Quote Originally Posted by cajunscot
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One trick I have heard of Highlanders doing in the winter is to wet their great kilts and to allow a layer of ice to form, which creates insulation from the cold -- not sure if it really works, but you never know. I do know that layering yourself in several garments will actually make you colder, as cold air will get trapped between the shirts, etc. and make you cooler than you would be -- I've seen that first-hand as a newbie reenactor.

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Todd
I wonder if that would be a misunderstanding of the properties of wool. Wool is unique in that body heat moves the moisture to the outside of the material. So sleeping in a damp/wet cloth would move the moisture to the outside where it would freeze, and coincidentally, insulate. Ice is at 0C, the outside air could be -whatever, the ice will stay fairly constant.

Remember, for the reenactors, it took the non-combat losses of those wars to develop and refine the thermal materials we have today. Don't get too realistic under the visible parts in winter.