Post tips for winter camping/bushcraft all varieties allowed
Add snow gradually to your pot when you are melting snow to eliminate risk of burning a hole in the bottom of your pot. Especially if it's aluminium or similar
Pictures of winter camping/bushcraft also very welcome
Many gas stoves will have decreased efficiency in the cold
Birch bark is a very good tinder source even when wet or having had snow on it
A wider water container will have less risk of freezing then a narrow one
Fire is an excellent source of heat but also light in the dark winter afternoon
An axe is more important in the winter season then in the warmer seasons
I'm planning on building and sleeping in a shelter without a tent. It's for two people.
I'll be using spruce for insulation, with a mylar blanket on the inside wall and snow over the spruce on the outside. I'll also build a Rakovalkea in front with a reflective wall behind it. I'll be doing a "dry-run" before it begins snowing.
How Should I handle a trench for trapping cold air?
What would be best for two people, a a-frame, lean-to or two lean-to's connected at an angle?
Anything else i should take into considerations?
>>622307
I guess I could also build a long enough lean to two accommodate two people lengthwise, but the logfire would have to of length as well.
>>622308
something with elevated beds and the front of the roof facing the fire should idealy slope down towards the fire. this will help circulate warm air
>>622262
not Jet boil!
Bring lots of extra socks. Do your best not to get your boots wet. Its very hard to dry boots with a fire without fucking them up. I suggest high boots or gators and regularly changing socks so your sweat doesn't soak your boots. for this reason don't overdo it with the insulation. I've been fine with 400gs of insulation and wouldn't use anything over 600gs. Unless you're in extremely cold weather of course. 400-600 is sufficient for 10+ F.
>>622308
>two people lengthwise
Not even ever. Extremely inefficient.
If you start in hypothermia, hand warmers on arteries in groin will save life. Feels like a warm bath.
Clothing of wool still keeps warmth even if wet. If nothing else have a wool blanket in a dry bag just in case.
91% rubbing alcohol or 180 proof drinking alcohol has many uses, including but not limited to
-alcohol stove
-easy to start fire
-clean wound
Poplar trees kill off lower branches and they are great to process for dry kindling.
>>622260
Carry water bottles upside down, that way they will start freezing from the bottom.
>pic related, my favourite winter hiking/skiing area
I'll scan and post a few pages on Winter shelters from Mountaineering: Freedom of the Hills.
Apologies in advance for shitty scanning job
1/5
>>622358
2/5
>>622359
3/5
>>622360
4/5
>>622363
5/5
Here is the relevant text from the following page, which I didn't scan because it has no more shelter info:
"...As with a snow cave, the igloo's entrance ceiling should be at least 6 inches (15 centimeters) below the level of the floor (fig. 3-14f). Place ventilation holes at 45-degree angles in at least two spots in the igloo roof (fig. 3-14f)."
>>622353
I live in Norway, so I grew up using wool gear when camping in the fall/ winter. I'll bring the alcohol though, didn't think of that. There'll probably primarily be pine, spruce or birch in the area I'm camping, not poplars.
>tfw now that the clocks have falled back an hour it's dark by 5pm
>>622431
That's cool, I'm in Georgia, US. Never too cold here and I prefer winter camping. The coldest I've camped was in the low teens F.
Pines leak sap from wounds, this stuff burns great. Paper bark birch is nice to use to start fires too.
>>622269
true
>>622322
>Bring lots of extra socks.
This is a very good idea.
As an extra question, does anyone have any experience with drying socks in a freezing weather? I know cold air is usually very dry, but how does this work in real life? Do you always need fire, or is it possible to dry socks just by hanging them to a tree?
![Image008[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/5roKzn3.jpg "Image008[1].jpg")
I also prefer winter camping. A lot of fun and very pretty during the day, but it's a bitch if you aren't warm. What i usually do is set up the tent with a cold ditch (idk what it's called) and a fire. I agree on the wood. Birch bark is a godsend, as it's everywhere and is some of the best kindling you can get effortlessly.
Pic related is, imo, the best all purpose campfire for winter. It's easy to build, burns well and your cooking pot sits stably on top.
>>622479
Hanging wet or damp socks to dry in subzero temperatures will turn them into blocks of ice.
Instead, dry them by hanging them on your shoulders underneath your backpack straps while walking. If you've made camp and drying them by the fire isn't an option, put them by your armpits/ over your shoulders while in your sleeping bag.
>>622260
don't hold me to the specific numbers here but snow is 10% water and 90% air and ice is 90% water and 10% air. melt ice for water, not snow if you have the choice.
also snow is an amazing insulator.
if your hands are getting really cold, tuck them into your arm pit to get the heat back into them.
wind and wet will take heat from you the fastest.
in older GI canteens they tended to use cork on the caps because they were less likely to freeze shut.
is water collected from melting snow or ice safe to drink or would you advise boiling first while your at it?
>>622865
If it's fresh snow, you'll probably be fine with just melting it, if it's been lying for a day or more I'd boil it.
>>622268
wow. who would have thought?
>>622470
>falled
any good naturally available tinders that work with flint and steel that can be found in winter?
>>622268
nada on the light i was out a few nights ago and fire makes you blind to your surroundings pretty much.
it makes you fell all warm and fuzzy inside tho.
>>623133
it's a play on words anon, because it's fall and we say the clocks "fall back" so in the past tense i could say "fell" but really then it's not playing on the season "Fall" so i said "falled" back. just like people use "summered" and "wintered", (usually to refer to vacationing or seasonal residence).
the clocked falled anon, because it's fall, anon.
>>623877
>summered
>wintered
Wat. Not even once.
You seem to be justifying your mistake here, anon.
You can build an igloo in an afternoon.
If your winters are actual winters then you are either comfy or you die, no inbetween.
>>622472
GA fag here
Need advice for sleeping when it's cold as Fuck.
Tried hammocking when it was 28 one night. Poor decision
>>624312
Slept in tent only. Need insulation under you. Need appropriate temp sleeping bag. Keep dry. Bring twice as many socks as you think you need.
A friend of mine and me are planning on hiking somewhere in Europe for a week in mid December.
Does anyone here have experience with winterhiking in Europe? Any recommendations as to where to go? We're mostly considering Scandinavia/Germany/Switzerland/Austria etc.
>>624312
No underquilt? I've done it on a cot, on the ground, in the truck bed, in a tent. You just got to protect from conduction and convection.
GA fag too
>>624157
He's right. Those are terms.
>>622260
>Add snow gradually to your pot when you are melting snow
Should use ice or you'll be there all day. Don't worry about the pot, no decent one will ever burn out
I've camped in the winter and it sucks in the moment, no way around it. But it's a fun challenge to prepare for and then to look back at.
Tips:
>waterproof winter footwear, 2x extra socks packed, sleeping pad are all essentials
>inform multiple people close to you of your exact location/return time beforehand, use trail sign-in posts
>12-14 hours of darkness starts at 4pm, you will need a ton of firewood, bring a dry bundle if possible
>In snow, the best firewood strategy is looking for fallen 5-6" dia birch trees since they are easy to ID and saw/split, and burn decently
>A 30"+ bow saw and a small axe are both pretty much essential
>Reliable quality zipper on your sleeping bag or it's a nightmare otherwise
>Even some top tier quality bag zippers snag, separate, or break in the cold
>If your bag is cheap but warm you can hand sew a replacement #10 YKK 36" brass zipper in its place. Use heavy duty thread. pic related.
>>622307
>I'm planning on building and sleeping in a shelter without a tent. It's for two people.
>I'll be using spruce for insulation, with a mylar blanket on the inside wall and snow over the spruce on the outside. I'll also build a Rakovalkea in front with a reflective wall behind it. I'll be doing a "dry-run" before it begins snowing.
>How Should I handle a trench for trapping cold air?
>What would be best for two people, a a-frame, lean-to or two lean-to's connected at an angle?
>Anything else i should take into considerations?
That's going to be really difficult... I'd get to the spot very early in the day to start. Use a tarp over the top, snow will just melt and drip on you. 2 person lean-tos are hard to make deep enough, separate small lean-tos would be better. You will need standing trees for the uprights, and have to find for a group of 3 arranged the right way.
A Rakovalkea always seems like a good idea until you've tried it. In winter especially you really need big uniform 10"+ logs that are very dry on the outside. In the winter downed trees are usually coated with ice. It will be lots of work to make and then get lit and odds are it will just smolder.
>>624510
Wasn't aware those existed at the time.
>>624360
That really depends on the weather. I'd suggest going where the weather will be cold and clear, preferably with lots of snow.
>>624870
>it sucks in the moment
>2015
>not enjoying crispy winter mornings, steaming warm coffee in hand and overlooking the shimmering, icy mountains far off in the distance
>not enjoying the feeling of drawing air through your nose in -20 degrees celsius temperatures and feeling your sinuses freeze
>not enjoing the sounds of the campfire while you stare speechless at the aurora borealis
>not enjoying skiing in perfect silence through a frozen, snowy landscape
Look at this anglo-saxon, look at him and laugh
May be a little off topic, but what kind of plants can be foraged in Canada during winter? Living in Alberta, interested in any experience with finding anything edible during such cold times
>>623829
Collect animal dung, deer dung works best, make sure it's thoroughly dry, try to break it into smaller chunks, but don't crumble it into dust. Weave or mix it with any kind of dry, burnable, plant matter. Yellow, dry grass works best.
This will still work if all of the resources are dug up from the snow or the dung is frozen. Simply set them out in the sun in a bowl of tin foil or other reflective surface and let the warmth of the sunlight dry them out.
>>624312
Save your last meal for the day just before you sleep, and make sure it's your largest meal of the day. Digesting your food will increase your body temperature while you sleep, and it will also mean you will have a boatload of energy stored up from all of that freshly digested food when you wake up.
>>625441
Cattails, their roots can be eaten raw, and although smaller, are basically the same as a potato. Not only that, but once you strip the leaves, pretty much any part of the plant that is solid white is edible.
Although I would still thoroughly clean/cook everything I am going to eat beforehand. Simply to make sure it isn't contaminated by animal feces/dead animals/Giardia/etc. etc. etc.
>>624312
I recommend a small tent (Some people think 1 person tents are enough, I prefer 2-3 person tents. It depends on how much you decide to carry)
An insulation pad for underneath your properly rated sleeping bag is essential. I even like to throw a wool blanket over the top of that. Change your socks immediately when you are getting into your sleeping bag too. (I like the comfy wool socks)
If you can spare the room, Sweatpants and sweatshirts are comfy as fuck. Throw a beanie on your head and lights out.
Don't go to bed thirsty or hungry. Your body will have nothing to burn and keep you warm during the night if you do.
Make sure you are not in the wind. if you cannot find an area to put your tent out of the wind, make a windscreen with either nearby brush, Or an extra tarp.
If these things don't help, you are a lost cause, bring a big container full of hand warmers.
>>625459
I heard that cattail roots were edible, but I didn't think they would be accessible in deep winter, will try them though. I hope I can find more than just one plant lol
>>622260
Haven't seen anyone say this yet so I'll add my 2 cents. Sleep OFF the ground.
This is incredibly important. I don't mean sleep in a hammock up in the air (though done right that can keep you warm and dry.) I mean that you need a buffer between yourself and the ground. We've had at least a handful of people that forgot to have a sleeping pad to keep warm air flowing beneath their body at Winter NuggetFest. As a result they woke up with very cold backs or sides from the frozen ground sapping the heat from them. You can look up "Camping sleep pad" on Amazon and find them reasonably priced and just slide them in or under your sleeping bag.
This one looks pretty damn close to the ones we used in the Marine Corps
http://www.amazon.com/ALPS-Mountaineering-Foam-Camping-Regular/dp/B002QG1P6E/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1446816583&sr=8-5&keywords=camping+gear+sleeping+pads
If you're in a survival scenario and can't just go out and buy one, make yourself a hot coal bed, anyone that's seen the Movie Jeremiah Johnson, knows this can be dangerous and it's important to create a solid dirt buffer between you and the coals you'd be sleeping on.
http://backpackingtherockies.com/how-to-sleep-on-coals-using-a-survival-fire-bed/
If you don't have access to fire, sleeping on a flat length of sticks sounds uncomfortable as hell but will keep your off the ground enough to avoid the previously mentioned heat stealing issues of laying on the ground in cold times.
Also here's a good guide to identifying and treating Hypothermia and other cold weather ailments. I'd recommend reading it over if you haven't camped in colder weather before.
https://www.princeton.edu/~oa/safety/hypocold.shtml
>>625569
Spruce tree branches work great, a few stacked well will keep you warm enough. If you have more time on your hands, it's not hard to build a small bed frame and cover it with the branches instead, giving you an actually comfortable sleep
Fat girls give off more heat than thin girls. If you take a girl winter camping, take a fat one.
>>625147
jesus christ that's horrifying
>>625712
For the most part that is true, but I've met thin girls that burned like a furnace to the touch, and fat girls that just can't regulate their body temperature and end up shivering in mid 70s.
>>622268
>Fire is an excellent source of heat
No shit.
>>625720
looks like a terminator head
anyone else feel really secure in winter knowing all the skinwalkers and hidebehinds are either hibernating, or they're too visible on the snowy ground to come out after you?
>>625776
I'd rather have skinwalkers in dry season than winter any day.
You don't want to know what lies beneath. Only walk where you can see. Avoid the deep.
>>625147
yes, them good days.
And then you have:
>ice rain.
>said ice rain floods your fucking tent.
>everything wet.
>frozen wet shoes.
>possible frost bite and hypothermia.
>Loose snow is loose. Fall down crevasse.
>Winter storms. There goes the tent.
>Fuck the tent it never dried anyway.
>more icy rain.
>Fucking darkness, always.
Nice days are Nice, but /out/ is not a fucking commercial.
>>622260
a tip for those cold nights: fill your bottle with almost boiling water right before bedtime. put inside large sock or other clothing and keep it behind your knees. because of the veins or something entire body gets heated.
Fuck I wished somewhere that got cold. Jew Zealand is basically turning into Australia.
>>622260
Bring rain gear. If you get even one "warm" day, you're basically fucked otherwise. Stay dry, stay warm.
Wool socks, in fact wool everything if you can afford it. Synthetics work too, just not as well, and cotton will kill you.
Bring dry tinder. You can probably find tinder, but do you really want to risk it?
BIGGEST TIP! Spend a few nights in the backyard first. If you have an equipment failure, you'd rather know then, than when you can't do shit about it.
>>622260
If you are melting snow to water first add little bit of water to your pot. Snow will melt faster if there is little water at the bottom.
>>625776
>anyone else feel really secure in winter knowing all the skinwalkers
Oh boy, I hate to break it to you...
Always get warm and change to dry clothes before going to sleeping bag Always dry your clothing when possible.
https://youtu.be/0Vr8xoDYTN8
Here's the most important tips to you.
>>622472
Mirin that camo tarp. Mine is green but not camo. Thinking of painting it just in case.
About this you can't understand shit but maybe you can look.
https://youtu.be/1Skhe5Asm4Y
Bring a gun and shoot it inside your tent, if you shoot enough times it will heat everything around you up.
>>625960
I wish I was a finn even more now.
>>625811
How does it rain in -10-15C weather? never had that happen to me. Same with being wet, really as long as you layer properly and wear gaiters, there's no problem. And if you're going /out/ innawinter with a bad tent you're doing something wrong.
>>626167
>How does it rain in -10-15C weather?
Ice rain, not rain, rain that freezes at impact. Somehow this type of weather always finds me.
>Same with being wet
If you are out for a few weeks at a time, moisture will buildt up in the layers, no matter what type of fabric you have. This can only be solved by a proper camp, but then ice rain happened every day for 18 days and that weather kills all my campfires.
>And if you're going /out/ innawinter with a bad tent you're doing something wrong.
The winter storms where I live rip roofs of houses and trees out of the ground. No tent stand a chance. I have lost 4 tents this way. Fuck tents. I now build temporary shelters instead. More time consuming but sturdier. And you don't lose money every time one gets messed up.
>>626172
Forgot pic. Ice rain.
>>626172
Holy shit anon, where do you live? I'm from northern Sweden, and both ice rains and winter storms that bad are relatively rare here
>>626174
Other side of the border, mate. We're neighbours.
The Atlantic ocean and her storms hit my home island right in the face every year. No trees grow here and the houses get reinforced with stone walls to prevent 'shifting'.
Hey /out/, I'm preparing for a week-long December AT hike in the Virginia/NC area, and I need information on socks; I bleed heat from my feet and I'm looking to make sure my feet will be as warm as possible when sleeping in what can be presumed to be sub-zero temperatures in the worst-case scenario. I already have a 20°F bag with a good liner that brings it down to a 0°F rating, but I need absolute security.
My question is this: there are so many kinds of socks: liners, full-cushions, and so on: what socks should I get for maximum warmth and comfort exclusively for sleeping, and not hiking? I already have a pair of DarnTough hiking socks and they're immaculate, however I don't think I need another pair of them when I'm looking exclusively for socks with maximum heat retention to be used exclusively as a sleeping/campground sock.
>>626230
For sleeping you could get down "socks" if you're worried about cold toes
>>626234
What are "down socks"? I googled them and all I see are external booties
>>626235
https://goosefeetgear.com/products/1-down-socks
>>625917
South Island is best island m80. Fiordland and Central Otago get pretty cold in winter. Central has a permanent hoar frost in the coldest months and the lakes freeze up (they still do curling). It's beautiful.
>>626230
I use either Darn Tough Mountaineering Extra Cushion or Smartwool Mountaineering Extra Heavy for cold camp socks.
Down booties or Intuition boot liners are going to be warmer than any sock.
>>626347
trust me, you will never be as comfy /out/ as you will with overalls and a pair of flannel pajama pants/flannel shirt over a tshirt. its warm, it breaths, its not super bulky, and bibs are so fucking comfy. I took the waste out of my flannel pants and just attached them right to my bibs, works great.
>>624880
>>62487
Given 3-5 hours of sunlight and wanting to do this anyways, what tools would be recommend?
