Camping Outside in Winter! Why?

[Glenn MacGrady]

If you winter campers don't mind, how about starting with some basics for the education of those who do not indulge in this hobby, and who might even think of it akin to masochism. What are the physical or mental joys, pleasures or benefits of camping outside in the cold—a time when most people think of snuggling up for three months indoors?

And what equipment do you need in addition to that which a mild-to-warm-weather canoe camper typically has?

 

[memaquay]

Depends of course...my man hauling days of pulling toboggans with all the gear are over, and I usually only use my snowtrekker tent for shoulder season (snowtrekkers are considered by many to be the pinnacle of tents for winter frolics). Most of my winter camping now involved a skidoo with a very large sleigh behind it. We pull out onto some ice nearby and set up my big fishing pop up tent, light the wood stove and live the life of Riley for a few days. Fishing, eating, drinking and making merry. Even had a guitar out the last time and had about ten people packed in for a jam session. So it's not about getting away from society and all that jazz for me anymore, its about having a good time.

 

[Rippy]

I tried this a few years ago during a Christmas break thinking it might give me more to do during the hard water months. I am a hammock camper. My camping gear is aimed at the shoulder seasons so I needed just a slight adjustment to be comfortable. Dark before 5 pm and not light till after 7 am. In side hammock = warm, outside not warm. I can't sleep for fourteen hours and besides reading, there is not much else to do in a hammock. So about 6 the next morning I bailed and went home in the dark.

 

[Bob B.]

For me it is simple, I enjoy being out side. I get bored if I have to sit inside all the time. So, summer I hike, canoe, boat trip with my wife. Fall, I deer hunt, hike. Winter I camp in the snowy timber and hike. Spring is fire wood processing time.

I used to cold camp with little more than hatchet, bedroll and a wee bit of canvas - those days are over for me now. I also rarely pull a toboggan with tent, stove and supplies through the bush. However, I do enjoy hiking with my dog Jake 1- 4 miles a day, 4 - 6 days a week in the winter. It is beautiful and changes all the time. We read animal tracks, see where owls or hawks leave bird angels in the snow ( evidence of mouse predation ), listen to the hollow echoes of crows and jays … the songs of the pileated woodpeckers, then rest up at winter camp. Jake rests on my cot, I get the fire going in my wood stove ( in snow trekker tent ). I read my book, boil some water for coffee or hot chocolate, some times white pine needle tea. I enjoy some camp chores like collecting and processing fire wood, then rest again sitting by my warm stove sharpening my old axe. I like to watch the sun sparkle on the snow. I like to watch the sun set when deep in the timber … pink and orange sky behind the tall dark trees with white snow on their branches.

We hike home 1/2 to 1 mile in the quiet of the winter woods, occasionally serenaded by coyotes. Once home, I stoke the wood stove, set winter clothes to dry near it and start supper. I can not think of a better way to spend winter days. Also, I never see a neighbor, and there are no bugs. It feels like … freedom.









Jake loves any outdoor adventure, even winter camp or winter treks.



Bob.

 

[scoutergriz]

simple, no bugs, no bears, and no crowds....
Seriously, I try to enjoy all four seasons rather than hibernate for 4 months, and the sights and sounds are fantastic, every breeze changes the landscape, tracks are everywhere, and the lack of leaves means seeing a lot more wildlife of all types, and it's quiet enough to hear the swish of the snow sliding from drift to drift, the sound of the aspen leaves rubbing together, and even the crackle of the fire sounds louder.
I also unwind more, and sleep better than I could ever do at home waiting for spring.

 

[Robin]

I thought I might like winter camping so I bought a 8 x 10' canvas tent with an interior frame and wood stove. I ended upgoing twice, once with the original outfit and then once after I downsized the tent. It was a lot of work solo and like Rippy said long nights.



I never "winter camped" again, but I have over 100 nights in that tent now camping shoulder seasons, spring and fall in the backcountry out of my canoe.
I just never enjoyed the long nights or dealing with the cold. I think setting it up in my wood lot now would be fun with my grandkids, but sleeping out might not be a good idea.

 

[Tryin']

Winter is different in different places. Here in Indiana, a FRIGID night is 0f. Up north, that can be balmy. I can use a regular silnylon tent with a stove and stove jack, regular 10f bags and pads, and stay warm. Even more so with a standard temperature of more like 20f.

We pitch camp, have a fire and dinner, and hit the hay. Stoke the stove every couple hours and boom, it's morning.

I usually tell people my camping season is September to May, not May to September. No crowds, no bugs, wildlife everywhere, beautiful landscapes, and the thrill of battling the elements. I love it.

 

[Mason]

Because you can't get to the good stuff on a day trip! But then we don't carry a canoe up there. Skiing couloirs in the Chugach Range, Alaska. Temps got down to about -5F. Rather than using my -25 bag, I wanted to use my new 0 bag. Should have taken the -25 bag and slept comfy. The snow was good, though! Lots of warm clothes for sitting in the cook tent imbibing after dinner. Puffy pants, big down jackets, down booties, extra foam pads.

 

[billconner]

Because it's beautiful in the woods in snow. Scout troop camped every month except December. I started when my first turned 12 and went till I moved 17 years later. January, February, and March were usually in snow. Never winter tent and stove - just an Eureka Timberline 4 Outfitter and two sleeping bags. The Exped DLX9 was the savior. Snow was still crunchy and not wet under.

Loved every 20 below Wisconsin minute of it.

 

[Mason]

Scout troop camped every month except December.

I remember those days--cotton sleeping bags, newspaper for pads--1960s. Luckily I was in SC, but temps could get below freezing, and we could stand around the fire.

 

[billconner]

Well, I was thinking with my kids from a little after 2002 till 2019. My own days as a Scout winter camping didn't seem as cold, though not sure we did camped as often as the Scouting machine my kids belonged to: over 100 registered Scouts and over 40 registered adults when I left.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

This discussion reminded me that I used to winter camp with the Boy Scouts at Pouch Camp on Staten Island, NY. I vividly remember as we all marched in single file over a frozen lake, the scout leader suggested we all whistle the Colonel Bogey March from the movie The Bridge On The River Kwai, which was then popular. We all did, and our our lilting whistles hung in the the cold morning air and the echoes of my mind.

 

[ppine]

It is beautiful. It is quiet. There is no one out there. It is a great time to see and track animals. It reminds me of Jack London and Sergeant Preston of the Yukon.

It is a challenge to be warm and comfortable under tough conditions. My resistance to the cold is not as good with aging and becoming a heart patient. So now I just bring more stuff. I no longer do backcountry trips in winter.

 

[snapper]

I started winter camping in Boy Scouts back when I was 12. My troop camped out at least once every month of the year. In February we always attended the "Operation Igloo" event at Onteora Scout Reservation in the Catskills of NYS. I caught the bug going to that event every year. It was always frigid (-20 F wasn't uncommon) and there was lots of snow. I still remember Tommy Rose's pants standing frozen in the corner of our tent one night. How he wore them all day is beyond me. Anyway, this is where I cut my teeth on camping during the fourth season.

Now, I still enjoy winter outings; especially when "winter" really visits. I enjoy the quietness of the winter woods, traveling over frozen lakes and watching star filled evenings. A good winter has strong high pressure weather systems that give you the most brilliant nights and, when it's windless and still, you can hear the ice as it expands and contracts. Trees give off rifle shots as they freeze in the deep, below zero temperatures and that "snug as a bug in a rug" feeling you get in your sleeping bag can't be replicated anywhere else.

As I get older, and have moved to using a hot tent, I know I don't have too many more trips like this in my future but I'll enjoy them while I can. It would be a crime not to.

That's all for now. Take care and until next time...be well.

snapper

 

[Crazy Trout Craft (CTC)]

Well… pretty much everything already spoken about… I found an old Cabelas Bighorn tent that had been neglected for 150$. I spent a summer restoring all the seams, the internal fabric seal and refinishing the outside with waterproofing. Add a stove, a dog… sometimes a brave soul to join… it is my kind of fun. This year I saved up and got a snowtrekker shortwall and the stove of my dreams. But ultimately it gives me something to look forward to in the winter, gets me outside, and lots of fun projects to make it all work… I am almost finished with sewing up my Lure of the North anorak as well.

 

[Bob B.]

CTC, great pics, love the stove and especially your dog! Too bad you are so far away, Jake and I would love to roam the timber with you guys. When you finish the anorak, please post pics! I love wearing mine.

Bob

 

[scoutergriz]

All this talk of scouts winter camping brings up a funny story- I grew up in Scouts because my dad was a leader, councillor, and district commissioner, and like many here camped monthly, but in my case it started as a baby. My dad also worked summers as a park warden and I went as his unpaid "helper". Fast forward to adulthood and I found myself being a leader when my sister-in-law was concerned when the newly minter leader of her son's troop took the kids to their first district winter camp. I went to a couple of meetings, and then went to the camp on a "trial" basis. We got to the parking lot, loaded our gear on my toboggan (7' freighter), strapped on our snowshoes, and hiked in with everything needed for the weekend. We had set up and were eating a nice, hearty stew when, about 2 hours later, the group straggled in after walking in knee deep powder down the camp road and taking turns pushing the camp pickup every dozen yards as it buried itself time after time.
By the end of the camp, the leader was being accused of bringing in a "ringer" because using my skills learned as a kid, we aced every competition...
I ended up spending the next 20 or so years teaching kids, and many of those other leaders long forgotten outdoor skills...

 

[Crazy Trout Craft (CTC)]

CTC, great pics, love the stove and especially your dog! Too bad you are so far away, Jake and I would love to roam the timber with you guys. When you finish the anorak, please post pics! I love wearing mine.

Bob

Agreed! I will post the anorak… one sleeve and a ruff to go… been a fun project… thanks for the interest Bob!

 

[ppine]

I used to do winter trips on skis. We had basic camping equipment. Later I tried a Whelen lean-to with a fire, the best of all. Then I added a small pulk or sled for my dog to pull. Our skills increased.

But my favorite times have been big winter parties in winter with wall tents and tipis. I have had at least 25 people in an 18 foot tipi with a fire going. People would spit a little tequila in the fire. Warm as toast with a tipi liner. Cooking in Dutch Ovens, memories to last a lifetime.

At first it was my buckskinner friends that would show up at noon in Colorado or Wyoming, and spend the night outside. We cooked buffalo meat and drank homemade whiskey. I would invite all the neighbors, so we could get away with playing tapes of wolves howling and shoot black powder and rags out of our muzzleloaders. Over the years we became more subdued and we had a broader audience. We had a tradition of playing African drums at midnight.

Now the parties start in the afternoon and go to maybe 10 o'clock. We still cook on a fire. The tipi is the preferred tent for parties. I always face East and enjoy watching the moon rise through the smoke hole. One day we had freezing fog with a high of about 25 degrees. It stopped no one, and we just made the fires bigger. I still love winter but get colder than I used to.

One year we had a Lewis and Clark party. It was the 200th Anniversary of the Expedition. My parents came down from Seattle. People dressed in the best costumes, although I always promoted Frontier clothes. We had buffalo in a Dutch oven and planked salmon cooked on cedar over alder coals. The party slowed down and it was just me and my Dad eating pie around the fire. I looked at my mule in the moonlight and decided to bring her to the party. She ate some leftover canapes and drank a Coors out of my hand. Just me, my Dad and my party mule Judith under the full moon in winter.

 

[Crazy Trout Craft (CTC)]

Agreed! I will post the anorak… one sleeve and a ruff to go… been a fun project… thanks for the interest Bob!

Here it is… just have to add the ruff… but I have sourced the ruff individually so I will have to cut that out and then I will hand stitch it on the hood. Fun project… now just need the right weather… today was 47!!! Geez…. Old man winter is asleep at the wheel…