As I mentioned previously, I don't really recommend planning to heat a whole room with a backup heating arrangement.  If you don't use your backup equipment in your everyday life, it will take a long time for that equipment to pay for itself and the heaters often won't work when you need them to.  Instead, I recommend changing your habits so that you heat your body instead of the room, both during outages and to whatever extent you're comfortable with during your daily life.  The great thing about learning to stay warm without electricity or fossil fuels is that you'll be prepared no matter how long the power outage lasts, and will also enjoy a lower heating bill during normal winters.

So how do you warm your body instead of the room?  The first step is to invest in some winter clothes chosen for warmth and utility instead of style.  A good winter coat, a hat that covers your ears, warm socks, sweaters, and long johns go a long way.  On cold winter days, I wear fleece long johns under normal pants, two pairs of socks (if they fit in my boots), and on top am decked out in a t-shirt, a thin fleece shirt, a thicker fleece shirt, and then a winter coat.  Throw a wool hat on my head and some good gloves on my hands and I'm quite comfortable even sitting still at 40 or 50 degrees Fahrenheit.  If you head down to the local goodwill, you can probably find most of these pieces of clothing for just a few bucks apiece.

Three environmental conditions can make the outfit above useless, though: wind, wet, and constriction.  I'll start with the last, which is the least intuitive.  When you're building a house and adding insulation to the walls, you'll soon learn that you can't cram two layers of insulation into the space meant for one layer and get twice the protection from cold.  Instead, that double layer of insulation will actually work less well than a single, properly installed layer would have.  Insulation --- and that includes your winter clothes --- works by creating pockets that trap air in place.  So if you put on two pairs of socks and cram your feet into boots meant for one pair, your feet will be colder than if you'd only put on one pair because the constricted clothing will push out all the insulating air pockets.  Ditto if you try to wear long johns under close-fitting jeans.  That's why, when planning your winter layers, you'll need to choose some clothes a bit bigger than normal to go on the outside.

You're probably more familiar with the way wind and rain can make you cold despite lots of insulative clothing.  If you're going to be inside during cold weather, you probably won't have to worry much about these problems, but you should plan ahead in case you need to go out.  A waterproof wind-breaker on top of your other clothes goes a long way toward keeping both water and chilly winds from penetrating.  This is especially important if you use synthetic fleece clothes, which wind cuts right through.

You also need to think about water that starts on the inside of your clothes --- sweat.  If you're outside chopping wood and notice that you're starting to heat up, take off layers until you're comfortable again.  Otherwise, your sweat will quickly chill your body once you stop moving.

Finally, keep some plastic grocery bags on hand to deal with wet feet.  Boots eventually spring a leak during slogs through the snow, and wet feet make even the most cheerful person cranky.  If you can put on dry socks and slip each socked feet into a grocery bag apiece before putting on your boots, the plastic layer will keep water in your boots from seeping into your socks and coming in contact with your skin.  You may look like a homeless person, but you'll be a warm homeless person.

I hope you enjoy this excerpt from Weekend Homesteader: December.  The 99 cent ebook walks you through the basics of planting your first fruit trees, staying warm without electricity, understanding the uses of essential tools, and turning trash into treasures.  If you're interested in other aspects of basic emergency preparedness, Weekend Homesteader: November gives tips on storing drinking water and the upcoming Weekend Homesteader: January will cover backup lighting options.

This post is part of our Emergency Warmth lunchtime series.  Read all of the entries: Staying warm during power outages Heating one room Dressing for warmth Choosing emergency sleeping bags Activity keeps you warm