Well, that was FREAKIN… BRISK!
Just did my regular 5.5 mile walk (with a little running), just like hundreds of times before, the difference being that this time it is 21 degrees F out there (according to a bundled-up lady I spoke to). The high today is projected to be 26 at midnight, because of a slow warming trend through the weekend, then plummeting back down on Monday.
The wooded sections I go through were actually nice, no wind, quiet. I noticed what I thought was a blue jay, worth noting these days, they used to be about as common as squirrels around here but there was a huge die-off for some reason, and they’re just starting to come back. I got closer, and realized that it wasn’t a jay at all, it was a bluebird- in fact, two of them, a pair. Couldn’t have been more incongruous out there in the dead of winter. There was also a cardinal flitting through the same two trees, and it was one of those relatively rare times that I wished I was enough of a photographer to actually be carrying a camera, and get something worthwhile with it- the vivid, striking blue and red against the browns and grays of the dead leaves, weathered wood and heavy graphite sky were spectacular… for a second or so.
It was so cold out there that I was marveling that the creek hadn’t iced up, but sure enough when I came around a bend to a place where the water widened and slowed I saw ice was forming along the banks. Later, on the way back, I saw an even wider area that had skimmed over completely with very thin ice.
A marvel of modern engineering: Along the banks of that stream there’s the corner of a cheap, bright blue child’s flotation air mattress sticking out of the bank. Evidently it washed up there in one of the flood periods, and everything except the one corner is embedded in debris and silt. It’s been there for months. The remarkable thing is that at least the visible corner is still inflated, still taut. As one who has tried many time and failed many times to get cheap, moderately-priced and expensive air mattresses, often expensive ones followed by cheap ones purchased locally, to last through a week of car camping, I find this amazing. I literally have never had any luck with any air mattress, they’ve all failed in pretty short order, and yet, somehow, this cheap toy has defied nature and the odds and remains inflated. Amazing.
Later in the walk, after the running bit, I was reflecting on just how fragile I was out there. As almost always (where and when legal, which is becoming a real problem in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave) I had a lighter, multi-tool, a folding knife and a small flashlight on my person, but on days like that I sort of wonder who I’m kidding. I had on a watch-style cap, a runner’s quilted insulated jacket, tightly-woven pants and some lightweight “ski” gloves and I wasn’t too uncomfortable, but even so I had to keep moving. If I had stopped out there for any real length of time, an hour, maybe less, I would have been in trouble. If I had been unable to walk AND unable to just call for help, and if not otherwise rescued, well… maybe in the wooded sections, where a thick carpet of dead leaves are on the ground, I might be able to create one humongous pile of dead leaves in a sheltered hollow somewhere, climb into the middle, or rather with about 2/3 of the pile underneath me to keep me from bottoming out and losing body heat to the ground… I might make it alive to the dawn. In the case of rain, freezing rain, sleet, or wet snow, maybe not. Or I could make a fire, which would be dandy for a little while, but starting a fire to stay warm at night is committing to keeping a sizable fire going all night, the approach is wholly incompatible with the pile-of-leaves technique (which, if it works, at least lets you sleep), and fires have a way of attracting often-unwanted attention.
Bottom line, even with the odds and ends I had on me and a not-inconsiderable amount of outdoor experience, my chances of getting by for long in those temps, alone, with what’s in my pockets and without the infrastructure of society to help, are pretty slim. Very slim.
In any case, the cold had me reflecting, not for the first time, how much I appreciate the United States Marine Corps watch caps.
What these are, are light brown (“coyote”) fleece watch caps, close to what used to be called ski caps. Unlike traditional watch caps they are not knit, but are cut from tightly-woven Polartec synthetic fleece. What they are in cold weather is a godsend.
These things are right up there with the venerable P38 can opener near the very top of the list of generally-useful stuff that the military has come up with. I buy mine on Ebay, I don’t know if they’re factory overruns, or “seconds” (I’ve heard that the USMC inspectors are really tough, and will fail a sewing job if there is one letter of the tag partially blocked or the USMC globe is distorted) or “fell off of a truck”, and I guess I don’t care, I’m just glad they’re available. You do have to take some care to get the real thing, the copies, either outright fakes or brand-name copies (Condor) look pretty much the same but don’t perform as well.
These seem to be most often referred to as a “beanie”, which I’m guessing is mostly just ignorance about hats, which is pervasive in our society these days. Half the population can’t tell the difference between a fedora and cowboy hat (I know this personally, having been mocked for wearing the latter while wearing the former) much less the difference between a fedora and a trilby. In any case, these are not multi-colored, don’t have a little useless decorative bill in the front, or a propeller. I’d call it a watch cap- but maybe the marines resist that since it’s a Navy term.
For one thing, these don’t fit too tight at all on my oversize noggin, whereas the copies seem to be cut smaller. The fleece on the real item is a little thicker and more tightly woven than the copies I’ve seen, and cuts the wind much better. They are extremely lightweight and not very bulky. They tend to repel water, and absorb none at the fiber level even when soaked, so they can be just wrung out to provide warmth again when wet and they dry quickly.
It is oft-repeated, and IMHO very true that the amount of heat lost through the head is a huge factor in both comfort and avoiding hypothermia, which is a large part of “survival” in most situations. I’ve had people tell me that this was “debunked” and that I was spreading misinformation… this is one area where I have enough personal experience, hundreds of instances over several decades, to call B.S. Personally, if I had to survive in the cold, I’d rather have a good insulating cap or balaclava than a good medium-weight jacket. That’s why I own more than one of these, because they go into various packs and kits for emergencies.
I see now that they’ve improved them since I bought my last one. Now they come in two sizes: M/S and L/XL. Not so much in 7 5/8 Long Oval. Now it comes in Polartec with the “Hardface” treatment, which is supposedly even more water and wind resistant and a lot more abrasion resistant. Now it costs $21 instead of $13. Sigh. I’m sure I’ll get one soon anyway.
Tip: These things are not huge, but are very comfortable against the skin, so if it’s not cold enough to want to wear it at night, stuffing them with your spare socks or a couple of t-shirts turns them into a minimalist but really pretty comfortable pillow.
All in all, a great piece of kit. Accept no imitations.
– Robert the Wombat
UPDATE: I’ve used the new “Hardface” version several times now, and I do think it’s an improvement, but it’s a close call. The fabric seems a bit thinner and tighter woven, which does seem to cut the wind a bit better. Don’t know yet if it’s more durable, but overall it seems as warm or warmer in most conditions as the older version and a bit less bulky, which is always a good thing. I wonder how this new fabric would do on a “buff” or “neck gaiter” or “multfunctional headwear”?
– Robert the Wombat