Extreme conditions in the weather can really make us quite uncomfortable, especially if we’re exposed to them during long periods of time.

When it’s seriously hot out, sweating happens, making us extremely uncomfortable. But so long as we drink plenty of water, we are, for the most part, able to survive just fine. Perhaps the sun can be pretty bad with UV rays, but again, with any layer of clothing covering your skin or proper application of sunblock lotion, humans are fine.

When it comes to the cold, however, things aren’t as easy. No longer is the temperature extreme just “uncomfortable.” Rather, it’s dangerous. While we eventually begin to lose feeling in our extremities, meaning you don’t feel as much one way or the other, this is bad soon after in that frostbite can occur and your body can begin to shut down. So, having proper gear is extremely important when the weather turns freezing.

The thing is, a lot of that appropriate gear can be quite costly. From heavy duty snow boots and gloves to insulated tents, clothing, and materials for your vehicle on the road, your expense can begin to rack up just preparing for cold weather.

But what if I said that a common, everyday material would suffice as insulation? What if cardboard happened to be that material?

Because corrugated cardboard has pockets of air within its walls, it makes quite an amazing insulator. You may be padding your tent walls and ground space with cardboard (which also helps to make a more comfortable floor in the tent to sleep on), which would be smart in colder, mountainous, and snowy areas. You may also just have cardboard in your vehicle in case the need arises.

There’s a reason that people who are homeless sleep on and in cardboard, and it’s not just because it’s free. The insulating properties of old shipping boxes and other pieces of cardboard is amazing, as it keeps the coldness of the ground from seeping into someone’s body.

Similarly, you can use it in your vehicle if you had to sleep in it on a long road trip, as it’ll do some good to keep a vehicle warm after the heater and vehicle have been turned off.

No matter the case, old cardboard from shipping boxes or packaging boxes should be appreciated for the uniqueness and versatility they possess in all of their various uses.