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
@@markmiller8903 we collected firewood from the forest floor you absolute warrior. Nature and time felled it all. We only cut it up and set it ablaze. Not a single living tree was chopped down by our hands. Fresh wet wood is not ideal for firewood. Think before you speak.
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.
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.
15 years ago my friends and I, made the mistake of throwing ourselves in a situation like this, got lost for a few days but survived by burning pine logs, we couldn't believe how it just burnt for hours and kept us alive, first day we dug a deep pit in the snow to block out the wind and positioned the fire in a way that kept us warm, on the second day we hiked for a few hours to find what must've been a small creek ravine and camped against the rock wall that got pretty warm because of the fire, we all slept good that night, we were pretty young & dumb and still somehow made it out, for what you've shared here is really invaluable information and can save lives.
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.
@@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.
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. 🏴
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 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!
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!
Up here in western Oregon, we have a lot of douglas fir stumps and snags that turn into what we fondly call 'pitchy stumps'. Dad would take an axe into the woods out back and find one of them every so often in the winter, then take a big chunk out of one and turn it into a pile of long, thin pieces. He'd use a couple of those pieces to mix in with the kindling every time he'd start up a new fire in the stove that heated our house. Stuff never failed to catch easily and start a quick fire. Little hunks of nature's gasoline.
Hate mail for cutting down a tree? Do these greenpeace tree hugger tyrants not understand that you are TEACHING AN IMPORTANT skill? Being lost in the woods is life and death and I appreciate you for taking the time to show what has to be done so that a person doesn't become a victim on what the environment might be throwing at you. UNBELIEVABLE. You certainly don't need those supporters. Excellent video and thank you.
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.
I worked several years on the forest business (my family worked on it for generations) and one of the mandatory jobs we usually did was Thinning. It's not only good for the forest, but necessary.
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.
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.
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 !
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.
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.
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
You are right about the clear plastic sheet. Anyone interested in the concept should check out the "Mors Kochanski Super Shelter." It is worth the effort.
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.
@@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!
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!
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
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!
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..
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
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 am a survivor. I know the first thing to do is start a fire in cold weather. Then work on your shelter. While in this process work on water than food. Depending on how long you are going to be out there. I do want to say that you are a lucky man to have a wife that makes you a shirt like that. That is awesome. She must be a great girl!
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 dirt, 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.
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.
Thanks for taking this miserable night for the team. We all learned from it and got our minds clicking I'm sure, by the comments made. Straight forward, no bs video. Well done. -the other Clay
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 ..
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.
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 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.
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.
Brand spankin new Subscriber here tonight , soon as i read what you were doing and listened for first 5 mins, I knew I wanted to become part of this group. You crazy bastard, Thank you for takingbus out overnight with you in the freezing cold w no tent or sleeping bag. I never really thought of it before, what I'd do in this case. Sure glad I watched you,, that was one hell of a set up. God Bless you and your family my friend my Brother in God Above. Amen. ✌️ From Big Jim New Hampshire USA aka Boston Strong
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.
Nothing beats doing it. I have had a few bad nights sleeping out with lots of comforts, so I thought until my nose plugged up and I could not breath normally. Made a 30 degree night fairly miserable. Great video Clay, I always learn a lot from what you are doing.
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.
It is one thing to be an activist for a cause, but it's another thing entirely when one knows absolutely nothing about which one is critical of! Sir,please continue to manage your forest as you see fit and I will continue to enjoy your posts. Thank you 😊
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
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!
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!!
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!!!!!!!
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.👍
I've gone stay out for a couple nights in January with temperatures dropping -10 F. I use rocks to reflect and funnel the heat, main thing is to keep your limbs and feet warm. Miserable but survive, makes you appreciate your bed and a roof over your head...and a hot shower.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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 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.
Good stuff! Same as Ma taught me when I was eight or nine years old in 1970. Took me to the Adirondacks in winter. Wasn't as cold, and Pa had to work the farm, and had no time for such recreation. Anyhow, worked out well, and I taught wilderness survival in the 80's. Good job!
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.
Please ignore these people who hate. I am doing a wilderness survival course right now and this video popped up. I was just talking to my class today about how anyone would carry a saw and then you pulled that thing out. Epic!
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.
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!
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.
Great idea to heat rocks to warm your bed area.. My Grandparents did something similar on the farm years ago, heating special pans and putting them at the foot of the bed... the old place would get pretty chilly at night, especially upstairs. They heated with wood and coal back in the day.
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.
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. 😊
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
Just got back from Coconino national forest overnighter...minimal gear. Learning everytime I go out. Right about details. The ground will suck the heat from your body. Always improve. Thanks for making the video. 😎...pro tip...Always function check your weapon and, have a backup.
😂😂 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🫡🫡
I always carry 2 cheap mylar blankets with me. Believe it or not just putting one of them on the ground below your pine bows really throws the heat back at you. You put the other one behind you so the radiant heat from the fire is reflected downwards onto you. These things take up very little room in your pocket but can save your life...
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!
Hey brother, great tutorial! I live in the south west, high desert NM. REALLY LIKED your comments on regional materials available! If more people were to see this vid more lives may be saved!!!! However, being prepared(with) bedroll and better gear for the what if scenario should be ultimately stressed. A little extra weight goes a long way!😮 sometimes a "wee compromise" for comfort will save lives as well! Thanks for all the effort in Your vid! Cheers, Greg Gibbons.
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!!! 😅😅😅
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.
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
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
I feel Heartbroken for those that bash you for cutting down trees.. Wait till they hear what their homes and furniture is made out of. 🤭🤭 On another Note.. I Love watching these outdoor wilderness videos. It prepares you for the life you'd never thought you'd be in. Great Job educating us my friend!
My father told me if you get lost in the winter in the forest and you are ginna freeze and die, light the forest on fire someone will.see the smoke and come to investigate
Before you build your bed and your stump fire, lay down a couple layers of large rocks the size of your bed, start a large fire on top of them and let it burn for a few hours. Once it burns down, brush off the coals, flip the rocks over, put your logs on either side and place your bedding on the rocks. Now you have a heater layer of rocks below your bedding and you will stay warm head to toe. You don’t even need to use rocks if the ground doesn’t have too much ice and snow, just burning a large fire on the ground for a few hours will heat the ground well enough to build your bed over.
Mr. Hays I have a rule when hunting that has never failed me. Never ever go far enough away from your vehicle to not be able to see it. I’ve killed plenty of Deer 🦌 just fine and I lived to comment about it. Enjoy !
Good real-life tutorial. The best part was your example-- when in doubt, act. Make it work and keep trying and never give up. One thing that might have helped, if you had enough rocks around, would be to build a reflective wall of rocks on the far side of the fire. That can really kick some extra reflected heat your way. Excellent video. You showed the actual struggle and discomfort of an emergency cold-weather camp. This was real!
Thank you for the explanation about the tree cutting. I'm not one of the people who complained, but I did wonder and it did make me feel a bit bad when I saw trees being cut in bushcraft videos. With what you said in mind, I can now enjoy the video guilt free 😊
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!
In my former high school we had winter survival trips. We had a couple overnight trips, navigating trips, and a totally dark overnight walking and navigating trip. This was in the dead of winter in Northern Canada so snowshoeing was required. Learning how much wood was required to satisfy the fires for the night was astonishing. We slept with 5 or 6 in leaning wood shelters. A long fire was put in front, a big one lol. A 12 day navigation and canoeing trip concluded the class trip in the spring with large 8 person canoes. The teachers let us plan the daily trip, buy and pack our own food, and yes , get lost if we navigated improperly. No electronics for navigation either. After that class, most were true woodsman,and woodswoman as there was a total female class as well.
I ALWAYS carry my DHSK. Day Hike Survival Kit. I'm out for just a day hike, and next thing you could be in trouble for any reason, mostly weather. My day hike pack weighs only 15 lbs. But I can survive for two days. Tarp, under layers, fire, food for two days, Tin cup, soup, big knife, rope, coffee, tea, power bars, and my canteen. I love it. thanks for the tips.
This is enjoyable to watch, and interesting, and reminded me of a winter high school trip during grade 10. We went for a 10 day trip at this lodge, out in the great white north. During that, we had an overnight “survival” not far from the lodge. This challenge, we had to build an over night shelter in the snow and where given one tarp, and yes, the teachers where observing, giving a few tips, yet, up to us. I found a large snow bank, and thought this would make a great snow igloo. Added more snow on top, testing how well it will hold up and increasing the height. All around me I was just observing other kids, single or mostly in groups, what they were attempting to do, as city kids. It was now later in the afternoon, and figured the snow was packed enough, and started to dig out my opening, trying to keep it no larger than I could crawl into, through the packed snow I added in front. Kept digging into it with my gloves, and then slowly increasing the space inside. I must of packed it well enough that I had a good cubby hole the length of my body and about 3’ high, or so. Took the tarp and lay it on the ground, and about finished, heard the teachers call out for dinner. After dinner, as I was assigned part of the clean up crew, I snook some snacks for tonight. After a rest, and speech with caution from the teachers, those of us that build shelters, went over to sleep. I crawled through my extended opening with a flashlight, into my hovel, crackling on the cold tarp, with my “ snacks “ in my jacket pockets. It was surprisingly warm in this snow igloo, especially since I had my entrance to a corner and not in the middle. Slept fine, albeit a cold nose and cheeks, and when I woke up, stretching, decided to crawl out and see who was still around. Nobody, well not near me, as I looked at collapsed shelters. Still, a bit further off was one still standing with two students inside, as being two, they kept themselves warmer, until I found out they cheated and had sleeping bags. Oh well, time to grab the tarp out of my “warm” hovel and head over for breakfast, as I was on the breakfast crew, and wondering what snacks I could save for the day. That winter trip was amazing 10 days, and during, we went on a three day two night trip, I signed up for right away. As not all the kids wanted or could do it, hiking with snowshoes, carrying all our gear, cooking outdoors, and building shelters. Being Mediterranean, I discovered porridge for the first time, brown sugar topping with milk as breakfast, which all the North American/Canadian kids made faces eating it. Darn, it was delicious, and had my bowl and others who did not want it, cleaning out the pot. But that three day story is for another time. Thanks for the vid, later.
I live in Oklahoma on an acreage full of black Oak trees. In order for the trees to grow healthy and straight, you have to harvest a few trees and you have to keep the limbs cut so when we get major ice storms, and believe it or not we get Polar Vortex storms here, there will be less limbs that are broken off due to the weight of the ice. Thank you for explaining to people that are uneducated about responsible forestry.
Thanks for the advice and sharing your experience! Without a doubt, surviving like that requires a lot of work and determination!!!! Blessings my friend!!!
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
Kids like alot, exaggerating too.
STOP CUTTING TREES
@@markmiller8903 we collected firewood from the forest floor you absolute warrior. Nature and time felled it all. We only cut it up and set it ablaze. Not a single living tree was chopped down by our hands. Fresh wet wood is not ideal for firewood. Think before you speak.
@@markmiller8903, stop getting in someone else's business !
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.
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
15 years ago my friends and I, made the mistake of throwing ourselves in a situation like this, got lost for a few days but survived by burning pine logs, we couldn't believe how it just burnt for hours and kept us alive, first day we dug a deep pit in the snow to block out the wind and positioned the fire in a way that kept us warm, on the second day we hiked for a few hours to find what must've been a small creek ravine and camped against the rock wall that got pretty warm because of the fire, we all slept good that night, we were pretty young & dumb and still somehow made it out, for what you've shared here is really invaluable information and can save lives.
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....
This is excellent material you provide. No ego, no bs.
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
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!
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!
Up here in western Oregon, we have a lot of douglas fir stumps and snags that turn into what we fondly call 'pitchy stumps'. Dad would take an axe into the woods out back and find one of them every so often in the winter, then take a big chunk out of one and turn it into a pile of long, thin pieces. He'd use a couple of those pieces to mix in with the kindling every time he'd start up a new fire in the stove that heated our house. Stuff never failed to catch easily and start a quick fire. Little hunks of nature's gasoline.
Hate mail for cutting down a tree? Do these greenpeace tree hugger tyrants not understand that you are TEACHING AN IMPORTANT skill?
Being lost in the woods is life and death and I appreciate you for taking the time to show what has to be done so that a person doesn't become a victim on what the environment might be throwing at you. UNBELIEVABLE.
You certainly don't need those supporters. Excellent video and thank you.
I agree! F'em!
Tree hugger may well be thankful one day.
@suebee1436 like actually...
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.
I worked several years on the forest business (my family worked on it for generations) and one of the mandatory jobs we usually did was Thinning. It's not only good for the forest, but necessary.
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❤❤
Liar. You are none of those things.
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.
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.
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.
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
You are right about the clear plastic sheet. Anyone interested in the concept should check out the "Mors Kochanski Super Shelter." It is worth the effort.
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.
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!
Thanks for taking a hit for the team. The actual experiences of people like you who are willing to share those experiences is a godsend.
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
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
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
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
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 am a survivor. I know the first thing to do is start a fire in cold weather. Then work on your shelter. While in this process work on water than food. Depending on how long you are going to be out there. I do want to say that you are a lucky man to have a wife that makes you a shirt like that. That is awesome. She must be a great girl!
Thanks Kevin
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 dirt, 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
I want to build a tree house
.....⚔️🛡️🐲
@@the-asylum - Great views, but tough to heat 🙂
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.
Sorry you have to deal with hate mail Clay.. what an unfortunate byproduct of being a TH-camr. 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.
Right! This guy is awesome!
Thanks for taking this miserable night for the team. We all learned from it and got our minds clicking I'm sure, by the comments made. Straight forward, no bs video. Well done. -the other Clay
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 ..
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
so glad you tube sent you to me. love it! you can cut any tree you feel you need to, because you know more about them then we do. thank you LonnieRay
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..
Not judging,just excepting,and appreciating the advice. It's life or death, literally. Thanks man.
Accepting 😛
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!
That’s some pretty cool information, thank you for sharing it.
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.
Thanks for putting yourself through this for the sake of teaching others Clay. You keep on surviving
I appreciate that
Brand spankin new Subscriber here tonight , soon as i read what you were doing and listened for first 5 mins, I knew I wanted to become part of this group. You crazy bastard, Thank you for takingbus out overnight with you in the freezing cold w no tent or sleeping bag. I never really thought of it before, what I'd do in this case. Sure glad I watched you,, that was one hell of a set up. God Bless you and your family my friend my Brother in God Above. Amen. ✌️ From Big Jim New Hampshire USA aka Boston Strong
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.
Nothing beats doing it. I have had a few bad nights sleeping out with lots of comforts, so I thought until my nose plugged up and I could not breath normally. Made a 30 degree night fairly miserable. Great video Clay, I always learn a lot from what you are doing.
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 TH-cam 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
It is one thing to be an activist for a cause, but it's another thing entirely when one knows absolutely nothing about which one is critical of!
Sir,please continue to manage your forest as you see fit and I will continue to enjoy your posts.
Thank you 😊
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
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!
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
heck yeah , in the winter inside house use blanket for a sheet on bed
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!!!!!!!
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've gone stay out for a couple nights in January with temperatures dropping -10 F. I use rocks to reflect and funnel the heat, main thing is to keep your limbs and feet warm. Miserable but survive, makes you appreciate your bed and a roof over your head...and a hot shower.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
A good, honest video, about surviving the cold weather outdoors.. Thank you for posting your video on TH-cam.
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.
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!
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 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!
People will always find a reason to hate on someone. Good stuff Clay
-4f is serious! Great video my man!!! Nice saw too
😉
Lololol. The tree huggers kill me😂
There is a time and a place. I’m glad you have good sense.
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
Good stuff! Same as Ma taught me when I was eight or nine years old in 1970. Took me to the Adirondacks in winter. Wasn't as cold, and Pa had to work the farm, and had no time for such recreation. Anyhow, worked out well, and I taught wilderness survival in the 80's. Good job!
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
Please ignore these people who hate. I am doing a wilderness survival course right now and this video popped up. I was just talking to my class today about how anyone would carry a saw and then you pulled that thing out. Epic!
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.
💯
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.
Great idea to heat rocks to warm your bed area.. My Grandparents did something similar on the farm years ago, heating special pans and putting them at the foot of the bed... the old place would get pretty chilly at night, especially upstairs. They heated with wood and coal back in the day.
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
Thank you. That was fascinating and informative. What a night!
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. 👍🏼
Very honest. That's why there's good learning here. Some people just pretend that all is well when things don't work out.😅Appreciated this video mate.
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 😢😢
Just got back from Coconino national forest overnighter...minimal gear. Learning everytime I go out. Right about details. The ground will suck the heat from your body. Always improve. Thanks for making the video. 😎...pro tip...Always function check your weapon and, have a backup.
😂😂 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!
I always carry 2 cheap mylar blankets with me. Believe it or not just putting one of them on the ground below your pine bows really throws the heat back at you. You put the other one behind you so the radiant heat from the fire is reflected downwards onto you. These things take up very little room in your pocket but can save your life...
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
Hey brother, great tutorial! I live in the south west, high desert NM. REALLY LIKED your comments on regional materials available! If more people were to see this vid more lives may be saved!!!! However, being prepared(with) bedroll and better gear for the what if scenario should be ultimately stressed. A little extra weight goes a long way!😮 sometimes a "wee
compromise" for comfort will save lives as well! Thanks for all the effort in
Your vid! Cheers, Greg Gibbons.
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!!! 😅😅😅
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.
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
I feel Heartbroken for those that bash you for cutting down trees.. Wait till they hear what their homes and furniture is made out of. 🤭🤭
On another Note.. I Love watching these outdoor wilderness videos. It prepares you for the life you'd never thought you'd be in. Great Job educating us my friend!
Don’t worry about the tree huggers complaints Clay. Thanks for the video.
As always Clay! The professional! Nice my brother!
My father told me if you get lost in the winter in the forest and you are ginna freeze and die, light the forest on fire someone will.see the smoke and come to investigate
Before you build your bed and your stump fire, lay down a couple layers of large rocks the size of your bed, start a large fire on top of them and let it burn for a few hours. Once it burns down, brush off the coals, flip the rocks over, put your logs on either side and place your bedding on the rocks. Now you have a heater layer of rocks below your bedding and you will stay warm head to toe. You don’t even need to use rocks if the ground doesn’t have too much ice and snow, just burning a large fire on the ground for a few hours will heat the ground well enough to build your bed over.
I’m going to try something similar this winter!
Mr. Hays I have a rule when hunting that has never failed me. Never ever go far enough away from your vehicle to not be able to see it. I’ve killed plenty of Deer 🦌 just fine and I lived to comment about it. Enjoy !
Good real-life tutorial. The best part was your example-- when in doubt, act. Make it work and keep trying and never give up. One thing that might have helped, if you had enough rocks around, would be to build a reflective wall of rocks on the far side of the fire. That can really kick some extra reflected heat your way. Excellent video. You showed the actual struggle and discomfort of an emergency cold-weather camp. This was real!
Thank you for putting your self through that and showing us this .
Thank you for the explanation about the tree cutting. I'm not one of the people who complained, but I did wonder and it did make me feel a bit bad when I saw trees being cut in bushcraft videos. With what you said in mind, I can now enjoy the video guilt free 😊
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!
"This is another invaluable video that could one day save a viewer’s life. Thank you for consistently providing such great content, Clay!"
All good info for survival. I have used a few of your ideas so I know firsthand you are solid Clay. Thanks for making this Vlog.
In my former high school we had winter survival trips.
We had a couple overnight trips, navigating trips, and a totally dark overnight walking and navigating trip.
This was in the dead of winter in Northern Canada so snowshoeing was required.
Learning how much wood was required to satisfy the fires for the night was astonishing.
We slept with 5 or 6 in leaning wood shelters.
A long fire was put in front, a big one lol.
A 12 day navigation and canoeing trip concluded the class trip in the spring with large 8 person canoes.
The teachers let us plan the daily trip, buy and pack our own food, and yes , get lost if we navigated improperly.
No electronics for navigation either.
After that class, most were true woodsman,and woodswoman as there was a total female class as well.
I ALWAYS carry my DHSK. Day Hike Survival Kit. I'm out for just a day hike, and next thing you could be in trouble for any reason, mostly weather. My day hike pack weighs only 15 lbs. But I can survive for two days. Tarp, under layers, fire, food for two days, Tin cup, soup, big knife, rope, coffee, tea, power bars, and my canteen. I love it. thanks for the tips.
Hello Dear
To show this severe cold night reality,
You have done an incredible and educational job. Hats off 👏
This is enjoyable to watch, and interesting, and reminded me of a winter high school trip during grade 10. We went for a 10 day trip at this lodge, out in the great white north. During that, we had an overnight “survival” not far from the lodge.
This challenge, we had to build an over night shelter in the snow and where given one tarp, and yes, the teachers where observing, giving a few tips, yet, up to us. I found a large snow bank, and thought this would make a great snow igloo. Added more snow on top, testing how well it will hold up and increasing the height. All around me I was just observing other kids, single or mostly in groups, what they were attempting to do, as city kids. It was now later in the afternoon, and figured the snow was packed enough, and started to dig out my opening, trying to keep it no larger than I could crawl into, through the packed snow I added in front. Kept digging into it with my gloves, and then slowly increasing the space inside. I must of packed it well enough that I had a good cubby hole the length of my body and about 3’ high, or so. Took the tarp and lay it on the ground, and about finished, heard the teachers call out for dinner. After dinner, as I was assigned part of the clean up crew, I snook some snacks for tonight. After a rest, and speech with caution from the teachers, those of us that build shelters, went over to sleep. I crawled through my extended opening with a flashlight, into my hovel, crackling on the cold tarp, with my “ snacks “ in my jacket pockets. It was surprisingly warm in this snow igloo, especially since I had my entrance to a corner and not in the middle. Slept fine, albeit a cold nose and cheeks, and when I woke up, stretching, decided to crawl out and see who was still around. Nobody, well not near me, as I looked at collapsed shelters. Still, a bit further off was one still standing with two students inside, as being two, they kept themselves warmer, until I found out they cheated and had sleeping bags. Oh well, time to grab the tarp out of my “warm” hovel and head over for breakfast, as I was on the breakfast crew, and wondering what snacks I could save for the day.
That winter trip was amazing 10 days, and during, we went on a three day two night trip, I signed up for right away. As not all the kids wanted or could do it, hiking with snowshoes, carrying all our gear, cooking outdoors, and building shelters. Being Mediterranean, I discovered porridge for the first time, brown sugar topping with milk as breakfast, which all the North American/Canadian kids made faces eating it. Darn, it was delicious, and had my bowl and others who did not want it, cleaning out the pot.
But that three day story is for another time. Thanks for the vid, later.
I live in Oklahoma on an acreage full of black Oak trees. In order for the trees to grow healthy and straight, you have to harvest a few trees and you have to keep the limbs cut so when we get major ice storms, and believe it or not we get Polar Vortex storms here, there will be less limbs that are broken off due to the weight of the ice. Thank you for explaining to people that are uneducated about responsible forestry.
You're the definition of cool.
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with us.
Thanks for the advice and sharing your experience! Without a doubt, surviving like that requires a lot of work and determination!!!! Blessings my friend!!!