resources are readily available. It's allot of work, next year I'm doing southern AZ, at 68 this catching up with me. Little things: I opened all of my canned food and put into Ziplocs so they were easy to thaw and not have to get out of a can. I also did the same thing with my water. I prepped about 5 gals of water for 3 days and used it all. Next time I want a candle lantern, my headlamp died. I really enjoy your practical real-world common sense approach to things. Most crap in books will get you killed. Thanks😀
That’s awesome, thanks for sharing!
God bless you I'm glad you have that knowledge and the skills to keep alive.
The fact you have to do this in the US is honestly just a sad reflection of how badly this country has failed.
You are assuming he has to.
@donalddicorcia2433 You're right! I live this way by choice. I spent the majority of my life trapping and mining. Therefore, I only get just over $600 a month SS. Phat bank also, would get a vehicle, but I'm visually impaired. I've lived the majority of my life outdoors or in trapper cabins. I wouldn't have it any other way!!! Thanks
I taught survival in the British military and it's not about being comfortable it's about not dying. Two things for me stand out in this video: your humble admission that you learnt from your experience and that you'll use this lesson next time. Tells me everything about your exceptional character. You may wish to consider a long fire across the front of your shelter, takes more work but more evenly spreads the heat. Good drills. Looking forward to the next one. 🏴
Thank ya
It's actually about both. Of course not dying takes priority, but if you can be comfortable while not dying, you are under less stress and mentally better able to cope with the situation and plan your way forward. Sometimes being comfortable can really help with the not dying part :)
@@mpmansell actually survival is literally about not dying. If you have minimal kit with you then surviving is the priority. However long term small comforts can indeed be an aid to long term mental health whilst surviving. I do understand where you're coming from though.
I'm coming from a position of actual real life experience
Well said
Thanks for freezing out there for us! Things learned: pine stumps burn for hours, cold water in cowboy coffee sinks the grounds to the bottom, a pine bough bed is not a reliable insulation in cold nights, hot stones are your friends. Another great lesson, thanks Clay!
I learned more on this one video than I have with many other KZheadrs combined
People that advocate for not cutting trees or woodlot management are also the ones that have no understanding about hunting and helping with the health of the overall herd. Clueless because the have done no research and want to spout the latest feel-good BS. Keep up the great work you're doing, Clay! Keep putting out the truth, it will get some folks attention!
Thank ya
Good job..not that many can do this all night er
The activist types who make clueless comments about stuff they know absolutly nothing about are usually totally clueless about everything other than how to play like being an activist.
@@cal4625 These are the same people who want to ban internal combustion engines and push for electric vehicles, wind turbines and what's trendy at the moment. They don't care that EVs are more worst and only a small portion of the chemicals from the battery are recycelt. That the materials are produced using slaves and child labor, these "activists" don't care. I can go one-on-one on these topics..
They've been indoctrinated by MSM bs
A bough bed works best if you can seal it off along all four sides. Otherwise, it allows air to circulate underneath you. A bed like that is only an insulator because of TRAPPED air. If you can form a box with two long logs and two short ones, then fill it in with bough or leaves, that works. Otherwise, fill in around the borders with direct, rocks, pine needles, but don't leave any way for air to enter BELOW your body. You'll still get some circulation from the top, but it will be much warmer than just a stack of boughs. Another thing I might suggest is to build a reflector wall out of green logs. Just three or four leaning up against the stump on the far side would reflect the heat more evenly, and more heat total than just an open fire. And eventually those logs will burn as well, at least somewhat.
Good suggestions
As a 45-year Scouting volunteer and an Eagle-1973, and as a wilderness survival instructor from the military , you did a very good job !!
Many thanks
Yes very good job, and we would do the same here in the north east, I've done similar things here in n.western pa.
Didn’t you mean Eagle Scout like me?
@@mikepici5553❤❤
Dad is 91 this month and grew up without electricity. He said they would lay clay bricks by the wood stove to heat them up, and wrap cloth around them and carry them to their beds. They would hold heat for hours. We live in Kentucky. It was zero degrees Fahrenheit here last night. Windchill was minus 9.
Good time for a warm brick!
I’m in northern Minnesota and it’s been very cold, lol. But we have a poorly insulated mobile home and use wood heat. So when I say it gets VERY cold, i really feel it. We often take two liter bottles of very hot water to bed. Lots of layers and let’s not forget, my extra layers of brown fat. 😂 Seriously though, you really do get a custom to it. When I visit my kids and friends… I’m always overheated. All the “little” tricks are infinitely helpful.
That is an old trick with the bricks,my nana told me that one ! But in her house when I was a kid there were half a dozen stoneware hot water bottles, which she would leave in front of the fire and then fill with boiling water at just before bedtime and put them wrapped in a towel, into bed. I can tell you from my own experience that you don’t want to find one with your feet in the morning !
And don’t put flints in front of a fire, they are very prone to going ping ! with accompanying missiles.
Lexington Ky has got to be the coldest place ever thanks to wind chill.
This is just one more video to teach the fortunate that click and watch your content that may save their life someday. Great stuff, as always, Clay.
Glad you enjoyed it!
@@clayhayeshunter First, I'll have to say it was amazing to see such experience. But it reinforces my belief in practice. I've learned a lot and I know one thing - theoretical knowledge means squat if you never applied it in practical way. If you want to know how to sirvive harsh conditions, you have to try it out in safe environment and preffarably with someone more experienced. You did an amazing job in building your shelter, making a long lasting fire. You had tools to do this. And you still were uncomfortable. Granted, you survived, and it counts. But just as you said at the end, you would change a few things for the next trip like this. That's practical experience. And really nothing can compare to this. You can spend weeks on the classroom, learning about some things, but it will takes just few hours of practice to verify your skills and knowledge. You can have a backpack full of gear and still die, just because you never used it before and you really don't know how to use that stuff in real situation. Just one example. I was recently driving in my town and I saw a car on the side. It was rainding and pretty cold.Two guys and a girl were trying to change a tire. I stopped, first because I had a few rescue trainings and it boosted my confidence. Second, I had a trunk full of service tools. I managed to change their tire in 10 minutes using power tools I had. You build confidence with practice. Something people forget when watching such great videos. The knowledge may be in your head, but if you never used it, you will make mistakes. And some of those mistakes in difficult conditions may lead to death. Anyways, thank you for a wonderful time watching your video!
People; When lost, a very important point to remember is 'Don't wait too late to build your shelter'. Those who are lost should want daylight to see what you are doing as you build your shelter just like you did. Too many wait too long to start working on setting up their shelter and wind up working into the night. Well done Clay.
Good point. I was also thinking about the fact that it usually takes longer than you’d think and takes a lot more energy than it looks. The one thing that’s important to remember is that sweating can kill. You probably won’t have dry clothing so trying to keep from getting too sweaty is vital. I know this from experience. So pace yourself.
@@msgottaneedtoknowI was thinking that too you don't want to get all sweaty. I live in a cold state and the way we stay warm is by layering that way you can adjust your clothes to how warm you are. And in that kind of situation polypropylene is your best friend for a base layer or wool. As anyone knows who's done outdoor activities in a cold climate, cotton kills. I had a job, inspecting lease returns and I would be working out in minus 10 to- 15° weather sometimes I would wear polypropylene and then three layers over it. The pockets of air that the layers trapped kept me perfectly warm.
Sorry you have to deal with hate mail Clay.. what an unfortunate byproduct of being a KZheadr. Keep up the good work and thank you for your content !
People don't want to hear you talk.they just want u to do.i in joy u talking.telling how to do things.and what is going on.keep up the good work
Everyone gets hate mail these days. Cut down a rotting tree and an army suddenly appears.
When I lived in Oregon and did a few very cold camping trips with a back pack, I learned to carry a clear medium gauge clear plastic sheet with me. If you have a shelter like yours and place that clear sheet over the front you would be much much warmer and even warm enough inside to slightly heat the ground under you. A few dollar space blankets lining the inside walls also would reflect a lot of heat on to you from that fire. I think its all about having just a few must have pieces of gear with you for just such emergencies. Survival in extreme cold is no joke so never be without a few basic things to help you survive. And practice your craft before you need the skills. Negative temps are no time for trying survival skills you have never really used. Great Video Sir.
Thanks
I saw another video where a guy used the clear plastic tarp like you suggested. He had a thermometer in his shelter and even though it was below zero outside it was like 55-60° in his shelter
When I solo hunt in the wilderness, I carry an emergency sleeping sack, a space blanket, and an emergency bivi sack. Those three items weigh less than a pound and take up very little space in my day pack. I also carry a first aid kit and emergency rations, fire starter and a headlamp with extra batteries.
That's very good planning. Hopefully you'll never have to use them but if you do they should keep you alive.
This is what it is really about, real life stuff. Thanks, I will keep you’re experience in mind. No gear review, no "make" a fire, no BS. Just plain making it! Really enjoyed this vid!
I appreciate that!
Thank you for the video. From PA
What I love about this video is that he is not dragging out the latest and the greatest. No awesome sleeping bags or cool gadget. Besides his saw, cup and some tea and coffee, he’s not that privileged. And he is right, this is practice. Until you get out and do it, you don’t know. Listen to his sinuses and his general look. It was a hard night. This was a good challenge.
Love the pine stump fire! I’ll have to remember that. I’m on the east coast of Canada so around here, it’s usually white pine that produces fat wood. At a bare minimum, I’m packing a mylar blanket when out in the winter wild. Small, light and flat, it’s a bit of cheap insurance. It would’ve worked really well lining the back wall of your shelter and reflecting some of that heat back at you. Also, I’m sure you probably already know this but with regards to your bough bed, you might find it a bit warmer/comfortable by orienting the boughs in a particular manner. Looking at pretty much any conifer, you can see the branches grow out of the trunk and curve up. If you lay the boughs so that natural curve faces up (lay the boughs upside down) and jam the cut ends into the ground as best you can, you’ll create loft as well as a more supportive/springy mattress as the natural curve of the boughs acts like a bed spring of sorts. You’ll need a shit-ton of them but more boughs you use like this, the more you will be supported and insulated from the ground = warmer.
I've spent a few nights in -40, the peace of -20 or lower is incredible but sleeping is more like napping even in negative degree gear. The Outdoor Boys does a great job showing this as well.
I like Outdoor Boys, but I don't like the fact you can't leave comments on their videos..that is part of the interactive experience, to me....
and how you survive with -40?
@dyer2cycle the negatives for the creator are understood, too much "expertise" being given by those who don't leave their house
@@dyer2cycleI saw that comments where actually turned off KZhead on his channel because his boys are in the videos so often
@@dyer2cycleyoutube turned off his comment due to his children on the show. It’s an weird algorithm
I was born in Canada, but in the 9 months I lived there, I didn't do a lot of hiking. In fact I was learning to walk on the ship that brought us over the North Atlantic to New York. However, my parents and sister needed all their cold weather gear on the ship, so I still have some of it. The gear includes quilted, knee length, under coats and heavier over coats. Animal skin and fur played a big role in the warmth of the coats. Under the coats there was a wool undershirt and a Pendleton wool over shirt. The coat collars and hoods were beaver lined, but the front of the extended hood was coarse wolf hair to catch your breath as it freezes. The hood had a drawstring a few inches in front of your face to close it off from the wind. Inside the had you wore a wool cap with ear flaps. You really couldn't see with the drawstring pulled, so that was more for inactive periods. The lower half started with surprisingly thin, wool, long underwear. The over pants and socks were also wool. Shoes were felted wool uppers with a wooden sole. Mittens were seal either with the skin facing out or with the fur facing out. If you were hunting you wore wool gloves inside special mittens which allowed your trigger finger to peek out. They said they often complained about the cold weather, but they never complained about being too cold when they were out in it.
Amazing description, what an interesting way to dress back then
Oh those PETA people are coming for you now!
Well done son, I’ve slept out in my yard in the winter in Manitoba at close to-50c in a down sleeping bag that I made myself out of vest and coats that I would pick up at yard sales. It is certainly something that you could not buy anywhere,well worth the effort to make. The only thing that I could find to say about sleeping outside in the dead of winter is I always carry a Mylar blanket in my pocket, they are so light and small I carry two if need be, it amazing how much heat they can reflect on to your body and make a nights stay that much more comfortable. Other wise nicely done on your video, maybe it will save somebody’s ass some day. At 70 plus years old you tend to pick up some knowledge along the way,if you haven’t it’s best to retrace your journey and start again.
Many thanks
I knew that about the branches but not the whole stump, great knowledge
Hey neighbor, I’m in eastern Washington, I learn alot watching your channel. Thanks for freezing for us again!
Thanks for watching!
Clay these survival skills will be needed more than you can imagine.May you gain special insight in your survival research.
Good video. I like in the end that you said "I wasn't comfortable, but I survived" and thats the thing, it's not about comfort it's about surviving. Thank you. Thats a really nice shirt your wife made ya.👍
Many thanks
I do volunteer work for the Nature Conservancy in Wisconsin. One of the major tasks that we do is timber stand improvement which entails promoting oak regeneration by cutting trees that would out compete the oaks. I use the analogy of weeding a garden. We also thin our oak plantings to promote growth of the strongest healthiest trees. This is hard emotionally sometimes but we know it improves forest health in the long run.
i love how you explain things, like the rocks. so informative and also simple for me to understand. you are the best
I appreciate that!
I am a tree lover, but if you don't understand how fast trees and brambles take over so quickly. If you get..hate it's because they know very little about real woods! Forest etc. We live in the city but travel to the country where we were left property. It is so hard to even keep things clear because it ALL grows so fast. I love the guy that wrote about learning how and why the thinning of trees..
I really appreciate the authority with which you speak. And your generosity in sharing your skills with us all. Thank You!
So nice of you
I like that you showed how rough it is to sleep in a hastily prepared shelter. That it *DOES* work, but that it isn't easy sleeping in it (or staying warm). The fact that you critiqued yourself is incredibly useful to the rest of us, because it helps prepare for things ahead of time in the future. For instance, having a long fire would have helped, but would have taken more prep work. Having a long lean-to may have helped, or may have not, but having some gap-fill of some sort on the pine needles might have helped keep in heat as well. Having a solid wood base for the bed (and then pine needles on top) would have afforded you more insulation as well but... end of the day, this kind of thing isn't about being comfortable, it's about not freezing to death and having the energy to work on survival the next day too. Appreciate the video.
Not judging,just excepting,and appreciating the advice. It's life or death, literally. Thanks man.
Hey Clay, Thanks for this video, I did a cold camp here in MT this winter testing out wool blankets, canvas bed tarp and canvas shelter. It was around 12* with a 3-5 mph breeze. I survived as well, but froze as well!!! My simple notes. More Pine boughs, double my wood supply, not a deep shelter, green wood for a reflector wall. Knowledge without experience is just theory!!
Couldn’t agree more
Thanks for a great adventure. I'm a 75 year old Vietnam veteran and lve been able to accumulate a little knowledge over that span. You've demonstrated that there's always something else to learn. Good job.
Something else to talk about would be what sort of emergency food you could stuff in to your pockets as a hunter or walker, cliff bars chocolate nuts and jerky all have a place in my pockets when I am out. Just having something to nibble on makes a massive difference to your morale as well as keeping you alive. Great video many thankyou
Here in south eastern North Carolina that stump is called a lighterknot, it was and still is used for starting a fire especially in homes because just a small amount can get your fire going fast and hot!
Now this one is definitely a survival video that has completely surpassed all others. This is the content that should be taught instead of all that fake stuff. Sir my hats off to you on this one. I have had such a similar episode but not extreme temps. But had very little clothing and a drastic temperature change. Did the best I could with what I had. But needed the fire to survive. Was a slightly high elevation so a cold front or cooler air came in and surrounding rain storm made travel or hiking impossible to traverse. Had to stay put. With summer clothes !!!!!!! SEMPER FI
Awesome video... Thank you for taking the time to learn and in learning, teach us a thing or two. One small tip for your fire... If you can get some wood on the back side of the fire (perpendicular to your shelters opening), it will reflect a surprising amount of heat back towards you. Grew up with packing the wood on the far side of the fire to act as a reflector towards the tent/shelter and it adds a good +6 or more degrees. And you have the benefit of your wood drying out through the night in prep for tossing on when needed.
It's psychosomatic, ONLY. The light reflecting back leads your MIND to believe that heat is also reflecting back. IT is NOT. OTher than the miniscule amount of heat radiated from the "MASS" of logs, which is negligible. It does dry, though.
This is excellent material you provide. No ego, no bs.
Thank you for showing how to do this. And, no judging for taking a tree, you explained it very well.
I always wondered if people gave you hell for cutting trees. You seem like a diligent conservationist among other things....not too worried about that tree. Im headed out in the woods today myself- take care and thanks for the video!
Thank ya
I sorta am for the stump but the ground is probably frozen over so if there was a root system fire it'll likely get put out by the thawing
Hello Clay and family. Another absolute masterpiece in survival reality. Thinking on the bed, there is a way to get a better bed by turning the boughs upside down and laying them with the "stems" fanning out from around the center. It takes a little more time but it removes a lot of air spaces and the thinnest and softest parts are in the middle to sleep on. Different types of trees will makes this matter more or less of course. On to heat. Since digging a trench in frozen ground won't work, (where you can put dirt back into a bed size fire pit to sleep on) my best idea for this situation would be two rows of hot rocks lining the sides of where your bed will be, Build a fire to heat the ground and rocks, then build bed the bed on top and sleep between the rocks. With all of the smallest and softest parts of the boughs under you it should insulate much better. All the best as always and thank you for freezing so we don't have to lol.
Excellent suggestions
@@clayhayeshunter Thank you Clay.
You re last words in this exceptional video about the difference between theory and practice is the truth that every one has to experience. Surviving is when you are really in danger or else are only words. You must feel and accept the fear ,the cold and the darkness.Great job
Saying your life will allow you to teach many more to work to keep FORESTS Healthy and then save lives. Without you and your willingness to help us with your time many might not make it. Thank you for your kindness and service!!!!!!!
Thank for a survival experience where you admit you’ve learned something. So many curated videos where everything is perfect doesn’t teach as much.
Thank you for putting your self through that and showing us this .
A good, honest video, about surviving the cold weather outdoors.. Thank you for posting your video on KZhead.
Your admission, that you weren't comfortable with this raging fire shows, how important it is to be prepared for the unexpected and never go into the wild without proper gear for an overnighter. Two space blankets and a big piece of dropcloth added to your gear would make up for a comfortable 'super-shelter' a la Mors Kochanski, keeping your back warm too and help against the smoke coming into your shelter. An unexpecting dayhiker would probably neither have a bowsaw or a cookpot or paracord with them - they would have a really hard time to survive this kind of situation. Thanks for showing and keep up your excellent work.
Love the wikiup-lean-to idea, Clay. I'm gonna have to fool around with the concept. I'll never forget how when I made the same mistake of relying on cedar boughs alone to insulate me from the ground, with only a tarp and a ground sheet added to that ... and no fires permitted. My "expert" hiker buddy and I trekked up to near the summit of Mt. Tsurugi on the island of Shikoku in Japan in August of around 2000. If I recall correctly, I think it neared 8,000 feet. Most of the trail was through hot, humid subtropical forest, where light clothing was advised and which we'd accommodated. Past the subtropical level, and damned near out of the treeline of cedar forest and bamboo grass (called Sasa in Japanese), it was cool in the day-time... ... in the pre-dawn, however, there was definite frost on the ground! I'd made what I thought to be a heavy bed of boughs, and strung a tarp over it in pup tent fashion to keep the dew off. I needn't tell you I barely slept that night, and was exhausted and demoralized come sunrise. Since then, I've learned that a simple raised bed of sapling spars 3" to 6" off the ground makes an excellent base for the pile of boughs, and can be had with nothing more than a Swiss Army knife saw.
Thanks for the tips
Can you imagine what the old mountain men went through way back in the 1800s? I can't imagine....
Hard dudes!
I was thinking about those guys. They were tough and survivors for sure!!
Indeed. Everything is cyclical, the same badasses who built Rome could’ve wrestled Daniel Boone to a draw over a beaver pelt in -15f The generation of men who saw Rome fall could fit right in to a hollywood film studio or wef summit today ; ) Keep the old skills and knowledge alive, we’ll need them again and again
^^^^ perfectly said, abhorrent.
Or even further than that way before fire was invented 😢😢
One of the most valuable videos of yours Clay. Thank you!
Good work Clay! This brings up memories for me. I once slept in the woods in the northern parts of Sweden in similar temperatures. You do not know cold before you spent a night in it. I had a thermarest and a sleeping bag, I made a small snow shelter and a nice fire. How ever I intentionally let the fire burn out during the night since I was quite comfortable and thought that I did not need it. Almost did not wake up in the morning..and when I did it took me forever to get up and get going. Remember doing stepups on my snow sofa for a very long time before I could do anything else. Anyways, like you said no one should underestimate what cold does to you and most importantly how it affects your brain and will to fight for your survival. Cold literally sucks the life out of you. Also, very impressed by you taking the time to explain your justification for cutting down a few trees. Obviously it makes a big difference if you are the only one doing it an area or if it is regularly visited by a lot of people.
Thanks for putting yourself through this for the sake of teaching others Clay. You keep on surviving
I appreciate that
I have a real interest in bushcraft and I’ve also seen a lot of videos on the topic - and you, Sir are a true expert. I’ve picked up loads of tips from watching this. Thank you.
Welcome aboard!
Thank you. That was fascinating and informative. What a night!
Your fantastic video shows you didn't do it to promote yourself but to help others learn how to survive under hard condition AFTER you tried it first. Respect! And thank you ..
As always mate. -incalculable life-saving knowledge and even experimental info.🙏 Glad to be here! Glad your there! 😂 You showed so much that you have likely saved lives already. (from all across the pond) Big thanks for all your help bro! 👊 If there’s one guys lessons I’ll remember when out in the world- Clay your that guy and the lessons are these.
Many thanks
Just recently ran across this, and want to say thank you for all your work and information for a beginner like myself learning this amazing and necessary skills, people like yourself taking the time to do this, is extremely appreciated, looking forward to more videos 🙏❤️ be well
Glad to help!
Thanks Clay for your endurance that may save some lives at some point.
It's so cool to see what I have been doing since a kid on the farm finally getting attention! Nicely done!
I don't have nearly enough training/experience in living/surviving in extreme cold, snow and ice. Almost everything I know/have done involved drier/warmer climes (The Great SouthWest, while it can kill you with cold, snow/ice, that's not usually the main challenge). Love this video! Got yourself another Subscriber, and I look forward to seeing more of your videos! Thank you!
Thanks for this! You and your family are still my absolute favorite from the Alone series. You are smart as a whip but, never arrogant. I find there is a quality to your personality that I can’t articulate without being overly flowery so I won’t embarrass myself by trying. Suffice to say I find myself drawn to watching you teach. 😊
Wow, thank you!
I thought you articulated your point perfectly. 👍🏼
This is excellent! Very cool of Xander to gift you that awesome Agawa Boreal 21 saw (just finished watching his latest backcountry winter trek vid B4 coming here, and It too is superb!). You're absolutely spot-on about the importance of learning by doing versus learning by just reading about/watching vids on this stuff. Huge gap between the theory side of learning and the practical side. As you said, all the important nuances, the surprisingly important details that one would likely never learn without actually "putting in dirt time". Thanks for sharing these finer points of your experience with this winter survival shelter build and for always keeping things real.🐀
Many thanks
Thank you for showing what surviving a very cold night entails.
My buddy and I spent a night in -5 F a few years ago to test our sleeping bags before a northern AK float hunt. We were in an 8-man tipi, though. And it was still borderline for comfort. Add in any other ingredients (wind, moisture, etc) and it would have been a deal breaker. Surviving without bag or shelter in those conditions for more than one night would be a serious challenge.
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Good on you all for testing your gear, knowledge and will before heading out. My son and I do the same at home when temps get in extreme lows. We do this when we know that we could easily step into the house for safety. My son was 6 years old when he made it through a 4 degree night in a bag with a Kuiu StormStar 2P tent. I’m proud of his enthusiasm for wanting to do these things!
@@daviddemand6856 Good on you for getting your boy involved at an early age. He's a woodsman in the making, and that's a rare thing nowadays.
what's a LOT more dangerous than a still -5 is 34F, rain and high winds. No wind, dry cold, is not so bad, if you can get insulated and have a fire. The rain and wind pretty much nix the fire stuff and it's very easy to get your gear and clothing wet Then you're in real danger if it's colder than about 50F.. That's why I carry a reflective tyvek bivy, camo nets, bug net suits. getting wet doesn't affect those items at all. Just shake the water off of them and they are good to go. I also wear wiggy's net longjohns, cause they do a great job of wickiing body moisture away from my skin I carry the two sets of military polypro longjohns, but I only wear them when sleeping, or if all of my other clothing is wet. They stay stashed ina drybag, so that i'l lhave something to don if all else gets wet. I can have the longjohns and other gear on me as I move to a fuel source, get a fire going, wring out and dry out my clothing.
Funny you mentioned Wiggy's underwear but not their sleeping bags which are specifically designed to survive through wet situations. I bought a pair of SuperLite Wiggy's bags about 20 years ago and liked them. This year he had a sale on them so I bought 5 more, pairs for by children and their spouses and the last one for my 11 year old grandson. They are good to 0°F and came with the insulated sleeping socks, so should serve well in any emergency where they live in Nebraska, obviously with additional gear and insulation if there were a long power outage.
One of your best video IMO. The heat sucking from bottom is probably due to steam from snow under you and fire drying. Humidity wind can suck energy without being wet.
You’re absolutely right you have to go out and do it. Then you learn the nuances of it. I lived in Alaska for a lot of years and your set up was exactly what I used to do with one addition, that makes a great deal of difference. I always carried a large piece of heavy clear plastic sheeting to make a super shelter. It radiant heat just heat it up like a bedroom at the house. Plus it keeps the smoke out. Thanks a lot and that was a great video.
A super shelter would be the ticket to stay very warm in the cold. Mors Kochanski figured it out. That shelter you made would have been much much warmer using his methods
That would have worked great if I’d had a plastic sheet.
-4f is serious! Great video my man!!! Nice saw too
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Greetings from Eastern Oregon! Thanks for another quality production 😊 Keep up with the class act work.
Hey, thanks!
Clay, excellent idea to find a lighterd stump. I learned about lightwood knots from my Dad as a kid. We camped at a place on the river and it must have had old growth pines because the knots were huge and probably 10 pounds each. Thanks for the memories
Until you’ve been camping a couple times and understand how levelheaded and clear he is speaking to us in the middle of the night/mornin 👌🏼💪🏼💪🏼👌🏼💪🏼💪🏼👌🏼🇺🇸
Cut 2 short cross logs for supports that lay on the ground with long logs laying on top of those cross supports, at body length. The cross logs have ground contact. The logs ov34 them at body length do not have ground contact. Heated rocks can go under and around this bed frame as well, with your branches as your mattress on top of this log bed frame. Then build your shelter over the top as you did and can put beated rocks inside as well. Even though you had branches on the ground, you still have heat loss conduction from the ground. You need to be elevated to stop conduction and you also risk getting wet in bad weather without being elevated. Not being critical, just a tip. Good video.
Thank you Clay, these videos are more important than some realize. You just never know...
Glad you like them!
Thanks, very truthful talk and showing us the skill to survive. Thanks again .
You should make more of these survival type videos! Absolutely loved it man, thank you for the good watch!
More to come!
😂😂 CUT!!! Great video Clay , when in the back country chasing Wapiti, I always carry survival gear no matter how far or how close to a vehicle or camp, I’m ready to take on Mother Nature if something shall happen. I’d like to try this myself like you did. Thank you for the video🫡🫡
Go for it!
It’s called thin out all forestry tech know that and it’s helps the wildlife so they pass through verses avoiding it !!! Keep them videos coming!!! 😅😅😅
Good video. Appreciate your sacrifice of comfort, to actually show what a person can do.
That was a great watch! I took lots from this video, and the humility is what I haven't seen, yes you got thru... but you sent the message of this is not easy and you need to try these techniques, controlled, so your prepared if it happens for real! Thank you and Stay Strong!!
I learned a few tricks when I went fishing in the Upper-Lower Michigan peninsula & my fishing trip lasted 3 long years. I hadn't planned on that but you gotta have some common sense b/c ya never know when life's gonna throw you a curve~ball? I'm adding this one to my survival collection, I do thank you. peace & GB You/yours
That's a long fishing trip my dude
Yeah, it was & it was just one of many but I had little to tie me down....lol, with no fear to a fault sometimes, I went to do a lot of crazy/stupid things as well but someone up above had a hand upon me & the drinking/drugs didn't do what it did to others I saw along my journey. I've settled down....some. As a Texas boy the great State of Michigan was a cold one but I don't have any skills like Clay. He's a true adventure guy, prepared for things & I went by the seat of my britches..... you be safe out there. We might need some of Clay's tactics before long. peace
Don’t worry about the tree huggers complaints Clay. Thanks for the video.
I'm stuck at home with a busted knee, watching your adventure reminded me of my younger days, thank you for sharing, hope to get well enough to try something like this, I'll be watching your channel. I like your common sense narrative Thanks!
Thank ya, I hope you can get back out there soon!
Love the content, so authentic... thanks for the timelapse to let us know you were out there the whole night!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Hey, Clay. Doug Shoe talked about a hiker who died of "weather related injuries" in the White MTNs of NH. If only that hiker would've learned from videos like yours! I watch bushcraft videos from KZheadrs ranging from AK to Croatia. I have a fresnel lens in my wallet, a SAK in my pocket and appropriate clothing for the season. I never go anywhere without my stainless steel water bottle. This is an everyday system of absolute, bare essentials I'm never without. If I may quote the movie, "Yellowbeard," 'You won't catch me dyin' all over the place. They'll have to KILL me before I die!'
Great quote
Appreciate your style of sharing information- what worked well and what needed improvement. Well done thank you.
Great film Clay. Watched every second of it 👍. Cheers, Rick n Billydog 👍
Well done 🙏
Thank you 🙌
Problem is w/lost hunter is it will be nightfall before he figures out he is in grave danger. A little to late IMO.
15yrs ago I was on a winter hike with my friend and his 7 yr old nephew. We slept in a shelter we made and to keep warm we had a GIANT fire going for 2 days. The kid was at the age where he would make up fantasy stories and tell incredible stories to his parents, so when he got home and told everyone that we had a HUUUGE fire, taller than a grown man and wider too, all the grownups didn't believe the kid.... My friend and I had to confirm that it was indeed a giant fire... prolly the biggest fire we had ever made. For once the kid didn't exagerate at all! LOL
This is an excellent video for anyone who has never spent a night trying to make it through, just how long the night lasts when you are alone and cold. Lol. Been there, not for survival, but many times the night lasts forever in the backcountry.
You did great. Your property is your business. Don't give consideration to the purist. No business of theirs.
Simple and peaceful instructional video man thanks for what you post!
You bet!
This was a good primer for most, and you even learned some valuable lessons also. The stones are important. If there are lava rock available, you're set. Any stone with quartz will pop. Avoid even a sliver of a vein, or speckle if you intend to heat them up hot. I'm down in AZ and have several parcels at 4,200 ft elevation. The lowest temps get, are into the low teens. There are no trees. Next winter, I'll be living out on the prairie homestead and will try a few nights of absolute roughing it. Not only do I not have trees, but all the stones are agate and jasper, not even lava stones. I got me rattlers, scorpion, coyote, and wild dogs, though!
I usually hate watching these types of videos, but you make it very interesting. You’re very articulate, and remind me somewhat of Mike Rowe.😊
Great episode. A lot of good info here. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
I have taught survival, done primitive camping and read and watched various survival resources. Burning a fat wood stump is the 1st true overnight fire. Great job!
Great video, and very informative.many years ago now I leaned from my own experiences the following. If it’s not raining, snowing and it’s relatively a pleasant night, other than being below say 3 degrees C. Forget building a cover ,put all your effort in stopping the cold rising from the ground.
That stump information was really useful! Thank you so much!
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you for taking the time to show us survival tips on how to get a fire started. Watching from far away Greece ❤
Thanks for watching!
I don't normally watch these 'survival' videos but this one wasn't too bad. You seem like a decent fellow and you provide some useful information. Thanks.
Glad you enjoyed!
I stumbled across this video by coincidence. I'm glad I took the time to watch. Thanks for sharing the information. 👍
Welcome!
Loved the video! Using a fatwood stump is a great idea. We don't have them here in the lower great lakes area, but I have used other stumps before. Only bad part to that is, you have to keep adding wood to it, just like a regular fire. Real nice shout out to your wife on the shirt! Mine made me a blanket. She sewed a thick wool blanket to a thick fleece blanket. It's a little heavy and bulky, but it is crazy warm. Wives are the best! P.S. So, I checked out your channel some more and I subscribed. Really like your content.
Good work. I always carry a couple of reflective blankets to assist in heat conservation. Even with holes poked in them they can conserve a lot of energy. The ground fire under the bed does work, we had to do that on a survival training when I was younger in the 50's. Didn't get as cold as your night but still in the range of not surviving. The key of your night is, you survived.