Learn essential outdoor fire and heat skills, including campfires, stoves, fire lays, lighting and maintaining fires, fire safety and staying warm.
When you’re cold outdoors, most people think about putting on another layer or finding shelter. Those are important steps, but your body position can also affect how quickly you lose heat. How you sit, stand, lie down or position yourself in relation to the wind…
Wind chill is one of those outdoor weather terms that can be confusing at first. You might look at the forecast and see a temperature of 5°C, but then step outside into a strong wind and feel considerably colder. The temperature hasn’t actually dropped to…
Cold ground can take heat away from your body surprisingly quickly. This is particularly important when camping, sitting outside, resting during a hike or dealing with an emergency situation. Even when the air temperature doesn’t seem particularly cold, contact with a cold surface can cause…
Wind can make cold weather feel much harsher than the temperature alone suggests. When you’re outdoors, moving air can increase the rate at which your body loses heat. This is particularly important during hiking, camping, Scout activities and other outdoor activities where you may be…
Knowing how to prevent heat loss outdoors is an important part of staying safe and comfortable in cold weather. Whether you’re hiking, camping, taking part in a Scout activity or simply spending time outside, your body is constantly losing heat to its surroundings. In mild…
Knowing how to stay warm outdoors without a fire is an important survival skill. A fire can provide warmth, but there are many situations where lighting one isn’t possible, practical or safe. You might be camping somewhere where fires aren’t permitted, caught out in poor…
Staying warm in a sleeping bag is an important part of camping, especially during colder nights in the UK. A good sleeping bag can provide excellent insulation, but simply having a warm-rated sleeping bag doesn’t guarantee a warm night’s sleep. What you wear, what you…
Cold hands can make outdoor activities uncomfortable and can make simple tasks much harder. Whether you’re hiking, camping, taking part in a Scout activity or spending time outdoors in winter, knowing how to keep your hands warm is a useful practical skill. Your hands are…
Cold feet can turn an enjoyable outdoor activity into a miserable one. Whether you’re hiking, camping, taking part in a Scout activity or simply spending time outside during winter, keeping your feet warm and dry is an important part of staying comfortable and reducing heat…
When you’re outside in cold weather, staying dry is one of the most important things you can do to stay warm. Rain, wet grass, splashes and even your own sweat can leave clothing damp. Once that happens, your clothing may not insulate as effectively and…
Staying warm outdoors isn’t simply about putting on more clothing or sitting next to a fire. Your body is constantly producing heat, but it is also constantly losing heat to the surrounding environment. Understanding how that happens makes it much easier to stay warm when…
Knowing how to dress in layers is one of the simplest ways to stay warm outdoors. Whether you’re hiking, camping, taking part in a Scout activity or simply spending time outside during colder weather, a good layering system allows you to adjust your clothing as…
