Sometimes disaster strikes when we are not properly clothed. It can catch us night or all of our clothes could be lost in a flood or fire. This can mean that we have to somehow make clothing out of towels, clothing, cloth, plastic bags and paper bags. We may have to use what is available with the idea of conserving body heat and protecting the body from bugs and other threats.
If keeping warm is the goal then you needs to trap a layer of air between your body and the fabric. The best insulating materials are windbreaker material, paper or tightly woven fabric. This slows down the rate that heat is carried away from the body. Quilted fabrics are insulating but do not trap an insulating layer of air between the body and coldness.
We lose a lot of heat from our head and neck. If it is cold it is important to keep these areas warm. Taking any type of warm material such as a towel and covering it with a paper bag makes a good make-shift head warmer. You can also pack a shirt with thick layers of newspaper to keep warm.
You can also make yourself boots out of newspapers. Place your feet on ten newspapers and then fold all of the sheets on top of your foot. Use strips of sheets to tie the newspapers to your foot. Then cover this with a canvas or burlap sack and tie at the ankle. If this does not work or if burlap is not available you can try using plastic bread bags.
If temperatures drop at night you may have to insulate the whole body. Once again you can use newspapers to insulate your body and wrap it with strips of cloth. Most people are kept warm with eight sheets of newspaper. Any type of coat stuffed with newspapers can also help keep a person warm.
If you are in the unfortunate position of having to sleep on frozen ground it is best to keep the temperature in the shelter a bit below freezing. This is because it is easier to sleep on ground that is solid rather than disintegrating into frozen slush.
Psychologically it is also important to keep a person clothed. This is because in a state of distress they can regress into behaviors that are fearful and child-like if they are naked and cold for too long