Beginners Guide to Winter Camping

Solitude, beauty and yes, even comfort, await - if you go about it right.

Yo campers!
Hangin' with my relatives for the holidays has me fat, happy...and constantly looking out the window thinking about nights in the winter-silenced woods. So here's a checklist for those of you who've thought about camping in the chill season, but haven't tried it yet.

Preparation:
[] For your first camp-out, pick a scenic and sheltered destination that's not far from retreat. You don't need to go any farther than land management regulations or road noise require. If things go wrong, you can bail.

[] Choose a location with available firewood. You may not want a fire, but that way one is available if needed.

[] Camp near open water if possible, so you don't have to spend all your time melting snow. If you'll need to melt snow, plan on using three times the fuel you would for normal summer camping.

[] Know the weather forecast before you go. Don't get surprised by sudden cold, storm, wind, or even a thaw that will make for soaking wet conditions.

Gear:
[] Dress in layers, and have the gear to overdress. You'll need more clothes than you would for day-long activities like skiing.

[] Make sure your sleeping bag will suffice for long, cold nights. If you don't have a winter bag, take two 3-season bags and nest one inside the other. Check the combination at home for fit and interior space.

[] Your boots need to be warm and waterproof. If you just own light hikers, go buy a cheap pair of snowmobile/moon boots. Support is less important than warmth here. Make sure they fit well and are durable enough for your trip.

[] Don't cram extra socks into your boots unless there's plenty of room for them. Tight-fitting boots will cut off circulation rather than keeping your feet warm.

[] Many three-season tents are perfectly adequate unless you expect heavy snow or high winds.

[] White gas stoves are best for winter, but in most conditions alcohol or canister stoves work fine. For cartridge stoves, avoid 80/20 butane/propane canisters (use isobutane), and warm cartridges in your sleeping bag or parka before firing up.

[] Hats and handwear are important. Choose a thick, warm hat. Mittens are more versatile than gloves, just pull them off briefly for dexterity needs.

[] Don't forget sunglasses and sunscreen. Reflective snow can cook you, especially from late February on.

[] Bring a good headlamp with fresh batteries. You'll want lots of light to deal with long nighttime hours.

On Your Hike:
[] If the snow is shallower than about one foot, don't worry about skis or snowshoes. Keep it simple. You'll want gaiters though.

[] Turn around frequently to survey your route, so you'll recognize it more easily on the way out, should snow or wind obscure your tracks. (A good idea in all seasons).

[] It's easier to stay warm than it is to re-warm. Don't let yourself get chilled, or sweaty. Anticipate upcoming temperature and layering changes to stay ahead of them. For example, it's smarter to layer up just before reaching a windy ridge top than it is to top out, get chilled, and then fight against the wind while layering up.

[] Don't forget to drink. It's easy to get dehydrated in winter.

[] You need calories to stay warm, so don't let yourself get hungry, but don't overdo it either.

At Camp:
[] Put on all your warm clothes immediately upon arrival. Preserve the heat you generated on the hike in.

[] When camping on snow, stomp out a tent platform immediately using skis, snowshoes or just boots and a shovel. Make it larger than you think you'll need, and be fanatic about packing it flat. Then let it set up hard before trying to pitch your tent.

[] Set up camp so you can cook food and drinks from your sleeping bag. If you cook in a vestibule, prime your stove outside the tent, then bring it in. Allow for plenty of ventilation.

[] Plan to spend lots of bag time, so have an activity to pass the dark hours, like a book, good conversation, games, or simple but multi-course meals.

[] If you start to chill, don't just sit there in misery. Go on a walk, do sit-ups or deep knee bends. Generate metabolic heat.

[] Hot water bottles also work miracles for chilled campers. Placed close to your body underneath clothes or bag, they'll pump heat for about six hours.

[] Mornings are the toughest time for winter camping. Temps are usually coldest just before dawn, and you'll emerge from your bag inactive and easily chilled. Get up and go for a walk. Then come back and break camp once you've warmed up.

Got your own favorite winter camping tips? Cough 'em up in the comments section.

--Steve Howe

(Photo by Mark Carroll)

PRINT THIS PAGE EMAIL THIS PAGE RSS FEED

Digg Delicious Yahoo Facebook Reddit StumbleUpon Google Newsvine Facebook Twitter

READERS COMMENTS

I'm really thankful to you for this nice and beautiful information.<a href="http://www.cabletiesandmore.com/cordcovers.php">cord covers</a>

Posted: Feb 02, 2012 cord covers

Thanks for the write up! I found it really helpful! You covered some things I definitely would've forgotten for my trip! I just recently purchased a new sleeping bag (ARCTIC 800 PRIMALOFT by liberty mountain) for my trip from www.pkcampingequipment.com. The website has alot less expensive sleeping bags but I went for the top grade since I really feel the cold! If you're like me, I recommend this sleeping bag because I stayed warmer than I anticipated and had a great trip!
Posted: Dec 27, 2011 Jack

Posted: Nov 13, 2011 Anonymous

That�s a pretty thorough write up, lot of helpful information there. As kind of a newbie to camping (it was never a �thing� in my family), it�s wonderful how many great camping tips you can learn from others who are happy to share their experiences for free on those blogs. I don�t know if you guys have heard of it but as a DISH Network employee and camping self-proclaimed �camping enthusiast�, I�m trying to get the word out on this awesome new piece of hardware that I think a lot of folks are going to enjoy. It�s called the Tailgater and it�s an awesome little self contained, self-pointing dish that gets you HD television wherever you go. Check it out here: http://goo.gl/vd4M4, it�s definitely worth a few minutes of your time.
Posted: Sep 01, 2011 Andrew

http://rainbowcamp.in- Rainbow Camp offers jungle camp rishikesh, ganga beach camp, rafting in rishikesh, bungy jumping in rishikesh, jungle camp, beach camping, bungee jumping in rishikesh, trekking in himalayas, ganga beach camp. We are a bunch of young travel enthusiasts who understand the 'busy-ness' of traveling. This comes from our passion and, of course, our travels.
Posted: Mar 28, 2011 rainbow camp

http://www.riverraftinginindia.net/ - Enjoy riverside rafting and camping out in the nature as part of your river rafting tour in Rishikesh. Camping in Rishikesh, Rafting in Rishikesh, Riverside Camping Rishikesh, Rishikesh Rafting, Camps in Rishikesh, Camping Rishikesh
Posted: Jan 20, 2011 Camping in Rishikesh

http://wintercampinggear.org has name brand winter gear at reasonable prices
Posted: May 22, 2010 Anonymous

Great winter camping gear is available at http://wintercampinggear.org
Posted: May 16, 2010 hans

The biggest problem I've experienced with winter camping is that good gear sometimes gets pretty expensive. Is <a href="http://wintercampinggear.org">discount camping gear</a> or used gear as good as the new stuff?
Posted: May 07, 2010 Anonymous

Avoid 80/20 canisters? I don't get it. Most 80/20 canisters are 80% isobutane and 20% propane. An 80/20 mix is going to burn better than 100% isobutane. Now, if the 80/20 is just regular butane then what you're saying would make sense, but most of the canisters I've seen are pro-iso (MSR, Jetboil, Snowpeak).
Posted: Nov 03, 2009 Hikin' Jim

sleep on the stove cook ur self dumb good eatin
Posted: Feb 12, 2009 jumper cable 21

well ur not retarted durdurudururur. Camp in sleepig bag stupid bleep head
Posted: Feb 12, 2009 ilyunuyhbbth

great site need improvement tho
Posted: Feb 12, 2009 dfgdf

"Cook from your sleeping bag are you serious? First, if you're in bear country this is beyond ridiculous and second, if your stove falls over in your tent good luck"

You do realize bears hibernate in the winter? Many people put the stove in the vestibule and their body in their bag, in the tent while they cook. If the stove falls over all you did was melt/season some snow.
Posted: Jan 26, 2009 Brad

When doing winter day hikes (no snow or precip) from a campground with electricity, I have run a extension cord to the tent with a heating pad in the foot of a 35 degree sleeping bag. Slept comfortable and toasty. Tossed in a water bottle at the bottom and had water for the morning as well. Pee bottle is a must in cold weather.
Posted: Jan 24, 2009 MC

Cook from your sleeping bag are you serious? First, if you're in bear country this is beyond ridiculous and second, if your stove falls over in your tent good luck
Posted: Jan 23, 2009 Matt

Want liquid H2o in the morning? Dig a hole in the snow, put in a pot/bottle of water (Cold is good) and cover with a snow block. Yer mini snowcave keeps it from freezing. Also Camp higher above the stream. Temps down by the water can be 10 degrees lower than higher up. Are you having trouble getting folks motivated to break camp in the morning? Stamp out the camp fire.

Posted: Jan 12, 2009 Kevin Hansen

Nothing but winter camping - love it.
Many great suggestions.

Even alcohol stove fuel needs to be pre-warmed. 0 F it will have trouble lighting cold. Pre-warm in armpit.

Change into new clothes before setting up camp, and don't sweat in them so you are dry in bed. Put any old moist items across belly while sleeping to dry out. Put moist socks in armpits during camp setup for same effect.
Don't want much moisture in bag, or it will freeze on its way out of the bag and make insulation ineffective. So don't breath into the bag. Cinch hood over eyes even. Practice with cap at home pulled over eyes if it feels weird.

If your foot punches through ice into a creek, you can dry your leg out by continuing to walk another few hrs, as long as nothing was cotton. Even if it's 0 F.

If sleeping bag chest baffle is not stopping air movement or you don't have one, put your fleece coat just around your neck bunched up around your shoulders.
Posted: Jan 10, 2009 HeyBales

When setting up camp, take down camp, or building a fire make sure you are careful not to kneel to long. When you kneel you cut of the blood flow to your toes. You want to keep all blood flow going to all parts of your body so if you can try to squat more instead of kneeling.
Posted: Jan 10, 2009 Marcus Refsland