by Larry Wiggins

Created on: February 27, 2009   Last Updated: February 16, 2010

The prevention of hypothermia is a major concern for backpackers and everyone who spends time in the outdoors. Hypothermia is the condition where the body temperature is reduced, resulting in a progressively deteriorating physical condition, even to the point of death. The principal conditions contributing to hypothermia are temperature and moisture. A cool wet day can be as dangerous as a dry sub-freezing day if the backpacker does not understand the conditions and is not prepared. 

As outdoors enthusiasts, we need to understand hypothermia and combat it during our outings. There are three focus areas in the prevention of hypothermia; education, planning and the practical use of our knowledge. All of theses areas are important with each contributing to the safety of our backpacking trips.

Education is the foundational skill for the prevention of hypothermia. A backpacker should be able to describe and recognize the stages of hypothermia. This understanding allows the hiker to recognize hypothermia in both themselves and their companions. These topics may be found in numerous articles on the subject but they are also covered in Wilderness First Aid courses. Since Wilderness First Aid courses cover a wide breadth of additional first aid skills that a backpacker should learn, this route of acquiring knowledge of hypothermia is preferred to learning about hypothermia only.

Education in camp craft such as tent or shelter erection, layering and other skills is important for the prevention of hypothermia. Providing shelter quickly is important in many conditions. Proper use of layering prevents saturation of clothing by sweat, helping to make clothing more efficient insulators. Knowledge of fire-building and operation of cook stoves helps to provide warm drink or food and warmth quickly. All of these skills help to prevent the onset of hypothermia or begin its treatment. 

Trip planning is the next focus area of concern. The first step in planning a trip is to review historical records to learn of both typical and extreme weather conditions in the area of the hike. Clothing and equipment should be selected based upon the normal weather conditions with an allowance for the extremes. Additional gear may be necessary when the weather may become especially severe. This may include additional fuel, clothing layers, stoves, fire starters and food.

When planning the trip, an emergency plan should be formulated. This plan must define alternate egress routes,

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