Winter Camping

[scotott]

What everyone else already said, plus....keep this in mind, when winter camping..."cotton kills". If you wear cotton clothing of any kind, odds are good you'll be sorry. Especially if you get wet, whether via rain or waterways, or sweating, hypothermia is a real possibility. Makes a huge difference wearing wool, or synthetic materials.

I love winter camping. Last year, had a chance to build a mushroom snow cave, and 5 of us stayed comfortably overnight, while a nasty storm raged outside. A little on the outside of what you might do on a first trip, but it is unbelievably comfortable.

Enjoy your trip!

[Refrigerator]

What Scotott said is on the money. Clothing is a vital component to being warm and having a successful winter adventure.

[Denbert]

I love winter camping too, but I have the comfort and convenience of a heated pop up.

[Michael]

I've only gone winter camping once, but I learned a very valuable lesson: Unless the bottom of your tent is totally waterproof, put down a tarp or foot underneath the tent.

I didn't. I woke up in the middle of the night drenched and freezing. My body-heat had melted the snow beneath me, which then proceeded to soak up through the tent, through my ground pad, through my sleeping bag, and through my clothing.

It was one of the most genuinely awful experiences I've ever had.

[Refrigerator]

Use a footprint year round for your tent as this will protect your floor from the ground grit and small objects giving your floor some longevity. Tent floors exposed to the ground and Rain Flys exposed to the sun take the most punishment and you could throw in the zippers too..

[MendyUSA]

I'd stay by the car the first time so you can bail if you have to.

[MendyUSA]

Dito what Michael said very important you use closed cell foam for you sleeping pad. I carry two Ensolite brand pads any closed cell will do. Do not use open cell foam for a pad. Two reasons 1 your body will not be insulated well enough as your heat will be lost through conduction as it snakes its way through the open cells. 2 Open cell foam absorbs water, it's a sponge, not good. If you choose to bring two pads you can use the second pad as a stand pad or chair when you’re hanging out around camp cooking etc. then move it atop the other pad when you turn in sans snow of course. a little natural compaction under your body is normal but a deep depression indicates bad insulation. I like Michael do use a ground cloth under the tent. I use my space blanket shiny side up for added insulation. Any radiant heat loss will be reflected back at you. Very very important if you go the ground cloth route to fold it under 6 or 8 inches so it's smaller than the tent floor. So a 7'x7' tent would have a ground cloth about 6'x6'. If you don't fold it under (or cut it smaller or buy a foot print) you just pitched your tent in a very nice bath tub. In summer rain will run down the side of the tent and obviously collect between the ground cloth and the tent floor. The floor will leak. In the winter any snow will slide off the tent wall onto the ground cloth and melt against the warm tent wall with floor seam. I almost forgot you might want to bring a little pad for your stove too so it doesn’t melt into the snow but a shovel can work for that too.