Pathfinder1
Well-Known Member
Hi...
Many good ideas have surfaced here. Surprising him is great. When it comes to personal gear though, make sure it is a good fit...this includes sleeping bags, mats, etc., as well as clothing.
Happy camping...!!
Best winter tent camping item?
- Thread starter racoon
- Start date
Hi...
Many good ideas have surfaced here. Surprising him is great. When it comes to personal gear though, make sure it is a good fit...this includes sleeping bags, mats, etc., as well as clothing.
Happy camping...!!
ppine
Forester
I think most of you have really missed the boat here. Down booties? Maybe that is because your socks are damp and your feet get cold. A minus 40 degree bag is real overkill unless you are going to the Arctic. A wood stove, repeat wood stove is the obvious answer. A small one will fit easily on a pulk or small sled pulled on skis or snowshoes. My large border collie cross used to pull a small kiddie sled for me with heavy stuff on it. She kept me warm at night too.
With no stove, then the answer is a lean-to and a good fire.
With no stove, then the answer is a lean-to and a good fire.
ponderosa
Active Member
If you'd rather pull a wood stove into the woods with you, go right ahead. I prefer traveling light and would rather sleep at night than wake up to feed the fire. I guess I will keep my down booties and bag. (And yes, I always change into perfectly dry socks at bedtime. Some people just tend to be cold. I'm sitting in my house right now, 72 degrees, wearing wool socks, and I have cold feet).
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ppine
Forester
Ponderosa,
I like the strength of conviction in your answer. After some review, I have only used stoves on pack trips and places reachable by truck on hunting trips, but some of these trips have been bitterly cold and the stove saved the day. I am talking about sheet metal stoves that fold flat. There are some tiny ones now that would work in a sled.
The lightweight philosophy starts to fall apart in winter. By the time a 4 season tent, thick pad, bivy sack, extra fuel, extra food, more clothes, heavy weight bag, etc. are added, packs get heavier and top heavy too. X-C skiing or snow shoeing becomes more difficult with a heavier load. That is why Native Canadians and trappers prefer a sled, pulk, or narrow tobaggan. Dogs work well too. Even one domestic dog.
Most of my winter overnight trips have only been 3 days or so. For that I have used a nylon lean-to and a fire with great results. It is warm, but also cheery. I do not like to spend 15 hours in the dark looking at the inside of a tent. Keeping a fire going is not that hard. If I am sleepy I let it go out. My outfit is dried out every night. I can watch the snow fall, the moon, and even fur bearing animals. I urge you to try this arrangement, especially if you tend to be cold.
I like the strength of conviction in your answer. After some review, I have only used stoves on pack trips and places reachable by truck on hunting trips, but some of these trips have been bitterly cold and the stove saved the day. I am talking about sheet metal stoves that fold flat. There are some tiny ones now that would work in a sled.
The lightweight philosophy starts to fall apart in winter. By the time a 4 season tent, thick pad, bivy sack, extra fuel, extra food, more clothes, heavy weight bag, etc. are added, packs get heavier and top heavy too. X-C skiing or snow shoeing becomes more difficult with a heavier load. That is why Native Canadians and trappers prefer a sled, pulk, or narrow tobaggan. Dogs work well too. Even one domestic dog.
Most of my winter overnight trips have only been 3 days or so. For that I have used a nylon lean-to and a fire with great results. It is warm, but also cheery. I do not like to spend 15 hours in the dark looking at the inside of a tent. Keeping a fire going is not that hard. If I am sleepy I let it go out. My outfit is dried out every night. I can watch the snow fall, the moon, and even fur bearing animals. I urge you to try this arrangement, especially if you tend to be cold.
I also take the lean-to and fire over a tent but nothing wrong with the down booties either. Although I have talked here about snow caves I don't like them either. I prefer to make a snow trench or a snow wall if really windy and use it as a reflector for a fire. The trick with a snow wall is putting up two walls about 10 ft apart. The first traps the blowing snow on the lee side and you can stay quite comfortable behind the second. With a snow wall, and a lean-to, and a little wind, you are snug in a snow cave by morning anyway.
If you are properly dressed in the daytime you can stay relatively comfortable all night with this method using a poncho as a ground cloth and reflector, even without a sleeping bag.
PS I also am a firm believer on fresh clean dry socks at night. On a week or longer trek, socks are my biggest clothing bundle.
If you are properly dressed in the daytime you can stay relatively comfortable all night with this method using a poncho as a ground cloth and reflector, even without a sleeping bag.
PS I also am a firm believer on fresh clean dry socks at night. On a week or longer trek, socks are my biggest clothing bundle.
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ghostdog
Valhalla, I am coming
Same here Ponderosa, I carry two extra pair of dry socks. The terrain we cover can go from sub freezing to fairly warm during a week long journey so many times I am in my 25 degree bag with all my long underwear on and those booties. I leave off layers as the temps go up. As long as one sleeps comfortable then what is the problem? We don’t pull sleds down this way. We tramp with our things on our back because a sled is going to look silly with no snow and will never make it over the rough terrain. Spartan travel has its place.
I have one of those super lean bodies and carry no fat. Those who do carry fat never understand what it means to be lean. My metabolism and cardio vascular system are in top shape so when I’m sitting still or sleeping my heart rate is super low and I can feel the cold then. Once a nurse took my resting vitals and asked me if I was even alive. When on the move my body puts off enough heat to make me sweat in a couple of light silkweight layers at -8C.
On an interesting note as far as down booties, in James Dickeys (same guy who wrote Deliverance) novel To the White Sea the protagonist killed some geese for food but he also stuffed all the feathers and down into a should bag. At night we would stuff his feet in the bag to keep them warm while he slept. Another interesting thing about this character is he carried a mini kit in his pocket with a few essentials that helped him survive his ordeal. It is a spooky guy but a very well written story.
In my years of wilderness travel it has become apparent that there are at times a dozen ways to do something and all of them are right, just different approaches
I have one of those super lean bodies and carry no fat. Those who do carry fat never understand what it means to be lean. My metabolism and cardio vascular system are in top shape so when I’m sitting still or sleeping my heart rate is super low and I can feel the cold then. Once a nurse took my resting vitals and asked me if I was even alive. When on the move my body puts off enough heat to make me sweat in a couple of light silkweight layers at -8C.
On an interesting note as far as down booties, in James Dickeys (same guy who wrote Deliverance) novel To the White Sea the protagonist killed some geese for food but he also stuffed all the feathers and down into a should bag. At night we would stuff his feet in the bag to keep them warm while he slept. Another interesting thing about this character is he carried a mini kit in his pocket with a few essentials that helped him survive his ordeal. It is a spooky guy but a very well written story.
In my years of wilderness travel it has become apparent that there are at times a dozen ways to do something and all of them are right, just different approaches