Every care must be taken to waterproofing your rations and kit before you go out on exercise For adventure training: There is nothing worse than getting wet yourself and then having nothing dry to put on. When you are out on the move your body temperature will compensate for the wet clothing next to your skin the moment you stop producing body Heat you shall begin to feel the cold.
When it is time to settle down for the night you shall want to remove all wet clothing and change into you dry spare kit. You NEVER go to sleep in WET Clothing because your body temperature drops preserving energy for when you get up.
If it still raining when you rise and there is no hope of returning to a dry environment you should dress in the wet clothing and keep on the move your body temperature and the wind will start to dry the clothing that you are wearing. All of this time you have the comforting thought that you still have dry clothing to wear at the new harbour area.
Waterproofing - Spare Kit Place a strong heavy duty Black Plastic Sack in your Bergen or Large Pack. Wrap each item of spare clothing in small pedal bin liners this will help keep each item dry should you need to go through your kit in the Rain. Use sandwich bags for extremely small items or spare food not waterproofed.
Waterproofing - Combat Suit You can take your combats to Dry Cleaners and have them waterproofed together with anything made from cotton or Terylene. One product used called fabsil will go a long way to keep your combats dry.
Equipment - Boots are an important item of personal kit great care should be taken when selecting the size they should be big enough for you to wear two pairs of woollen socks not nylon football socks. You shall stand a better chance of avoiding Blisters when wearing two pairs. Turn down the outer sock over the boot which prevents anything getting inside. Make sure the ankle is not too tight so as not to obstruct circulation.
Clothing As you know Britain can be cold and nasty especially in Scotland and Wales in no time the weather can change to extreme conditions. DPM Waterproofs are all very well but they are noisy in tactical situations and they make you sweat too.
The lightweight coloured waterproof tops are essential for adventure training. Never wear too
much clothing as this will resist circulation which is important for keeping you warm. Wear three layers a vest cotton shirt and sweater or even a vest underneath a Norwegian top. Warm air gets trapped between each layer and is the secret of keeping warm. Remove and replace each layer accordingly when on the move always dress warm when you stop |
