Winter / Arctic Combat Kit Setups. Becoming Deadly in the Mountains.

The only thing you need to have to be deadly in the mountains in the knowledge of making really big snowballs, then pushing them down the mountain at your enemies. classic looney tunes strategy that never fails.

Ah, winter combat. A topic near and dear to my heart as a Norwegian. What most of the arm chair generals miss when it comes to this topic is that its not so much about the combat, its more about not dying on your way to, or from it...

I just can’t believe he can afford to have all this snow brought in for his video. Huge production quality efforts here

The best temperature control while under movement tip I learned from trappers who worked the Yukon was very simple: if it's colder than -20F you only take one glove/mitten off if you think you're starting to get hot. Keep the jacket zipped and the hat on because you'll lose heat way too fast and you won't be able to recover it in certain conditions. The single bare hand will radiate plenty of excess heat; when it gets cold your body is cooled off enough, and it doesn't take very long. Pace yourself and plan enough time to move slowly so you won't sweat as much. Sweat kills fast when you're living outdoors in -40. I've had enough frostbite that the nerves in the upper part of my cheeks are pretty much permanently dead, so don't try to be tough and push through the discomfort, it's really not worth it. Same goes for snow blindness, the closest I can describe the pain is like you just spent 2 hours welding without a hood. It's beyond bad and you won't risk it twice.

Served in the army in northern Norway. As you mentioned, the key is to adjust your layers according to activity level, temperature, wind and precipitation. The best tips I have for winter ops: - Your innermost layer should always be wool. Not only is wool warmer than synthetic materials, but it provides warmth even when wet which makes it far superior to any synthetic material. If you have a high activity level I can not recommend wool thermal netting enough. It transports humidity away from your body, preventing you from getting soaked when marching etc. - We had something called "the chimney principle". Warm air rises, and will bring humidity with it, so ensure air can flow all the way from your legs to your upper torso where you'll need some ventilation so it can exit (wear more spacious clothes, and don't tighten them too much around your waist). If you follow this and use wool thermal netting the difference in humidity is massive. - You'd be surprised how little clothing you really need when maintaining a high activity level, we often used just wool netting and snowcamo when marching in -20 to -30 (low wind and no precipitation). It's better to be a bit cold while marching, than wearing too much and sweating. But then it's even more important to quickly add more layers as soon as your activity level decreases. - One area that's often overlooked is your face, at -40 and 15 mph winds, windchill will cause frostbite in only 5 minutes, so cover your face well (neck gaiter/balaclava with holes for breathing through plus snow/ski goggles is my best tip). Take a look at a windchill factor chart and you'll realize how important it is in arctic areas. - NEVER touch metal with your bare hands at sub-zero temps, you'll get frostbite almost instantaneously. At the end of the day you have to try and fail a bit to figure out what works for you, we're all different and accustomed to different climates. Stay vigilant and take action quickly, it's much better to be uncomfortable for a couple minutes while changing clothes, than being absolutely miserable in an hour when you're soaked or freezing.

The FitnessGram Pacer test is a multistage aerobic capacity test that progressively gets more difficult as it continues. The 20 meter Pacer test will begin in 30 seconds. Line up at the start. The running speed starts slowly, but gets faster each minute after you hear this signal *boop*.

I watched 1/4 of a platoon become heat casualties in -30f weather. It was a Ruck that we weren’t told was going to happen and weren’t prepared for. All our water was frozen so we couldn’t hydrate and everyone wore way too many layers. Great learning experience.

I was a Letter Carrier in the USPS ( I know, big deal, right?!) through 25 Minnesota winters on a walking route, and if you've ever been to Minnesota during the winter you know how manic the weather can be. Everything you've said about layers and starting cold I have found works, I even have used the same hardcore mittens with the wooly/fur backing you have in the video on my static hand that can't be put in a hand warmer pocket at any given time because it holds all the mail in it for the entirety of the blocks I'm walking off that day. ( average walking distance adds up to 10 to 12 miles a day on different types of terrain with elevation, it's a lot more hardcore than those sit-coms would have you believe). My other hand can be put in a pocket between houses because that one is used to put the mail in the mailbox and only needs to be exposed at that specific moment. I found wearing a wool based fingerless glove works well on that hand as it allows better dexterity to manipulate the mail, and believe it or not, you can over layer your hands too. Sometimes having an opening at your wrist will allow some air to vent out from your body and keep you from building up too much heat at your core which can make you sweat, especially when you're moving about at a decent clip. The reverse of that- I found a wrist gaiter works well too, considering more times than not I only wore a lite wicking hoody and an insulting vest to keep my core warmer since I was moving pretty much all day, including well after the sun went down, 21:00 hours on some occasions. What I found worked as a wrist gaiter was to simply take an old wool sock and cut the ankle part off and use that. It should fit loose enough on the wrist so not to cut off too much circulation to the hand, but not so much it slides around with movement. The wrist happens to be an area of the body that circulates a lot of blood, applying heat to it in the winter will warm your body very quickly when it's cold, and applying cold to it will cool you down quickly in the hotter seasons. The neck and ankles do the same thing, but you may already be applying some type of gaiter to those areas already. You can get away with less bulk on your arms and legs this way which allows you more dexterity and flexibility to move quickly through the environment when it's required by just covering these areas up.

An hour of Grand Thumb is much easier to watch than an hour of chemistry lecture.

One HUGE consideration for cold weather is the effect of the cold on batteries. I was in a cold weather artillery battery and our comm gear lasted literally half as long in cold conditions. Radio batteries lasted half a day as opposed to a day and a half in hot climates. Be sure you have a plan to have extra batteries for nvgs, peqs, lights is super important. Extra radio batteries and ensuring you're always charging batteries will make your life alot easier for any equipment you may rely on.

I live in Wyoming and I hunt late season rifle every year. I’m out for a week to 10 days at a time. I use a camper for shelter so it’s some what “cozy”, but there is no running water and I only haul enough fuel for the generator for 5 days and I use it sparingly in case of a big snow and I’m snowed in. Everything you have covered is how I prepare and what I bring to thrive while hunting. It’s not for the faint of heart and you need to know how to adapt. Winters here can get down to -40 F with the windchill, and it’s always windy here. When I’m out for the day, I bring about a 1/3rd of a pound of trail mix. I usually only have a few handfuls through the day but I have enough in case of emergency. Water is most important and you nailed it! Keep it on your body or it will freeze. Layers layers layers! I stop and change layer’s probably 4-5 times a day to always keep my dry base layer on if I have stopped and then change back to my synthetic wicking when on the move following a heard of elk. Great job guys! Keep up the good work.

"You sweat; you die" - old Swedish army proverb.

I’ve lived here in Alaska my entire life. I’ve jumped out of planes in January, lived in snow caves, gone hunting for weeks when it gets below zero at night, volunteered with mountain rescue, backcountry snowboarding etc. The cold is just brutal, and it will wear you down. Your mental health WILL take a hit 100%. It will never not suck. Embrace it, wear layers, drink water, eat a lot, take care of your feet.

For decades, I have been part of the search and rescue teams for the Civil Air Patrol in Utah and now the Colorado front range. No matter what your plans are, prepare. The most horrifying crash that we hiked into was one where the victims where going to some kind of party. They died still in their light evening attire. Nothing in their luggage area for warmth. Their ELT had dead batteries. I've seen skiers deliberately go off into the back country never letting anyone, where they were going. Grid searching is okay, but we have walked right past victims because the terrain didn't make it possible to see them. Carry a map and compass no how to use them. Have a signal mirror. Have a whistle, Have a proper hunting knife and multiple fire starters. Know how to built a small fire. Know the international symbols for a search messages and deploy the message with rocks or timber. Have signal fire built and start it as soon as you hear our propeller driven engines. I can't emphasize enough, how rescuers can't find you if we can't see signs of life!

In the British army, we have a saying "be bold start cold". Great video and an excellent addition to the series. Cant wait to see what's coming next.

Backpack hunting, trapping and backcountry traveling in Alaska, I can say this. The biggest thing about winter combat, is combating the winter. Learn to layer properly, not enough is bad, too much is bad. Learn to stay hydrated. Learn to pack your pack (yes it's important) Where to procure water, how to make it potable. Finding and making shelter. Being able to start a life saving fire anywhere and anytime in any condition. Navigation. Reading avalanche signs when on mountains. It all starts now with your fitness, how you eat, how you sleep, your morning workout routine. What you do on weekends. You'll know you have the skills when you can't screw up practicing them. The danger is watching a video like this and telling yourself your good to go.

Here's my best winter tip: if you're cold, you want to look for a small, usually white console on the wall, it should have a + button, press it and then wait for a little while and you're all set.

Afterthought, here in Canada, it is pretty common for people lost in the woods to seek shelter under trees, seems legit as the snow is absent in those spots, but more often then not, the act of accessing that area, knocks all the snow down from the tree. It is WAY more common than you would think for park rangers to find people suffocated under trees….

In Finland, double socking is the basic procedure taught in the army. Besides double socks, the winter rubber boots have thick wool felt inners, which can be more quickly dried than boots with inbuilt insulation. Layers are the key even in footwear and it's great that you can quickly swap out the insulation to get dry. Just get your winter boots in a larger size so they don't become too tight. For wintertime I'd really get minimalistic with my boots, classic leather combat boots or similar that don't soak up the moisture. Getting frozen, cold boots on your feet in the morning sucks anyway, so better get boots that don't soak all the sweat.

Really appreciate the shoutout to the CAF bros. As much as I hated doing winter warfare courses, the sheer utility of the knowledge I gained from them has helped immensely. I'll tell you I cannot stress enough the point of keeping your weapon in the environment it is going to be used. Even with -60 degrees (first C, than F), leave your weapon outside your shelter. It might be -60 outside, and -10 inside the arctic tent, but that is still enough to cause a change in the viscosity of the lubricant that could damage the weapon. Great work, Mr. Thumb.