How to prepare for a cold winter: tips from experienced tourists

Ukrainians continue to prepare for a difficult winter, which the Russian occupiers will try to spoil as much as possible. In particular, they will damage the systems of electricity, heating, water supply and drainage, and gas supply to the civilian population.

The advice of experienced tourists can be especially useful. Thus, a Twitter user under the name _farba_ posted a thread in which she listed things that will help keep you warm, fed and not freeze even in truly extreme conditions.

Clothing

On the eve of winter, _farba_ advises buying a set of fleece clothes. It works well with other layers, warms well and dries quickly. Moreover, it can be bought cheaply at a second-hand store.

Thermal underwear should also be a must-have this winter. Together with fleece clothing, it allows you to stay warm even in severe cold. For home and the city, things with wool are suitable. When choosing thermal underwear, you should pay attention to Ukrainian manufacturers - they often have high-quality products for relatively little money.

Cooking

According to the blogger, a tourist stove with a 450 ml gas cylinder will allow you to cook three meals a day for a week, as well as make hot tea and coffee. But you will need to buy special cookware. If you can't find it, then _farba_ advises using small containers to heat only the volume of water and food that you will eat or drink later. This will save gas. Refilling such a cylinder costs 50-75 UAH.

To save gas, you should also stock up on foods that can be prepared quickly and easily. This can be couscous and oatmeal or buckwheat flakes, which you just need to pour boiling water over. Buckwheat and chickpeas can also be covered with water in the evening and quickly reheated in the morning. You can also use pre-made soups and borscht, or the same dishes in bags.

If you can stock up on freeze-dried food, do so. Simpler options can now be found in regular supermarkets.

Hygiene

If the amount of water for hygiene procedures is limited, a washcloth mitt will come in handy. Even 1 liter of water is enough to wash completely with it, the blogger says.

Sleep

A sleeping bag and a tent are a hiker's best friends. A fleece liner for a sleeping bag adds warmth and is a more hygienic option for bedding in this case.

Instead of an electric sheet or electric blanket, the blogger recommends buying pajamas, because there may be no electricity, and warm pajamas will warm you up even without it.

The tent can be set up indoors in case the heating goes out. Experienced tourists claim that it is warmer to sleep in it.

Lighting

The blogger advises to buy economical LED lamps that run on a battery or power bank in advance. They are inexpensive and can work for more than a day on a single charge.

Another good solution is an LED garland that runs on batteries or USB.

Instead of a regular flashlight, _farba_ advises using a headlamp, which will free up your hands.

Communication and resource saving

To save battery power in gadgets, the blogger advises turning off all types of communication - Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and even not connecting to a cellular network unless necessary. Airplane mode will be helpful, as even the most demanding smartphones can survive for several days.

It's better to have several power banks at once, and choose according to reviews, because some manufacturers lie about their capacity. Small external batteries, which can only half charge a smartphone, will also not be superfluous, the blogger says.