Foam suits part of preparedness

I tried very hard to find the link to this article, but to no avail. So I will retype the following article which was in the "MormonTimes" section of the Deseret News on Thursday, March 17, 2011. It is titled "Foam suits part of preparedness," by Sharon Haddock. I have listened to Jim Phillips and learned so much from his preparedness talks - and seen his foam clothing... I even have the high quality foam in a closet waiting for me to sew it together. This article has spurred me on to get it in gear and make some foam clothing for myself and my husband. BTW - I've added Jim's website to our favorites! OK, on with the article...

"Buffy Snell figures when disaster strikes, it's likely to be in the winter. In Utah, that means it will likely also be bitterly cold.

"That's why Snell has a foam outfit, pants, a jacket, gloves and boots in her storage closet for every member of her large Mormon family. She wants to be sure her loved ones are warm when it matters.

"'It took over a year, and I didn't even make them' Snell said, 'I hired a friend of mine to sew them.'

"Some parts she purhcased from sports clothing stores.

"The clothes are of half-inch foam (1 inch is too builky) covered with a nylon shell and worn over a liner (not cotton because cotton holds in the moisture). The foam draws the moisture away from the body so the wearer doesn't get cold from his or her sweat. The mylon makes the clothing waterproof.

"The jackets are hooded, and the gloves are made in two parts with fur cuffs. The boots are soft, comfortable and fit into commercial boots for double weather protection and durability.

"'My husband and I slept outside in the snow in the foam clothes, and we stayed warm,' Snell said. 'And I'm usually really cold. I hate being cold.'

"That's partly why when Snell was called to be her LDS ward emergency preparedness specialist, she focused on outfitting her family for Western winter weather.

"'I started looking around, and I was just shocked at how much there was about food and how little there was about clothing and shelter,' Snell said.

"She heard a presentation from outdoor survival expert Jim Phillips that impressed her profoundly. Snell decided her family needed to be prepared, so she researched foam clothing and enlised a local seamstress.

"She started a yearlong process of gathering her family's emergency wardrobe together, something that has surprised her neighbors and friends.

"These days, Snell shares what she has learned with church and civic groups, toting along her impressive collection of foam clothes and boots. She's more than willing to explain her thinking.

"Snell has heavily invested now with clothing built not only for her children in the sizes they have grown into now but also in adult sizes. She keeps these articles of clothing handy in large plastic bags.

"'My family just hated this,' she said, 'They all laughed at me but I tell them, 'Someday you'll thank me''"

Way to go Buffy Snell!!!!