Recently, we recorded a reel walking through our candleTIN™ lineup, and one comment stood out to us.
After researching the article about Brianna L. Mohr in the Adirondack Mountains, we can't make assumptions about how she could have survived. At the same time we want to spread awareness of the possible dangers. At Exotac, people come to us for preparedness gear, and when you're playing with the elements, you want to be overprepared. When dealing with cold conditions, things can escalate quickly, especially after an accident. Causing all your plans to go out the window and forcing you to think on your feet, so having a system in place for certain emergencies can save you, not saying you'll always have the answer.
When the Cold Hits
Cold temperature affects your body in a multitude of different ways, causing you to lose feeling in your hands and feet, and loss of dexterity. Cold hands with wet clothes that aren't helping your situation. Bringing you into a state of panic instead of control. In extreme cases of hypothermia, the symptoms worsen, including slower thinking, clumsiness, numbness, and much more. Everything becomes harder, and now you just can't make a fire, especially if everything else around you is wet.
Break in the Chain
In a moment of emergency, sometimes you just need heat. For example, one of our candleTIN™ comes in a hot burn type that can emit heat for 6 or 16 hours, depending on what size you get. Small heat sources are not a replacement for shelter or a fire, but they can help preserve capability before conditions spiral. That being said, a candle alone cannot save, but it can help slow the chain reaction that leads to hypothermia.
How Candles Make a Difference
Candles by themselves won't stop hypothermia, but in combination with a hypothermia blanket will buy you time to get a real fire going, wait for help, and most importantly, preserve your ability to think clearly. In this situation, your mind is your biggest asset to keep you calm and level-headed to think about your next move. Whether it's collecting firewood, and if it's wet, using your candle to dry the tinder to make a signal fire, which would double as a warming fire.
Education
No matter what tools you decide to carry, you must educate yourself on how to use the options you choose to rely on. Whether in person or online, make sure you have references you can trust, so when you go to try, you have a higher success rate. Practice makes perfect, especially in bushcraft, so try to get out as much as you can to practice your skills.
Most survival situations don't start as emergencies, but as the conditions are stacked against you, and you don't have the resources to combat them.
Stories like these should not deter you from adventure but just give you more insights on how to prepare yourself to survive in emergencies!