How to stay warm if your vehicle is stranded in a winter storm.
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Wilderness
How to stay warm if your car get’s stranded in a winter storm.
Top Tips that you need to know before heading out.
- Although it may seem strange, snow is actually a really good insulator. If there is enough snow you can bury your vehicle to help keep winter winds from stealing your vehicles heat. Just make sure you create an airway for fresh air and keep one of the doors free enough to get out.
You will also want to create a way of signaling rescuers if your vehicle is hidden by snow. - Block off unused space. Use anything at your disposal to block off any space in your vehicle that is not being used. Blankets, leaves, whatever you can find to shove into spaces where heat can be lost.
- Run Your vehicle for 10 minutes every hour – Make sure to keep the exhaust pipe clear of snow or debris. Poison gases can enter into your car if the pipe is clogged.
- Bundle Up – Keep extra dry clothes, warm blankets, gloves, hats and winter socks in your vehicle.
- Never leave without a winter survival kit. – Being prepared is always the best course of action. Create a kit that fits into your trunk. The kit should contain warm clothes, tea light candles (for warmth), flares, tools, chains, Fix a Flat, and other winter survival tools.
- Huddle together. Huddling together in a small space can increase the amount of heat in that area. Remember to block off any space that’s not being used, then huddle closely together to generate more body heat.
- Don’t forget to move – Move your arms, hands legs, feet and toes to improve your circulation and to keep warm.How to stay warm if your car get’s stranded in a winter storm.
Items you should have in your vehicles emergency kit.
- Road Assistance Kit
- Emergency Thermal Blankets
- Fix-A-Flat
- HeatMax Hand & Body Warmers
- Handheld Signal Kit
- Blankets
- Sleeping Bag
- Winter Clothes (hats, gloves, socks)
- Emergency Candles
You can also use tea candles to provide heat
Good post, although I would recommend lots of caution using candles inside a car- a fire hazard and potential for suffocation. The foot/hand warmers are better as long as they last. You can get a big pack of them fairly cheap nowadays. As a former New Englander I also recommend a sturdy ice scraper/brush combo, a small folding shovel (like the military ones), and a bag of generic cat litter for emergency traction.
Here are my additional thoughts:
1. Jim, is right a small fold up shovel is a must for winter driving
2. Keep water in your car, one of the easiest ways to get Hypothermia is to lower the core temperature by eating snow so don’t do it. If you have to east snow, bring the snow into the car first and let it melt and warm a little.
3. Don’t leave the car unless you have too, and then only when you know specifically where you are going. If you need to get your bearings or set a sign for others to find you do so in short small trips within eye sight of the car. Especially during white out conditions.
4. One last thing, in emergencies your priority is shelter, once you’re stuck the car is a shelter first a potentially recoverable vehicle second. Don’t be afraid to rip the cloth off the seats if you need to.
jacket,gloves,and hats or passive heat.
Candles don’t really provide much heat.