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staying alive depends on your hands and feet being warm

Posted

THE IMPORTANCE OF WARM HANDS AND FEET

The human body is a remarkable living machine.

The human body automatically does what it must do to save itself. The person who owns the body can only damage it but cannot stop it from doing what is necessary to protect itself. The human body performs involuntary actions when it must.

The following discussion deals with hands and feet.

When each, hands and feet are cold the body automatically starts shutting down the capillaries that bring blood to the fingers and toes. This is an involuntary action performed by the body. The purpose of which is to keep the warm blood going to the vital organs.

In cold conditions fingers are the first parts of the body to feel the cold, and it does not take very long, minutes for them to start to lose dexterity. The temperature need not be freezing but in the 30’s above freezing for one to feel the effect. The colder the environment the faster this effect takes place. Wearing gloves does not help much.

Gloves are made with five fingers and when you insert your fingers in the finger slots, they no longer touch each other. They are no longer able to share their warmth as would happen in a mitten and the glove will constrict the fingers so blood flow through the fingers is compromised. The result are cold hands.

If you are wearing mitten in the exact same situation because your fingers are touching each other they help each other stay warm. Because the insulation in the mittens is not compressed as it is in a glove you have more of it covering your hand. Never forget that the hands emit more moisture than almost all the body except feet, they emit more.

My recommendation is to wear mittens and carry a lined leather glove in your pocket to put on when dexterity is required and remove them and put them back in your pocket and put the mittens back on.

My recommendation for mittens is the Kodiak when temperatures are as low as -20 degrees F. they are insulated with the L-12 Lamilite; the Super mittens when the temperatures are as low as -40 degrees F. They are insulated with the L-15 Lamilite and they have a high gauntlet which is also insulated. When the temperatures go lower to -60 degrees F, we have the Antarctic Extreme which is the Super Mitten with a L-6 Lamilite insulated liner.

It should be noted that the blood flowing down each arm to the hands must be kept as warm as possible in-route to the hands hence the insulated gauntlet.

Each of these three models of mittens have been used for at least 25 years and proven beyond question to perform at the temperatures I have rated them. I only rated the Kodiaks because I have used then for years skiing. The other models were rated by the many who have used them over the years and reported back to me their experiences.

When you are out in the cold the most vital part of your body that must be kept warm is your feet!!!

When I was lost the temperature was -20 degrees and lower. I was at 12000 feet elevation and miles from any warm shelter, base camp was 5 miles away and I had no way to find my way back. Had I not been wearing the muk luks my feet would surely have frozen and I would never have survived.

Like the hands, blood flows down to the feet and if they are warm the capillaries bring the blood to the feet. If the feet are cold the body recognizes the problem and starts shutting down the blood supply to the feet. It is for the same reason the body shuts down the blood supply to cold hands, to supply the vital organs.

As we have learned the feet emit more moisture than any other part of the body. Today people are sold thick wool socks that retain all the moisture emitted by the feet. (THAT IS NOT THE CASE WHEN YOU WEAR LAMILITE SOCKS). Then of course if you are wearing goretex lined boots with Thinsulate supposed insulation the moisture never gets out. The moisture is now absorbing the heat from your feet, so they get cold. However, if you are wearing a well-insulated over boot or muk luks from Wiggy’s even in those boots you will have warm feet.

The over boot is insulated with L-6 Lamilite and will perform quite well to – 20 degrees F and possibly a little lower and I can speak from experience about the over boots. They are 10 inches high so there is some insulation above your ankle to keep blood flow warm.

Now for the muk luks. They are 18 inches high and the insulation is L-12 Lamilite. They have been used in temperatures as low as -60 degrees F and I suspect you would not have cold feet at -70 degrees F.

Having a high shaft covering your calf means that the blood flowing to your feet will be warm. When you are in cold conditions such as -20 degrees F and lower you are not moving around vigorously so it is very important to have considerable insulation not only covering your feet but also your calf’s.

I can speak at great length about how well the muk luks work since they saved my life. If your feet freeze you can put you heat between your legs and kiss, you’re a** goodbye. You will not be able to walk, and crawling will not last long because the pain will not go away.

I am taking into consideration that you are wearing adequate clothing for these conditions. Of course, if you are wearing Wiggywear; fishnets arctic parka, bibs or leg jackets as the weather dictates.

And very importantly the Lamilite socks.

Based on what I know about outdoor research company they have zero knowledge of insulation; period. If they did, they would be using Lamilite/Climashield or Climashield and bypass me, a mistake buy it would not be the first mistake outdoor research has made.

This outdoor research company is probably using primaloft in combination with one of the Polartec fabrics. The reason they are using those two material I suspect is because both companies that make these materials are tight with Natick and of course Todd Towles who believes wrongly that the new materials are an advancement which I have stayed away from to stick with continuous filament fiber for 32 years now because it has never failed to perform better than any other material offered as insulation since its introduction in 1968. It is old hat to his pygmy size brain.

You know that United States Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center is an Army base. The base commander is a general and I wonder if he is cut from the General Patton mold. You know the type who will go into battle so to speak and use the stuff those in his command develop? Probably not!!!

How about Todd Towles testing the over boots? He couldn’t because none existed but would he if a pair did exist? Doubtful! The solicitation did not have and description of the criteria one had to meet. The only description in the solicitation is the reason for why it must be a sole source solicitation. The more I have investigated this situation the more unbearable the odor becomes!

I have written to the Inspector General with my protest and requesting that he investigate the situation. I’ll let you know what his response is when it comes.

Now if you are a soldier and that includes marines who want to have warm feet you should investigate my Lamilite socks. If you are deployed to a cold region of the world you might want to get my over boots.

You already know or will know that those gortex thinsulate boots will not keep your feet warm.

WONDERFUL TESTIMONIAL

Firstly, I read most of your commentary and agree with your conclusions regarding working with government and so-called civil servants. They will always defend their agency and avoid responsibility for decisions. They don’t like to hear from people that challenge them and will respond with any story, even fabricated, to protect themselves or avoid intelligent discussion. I have been working with government contracts since 2004 and have to continually remind myself that only a fool argues with another when a discussion demands logic that the government employee can’t tolerate. Unfortunately, it’s not just government employees that act that way. But enough of that.

I was an Infantry officer in the 80’s, and like my peers I saved up some money to buy into the Gore-tex claims. For soldiers that live, work, and sleep in their clothes in Mother Nature’s chosen conditions, I quickly learned that Gore-tex had minimal value, and almost none for the physically active. Gore-tex footwear is a sin.

After decades playing and working in the outdoors, and continually looking for improved gear, I came across Wiggy’s in the Spring of 2018. Had heard of you; but, don’t remember where and was not aware of your continued presence and products. Could have saved me a lot of frustration and money over those years. My first test of an Ultra Light boat-foot came on an elk hunt in October 2018 in Colorado. Backpacked in seven miles thru mud and snow. I rigged up my typical tarp shelter and slid into that Ultra Light wet with temps in the low teens. I thought about how the night was going to suck and fully expected that I would soon be up building camp fires to warm up. Immediately, and surprising to me, I felt the heat generated in the bag. Quickly fell asleep and woke up a while later to open the hood. Unknown in my other bags, there were no cold spots in the Ultra Light and the moisture I had taken into it did not seem to affect its warmth. My clothes were nearly dry. Lesson learned. I got up and grabbed some frozen, wet items I had left out and brought them into the bag with me. Slept all night. The next night came with single digit temps and a cold wind blowing thru behind a passing blizzard. Slept all night.

It was a bit depressing to look back on four decades of unnecessary experimentation and cost, but great to finally have a solution to what I had accepted as the typical discomfort of sleeping outdoors. I have since added other Lamilite and Ducksback items to my kit. Excellent products all. Your Lamilite products provide a highly versatile outdoor kit that can’t be done with other insulations. This old man is getting smarter. Thanks for your help and advice, Jerry.

Jeff 

I told Jeff his experience is why i will not lower the amount of Lamilite I put in my bags or lower the temperature capability of the bags. He used a Ultra-Light plus 20 degree F bag into single digits!!!

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