Winter Backpacking Tips
I recently read an article by Mary Beth Skylis on BlueRidgeOutdoors. com offering winter camping and hiking recommendations. I felt I could expand upon the writer’s comments from a Led By Scouts perspective. Having recently been out in below freezing temperatures myself, I felt now is a good time to share them.
#1 Plan ahead and share your itinerary
Any time you go on any outing: a day hike, a fishing trip, a car camping trip; it’s a really good idea to have a plan and share it with others at home. This is especially true when backpacking for multiple days. The first Principle of Leave No Trace https://lnt.org/why/7-principles/ is Plan and Prepare. Write down an anticipated timeline that includes your starting/finishing points, your line of travel with points of interest, and camp sites. Also include a list of your essential prescribed medication, with quantity. Additionally, I am a firm believer in hiking with others whenever possible. Include not only your cell number, but the numbers of others you’ll be with. The planning process will help you be confident you’ve covered every aspect of your trip, leaving nothing you need behind. Then, before you head off, leave a copy of your itinerary with someone at home. Then stay in touch. Not only will this prove helpful if a rescue is necessary, it will also give your loved ones peace of mind.
#2 Dress and pack for the conditions
It’s cold! It might get colder. It might snow, sleet, or rain. Prepare for these possibilities. Most importantly, ALWAYS wear a wicking base layer, both top and bottom. Dress in either polyester or, more preferably, wool that will remove moisture from your skin, insulate your body, while allowing it to breathe when it warms up. Next, have a fleece or wool mid-layer. Then add a waterproof “shell” outer layer. Keep your head warm with a wool hat. Have a face covering handy, a pair of waterproof gloves or preferably mittens, and at least two pairs of wool hiking socks. For sleeping, have a completely distinct set of similar clothing layers to ensure you are dry at night. To finish this section, NEVER wear or bring cotton for base layer, mid-layer, outer layer. COTTON KILLS in winter temperatures because it is fast to absorb moisture but very slow to dry. None of us are exempt from that truth. Just leave that Dallas Cowboys hoodie at home (for several reasons).
#3 Your shelter and sleep set-up
If it is cold during the day, it will be colder at night. Here’s what to do. Bring a smaller tent that provides a closer level of heat retention than a larger one would.
Be mindful that the rating of a sleeping bag reflects the temperature that keeps you alive, not comfortable. If the rating is 20, you may only be comfortable at 30-35. Make sure your bag’s rating is at least 10-15 degrees less than your anticipated coldest encounter. Interestingly, women seem to sleep colder than men, so consider that as well. You can also bring a liner for the inside of the bag to provide another layer of insulation.
Next, check the rating of your sleeping pad and upgrade it if necessary with a higher R-value to keep you insulated from the frozen ground. The R-values range from 0 to about 7, the higher the value, the more insulated your pad will keep you. Consider an R value of 3.5 or higher.
You’ll want your head covered at night. A proven way to do this is a hat or cover that pulls over and covers your entire head, like a balaclava, that is less likely to come off as you sleep. It’s always on my own cold weather checklist.
Also you will want your tent properly ventilated. Condensation from your own breath will collect and freeze inside while you sleep. Make sure to open the vent that all tents have in order to avoid this effect. Lastly, resist the temptation to bury your head inside your bag, for the same reasons.
#4 Eat. Then eat more
Be sure to eat more than you would ordinarily when on the winter trail. Your body burns at least 3500 calories per day when you hike during warm temperatures. It has to work even harder in the cold. Increase your consumption of trail snacks, and make your trail meals hot and more calorie intensive. Your body is a very efficient machine on the trail and requires this extra fuel to maintain energy, stamina and, most importantly, temperature. Finally, a bit of chocolate at bedtime will stoke your internal furnace as you nestle into your sleeping bag.
#5 Get up and get it over with
What do I mean by that? None of us wants to get up in the middle of the night to pee, fumbling for the headlamp, fighting the zippers of both sleeping bag and tent, layering up, finding a spot, then returning to lay awake for 20 minutes trying to resume that same comfort zone we had before paying the price. However, it's going to happen, even if you peed before going to bed. Face it, you are not likely to get back to sleep anyway. And keeping urine in your bladder makes your body work more and will ultimately make you even colder. So just do it. Get up and get it over with. Then maybe you’ll get a few more hours of rest before the sun rises.
#6 Keep your (electronic) friends close
Cold weather sucks. It sucks the life right out of your phone, headlamp, camera and back-up batteries, especially if they are in any way exposed during the night time temperatures. An easy remedy is to sleep with your electronics devices in your bag, somewhere that doesn't affect your comfort. Any warmth is beneficial. And don’t forget your water filter either. If it freezes, it will not function and you will no longer have good water. Secure it in a plastic bag and tuck at the foot of your bag.
#7 Make sure the heat is on
Be aware that your “plug and play” stove may not work effectively in very cold temperatures. Canister stoves, which are typically preferred among hikers, may cease vaporizing when temperatures drop below freezing (32 degrees). Liquid-fuel or white gas stoves are more reliable when it’s that cold. Although they are typically larger with fuel containers being heavier, you're more assured of a strong boil at and a hot meal day’s end, doing wonders for body, mind, and spirit.
Backpacking can be fun and exhilarating when we are prepared for the circumstances we are likely to encounter. So consider these points before you venture out in the cold. You’ll be better equipped and the experience will be more enjoyable and afford a greater sense of success instead of failure. You’ve got this! And remember to…
Blaze the Trail!!