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+--- Thread: Winter camping tips (/showthread.php?tid=6221)
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Winter camping tips - Scythe13 - 22 October 2013
Some of us are up for a winter camp. Looks to be awesome...as always, it will be!
If you have any hints or tips, please drop us a quick idea.
Here are a few tips I'm pumping out for not just those looking to come along, but also for those contemplating a similar thing in the future.
1. Snow is an awesome insulator! Learn to use it.
2. Spare socks and the alike will make you super happy.
3. Hang wet clothing out to freeze, then hit the frozen clothing to remove ice crystals. This will work as a 'drying' mechanism.
4. Pitch your tent on a south facing verge to benefit as much as possible from the heat of the sun, but be aware of the wind and the alike.
5. If you're using a basha, make sure it's taught, and with a pretty good angle to shed water or snow.
6. If using a basha, start a fire next to a rock and have the open side of your basha facing the rock. The fire heats the rock, the rock emits heat throughout the night. Layout would look like this:
(Rock)Fire\Basha\
7. The same systems as 6 works with a tent, but as usual, be careful when using a fire near any sleeping arrangement.
8. Take enough produce/food/camping gas/resources, to last you 5 or 6 days longer than you expect to stay there for. Crazy weather might hold you in place longer than you planned for.
9. Make sure you check weather conditions for the area you're planning to be, and decide on whether you actually SHOULD camp there or not. Wise decisions save lives.
10. Remember to pack equipment inline with number 9 and with worse situations.
11. Tinfoil hat. Haha, I'm just checking you're awake.
12. Consider having a sledge. Not only will it make great fun on snowy hills, but it'll also be very helpful for carrying wood and even your packs, or an injured team mate, in the snow.
13. Consider snow shoes, if you're in super deep snow...unlikely for most people in the UK enjoying a winter camp.
14. Hats, gloves, socks, spares, and most of all, waterproofs! That means waterproof hats, gloves, socks (not sure they exist, but wool is very helpful), etc.
15. Tent ventilation. This is important for reducing condensation as much as possible.
16. Spade, do you really need one? If you can get one, awesome, but you'll probably not be using it too often. Best used for car based stuff.
17. Snow overhead, can it bring down a dead tree or is there a load of snow that might drop and crush you or those in your group?
18. Same as 17, but with icicles. Don't want one of those stabbing through you.
19. Microfibre towel. This is a really weird one, but it's super helpful for if you ever get wet or fall into water. You'll want space blankets and a micro-fibre towel to dry you off asap. Don't forget those spare clothes in a dry bag.
20. What, you don't already have spare clothes in a dry bag? You know to do that now.
21. Ice is 90% water 10% air, snow is 90% air 10% water. Easier to get water from ice than from snow.
22. Don't eat yellow snow. It's not lemon flavour like Beardyman told me it was.
23. Waterproof your tent before you use it. Check your guy lines, replace if necessary, and check all stitching on your anchor points.
24. Layers. It's obvious, but still needs to be stated. Layer up your general clothing, and your sleeping system. I LOVE sleeping bag layering. Allows me to be in shorts and tshirt, if that, in winter camping.
25. Batteries, keep them close to your body as often as possible. Cold batteries die quickly. Keep spare batteries in your pockets.
26. When thawing ice, place the water bottle with ice in it, in a pocket, but not directly next to your skin. A jacket pocket will work a treat. It's a nice feeling to pull out a water bottle and have water ready and waiting for you.
27. Check your sweat levels. This might not really seem important, but if you get sweating too much, you can actually lose a lot of heat very quickly. If you're going on long walks and the alike, strip layers as of and when you'll need them. Don't sit back and think the extra heat and you sweating, is a great thing. In the long run, it sucks, and you'll have wet clothing too.
28. When building a fire, recognise you'll need a dry base. A split log will be a pretty good start.
29. If you need dry wood, consider cutting down a dead tree that's a few inches thick. It should be thick enough to still have a dry core.
30. Don't go out by yourself. This is a very dangerous thing to do, and like I said before, wise choices save lives.
31. Shoe Grips. If you don't have them, you should really look into having some.
32. Make sure your sleeping bag, tent, and the alike, are all able to cope as a 4 season system.
33. Double up the base of your sleeping system. You have 1 inflatable mat? You might want to consider having a second foam mat, maybe another inflatable or something like that.
34. Spares for team mates. If they don't need them, you can always enjoy the benefits of spares for yourself.
35. Add extra fire-starting assistance items. It's nothing spectacular, but the use of such things is helpful. Maybe a nightlight candle (tea lights) or something like that.
36. When checking temperature, you shouldn't forget to factor in wind-chill when working out the temperature you're adapting and equipping yourself for.
37. Spare shoes. You got some good quality boots? Great. What about spares for when those ones are coated in snow, ice, water, or similar? One tip, get items that can help dry out your boots over night.
38. Hand warmers!!! These things are awesome. I prefer the ones with that little metal coin thing in them. After use, you need to boil them up to get them liquid and ready to reuse. Best to drop them in when purifying water or boiling water for those lovely cuppa-soups.
39. Be aware that if you're camping at the bottom of a stream flat, you'll be running the possibility of all that surface run off from further up the valley. That would suck, especially in winter, to have a stream busting through your tent.
40. Consider doubling up your guy lines and pegging for the tent or basha. The autumn and winter seem to have beastly wind, and a little extra anchorage can go a long way.
41. Look into pitching your shelter in a natural wind break. Maybe a small sturdy wall, big stable boulder, or something like that.
42. Always look at safety first.
43. Learn to swallow your pride. If you suddenly realise you're out of your depth, don't be scared to get out and go home. If it's 9pm and your tent is freezing cold, you're in your sleeping bag and it's not warming up at all, don't be scared to say to your group what's going on, 9pm is not the coldest it will get. From 10:30pm, the temperature will drop even more aggressively. If you have to get out of that situation, get out and realise you've done the right thing by leaving.
44. If leaving, DO NOT leave alone! If anyone is going to have to leave a camp, make sure they leave with at least 2 other members. The reason being that they can walk as a group back to the cars, so that the person can get back safely. The other 2 can then return to the camp together, thus making sure each other are safe.
45. Have fun. Don't be stupid, but don't take it too seriously, where camping becomes a chore. Make sure you enjoy yourself, but do so safely.
RE: Winter camping tips - Highlander - 22 October 2013
Thats a good post for anyone starting out, and probably a good reminder for the more experienced of us..... although I think that you should retain the shovel, or at least a digging tool,... when you need the toilet, it has to be buried deep [ish ]
RE: Winter camping tips - Scythe13 - 22 October 2013
(22 October 2013, 17:52)Highlander Wrote: Thats a good post for anyone starting out, and probably a good reminder for the more experienced of us..... although I think that you should retain the shovel, or at least a digging tool,... when you need the toilet, it has to be buried deep [ish ]
Sticks work, but if the ground is frozen, you'll still be able to find somewhere to bury a poo. Maybe even in a friend's rucksack haha.
RE: Winter camping tips - Midnitemo - 22 October 2013
dunno about you guy's but with a bit of planning i can go a weekend winter camp without doing a big job lol....unload en route to and from...nothing beats a decent warm seat and a good piece of porcelain
don't be to reserved to buddy up if the situation requires it.....better a bit of banter in the morning than a really shit miserable night or worse.
RE: Winter camping tips - Midnitemo - 23 October 2013
about three or for years ago at the dragon rally i pitched up next to a few hardcore army surplus nutters...armstrong motorbikes tarps on the deck old military maggot dossbags and a basha strung between the tree's....they got really pissed (as we all did) and retired to bed...it got down to - in the double figures(just) and 3 out of the six had frost nip to the nose in the morning....i love it cold but only with the right gear.
RE: Winter camping tips - Grumpy Grandpa - 23 October 2013
Great post Scythe, as always...but can I add that for winter conditions it's always a good idea to be familiar with the construction of snow-holes and to practice building them at every opportunity? They're not terribly complicated but do take a fair bit of time to construct and you should allow plenty of daylight to get the job done. From the entry hole, dig in horizontally to begin with, then up a level to cut out sleeping platform/s. That leaves the entry trench as the cold trap, where cold air can sink to.
On your No 12, if you can get by without the fun element of having the sledge along, a poly-bag or a cagoule will do just as well for hauling wood or a casualty.
On No 15, ventilation is equally important for reducing CO2 build up as it is for reducing condensation, more so when snowholing. Punch a hole through the roof and check regularly that it remains clear.
16, the spade. If you're going to snowhole, you'll need one, or something similar. Some rucksacks have a malleable alloy backplate that is ideal for the purpose. Improvise - but make sure in advance that you'll have something to do it with!
35, a couple of those tea-light candles can bring the temperature of your snowhole up to around or a bit above, freezing level, making all the difference to your comfort and your survival.
39, might also apply to bivvying on islands in the middle of streams!
45, Have fun - wholeheartedly agree!! There is nothing more beautiful than waking in a camp under a couple of feet of fresh snow where there was little the night before - magical!
RE: Winter camping tips - Rush2112 - 23 October 2013
might sound kinda gross, but especially in cold weather I keep a big jug next to the bunk for relieving myself. Found an old laundry soap jug works well: large opening, not clear plastic, no one's going to try to drink laundry soap. this way you don't have to leave the shelter to take a leak.
RE: Winter camping tips - BeardyMan - 23 October 2013
(23 October 2013, 12:19)Rush2112 Wrote: this way you don't have to leave the shelter to take a leak.
You have a hot water bottle that way too.
RE: Winter camping tips - Rush2112 - 23 October 2013
[quote=You have a hot water bottle that way too.
[/quote]
yeah and if Bear Grylls comes by, I can offer him a drink!
RE: Winter camping tips - Scythe13 - 23 October 2013
(23 October 2013, 18:21)Rush2112 Wrote: yeah and if Bear Grylls comes by, I can offer him a drink!
Very funny response mate.
Oddly enough, the waterbottle principle does work. Something I suggested to Hrusai on the South Wales camp. I recommend going for a larger opening bottle to pee into. Oasis drinks (I think Lipton Iced Tea too) has a pretty big opening.