Winter First Aid for Cold-Weather Camping
Cold weather changes how injuries and illnesses show up on a campout. Some of the most serious ones are easy to miss when they start. This page covers the winter ailments and injuries a Scouter is most likely to run into. This is not a substitute for hands-on first aid training or the judgment of a medical professional.
What to look for
Recognize. Respond. Prevent.
Each card below shows common symptoms, basic first aid, prevention, and when it's important to seek medical aid.
Hypothermia
Life-Threatening
Core temperature falling faster than the body can replace heat. The most dangerous condition at a winter campout and the easiest to talk yourself out of.
Signs
- Shivering that will not stop, then stops while the person is still cold
- Slurred speech, fumbling hands, stumbling
- Confusion, poor decisions, unusual apathy or drowsiness
First Response
- Get the person out of wind and wet clothing into dry insulation
- Warm sweet drinks if fully alert; nothing by mouth otherwise
- Insulate from the ground, cover the head, add a warm body in the bag
- Handle gently and keep them horizontal — no rubbing, no hot water
Prevention
Layer for the coldest part of the day, stay dry, eat and drink through the day, and change out of damp base layers before you get into a sleeping bag.
SEEK EMERGENCY MEDICAL CARE IF
Shivering has stopped, speech or thinking is off, or the person cannot be warmed within minutes. Treat that as an emergency — do not drive them yourself.
Frostbite and Frost Nip
Urgent
Tissue freezing, starting at fingers, toes, ears, nose, and cheeks. Frost nip is the reversible warning; frostbite is the injury.
Signs
- Skin that is white, grey-yellow, or waxy and firm
- Pins and needles feeling, then nothing at all
- Clumsiness in the affected hand or foot; skin that does not dent when pressed
First Response
- Move indoors or into a heated space and remove wet gloves, socks, and rings
- Rewarm with skin-to-skin contact or warm — not hot — water
- Cover with dry, loose dressings and separate the fingers or toes
- Never rub, never use direct heat, and do not let a thawed foot bear weight
Prevention
Mittens over gloves, a spare dry pair of each, no bare skin in wind, and boots loose enough for circulation.
SEEK EMERGENCY MEDICAL CARE IF
Skin is hard, waxy, or blistered, sensation does not return with rewarming, or refreezing is possible before you reach shelter.
Dehydration
Common
Cold air is dry and blunts thirst, so people drink far less than they lose through exertion and breathing. It quietly makes every other cold injury more likely.
Signs
- Dark urine, or long stretches without needing to go
- Headache, fatigue, irritability, cramping
- Dry mouth and lips; dizziness on standing
First Response
- Drink steadily rather than in one large volume
- Warm fluids and soup count and are easier to take in the cold
- Rest and eat — food carries water and the calories to use it
- Watch for skipped meals, the usual cause in a busy patrol
Prevention
Two quarts a day on top of what you drink at meals. Insulate bottles or store them upside down so the lids do not freeze shut.
SEEK EMERGENCY MEDICAL CARE IF
Vomiting, confusion, fainting, or no urination through the day — someone is past what a water bottle fixes.
Chilblains
Uncomfortable
Small inflamed patches from repeated exposure to cold, damp, above-freezing conditions.
Signs
- Red or purple itching, burning patches on fingers, toes, ears, nose
- Swelling and tenderness that worsen as the skin warms
- Occasionally blistering or shallow sores
First Response
- Warm the skin slowly and keep it dry
- Do not scratch, and do not warm at a fire or heater
- Loose dry socks and gloves; cover any broken skin
- Keep the area out of the cold for the rest of the weekend
Prevention
Keep hands and feet dry, avoid tight footwear, and warm gradually after coming in rather than sticking your feet at the stove.
SEEK EMERGENCY MEDICAL CARE IF
Skin breaks open, an area looks infected, or the patches do not settle after a few hours indoors.
Trenchfoot
URGENT
Non-freezing damage from feet staying wet and cold for hours. It arrives from one soaked pair of boots worn all Saturday.
Signs
- Feet that are pale, wrinkled, cold, and numb or aching
- Heaviness, tingling, or shooting pain as they warm
- Swelling; later blisters or peeling skin
First Response
- Get socks and boots off; wash, dry, and warm the feet gently
- Elevate them and let them air — dry socks, then a dry sleeping bag
- Do not walk on them more than needed, and do not soak them
- Have the Health Officer look at any blistering or numbness
Prevention
Two spare pairs of wool socks minimum, changed the moment they are damp. Waterproof boots and gaiters, and never sleep in damp socks.
SEEK EMERGENCY MEDICAL CARE IF
Numbness that persists after warming, blistering, or feet that will not carry weight.
Snow Blindness
URGENT
Sunburn to the surface of the eye from ultraviolet light off snow. It shows up hours after the exposure, usually at dinner.
Signs
- Gritty, burning eyes that water and stay shut
- Pain looking at any light; hazy or pink-tinted vision
- Headache after a bright day outdoors
First Response
- Get out of the light; cool compresses and a dark tent
- Cover both eyes and do not rub them; remove contact lenses
- No driving, no fire duty, no games until it resolves
- Send them to the Health Lodge — pain relief is warranted
Prevention
Sunglasses or goggles with full UV protection on any bright day, snow or not, worn by leaders as well as Scouts.
SEEK EMERGENCY MEDICAL CARE IF
Vision loss, severe pain, or symptoms still present the next morning.
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Life-Threatening
From any fuel burned in a closed space — a stove used inside a tent, a heater in a trailer, a lantern under a zipped dining fly. Odorless and it kills people asleep.
Signs
- Headache, nausea, dizziness, and weakness in more than one person at once
- Confusion or unusual sleepiness in a tent with a heat source
- Symptoms that clear in fresh air and return indoors
First Response
- Get everyone outside into fresh air immediately
- Shut off the source; do not go back in to retrieve gear
- Radio for the Health Officer even if people feel better
- Count heads — assume anyone still inside is affected
Prevention
Never burn fuel or run a heater in a tent, trailer, or any enclosed space, and never cook in a vestibule. Ventilate, and use extra insulation instead of heat.
SEEK EMERGENCY MEDICAL CARE:
Always. Any suspected exposure goes to the camp Health Officer or emergency medical professional.
Sunburn and Windburn
Common
Winter sun reflects off snow and hits from below, onto the places sunscreen never reaches. Wind strips the skin at the same time.
Signs
- Red, hot skin on the nose, ears, cheeks, and under the chin
- Chapped, cracking lips and stinging cheeks in wind
- Burning that appears in the evening after a clear day
First Response
- Cover up and get out of sun and wind
- Cool water and a plain moisturizer; lip balm generously
- Extra fluids — burned skin loses water
- Leave blisters alone and keep them covered
Prevention
Broad-spectrum sunscreen every morning including under the chin, SPF lip balm in a pocket, and a neck gaiter for wind.
SEEK EMERGENCY MEDICAL CARE:
Widespread blistering, fever or chills, or a burn on a Scout who is also showing dehydration.
Overheating from Overdressing
Common
The most-missed cold injury: sweat soaking base layers during exertion, then freezing the moment the activity stops. Wet layers are the direct road to hypothermia.
Signs
- Sweating, flushed face, damp base layer during activity
- Fogged glasses and steaming collars on a cold morning
- A sudden hard chill within minutes of stopping
First Response
- Vent or shed a layer before the sweat builds, not after
- Change into a dry base layer at the first break
- Put insulation back on the moment you stop moving
- Never let anyone sleep in a layer they sweated in
Prevention
Start cold and add layers as you cool down. Wool or synthetic next to the skin — never cotton — and open the pit zips before the hill, not on top of it.
SEEK EMERGENCY MEDICAL CARE:
Someone stopped moving in wet layers and cannot get warm again — treat as hypothermia.
safe sleep
What to do if you are shivering and cold at night.
Shivering that has not stopped after ten to fifteen minutes inside a sleeping bag is a symptom that needs to be addressed. Do not wait for morning, and do not let a Scout or a fellow leader wait it out either. Work the steps in order; if you reach the end of them still cold, get help quickly.
- Change into a dry base layer and dry socks. If you are unsure whether they are damp, they are damp.
- Add insulation under you before you add it over you — the ground takes more heat than the air.
- Cover your head and neck, and cinch the bag hood. Most of what you are losing leaves there.
- Eat something with fat or protein, and drink something warm. Your bag does not make heat; you do.
- Get moving briefly — gather wood, walk the site. Work warms you; lying still waiting does not.
- Still shivering after ten to fifteen minutes in the bag? Wake a leader and get to the Health Lodge. It will not improve on its own.