Winter Camping
You gotta really love camping to love winter camping.
I’m not a huge winter camping fan, but I find it more enjoyable than mid-summer in sweltering (not-West) Texas. I haven’t camped in deep snow for an extended amount of time, but several nights in the deep cold have been fun.
With that in mind and fresh memories of cold weather, here are some pointers about winter camping equipment and safety.
My guidelines:
Bring everything you think you might need
Bring more food than you think you’ll need, especially for hot drinks and soups
Bring extra light sources
Bring dry backups of clothing and sleeping equipment
Easy enough, isn’t it?
Everything you think you’ll need doesn’t mean the kitchen sink, but it does mean work with your equipment list. Missing one thing could really make a difference in extreme weather. Make sure you have sunglasses, sunscreen and lip balm on that list - if you’re in snow and wind, you’ll definitely need them.
More food than usual is for all that extra energy you’ll burn keeping yourself warm. Make sure your stove has plenty of fuel, and keep a pot of hot water on for tea, coffee, hot jello, oatmeal, hot cocoa, coffee, instant soup - whatever helps you cope.
Extra light sources should include a lantern more than usual, and maybe a candle lantern in addition to your personal flashlight. There’s nothing to make you feel colder than a dark night.
Dry backup clothing and sleeping gear is a no-brainer. If you’re car camping, it’s easy to stash a few things in the vehicle. If you’re backpacking, make sure to put your clothing in ziplocks when you pack. When you leave your tent for the day, you may want to consider quickly stuffing that sleeping bag into a large trash bag. In fact, the large trash bag is a good thing to have on the bag at night anyway, if you need the extra warmth boost.
A word about clothes from the top down - the best practice is undoubtedly on layer on layer. Cover your head with a warm hat, and wear it at night. When you dress, start with a long sleeved shirt, then add another shirt or light jacket, then another jacket on top of that. If it will be very cold, top off with an insulated parka or coat with vents and a hood. Take a top layer with water proofing ability, especially when the temperature is between about 30 and 50 degrees. Underwear (synthetics are good for winter), long underwear, long pants (consider zip offs)
Protect the feet and hands! Sock liners, socks (multiple layers are good) and hiking boots or sturdy shoes are necessities. Treat your boots for waterproofness - seam sealers, leather conditioning, etc. Use gloves, glove liners and/or mittens – with a waterproof outer layer
Staying warm at night:
For sleeping, wear your hat and a layer or two of socks that are dry dry dry. Long underwear is ok as long as you don’t get too hot and sweat in your sleeping bag.
If your sleeping bag needs a bit more protection, add a liner, or even put it in an extra large trash bag as an outer layer.
Make sure you have at least one layer of ground insulation for sleeping or sitting directly on the ground. Two layers will give you more protection.
See the Equipment category for more information on general equipment you’ll need for camping or backpacking. This article is meant to bring cold weather camping considerations to mind. Keep safe, have fun, and stay warm!
