Camping Outside in Winter! Why?

[Bob B.]

Wow, good on ya buddy … you are the Charlie Daniels of a sewing machine!

Mine is long like yours as well, wanted to blouse it up a bit with a belt or sash and still get good coverage on my thighs . I find when on a hike or doing winter chores a quality flannel with good under shirt and my anorak is all I need in all but the coldest weather (well below zero). It still breathes well, stops most all wind.

Really looks like you did a great job on that.

Bob.

 

[Bob B.]

Sent you a conversation CTC.

 

[WMass Paddler]

Ice fishing. Camp on the ice.

 

[lowangle al]

Almost all of my early camping back in jr. high and high school was in winter for some reason. The "why" part I don't really know, but it did seem like more of an adventure and was more appealing to me. The long nights didn't bother us as we had a big fire and hung around it drinking overly sweetened instant coffee. I do remember not sleeping well and didn't know why.

My first summer camping was on a canoe trip and then some shoulder season backpacking. Winter camping continued in the Adirondacks, the Greens and Whites to be close to skiing. When I sprung the idea of moving to Alaska to my wife (fiance at the time) she asked if we would have to camp out to go skiing. When I said "no" she made me promise that we wouldn't. So I didn't do much winter camping after the move in 91' other than some fall canoe trips that I got snowed on and it felt like winter, and a couple caribou hunts where temps got down to -30F. It was after one of those hunts that a swore to never go again without a hot tent.

I still have an interest in winter camping. I've been wanting to go in late March/ early April in Ak. for skiing. The days are long, 15 to 16 hours including civil twilight and there is lots of snow, and temps might not be too bad. I would also like to do a trip back in Pa if conditions are ever right. I would ski from my house pulling a sled full of gear, including a hot tent. There is a spot about four miles away in the state forest that has good potential for tree skiing. There is an established campsite on a creek there and also some native brook trout fishing, if they're in season.

 

[Alan Gage]

I can totally get the aesthetics and challenges of winter camping but the one thing I can't cope with is the lack of daylight. I've tried a little bit of winter camping in both cold and warm climates and I just can't get past the long nights. Camping with other people probably helps but I have a hard time entertaining myself for 4 hours each evening between sundown and bedtime.

Alan

 

[MichaelMerry]

We do a lot of winter backpacking. We snowshoe or ski when necessary. As others have said, no bugs! I really don’t like to sweat and love that we can see so much more in the wintertime without the foliage. We can dress for the cold, but not for the heat. We spend 40 nights out per year on average and 36 of those are late September to late May. It just takes an investment in gear, the right attitude, and a bit of experience and/or know-how to be comfortable out there. As far as the long evenings go, wintertime is really the only time we build campfires. Some of that long evening is wood gathering time, then lots of time around the fire drinking hot beverages, perhaps some adult beverages, and eating lots of food to stay warm. Our trips are anywhere from 2 nights to a week long. We typically sleep under a tarp since there are no bugs to be concerned with. We also do some lean-to camping in areas where those are present. The biggest challenge we face on winter trips is actually cold rain or freezing rain; that's really the only time it gets uncomfortable. We much prefer it to be COLD. Dry cold is much more easily dealt with than 35-degree wet weather.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

We do a lot of winter backpacking. We snowshoe or ski when necessary.

Michael, do you do this in Ohio or do you travel elsewhere?

 

[yknpdlr]

My BSA council, as did others in the north country, would have annual winter camping camporees (Gawasa-Okpik) with cold weather training and tips on home made or thrift store clothing. Then we would have snow snake races down a slope using copies of traditional native snow snake (Gawasa) sticks in an iced channel. (Okpik ia native for snowy owl) Shelter making next with our usual heavy amounts of lake effect snow. Somw would build trench or similar shelters. But the primo shelter was the quinzee snow mound. it takes a long time to properly build one, beginning at least 2-3 hours before sundown. Pile up a mound of snow at least 6-8' high, let the snow naturally consolidate (sinter) for at least an hour before digging out the interior. Create a slightly elevated sleeping platform inside, construct a door of snow or use a blanket, make a breathing hole in the top with a ski pole and make shelves for candles inside. One winter I remember the temperature want down to -30F. Most of the trench or natural stick shelters got too cold for the kidss, but they could retreat to teh nearby heated dining hall. I slept comfortably inside of my quinzee with an inside temperature in teh +20s, maintained by the heat of a couple of candles. The worst problem was the next morning, after a hearty breakfast, many cars had to be jump started before they could leave to go home.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

quinzee snow mound

Never heard of this term but it sounds like an igloo. I found this boy scout article on building one:

How to Build a Quinzee Snow Shelter

A quinzee is a simple shelter made by hollowing out a big pile of snow. Here’s how to build one.

scoutlife.org

 

[MichaelMerry]

Michael, do you do this in Ohio or do you travel elsewhere?

Hello sir!

Most of our winter forays are in Pennsylvania, New York and West Virgina. We tend not to go too far afield in case travel conditions become problematic.

 

[MichaelMerry]

Some recent winter backpacking photos.
1. Lean to in PA - 25 degrees
2. Lean to in PA - 2 degree morning
3. Pulling the pulk
4. Gathering firewood is a great way to stay warm - 12 degrees
5. Tarp camping - Accumulated about 2" additional snow on the tarp tonight - 8 degrees

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

Some winter backpacking photos.

Photos are always so welcome. It's really nice that you've made this a family activity. Your children will remember this and preserve a love of the outdoors. Even, or especially, the cold outdoors!

 

[ppine]

Day length is a challenge. I mostly avoid Dec and Jan for winter trips. For a Feb canoe trip in the desert on the Lower Colorado River, we brought solar yard lights to put around camp. A good fire is usually the focal point for the time from dinner until retiring for the night. I never liked crawling into a little mountaineering tent to stay warm and being stuck in there for 14 hours. It was liberating to discover the wonders of a Whelen lean-to in winter with a fire in front. You get the heat reflected back into the shelter. You can see out. You can even see the moon and snow coming down. If you get cold you can put some more wood on the fire. A snug camp in a forest in a lean-to is a great experience. Winter mountaineering above tree line in the wind has never had any appeal at all.

Camping in the desert is a challenge because wood for fire is scarce. I bring wood sometimes for truck camping. For Feb canoe trip, the weather was unseasonably cold. We only had a good fire the last night. I never expected to be cold in the desert at 300 feet.

 

[MichaelMerry]

Some notes on additional gear for winter backcountry travel and camping:
1. We add a foam pad under our therma rests for additional insulation from the ground.
2. We always carry a white gas stove when temps are below freezing for reliability and efficiency. I carry the MSR Dragonfly.
3. I usually also carry a light kettle - it's better for melting snow.
4. An inflatable solar lantern to hang from our tarp or shelter. It gives a pleasing glow off on the long nights.
5. Snowshoes, skis, pulk, yak trax or micro spikes.
6. Down booties. Once we have used our snowshoes to create paths of compacted snow around camp, the cozy down booties go on.
7. We have an embarrassing array of sleeping bags. This time of the year, the big ones come out.
8. Down jackets, balaclavas, neck gaiters.
9. Hot water bottles.

I understand this doesn't translate to paddling, but I do have fantasies of some day traveling via sled dog on the frozen lakes of Algonquin or Boundary Waters. Is that close enough?

 

[yknpdlr]

Never heard of this term but it sounds like an igloo. I found this boy scout article on building one:

As a kid I often made one with my buds. Lots of snow here for piling. The problem with building one is it is a very sweaty wet job. First you make a big pile of snow, then you crawl and lay inside while digging it out, all wet work. I would usually wear a rain suit while working inside the thing and still geet wet from sweat.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

I understand this doesn't translate to paddling, but I do have fantasies of some day traveling via sled dog on the frozen lakes of Algonquin or Boundary Waters. Is that close enough?

This Winter Camping and Trekking forum doesn't have to relate to paddling. It's a winter hobby for many of our many northern members here.

 

[ppine]

For years we had a tradition of camping in February with my friends in Reno. We were young and sturdy then. We would head out to the Black Rock Desert (home of Burning Man) and camp in the canyons of the Granite Range. There was little snow most years. We would build a big fire and bring food mostly prepared ahead of time.

Feb is a great time to get outdoors. This year it is snowing like crazy for the next ten days and temps are barely getting to freezing. I feel house bound, but camping will have to wait.

 

[billconner]

ICEBOX® Igloo Tool - Grand Shelters Igloo Building Tools For Snow Camp

To use the ICEBOX® Igloo Tool, set the tool in place with the clamps on the tool form. Fill the tool form with snow. Contact us for details.

grandshelters.com

 

[tketcham]

Used to winter camp when I was younger, either for the halibut or we were on a winter hiking or snowshoeing expedition. Overnight ski trips were usually in a primitive cabin with a wood stove but also tent camped a few times. Spent one night high on a mountain, tunneled into the snow pack. It snowed that night and covered up the air tunnel and we came darn close to asphyxiating ourselves cooking breakfast and melting snow the next morning. I realized the oxygen level was getting low when my SVEA 123 stove wouldn't stay lit after pre-heating it a couple of times.

I don't do any winter "camping" anymore unless there's a heated place to sleep. I'm getting too old to deal with sleeping in the cold, especially when it gets down to -20F to -30F temps. Maybe I'm just getting smarter.

 

[scoutergriz]

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.

I'm a heart patient too, as well as having some pretty bad mobility issues, so this year I changed things up a bit- I added a cap and bunks to my pickup with a canvas 1/2 tent over the tailgate so I can still grab a solo weekend when I want it. A small electric heater and a hydro site makes all the difference. I also added a second battery and distribution box for lights and a fan that work well with a small catalytic heater if there's no juice.