As the green and gold-clad warriors trudge across the frozen tundra toward shelter, they express primal emotions.

"Fire good."

"Man cave better."

"Packer Man Cave accessorized with 51-inch flat-screen TV, autographed Aaron Rodgers helmet and working wet bar - hoo-ya!"

Most man caves, says Jeff Wilser, co-author of "The Man Cave Book," are places where a man "can cordon off all of his stuff and decorate it as he likes without adult supervision."

But a Packer Man Cave exists on a higher plane, filled with the memorabilia, the essence - perhaps even the locker room aroma - of the Green Bay Packers. A Packer Man Cave is "a shrine to the Packers that shows the fan's undying loyalty," says Wilser.

Those who seek solace in such caves may find them by following subtle clues, like the sign that says "Man Cave" hanging over Brian Hammel's special place in his Elkhorn home. Hammel treasures the handmade sign he got at the Warrens Cranberry Festival three years ago and probably hasn't dusted since.

He needs this Packer Man Cave, he says, because, "I live with four women - my wife and three daughters." So he retreats into his 24 by 16 NFL grotto with wall-to-wall Packers memorabilia and new pellet-burner. Then, he says, "I'm in my element. I'm surrounded by things that make me happy."

Tastefully done

Other PMCs emerge from the shadows of other lower levels. Don a foam cheesehead and descend if you dare into the Packer Man Cave in Corey Mielcarz's Bay View basement. Then bathe in the radiance of the trophies hanging here, including the Official Hot Dog Vendor tag that he found, yes, on Lambeau Field.

A Packers flag drapes down low from the basement ceiling, accessorized with rope lights. They spotlight the bar that Mielcarz made himself, thus fulfilling the Packer Man Cave beer dispenser requirement.

For some purists, this man cave may border on the disturbingly tasteful. The autographed Gilbert Brown helmet, the four TVs and the fish-head bottle opener all fit under the "OK" man cave stuff category. So does the 1950s ad with a guy in pajamas drinking Miller beer at the breakfast table.

However, the absence of crushed beer cans on the floor, the Packers throw pillows and the live female presence of Pam Kilgren, Mielcarz's fiancée, may seem like violations of the "Maleness Only" man cave regulation.

Kilgren provided many of the items in this male retreat, including a saddle for a bar stool. So she gets to come down and enjoy it, too. Says Mielcarz, "We love this place. It gives us a sense of going to a bar without having to travel. It's very relaxing."

Getting started

Packer Man Caves loom so large in Packer Nation legend that we've researched the most frequently asked questions about them:

Q.How does one create a Packer Man Cave (PMC)?

A. Those with real commitment start by buying a house to fit PMC specs. That's what Alex Schroeder of Fredonia did. "I bought a house with that in mind, and I built my cave in right when we moved in." Then he began the delicious task of furnishing his cave with everything from framed Packers jerseys to a signed Gilbert Brown grave digger shovel, in homage to Brown's trademark sack celebration.

Schroeder still spends "at least 20 minutes a day" hunting eBay and Craig's List to acquire stuff to fill that unacceptable empty wall space around his pizza oven.

"It's a place to get away, and once I'm down there, I'm really down there," he says.

Q.Must a Packer Man Cave be in the basement?

A. Absolutely not. Example: Eugene Dost's Packer Ice Cave Shanty. Dost lives near Lake Keesus in Waukesha County, and he painted his fishing shanty Packers Green with a neatly executed Packers helmet painted on the side.

PMCs such as this are nothing less than Hemingway-esque. Says Dost: "When the snow is on the lake, the shanty sticks out. It's like seeing Lambeau Field. I'm all on my own out there. Catching bluegills . . . "

Q.Do Packer Man Cave inhabitants really experience ecstasy as great as that known to Packers season-ticket holders?

A. They do. Just ask Milwaukeean Bill Jungers, who framed out the Packers Man Cave in his attic with his own hands. He then created a sort of Packers Temple dating back to the '60s, with a sepia-toned picture of Lombardi, Packers game pants and a football autographed by Bart Starr. Jungers made his own Packers plaques, and his Super Bowl memorabilia rests on the shelf he built.

"This is a private place, such a personal experience, where the history of the Green Bay Packers is everything," he says. "Seeing pictures of that stadium sends chills down my spine. I come up here and think, 'Is this really mine?' "

Q.What is proper Packer Man Cave attire?

A. Dan Heiden can best address this question, because if there were a PMC "GQ," he'd be on the cover.

He created a PMC in Oconomowoc dedicated to the memory of Ray Nitschke (he has Nitschke's Screen Actors Guild Medical Card from when the linebacker was in "The Longest Yard").

Heiden also wears the Packers. "It's a running gag in my family. My entire wardrobe is Packers - T-shirt, sweatpants, socks."

Heiden means his entire wardrobe is Packers, his sister Kathy Peterson reveals. And his answer to your next question is: "boxers."

Q.Will a Packer Man Cave add to my home's resale value?

A. Possibly, unless you mess up and accept an offer from a Bears fan.

Rich Stopczynski has a PMC in New Berlin decorated with Packers autographed wallpaper he and his wife, Kathy, created themselves and which is now a permanent "home improvement."

The couple went on a Packers fan Caribbean cruise years ago, and instead of helmets or photos, they brought along a double bolt of wallpaper to collect team autographs.

"It just seemed to be a good item that we knew we wouldn't get rid of, not like a T-shirt," says Kathy.

Herb Adderley, Robert Brooks, Doug Evans and Fuzzy Thurston all signed the roll.

Now, the wallpaper with its Packers signatures borders the entire Stopczynski basement. And like those Cro-Magnon paintings of moose from 25,000 years ago, what decorates a PMC wall stays on the PMC wall (unless, of course, it's a Brett Favre photo).

Says Rich: "We don't plan to sell, but if we ever did, we would sell the autographs with the house."

Q.Does a Packer Man Cave qualify as fine art?

A. Yes, according to "Man Cave" author Wilser. "All you need is one of those little white index cards and it's fit for a gallery."

Indeed, the Sistine Chapel leaps to mind when one gazes upon the walls of Larry Gadzalinski's Milwaukee PMC. A mural painted by friend Heather Greenmeier portrays "The Eternal Coach," Vince Lombardi, gazing down from heaven upon Lambeau Field.

Packers fans will be forgiven if they shed a tear at the thought.

Q.Can a woman have a Packer Man Cave?

A. Yes. Darla Davis, a 1993 finalist for Packers Fan of the Year, has turned her entire two-bedroom apartment into a Packer Woman Cave.

Davis' daughter is disabled, and Davis spends most of her time surrounded by the objets d'Pack in their apartment. She has collected so much that "we call it Lambeau South," she says.

There's the "Brett Favre Wall" with a signed Favre jersey, the "Packers Glory Years" LP, the Packers salt-and-pepper shakers, the Packers bedspread made out of Davis' old T-shirts, the five Packers clocks and, of course, the Packers crockpot. More than 120 Packers ornaments decorate a Packers Christmas tree.

So what does a woman get out of a Packer Woman Cave? Says Davis: "When you surround yourself with Packer pictures and Packer objects, it makes you feel good. My love of the Packers never dies."

Q.What is the most elaborate Packer Man Cave yet created?

A. There are too many to visit in one lifetime, but our vote goes to Al Schmitz, who has a Packer Man Condo - get this - five minutes from Lambeau Field.

Schmitz figures he has more than 3,000 pieces of Packerabilia, from throw rugs to ceiling banners packed into a PMC that stretches from his basement to his den to his kitchen, garage, two bathrooms, dining room, stairwell, office and foyer.

And how many TVs have you got plugged in to watch the games, Al? "Um, 10."

And how does it feel to live in an entire Packer condo? Says Schmitz: "People dream about what their most special vacation would be - skiing in the Alps or seeing the pyramids. I couldn't be happier than being in a Hall of Fame-like place that's dedicated to the Packers. It's like being in a vacation spot, but I'm at home."