Newsprint as Insulation: It Works!

Our pre-Halloween storm left me without power for four days. Many people were forced to live without electricity even longer.

It's great to have power again, but I stayed warm and had illumination without it or a fireplace. How?

My wind-up flashlights and solar outdoor lamps served well as sources of emergency light. But, staying warm through four cold nights took a bit of innovation.

Testing an idea from Tom Brown's Field Guide to City and Suburban Survival, I stuffed crumpled newspaper pages inside my hooded sweatshirt. To keep the paper in place, I tied a shoe string around my waist and wore another seatshirt around my neck as a makeshift scarf. It worked!

Survival expert Tom Brown, Jr. notes that homeless people who sleep on park benches slip flattened newspaper pages under their meager jackets, covering both the front and back of their bodies. The paper creates a windbreak to help them stay warm.

We can also cover ourselves with newspaper to make an emergency blanket. To better keep out cold from drafty windows, Brown recommends we stuff newspaper pages between the storm window and the glass panes.

I think I might try this idea this winter!

Editor's note: Eric Nelson is a self-taught naturalist in Cheshire who has taught stone-age and modern wilderness survival skills for several years