Winter Camping
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Tips to stay alive?
Camping in a few days in southern Ontario, supposed to be -12 C.
We have a 3 season tent, bags rated to -17 and one rated to -10. Have thick(ish) sleeping mats
Probably going to feel more like -17
Ty
If it gets real cold it will be tempting to cover your head inside your sleeping bag. Your breath will make water vapor inside bag and you will get damp.
>>687323
Yeah I heard about that, will do, thanks man
>>687320
Fellow Ontario resident here. Your equipment isn't really ideal, I'd bring some extra wool blankets and make sure to drink lots of hot liquids.
>>687320
-12 C isn't that cold, especially for tent camping over say hammock camping (assuming your pic is any representation of what you plan to do). Your bags are clearly rated to handle it and a tent will help, but if you are worried get an inexpensive bag liner or a bivvy. Bivvy bags run $15-$20 burger bucks and they will help, even in side a tent in most cases, because they trap the warm air even more than a sleeping bag alone would. Again, just don't cover your face. It is better to have the tent 'breathe' a little and let the moisture out while keeping some of the warm air in and the wind off of you as long as you are also in a bivvy than letting the condensation drip down the sides of the tent.
I have woken up more than once, even in warmer weather, from my face touching the cold condensation on the tent walls. Enough of it can make everything inside damp.
>>687325
>will do, thanks man
enjoy your mustard gas and slow death
Don't use a mummy bag in that cold of temperature. Bring wool socks and dress in layers.
>>687320
Buy/borrow a hot tent
>>687348
if the snow is deep you'll want snowshoes to get to where you're going
>>687350
freight toboggan is nice to haul all of your awesome gear for as long as you'll need.
You can also cheap out and steal your nieces sled from wal mart and rig something up though to save money
>>687352
I suggest checking out Joe Robinet Bushcraft on youtube. He's an Ontarion with lots of /out/ experiecne and shares his journeys with us. Lots of tips can be learned.
Kevin Callan is another Ontarian with a great channel. He's a bit quirky but I like him.
Joe and Kevin have all sorts of videos about cold tenting in a 4 season tent and hot tenting.
Lure of the North does all sorts of winder expeditions based in Northern Ontario you can check them out on facebook.
Glad to see that you enjoy being /out/ in winter as much as I do
focus on ground insulation. 1st layer of ground insulation: conifer branches / dead leaves / airy moss. 2nd: scratch proof / water proof tarp. 3rd: tent floor. 4th: mattresses / extra jackets. 5th: sleeping bag.
ski mask / commando mask helps if face feels too exposed.
boil some hot beverage and put it in a thermos and take sips if you feel like getting cold.
you need to eat well to stay warm. BUT i hear its a bad idea to eat much just before sleeping cuz warmth will then focus in your belly instead of the more vulnerable limbs. quick calories can be eaten when you wake up in the middle of the night (chocolate bars, etc).
set camp when theres still daylight. sux to fumble around in the dark. that said, bring extra batteries to you flashlight.
extra wool socks that you only wear in your sleeping bag. in general its a good idea to keep your wake-time and sleepy-time sox separate.
if it still feels cold after some 30minutes of shivering in your sleeping bag, dont let yourself to fall asleep; you might die.
bring a thermometer to check your body-temp in case youre unsure. call for help if your body-temp starts dropping.
>>687320
-12C really isn't that bad, OP. Your gear seems adequate. Bring a small fleece blanket or -liner, and perhaps an extra ("thick(ish)"?) sleeping mat.
Most importantly, bring extra fuel for you stove. If too cold, you can always make coffee, tea, hot chocolate or whatever, or just run the stove for fifteen minutes inside your tent to get the temp up.
Moreover, if bringing a canteen/nalgene, fill boiling water in it, wrap it in a couple of socks, and use it as a heating element between your legs. Also, as bonus, liquid water when waking in morning.
>>687480
Also, if all else fails.
>>687356
Thank you! I will check him out
Face the elements eh!
>>687486
There will be lots of that going on
Just don't want to work too hard that we sweat
>>687480
I'm definitely going to use that piss bottle idea
>>687342
Whats wrong with a mummy bag?
>>687752
Mummy bags aren't very good for the extreme cold. They work mainly by reflecting heat back from the body and don't have very much insulation. That's why they can be squished down so much. I'm pretty sure they even have a warning saying "hey, don't use these below this temperature"
>>687780
Are you sure you mean mummy bags? Not a Bivy bag?
>>687780
I'm sorry if I'm coming on strong here, but THAT IS RETARDED AND YOU ARE A RETARDED FUCK. GOD DAMN WERE YOU DROPPED REPEATEDLY AS A BABE?
>aren't very good for extreme cold
Shut up, mummy bags are THE way to go for extreme cold
>Reflecting heat
WTF are you smoking: They offer fucking insulation and draft-prevention, nothing more, nothing less
>Have a warning
Hurr durr fuck you this is just too ridiculous...
>>687752
Don't listen to a fucking word from >>687780
Pic VERY related
>>687792
Oh...
Perhaps. If so, disregard me. /alcohol_induced_rage_someone_is_wrong_on_the_internet
>>687320
>Stay dry
>Wear your hat and an extra pair of socks
That's really about it, unless you're going camping in Antarctica.
>>687320
A lot of heat is lost through the head remember that
Is an underquilt really necessary for hammock camping in about 20-30 degree weather?
>>689344
Really, anything under 65-70 and you'll get chilly without one.
>>687320
Where are you camping? I've gone in Frontenac park, when I went we took our gear on sleds and carried a lot more than we normally would backpacking. I had two sleeping bags- one MEC raven mummy bag and some milsurp sack- a few layers and a ski jacket and I was plenty warm provided I kept moving.
Mornings will always suck in winter camping, it's best to just nut up and get moving quickly to get some blood flowing.
>>687320
I'd sleep in warm clothes in sleeping bags and bring extra warm blankets as well just in case. I'd also consider stringing a tarp at an angle over the tent just in case of some weird weather. A candle lantern inside the tent can also help with warming it slightly. I'd put it out at sleep time though. Also I'd put on fresh socks before I go to bed.
>>687480
>run the stove for fifteen minutes inside your tent
what is carbon monoxide poisoning.
>>687480
> just run the stove for fifteen minutes inside your tent
here. though OP would probably be fine running the stove in a 3 season tent who wants to fuck around with CO. I'd still hate someone to read what you had said and fucking kill themselves.
http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2013/08/25/214925124/the-same-tents-that-seal-storms-out-can-seal-carbon-monoxide-in
Just went camping in similar weather (pic related). I pulled a sled with all my crap in it over a frozen lake. I forgot to bring a sleeping pad and was cold the whole night. I was wearing two shirts, two jackets, a parka/ski jacket, three pairs of pants, two pairs of wool socks, and more, plus the sleeping bag. I was freezing. Bring something more than a thick(ish) sleeping pad. Bring a couple.
>>691579
That looks awesome anno... Where you at? Looks like japser or the nordegg area?
I was out too and froze my tits off... Looking at getting one of those expeddown mats....
>>691640
Southcentral AK. Im seriously considering bringing an air mattress camping. I figure it would be the best insulator you could get
>>687323
this is so very accurate. im in the army and we were sleeping in the field in freezing rain and i fucked up by putting my head in my bivvy cover and sleeping bag and i woke up soaking wet as if i was outside anyways. shit sucked yo
>>687519
You wont be able
Too cold.
You wont want to. Then yo get to it and you'll regret it inmensely
Better cuddle next to your pissbottles
>>691648
>air mattress
>best insulator you could get
no ... that air volume in there is going to function like a giant heat sink, keeping you cold all night. A 2" camping pad will work far better.
A camping pad on top of an air mattress may work though.
>>692258
> how does air even work
>>687352
what is that white jacket they are wearing?
>>692306
They are wearing traditional cotton anoraks.
Cotton anoraks with fur hoods are preferable by many in dry cool conditions because they cut wind but also allow moisture to escape. No matter how much "breath-ability" a shell says it offers at a certain point the moisture you build up from sweating is too much.
I don't know about you but I've owned several shells from north face to mountain hardware to arcterx and I roast if I have to do any substantial physical activity.
With serious winter camping expeditions layering is key just like any other time of the year preferably with wool. A big insulated parka is out of the question because most people will sweat doing anything remotely physical with them on, however, they are often packed on toboggans for use at camp or when ice fishing.
This is a great article about cotton anoraks:
http://wintertrekking.com/clothing/outerlayers/
>>690742
>>690746
OK -- let me be the first to agree that CO poisoning is a real thing. People in trailer parks die from it all the time. People in caravans and RVs do so too.
Thing is, that just doesn't happen to hikers/tenters -- because we have actual brains, that we actually use. OF COURSE you can use your stove in your tent. How else are you supposed to cook in arctic or high altitude environments? Do you suggest people exit their tent during a blizzard at camp 3 on Mt. Everest, or during a solo expedition to the South Pole?
No. People cook inside their tents when it is cold or raining or high velocity winds outside. Deal with it.
Don't let your stove run while you sleep. Ensure adequate ventilation.
Vid related: "Go cook outside, Anon! I'm scared of CO, anon!"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_Zu20uAf58
>>694179
Also, if camping on snow, make something like pic related: Won't melt down into the snow.
>>694191
Because finding a flat rock is hard.
Or maybe, digging some snow away until you find earth again.
>>687323
i can't sleep outside without having my face covered not even in a tent.
interestingly never had problems.
i just put one or two polar blankets on top to cover my face too. sleep like a baby.
>>695320
>Flat rock
>Dig until
If you're ON SNOW, you don't find rocks, and you sure as fuck don't dig until. If it HAS SNOWED, sure, but I'm not talking about 10-20cm.
Please come to arctic and teach me the ways of your people.
Do you even /out/?
>>687320
Some points to be made:
Is that temperature rating for the sleeping bags the extreme low temperature rating or the comfort zone?
Because in the first case the only thing that the sleeping bag will do is avoid that you die of hypothermia, you really want to look at the comfort zone.
Also, please invest in decent mat insulation, inflatable is fine but no big open cells, air will move around and create connective air movement, which is a very efficient way to transfer heat from you to the ground, so invest in a good mat with an excellent R rating.
Do not rely onto fires to warm up the tent, the tent itself doesn't keep you warm but it has the important function of avoiding windchill and weather in general, but in cold weather be mindful of water condensation on the inner wall of the tent.
The best thing you might to is to do some light exercises before getting into the sleeping bag.
Also very important, eat a proper meal and pee before getting into the sleeping bag, you'll waste a lot of energy trying to keep all that water warm, also having to pee at 3am when it's freezing is a terrible experience.
>>687320
Southern Ontarians are super pussies. might as well be American.
Pic related. me last May
Grow some wiener berries you pavement jockey
>>696571
why would you plant trees in the snow?
I'm sure if it was super hardcore cold, cause you're hard as balls, the ground would be frozen and exposed roots would be in jeopardy
>>696574
>treeplanting
>exposed roots
>caring
$$$$
>>692258
>>696587
touché
