# MythBusters Proved This? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 24, 2017, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mythbusters-proved-this/794507 "2017-08-24T01:27:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2017, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mythbusters-proved-this/794507/41 "2017-10-24T02:18:53Z")
> [@Weisshund](#): > > Probably not, they dont exactly suddenly enhance the insulation or slow the heat loss in 28 degree water, they just freeze to death together. > > If they had a dry sleeping bag maybe Two people huddling together would survive longer because the cube-square law takes effect. Two people have twice as much mass as one, and twice as much heat generating capacity, but they don’t have twice as much surface area exposed to the water. Whether it would make a significant difference, I don’t know. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2017, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mythbusters-proved-this/794507/42 "2017-10-24T12:18:40Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > I can believe it. A large wool overcoat might act like an impromptu wet suit. Wet suits don’t keep you dry (hence the name). What they do is trap a layer of water between you and the suit. The water is warmed by your body, and acts as an insulator. A woolen coat could easily do the same thing. If the soaking fur closest to your body warms up, it might protect you somewhat. No, a wool overcoat won’t behave like a wetsuit at all. “trap” is the operative word. Wetsuits are skin tight, so the water that’s next to your skin stays there. An overcoat isn’t anything like skin tight, so there would be plenty of circulation of cold water around your body. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2017, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mythbusters-proved-this/794507/43 "2017-10-24T13:09:32Z")
A wool overcoat won’t work as well as a wetsuit, but it’ll still work some. Wool is well known among natural fibers for retaining most of its insulative value even when wet, which is why it was so popular among sailors. I’ve heard that wolverine fur is even better, but wolverines are a lot harder to raise in captivity than sheep, so it doesn’t get used much. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2017, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mythbusters-proved-this/794507/44 "2017-10-24T13:13:54Z")
Keeping you warm while wet _above the water_ means nothing if you’re actually immersed in water. If it allows cold water to circulate against your skin, it’s useless, regardless of how good an insulator it is. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2017, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mythbusters-proved-this/794507/45 "2017-10-24T13:22:19Z")
Its behavior above the water matters if you’re only partly immersed, as most of the survivors were. And even under the water, it’ll slow the circulation of cold water, even if it doesn’t completely stop it (heck, a modern wetsuit doesn’t completely stop it, either). ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2017, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mythbusters-proved-this/794507/46 "2017-10-24T19:34:08Z")
Yeah. I wasn’t trying to suggest that it was as good as a wetsuit - just that it might be better than nothing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mythbusters-proved-this/794507.md?page=2)