is it easier to stay warm when it's cold?

[MindlessMariachi]

the trip reports got me thinking about this - so I'm re-posting here to this busier forum to see what the collective thinking is. My hypothesis is this: to a certain degree, it's easier to stay warm in the outdoors when it's really cold (like 0 or below). You don't sweat nearly as much, sweat seems to wick away faster, and I also think that it dries faster too. The snow doesn't get you as wet either - I recently crawled around digging snowshelters for a few hours and the snow just brushed right off. Staying dry when it's really cold is not nearly as difficult as when we have daytime highs in the 30s and lows in say the teens. When the sun starts going down in that situation, and you're all sweaty or wet, you get cold. When you're dry you're warm, right?

 

[sierra]

I would agree that it is easier to stay warm if your dry verses wet as moisture really zaps the heat from your body, BUT, that being said, it is more important to eat ,drink and layer the colder it gets to hold that heat.

 

[Snowflea]

No, it is easier to stay warm when it's 80 degrees and sunny.

Kidding aside, I think you are on to something.

 

[TCD]

Rather be out in 20F and snow than 35F and rain any day. We call 35F rain "hypothermia weather."

 

[Raymond]

Back when I rode my bicycle in bitter cold temperatures, I always preferred a couple degrees below zero (Fahrenheit) to a couple degrees above. I thought it might have something to do with a possible adrenaline rush, knowing it was below zero. Easier to get psyched up for the sub-zero temperature.

Either way, those two downhills in the first couple tenths of a mile were breathtaking.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

I once did a bike race in high 30s/low 40s with rain and that is the coldest I have ever been in my entire life. As to the original question, I suppose I sweat slightly less when it's really cold, but not by much. I do agree that white-washing gets you less wet the colder it is.

Tim

 

[ksearl]

That's an interesting hypothesis. Maybe its not easier to stay warm, but it's just easier to stay dry...which in turn keeps you from getting colder as the sun goes down. If you're completely dry in both +30F and -10F, I would say it's easier to stay warm in the +30F...however, if your under layers are wet with sweat as the sun drops due to the warmer temps, staying warm will be a struggle...and could cause some tragic results!

I like the discussion point!

Karl

 

[jniehof]

I find 15 most comfortable; getting below zero there's almost always some part of me getting a bit cool; at thirty or so it's just impossible to avoid sweating. Particularly if the snow is turning slushy. (Forecast for tomorrow: high 36. At least it's dry.)

 

[DougPaul]

Temps can be divided up into "dry cold" and "wet cold". Dry cold is ~20F or lower--snow that gets on your clothing tends not to melt at these temps and thus you only have to worry about moisture from the inside. In temps above ~20F (wet cold), snow that gets on your clothing tends to melt so you have to worry about moisture from inside and outside. So it is easier to keep your clothing dry in dry cold.

I find that when active (eg hiking or XC skiing) while wearing my standard winter clothing (stripped down to my base layer), I overheat and sweat if the temp is above ~20F. (I was XC skiing at a temp of 45-50F recently--had to wear my summer clothing...) So for me, keeping dry is easier at 20F or below.

The critical time for keeping warm is when you are inactive and not producing large amounts of heat and having dry clothing becomes a significant factor.

If one is inactive in a location where getting wet from the outside is not a factor, then the warmer the temps (up to ~80F) the easier it is to stay warm.

And, of course, wind, humidity, and sunlight are also factors too.

Doug

 

[Chip]

Good topic.

And, of course, wind, humidity, and sunlight are also factors too.

Doug

I'll (speculatively) add that colder air is less humid, so even if you are managing your perspiration well, you may actually be losing heat faster in relatively warmer temps due to more humidity and water's conductivity. There may be an imperceptable difference in humidity between 15 and 30 degrees and a perceptable one between 0 and 40 degrees.

I do know from my yute: Cotton does not kill (if it's cold enough).