Frostbite 101: An RV Winter Survival Guide

Winter RV camping offers a ton of benefits for both winter sports enthusiasts and those who just want to get away and enjoy serenity amidst epically beautiful landscapes. However, the importance of being well-prepared can’t be overstated when it comes to camping in frigid temperatures. That’s because if you aren’t prepared, cold weather can bring very serious health risks. One of these is frostbite. This critical condition happens when your skin freezes in sub-freezing temperatures. So, having a handle on frostbite 101 is a big deal for four-season RVers.

In this guide, we’ll get you spun up on what frostbite is, how to treat it, and — most wisely —how to prevent it. Because, let’s face it, you’re not braving the winter’s brutal nature to simply sit inside your RV. Because you’re “up there,” you’re also likely going to be “out there” — seeing things other campers are missing.  

 

What Is Frostbite? 

The term “frostbite” describes an injury that happens when exposed or unprotected skin is frozen by sub-zero temperatures. As injuries go, it’s a serious one. And that’s not only because it’s extremely painful. As a matter of fact, in the worst cases of frostbite can result in a loss of tissue and the amputation of affected body parts. Frostbite affects insufficiently unprotected skin including:

• Ears
• Nose
• Lips
• Cheeks 
• Fingers
• Toes

And it’s not just exposed extremities that can be affected. If temperatures dip below freezing, frostbite can occur on covered, exposed, or wet skin. So, a big part of frostbite 101 is keeping an eye on those danger areas. Let’s talk more about that.

 

Recognizing Frostbite Symptoms

Frostbite most frequently affects toes, fingertips, and the outer edges of ears. The first signs of frostbite are color changes to affected areas. It’s important to know the visual signs so you can let your fellow campers know they have it. Affected patients don’t feel it at first because the condition numbs the affected skin until they’re in a warmer environment. That’s when they start to feel pins and needles, itching, pain, and/or the  weird “waxy” sensation that’s unique to frostbite.

Here’s the complete list of frostbite symptoms to watch for:

• Patches of skin in shades of red, white, blue, gray, purple or yellow, depending on how severe the frostbite is (It should be noted that color changes can be difficult to see on people with darker skin.)
• Numbness
• Cold, hard, waxy-looking skin
• Clumsiness due to numbness or joint stiffness
• Pain
• Blistering after rewarming 

 

Identifying the 3 Stages of Frostbite

Frostbite doesn’t just suddenly freeze your skin solid. Instead, it affects exposed skin and underprotected extremities in stages. 

 

1. Frostnip

At this stage, affected skin will be reddish and will start to feel numb or tingly.

 

2. Mild to Moderate Frostbite

Also called superficial frostbite, this is when skin color changes slightly and can start to feel warmish, even though it’s well on the way to freezing. The affected area will sting, burn and swell as it’s rewarmed. In addition, there might be blistering as skin rewarms.

 

3. Deep Frostbite

As more layers of skin freeze, frostbite symptoms become more severe. Frozen areas lose color, turning white or blue-gray. Rewarming may produce large blood blisters. At this stage, skin cells die off, causing skin to turn black and hard as they do so.

 

Administering First Aid for Frostbite

It’s crucial to treat frostbite in its earliest stages to help prevent tissue death and loss. That means if you or someone else is experiencing numbness, tingling, skin color changes, or any other signs of frostbite, you need to start treatment immediately.

Here’s what you should do:

1. Get into a warm place.
2. Remove any wet clothing or footwear.
3. Remove jewelry from affected areas.
4. Warm the affected area by soaking in warm water (100- to 105-degrees) until it starts to feel warm. It’s important not to apply heat at this stage. Applying heat from a hairdryer, heating pad, or other appliance (even at the frostnip stage) can cause intense pain and may lead to further tissue damage in frostbitten skin. Warming areas affected by frostbite should always be slow and progressive.
5. Never rub affected areas.
6. Loosely bandage affected areas with sterile dressings.  
7. Separate affected fingers and toes by placing sterile gauze pads between them. 
8. Offer non-prescription pain relievers.
9. Seek professional medical care as soon as possible.

Smoking and drinking alcohol can cause changes to blood circulation. Therefore, both should always be avoided when recovering from frostbite.

 

The Best Course of All: Preventing Frostbite

Fortunately, it’s easy to prevent frostbite — especially if you have an RV. Frostbite 101 all starts with some basic, common-sense fundamentals what to do.

1. Dress for the weather.

• Avoid tight clothing
• Dress in layers of moisture wicking materials topped with a waterproof hooded jacket to stay dry and conserve body heat.
• Waterproof mittens can keep hands warmer than gloves, especially if you layer gloves underneath them.
• Use pocket hand warmers in gloves and (where possible) inside boots.
• Wear a knit hat that  can be pulled over your ears.If it’s really cold out, use the hood of your jacket to protect your head and neck.
• Insulating insoles and merino wool socks inside good winter boots to keep toes and feet from freezing.

2. Warm up every hour or two.

• Keep track of how long you’re outdoors using a timer if necessary.
• Stay indoors (with that furnace cranked up!) or by the campfire for up to 30 minutes.

3. Avoid alcohol if you plan on venturing into the cold.

• Drinking alcohol or smoking should be avoided if you plan to be outside in cold weather.
• As mentioned earlier, drinking can cause changes in your blood circulation, which is important to stay warm.

 

The Importance of Frostbite 101

Frostbite is a serious condition — one that’s well worth avoiding. That being said, each year, hundreds of outdoor enthusiasts have parts of their ears, fingers and toes amputated because they didn’t properly prepare for frigid temperatures. It’s also worth knowing that the risk of frostbite increases when the wind chill falls below negative 27 degrees Celsius. (That’s negative 17 degrees Fahrenheit for my American friends.) Taking the precautions against frostbite mentioned in this article will help you reduce the risk while you enjoy all the wonders of a winter getaway.