101 tips for Winter Camping

[Retired Member southey]

If your going with a group then consider how your going to move a casualty with out removing your main kit from the group, we used hjelper sledges, they are a basic fold out stretcher sledge with straps and a head restraint, light and collapsible, not sure if they're available civvie wise, should think so,

also carry some red(or just coloured) smoke flares, they make position marking very easy and quick, they can also be used in conjunction with a signal fire to make a mass of coloured smoke to contrast with the surrounding environment like this

the flare or in this case the smoke grenade is tied to a stick so you can place it directly under the platform holding the green bows,

 

[udamiano]

Yep a similar type of stretcher is available for the civi market. In addition to smoke flares I often carry red food dye with me, about 250ml, you put that on the snow and it will give a nice bright red contrast over a large area, that is visible from a SAR Heli (use a squirty bottle at apply) . If you can get it the powdered stuff is the best (a similar idea is used in Ocean rescue, a powdered dye is use to give a distinct contrast that can be followed to the source)

 

[bushcraftbob]

Great thread and some brilliant photos. Coldest night I've camped in is about -2 so not even going to bother to suggest any tips!

 

[SimonD]

change into a fresh pair of socks before bed, helps keep the feet warm. bivi boots are also the shizzle!

 

[Harvestman]

Great thread and some brilliant photos. Coldest night I've camped in is about -2 so not even going to bother to suggest any tips!

Why not? The thread is about winter camping, not strictly arctic camping. In the UK that can just mean cold and wet.

 

[Harvestman]

Actually, if it hasn't been said before, the most obvious thing about winter camping is the small number of daylight hours and long night. It goes dark long before you want to go to sleep, and if the weather is bad sitting around a fire isn't much of an option. At this point you will appreciate any shelter that you have, and a decent light source.

 

[Man of Tanith]

my tips from camping in the UK are
pack a balaclava its an underrated item for sleeping in in my limited experience
the recharging hand warmers make great little prewarmers/foot warmers for the sleeping bag
A water bottle filled with recently boiled water then put in spare socks makes a great hot water bottle, it also stays liquid in the sleeping bag due to your body heat
Fire wood always gather as much as you think you will need, then gather the same amount again

 

[Native Nathan]

I store firewood under my tarp if i can, and I always have a few piles of kindling off the ground, either under my tarp of hanging from a tree.much easier to get a fire going the next morning if you've let it go out.

 

[Lister]

For those that get cold feet at night/bedtime:

Wash your feet with cold water and dry them BEFORE getting into your sleeping bag, this will then stimulate warm blood to circulate to your feet as you start to drift up thus alleviating cold feet at bedtime.

 

[tedw]

A FEW MORE RANDOM THOUGHTS:

Get loads of insulation under your sleeping area - spruce boughs, a good thick mattress etc., etc. Always sit on something insulating, a sit-mat/rucksack etc., when you stop in the snow - once you're really cold it's hard to get warm.

Use braces to hold your trousers up instead of a tight belt; this enables better air circulation and spreads the warmth.

Go to bed warm, with a hot meal/drink inside you - do a few star jumps if necessary!

Wounds heal more slowly in the cold and bleed more so put extra plasters etc. in your FAK.

Matches work in the cold, so have plenty handy; lighters are less reliable.

Keep your kit & shelter space in good order and think/prepare ahead to the next thing you need to do - when you're cold and tired it's too easy not to bother and that will make things worse, maybe dangerously so.

Pork out on fatty foods & sweets, snacks, nuts etc. - you need to burn that fuel to maintain energy levels.

 

[udamiano]

During the Winter months, the high north is subject to quite severe weather conditions, even the most hardened and experienced SAR team can only do so much, even if they know exactly where you are, it is often the case that mother nature has other plans, and they are unable to get to you. Always have a plan to deal with severe injury, one that takes this in to account. Make sure everyone in your teams knows it, and where the equipment is, and how to use it, as it could be your medic is the one hurt. Some form of long distant communications and a method to maintain its power is also advisable, it maybe that being able to maintain comms with a Doctor who could advise what to do, could be the difference between life and death.
A lot of this kit I know is expensive, and usually falls outside the normal costing of most, however, all this can be hired, instead of bought, and if anyone is considering any form of expedition north of the Arctic circle, especially in remote areas, this kit become essential. distribute the weight between members of your team, and use pulks, or similar sledges to carry your equipment.
Most of this is aimed at high arctic travel, but can easily modified for more temperate conditions.

Remember you don't need to go to the arctic to die of cold related problems, Even in summer a simple mistake can lead to downward spiral. So always have a plan, and others to take into eventualities, ask the members of your group/team/mates to read it through, and comment, the more brains involved the better.

Most of all Enjoy what you're doing, and be safe. As you can see from Wayland's pictures the northern parts of this world can be outstanding,with views found nowhere else in this world.

Da

 

[Chris the Cat]

The three 'P's' Of Arctic fire lighting.......
Preparation, preparation, preparation!
da C.

 

[rik_uk3]

Think like climbers/winter hillwalkers do about kit, they don't in anyway rely on heat from a fire so look at your clothing and sleeping bag then any heat from a fire is a nice little bonus, you should not need a fire to enjoy your time in the winter outdoors.

 

[Wayland]

Wow, this list is really growing well. You've already got most of the ones I was going to add.

On the subject of cameras or sensitive electronics, be careful about putting cold cameras into a warm environment. They will almost instantly attract condensation.

In Norway I carried my cameras in bags made from a microfibre towel to absorb any surface moisture and these in turn were inside small dry bags which were only ever opened when the contents had warmed up to the ambient temperature.

This applies particularly if you are putting a cold camera into your warm (and therefore humid) clothing.

Most of the time I left my cameras cold and just kept the batteries warm in a bag, as described, inside my clothing.


Another thing I used that microfibre towel for was to make a headover/snood which I used loose around my face at night to intercept the moisture from my breath before it saturated my sleeping bags.

It was then very easy to dry this out in the morning instead of the sleeping kit.

It's a good idea to use every opportunity to air out your sleeping kit as well.

Vapour from your body will tend to accumulate as condensation somewhere between the inside and outside of the insulation.

This can become a problem on a longer trip because it will reduce the efficiency of that insulation particularly in down but even if synthetic.

 

[ged]

... It's a good idea to use every opportunity to air out your sleeping kit as well. ...

If the weather isn't good for airing I fill a fresh hot water bottle and place it on a folded sleep mat on a groundsheet. Then I pile all my sleeping kit on top of it. The warmth from the hot water bottle spends the rest of the day driving moisture out of the bedding.

 

[Wayland]

Another one I've just remembered.

Don't just pack snow into a pot to melt it. Snow is a good insulator and it will also absorb water before it melts.

If possible put a little water into the pot first and then slowly add small packed snowballs making sure you always have free water at the bottom of the pot.

I always save at least half a bottle of "sacrificial" water for this job, which means that if I go down to that last half bottle, it is time to start making snowball soup again.

(Best to make it with a lid on the pot too unless you want smoky snowball soup.)

 

[forestwalker]

Another thing I used that microfibre towel for was to make a headover/snood which I used loose around my face at night to intercept the moisture from my breath before it saturated my sleeping bags. It was then very easy to dry this out in the morning instead of the sleeping kit.

In an old book (Praters "Showshoeing: Freedom of the Hills") there was a suggestion to make a "snorkel" from parts of an old -- or new -- sock. The idea was that you basicaly had the sock as an elephants trunk, and all the humidity would stay away from your sleeping bag. Since I am a fairly restless sleeper I have never tried this myself, but should really give it a try anyway next winter. If conditions are "mild" I often wear my warmest hat and sleep with my head outside the bag, just to avoid the melted frost problem.

 

[mountainm]

In a similar vein wearing a cheap dust mask can help retain your core body heat as less gets lost breathing.

 

[John Fenna]

If you are using a stove rather than a fire use one or more of those gel handwarmer that are liquid when "charged" and solid when used and operate with a "click-disk initiator" inside them to preheat the gas or liqid fuel.
You used to be able to get round ones that fit inside the dimple under gas canisters, oblong ones are more common bur need a custom stand built for them to avoid the stove becoming unstable... the stand can be as simple as a couple of bits of firewood and built on site as needed

 

[udamiano]

When 'camping' in the winter, especially in northern climates, a heated tent, is probably the best option, however this poses its own unique set of problems; Many of you have probably read the articles in the British press of poor souls who have unfortunately succumb to Carbon monoxide poisoning, while either using a stove or a gas lamp, or even a heater inside of a tent, others have come to more incandescent harm, by the accidental setting fire to the tent while unfortunately being still inside. Both of these outcomes are shall we say, highly undesirable. When looking at using a tent and a heater look at the positioning of both, for the tent a nice stable flat area, and for the heater, a position where it won't set the walls on fire. Next look at the amount of ventilation that the tent has, if you are using a heater, the usual small vents provided by most tents will i'm afraid be sorely lacking, make sure that the spent combustion gases are 'easily' expelled, and don't build up to cause a lethal environment. A cheap monoxide detector is also a good investment, as this may give you advanced warning, but shouldn't be relied on. Keep the heater away for the tent sides, and in a position where you are unlikely to roll over, in the night and tip it over the addition of a small roped off area can be easily fashioned. Usually the larger types of tents are more suitable for this type of camping, as they provide a greater internal air space, and greater ventilation options. When purchasing any tent you intend to use a heater within, ask about the material, and its flame retardant properties, and if it can be flame-proofed, look at the size of the ventilation vents and see if these are of adequate size. most of all, if in doubt, don't risk it, and use instead greater insulation on yourself and for the tent.

Think about the type of environment you are taking your tent into, and then think about its shape; Snow as a snowflake weights practically nothing, but a heavy snow fall can easily deform and squash your tent, if allowed to settle on the canvas, The steeper the sides the less likely that snow will settle on it.

Think Teepee for instance, this has the ideal shape and the internal reinforcements to stop heavy snow fall squashing the sides of the roof while the raised entrance stops snow from falling into the internal space, and also stops snow from cutting off the ventilation entering into the tent, the hole at the top if correctly sized produces a chimney effect drawing the spent fumes, smoke and gasses out of the teepee, and drawing in fresh air from the outside. Note how the seams run roughly Horizontally and not vertically, this give it a much better resistance to seeping through the seams, in really wet weather. A dome is also a very practical shape, as the curvature repels the bold up of snow on the top of you tent.

Think about snow against the walls, and if needed can you reinforce then with wooden sticks or branches (the vertical brace poles, in the above picture add stability to the walls of the shelter.), and an inner wall provides a area of trapped air between the inside of the tent, and the wall of the tent fabric, and also prevents the sides being brushed against and drawing moisture through the material.

Pictures courtesy of Wikipedia public imaging licence
North face tent courtesy of North Faces website. All rights of image ownership acknowledged