🌲 How to Prepare: Winter in the Woods

Part of the LeonLink "How to Survive" series. Updated Oct 26, 2026. Bracketed numbers point to the sources at the bottom. For general education only, not medical advice.

In the winter woods, the biggest threats are hypothermia and frostbite, and both are mostly preventable. This guide follows the Wilderness Medical Society's clinical guidelines.

How cold hurts you

Hypothermia means your core temperature has dropped below 35 °C (95 °F). It starts with shivering, clumsiness and poor judgment. When the shivering stops, it's severe [1][3]. Wind and wet clothing strip heat away fast.

Layer up

Wear a wicking base layer, an insulating middle layer and a windproof shell, and skip cotton. Keep spare dry socks and gloves. Stay dry, fed and hydrated, and don't wear boots so tight they cut off blood flow [2].

Shelter and fire

Get out of the wind and insulate yourself from the ground. Carry two ways to start a fire. Eat often, since your body burns calories to stay warm [1].

Treating hypothermia

Move the person gently and keep them lying down. Get them into dry clothes, wrap them in a vapor barrier and insulation, and put heat packs on the chest and armpits. Get help [1]. For frostbite, don't rub the area, and don't thaw it if it could freeze again [2].

More survival guides

• How to Survive a Bear Attack
• How to Survive a Shark Attack
• How to Prepare: Living in a Camper
• How to Prepare: Zombie Apocalypse

Sources

1. Dow J, et al. WMS Clinical Practice Guidelines for Accidental Hypothermia: 2019 Update. Wilderness Environ Med. 2019;30(4S):S47–S69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wem.2019.10.002
2. McIntosh SE, et al. WMS Clinical Practice Guidelines for Frostbite: 2019 Update. Wilderness Environ Med. 2019;30(4S):S19–S32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wem.2019.05.002
3. Brown DJA, et al. Accidental hypothermia. N Engl J Med. 2012;367:1930–1938. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMra1114208