Cold Weather camping? How can you stand it?

It is a combination of being prepared for the elements and being in the right state of mind. Some of my best camping memories involve weather below freezing temperatures.

The Mastiff also is correct that acclimation has a lot to do with it as well. People who have to deal with extreme cold on a regular basis just learn to deal with it.
 
Winter camping is more than just a fun outing... there is also the satisfaction of knowing that winter camping is successful surviving. You're really in a survival situation, and instead of stressing out, you're having fun!

There is no denying that it does suck to crawl out of the sleeping bag in the night or early morning to take a leak. :) Other than that, the only other real drawback is the fact that the days are much shorter that time of year, and solo camping can be immensely boring!

Stay sharp,
desmobob
 
With me, the colder the weather gets, the more I like it.
During the summer when it's hot, I just drag.
When fall hits, when the air gets crisper, when you feel that light bite of cold air as you
step outside, that's when my energy levels pick up and I feel glad to be alive.
Let me out on a day when it's -40, the sun is shining, the air is crisp, and the snow
crunches underfoot. I'm dressed in my snowmobile boots good to -50, my cold
temperature mitts, my long underwear underneath my pants, t-shirt, shirt, fleece, and
windbreaker, my balaclava toque, and I feel ready to take on the world.
GIVE ME FALL, GIVE ME WINTER, GIVE ME THE ARCTIC, GIVE ME AN ICEAGE
and I'll be happy :D:D:D:D
 
I prefer the cold as well. Once you get acclimatized, things get better, plus you learn all the little tricks that help. Good equipment isn't a bad idea, as others have noted.

Cold air just seems cleaner when you breath it...
 
Down here in coastal Georgia, Winter is the only time I want to camp. The bugs aren't as bad and the snakes and gators are less active. But then cold weather here is like 40 F. It occassionally freezes and even snowed in 1989. Even Les Stroud did his Altamaha River campout in Winter. I have camped in Summer, but it was miserable.
 
I just got back from a weekend backpacking/hunting trip.

Like some others have voiced, it isn't bad when you are active and moving around, but 20 degrees was pretty cold at night. I ended up wearing all the clothes I brought and I stuffed my dog down into my sleeping bag. I used and abused the poor girl but she didn't mind. When my feet got cold, I stuffed her down towards my feet. When my chest got cold I pulled her up and held her.

If anything I'd say bring more clothes than you think you need. Prepare for it to be colder than is forecast, and bring clothes that are warmer than you think you will need. Above all- make sure you can layer. Don't bring a huge puffy coat. Bring multiple layers so that you can adjust to the temperature.

Throw some hand warmers in your pockets to hold when you are walking around and bring some tea bags/coffee. Having a warm drink will bring your core temperature up faster than just about anything else.
 
So, add little warm dog to winter survival kit - check! :D

Thanks for that, glad I wasn't drinking at the time - would have to clean the keyboard.

In exchange, one for you. A couple of years ago, myself and 4 of my friends went for a winter camping weekend. The bag I had wasn't quite rated cold enough, so I thought I would get a fleece liner for it.

Anyway, the first night when it was time to sack out, I tried to get in the fleece liner, wearing quite a bit of fleece clothing - no go. It was like wearing Velcro. My buddy, Phil, who is a lurking member here, starting laughing so hard, I thought he would have to change.

Eventually, though I did get in and had a warm night's sleep.

Doc
 
those handwarmers that you can re-activate by bioling are a needed item. I bring about 50 of the damn things and put them all in my sleeping bag an hour prior to crawling in. In the morning i re-activate them by boiling in a big pot of water, for the next night
 
Nalgene bottles filled with boiling water are great in the sleeping bag. I'd also put one in each boot too keep them from freezing, but put them in upside down so if they did freeze overnight the threads on the lid wouldn't be stuck.

Eat and drink lots and follow the rest of the advice written here.

I love snowshoeing at 20 degrees with only a couple light layers on top. You really can work up a sweat in cold weather if you're active. Stopping to rest caused the heat to drain from your body really quickly though. Amazing stuff that cold. I recall not being able to feel my fingers but gradually feeling them thaw as I moved down the trail.
 
Anyone try one of these - looks pretty comfy and not too heavy on a sled:

tipitent.jpg


http://www.tipitent.com/mountain_tipi.htm
 
I was just saying the other day, that I would like to camp out this winter. No bugs and mosquitoes to deal with. Just cold. I don't know how to do it yet, but maybe somebody has some good ideas for me how to start, such as what kind of sleeping bags, tent. clothing, fire setup, etc. I want to build a fire with a puukko and striker I saw on Ragnars website. I will do it the old fashioned way. How to get dry wood, do you bring your own wood? These are the things I don't know. Which is to say I don't know nothin!
 
JTC said:
I genuinely would like to know how do you guys do things when staying out when it's below 40 or so? Is it you are so much better prepared than I? Is it attitude where you want to be out so you have a more positive outlook on it?
If I force myself to endure the cold will I become more accustomed to it and eventually like it?

And I do realize living in southern Missouri we have very little "cold" weather compared to you guys that live farther north. I mean we usually have very little snow and most ponds don't freeze enough to walk on.

All I know is I feel like now when it gets to be in November or early December I feel like my outdoor activities will have to wait until around March. I hate feeling cooped up for 4 months out of the year but I just find that when I'm cold I'm miserable. Any advice?

Thanks
John
Click to expand...

Hi John,

I'm 46 now and I also think that I am more sensitive against cold than I was before.

Having said this, I made a lot of quite cold winter trips and camps in Scandinavia and I usually need two to three days to stand the cold. Your body needs to adept to the new environment.

After a couple of days, I usually wear only thin gloves at -20° C (twenty years ago I used no gloves on ski tours in this moderate temperatures ...)

And you need very very good clothing and equipment. I use Helly Hansen Polypropylene underwear followed by Expedition weight Patagonia Capilene. Then a 300er Fleece and Norrona Gore Tex trousers and parka with a fur.
This is enough for -30°C when you are on the trail. If it is cooler add a 200er fleece.

Two layers of wool socks (medium and very thick) Ski shoes two sizes bigger than normal. Enough for -30°C. For the night insolated camp boots from Ajungilak.

For the breaks an extreme thick Down parka (Marmot 8000 Meter Parka) and for the night the warmest possible sleeping bag (depending on the trip a Ajungilak Denali or a Western Mountaineering Bision rated to -40°C) Until -20°C a Western Mountaineering Puma. EXPED DLX Down mat and Helsport Svalbard 3. This tent has been used on both poles and it is one of the best for the winter.

A Windstopper hat on the move and a fur hat for the breaks. For the hands thin gloves, medium gloves, Gore Tex Gloves and Primaloft mittens (NO DOWN on the hands!!!)

Last but not least a windstopper face mask and goggles. Don't loose your nose and protect your eyes!

The cold is nothing but the wind is your real enemy!!!
 
BlackHills said:
Acclimatization is a big part of it. The more you get used to something the easier it becomes to deal with. I'll relate a story to you.
Click to expand...

This exactly.

I live in Wisconsin and we get a lot of cold and a lot of snow. By Christmas time when we venture up to Northern WI to visit my inlaws for a week, and having already been out several times hunting, my body is well adapted to the cold. The entire week, you cannot get me to come inside. I am down at the river building fires, making snow forts with the kids and having a great time. Jeans, 200 gram thinsulate boots, a warm jacket, knit cap and a pair of Gor-Tex (or similar) gloves and I am in business. Of course, I am moving nearly constantly so that helps to stay warm.

On days when it gets sunny and above freezing, I am out in a sweatshirt waxing my truck. :D
 
I dont like the cold myself that much myself but where i live i dont have much choice a few winters ago i went all winter with no heat in my apartment execept for a small electric heater my gas was shut off and i had no way to pay of course that means no hot water i dont think the temparture that winter ever got above 40 degrees in there . After awile it really didnt bother me to much execept for trying to take a shower and getting dressed in the morning wouldnt want to do it agian but after awile you can get used to just abought anything it really is all in your mind i guess .
 
Just keep repeating to yourself: "No skeeters, no black flies. No black flies, no skeeters."

Seriously, an enthusiastic attitude and good equipment/food are the keys for me.

DancesWithKnives
 
foxyrick said:
1. There are far fewer people around - I like that!

2. Sitting in front of a good fire in the cold - I like that!

3. Snuggling down into a warm bag, listening to the wind - I like that!

4. Snow and ice all around - I like that!

5. Feeling the tingling cold on bare flesh - I like that!

6. Breathing in the crystal clear air - I like that!

7. Just being out there facing the elements - I like that!

So how do I cope? I just plain enjoy every minute of the experience. Good clothing and a good bag help a lot of course. Plus I'm a cold-weather sort of person; I overheat easily, sweat buckets and easily get uncomfortable in hot weather. Cold is cool!
Click to expand...

This is the BEST explanation i've EVER read about why i absolutely LOVE cold-weather camping.

I'd add in -
8. No f*&%^#g mosquitos, gnats, ticks, chiggers, flys, snakes, etc.

Honestly, i rarely do any summer trips unless i'm guiding a group or on my own in the mountains where there's a good wind to keep the heat off. Otherwise, i'm a wimpy 3-season hiker - Fall/Winter/Spring.

I've lived in Kintuky (Jessamine county) for about 6 years. Sweltering. Humid to death. This summer our family vacation was a drive through Greece (14 hours to Thessaloniki from our house). Talk about FREAKIN' hot?!? WOW. Yea, pretty much about 100F +/- every day - too hot for me. But my wife is a 'beach bunny' so she was diggin' it and when she's happy i'm happy. :D
 
BlackHills said:
I think a lot of it is mental. If you tell yourself you're going to have a miserable time you will. If you go out with positive attitude you have a lot better odds of enjoying yourself.



Acclimatization is a big part of it. The more you get used to something the easier it becomes to deal with. I'll relate a story to you.

Several years ago I was stationed at an Embassy in a very cold climate. We had a new member of my unit who was from Alabama, the first day it was 40deg out (maybe Oct) he was wearing a heavy coat, gloves and one of those stocking hats with the eye and mouth holes pulled down to cover his face. We gave him a hard time for that. Fast forward to January and we have a warm snap, it's 40 degrees tops outside. A few of us decide to go out and play volleyball in the snow, he joins us. He ends up playing the game wearing a t-shirt and sweatpants, no gloves or hat. Someone made a comment on it and he said 'Yeah, well it's not so cold now'.
Click to expand...

This basically sums it up..some of it is where you are from..even after living in TX for 10 years..when I returned to New England, I wasnt effected as much as I thought I was..now in the summer here, I laugh at the heat that others wilt in...
I am getting on in years myself, and dont always like the cold, we had a chilly morning yesterday, and I needed a jacket...when I was a kid, I would have worn shorts and a t shirt.
Basically, you are thinking about the cold, instead of having fun "in it".
 
I am the opposite, I hate the heat. I love the idea that I can dress in layers and be comfortable in cold weather, If I get warm take some off. In the summer you can only remove so many and then your still dripping sweat.
Fall and winter are my favorite times of the year. If your not dressed properly it can be miserable.
My son and I went camping, it had been in the mid 60's, however the weekend we went camping a cold front moved in and temperatures at night got down to 33 F. He did not have an adequate sleeping bag and refused to dress in multiple layers ( 16 and stubborn). He did not sleep well the first night, so I gave him my sleeping bag the next night. I dressed in layers and had a blanket but I did not sleep well, up every two hours. Having the right equipment and clothing makes all the difference.
That Christmas he got a 0 F sleeping bag and a few months after that I got a better one as well. I have been camping in similar temps since then and slept like a baby.
Bottom line I think some people are just more acclimated to colder weather but dressing appropriately is the biggest part. I will agree with you that handling tools, rope, etc. is tough in cold weather with or without gloves.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top