Ms. Mugica suggested carbide has an advantage in a cave where hypothermia is possible.
Using a light source as emergency plans for hypothermia, in my opinion, is poor planning. It would be better to carry a Sterno can in your pack if you are planning to be in a cave with cool temperatures. http://www.baproducts.com/4135.jpg It is fun for a bunch of cavers to huddle around a sterno can, but warming your hands is about all you are going to get unless you are in a tiny passage and then you have to worry about the fumes. Carrying extra warm clothing in a vaccum sealed plastic bag is also away to plan for a hypothermia emergency. REI sells a high-tech emergency mummy sack that about the size of a pint of beer. This could be vaccuum packed into a smaller package and take up little room in your caving pack. This would be worth considering if you are going on a long caving trip where you are not taking a sleeping bag. If you had a sleeping bag, it wouldn't be necessary. I once got cold in a cave and had to crawl into a sleeping bag with another caver. Had we not had the sleeping bag, I would have been in trouble. I also got so cold in a cave one time that I stuffed my legs into my backpack and wrapped up with a foil emergency blanket. I couldn't sleep, because the foil made a crinkly noise everytime I moved. There are other ways to stay warm, like a hot cup of cocoa, or an extra pair of socks, hand-warmers, etc. David Locklear caver in Houston _______________________________________________ Texascavers mailing list [email protected] http://texascavers.com/mailman/listinfo/texascavers_texascavers.com
