How cold can naturists stay outside all day?

[FuegianColdAdaption]

There is a debate amongst archaeologists about whether the first hominids in Europe were clothed or not. Living in a centrally heated house fully clothed, it is quite hard to imagine surviving all day outside naked even in the (Scottish) Summer let alone winter. However, it is reported by explorers to S.America, including Charles Darwin, that there were natives in Tierra del Fuego (S.Chile) who lived their lives naked in a climate where it appears winter temperatures go down below freezing. However, I'm not sure about this. What images are available often show the natives with blankets, but there were several tribes and only the ones on the coast were said to be entirely naked. But it is also possible that even this tribe were only fully naked in Summer, still quite remarkable, but it might be they only happened to be naked at the time of year when explorers passed by.

So, I thought I would ask modern naturists, what is the lowest temperatures that they could spend the entire day outside (although natives had small huts and fires, so perhaps a few "coffee breaks" warming up would be allowed.

I also assume it takes time to cold adjust?

All help or insights would be gratefully accepted.

[Murray]

I hiked in the lake district last autumn at 13C. After about 1.5 hours I decided it was time to get dressed. I could barely get my fingers to do my laces. My minimum for hiking is realistically 16C. Without the exertion of hiking it would be higher.

[FuegianColdAdaption]

I hiked in the lake district last autumn at 13C. After about 1.5 hours I decided it was time to get dressed. I could barely get my fingers to do my laces. My minimum for hiking is realistically 16C. Without the exertion of hiking it would be higher.

Thanks. It's really useful to learn from your experience. It's hard to see how humans could endure, not just a few hours outside naked in temperatures of single digits, but months on end.

[John Wood]

Its common knowledge on the forum that I walk twice a day in Colwick Woods in Nottingham to walk my dog, Roxy. I still go out naked in winter. This has gone on regularly for about 10 years (I went alone before we had the dog). In the past, I've always done winter walks in darkness so that people wouldn’t see me out naked in the cold.

But last winter (2021/2022), I took the plunge. All though the winter, I went out naked twice a day in full daylight with Roxy. This often involved walking through heavily frosted grass with no shoes. Sometimes, the ice was so bad that I would have to carry the dog because her feet were too cold for her to walk! Of course, I could only stay out for about 40 minutes at a time in winter when a summer walk could last for 2 hours. 

The odd thing is that people in Colwick woods are so used to seeing me walking naked that they didn’t question me walking naked in winter. Admittedly, I did get a few remarks about how cold it was but when you consider, I will pass maybe a dozen people on each walk, only a couple of people made any sarcastic comments.

Once you get home again, a nice hot water bottle is a luxury!

[peejayess]

The images of natives in blankets might have been down to the prurience of the image makers rather than the reality, though certainly some form of warming would I’m sure be required at times. The experience of us modern, temperate-climate dwellers might not be definitive, either, as when we go out in the cold we are adapting from our customary environment, whereas permanently naked peoples would not need such adaptation. Still leaves the question wide open, I think.

[Murray]

At the other end of the scale, in Guatemala, when the night temp drops as low as 25C (!) the security guards put puffer jackets and hats on!