HUDSON — Rodney Cole has been stranded in bad winter weather 12 times during his life, but his knowledge of winter survival skills and preparedness for driving in bad winter weather helped him survive those experiences.

Cole was a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army, and he was in charge of Basic Training instruction at Fort Knox, Kentucky. He now teaches winter driving survival skills classes throughout Michigan, as well as Wilderness Survival Skills and Bushcraft Skills at the Michigan Folk School in Ann Arbor. 

Cole said the typical equipment that drivers should have with them in case of severe winter weather includes jumper cables, a good spare tire, flashlights, a shovel and a tool kit. 

“I’ve learned that, in winter driving, that’s nowhere near enough,” Cole said.

In Level 1 of his winter driving survival kit, he recommends carrying duct tape “because duct tape can be used for a million things.” Cole also recommends having cardboard in the vehicle.

“The reason for that is that glass is a horrible insulator, but cardboard isn’t,” he said. By attaching pieces of cardboard in the windshield and along windows, heat loss can reduced by up to 80%.

Another thing Cole recommends is water. Cole recommends carrying six personal-size water bottles with about an inch and a half of water poured out to allow for expansion if the water freezes. He said that, because water freezes from the top down, the bottles should be stored upside down. That way, the water at the bottom that isn’t ice will pour out when the bottle is opened. 

Emergency gear should also include garbage bags.

“You can put one on your feet and one with a hole over your head, and you just made yourself a sleeping bag that will help retain lots and lots and lots of body heat,” he said.

Tall pillar candles in glass, like church candles, are another item that Cole includes in his list of survival kit items. These can be purchased at a dollar store. He also recommends having something to read in your vehicle. 

“I’ve been stuck 12 times overnight on the road, and not all of them have been horrible,” he said.

 “I had flashlights in the car and I had something to do,” he continued. “I could listen to the radio. I was running the car something like 10 minutes of every hour, and had something to read, and it helped to really pass the time.” 

Cole’s Level 2 list of essential items includes those needed for a higher level of extreme weather. He recommends either a wool blanket or a space blanket, a big wool overcoat, boots in case something goes wrong, and a snow shovel.

“I’ve used it to get my own vehicle out a couple times, and more than a couple times, I used it to get other people out,” he said. 

He also recommends food that doesn’t have to be cooked, like crackers, candy bars and chips.

“Thing that are crunchy are things that I craved when I was stuck for a long time,” he said.

Cole also recommends an “auxiliary form of heat,” such as chemical hand warmers, or old-school Jon-E hand warmers that use lighter fluid or white gas.

Level 3 items are things that a driver might need “when you’re going to be out long enough that you need hot food.” This list includes a sleeping bag, extra clothes, high-quality heavy-duty boots, a stocking cap and gloves, and military Meals Ready to Eat. 

Cole lived in Colorado for 11 years, and developed his Level 4 list when he was driving as part of his job, and was prepared for Arctic temperatures. 

“That’s pretty extreme, but that ‘pretty extreme’ was my standard gear that I would carry in my work truck every winter,” he said. This list includes an Army multiple sleep system which is good to 15 to 20 degrees below zero, a wool anorak, pack boots with felt-liners, and a “shemagh,” which is a large wool cashmere scarf that Cole utilized during his Army time in the Indian subcontinent.