Winter Time Backpacking

[sailorman]

I generally don't backpack in the winter time because I am not a fan of snow. Seeing that we are having a mild winter I thought I might do a little winter time back packing. What things should be packed in a winter time pack?

 

[Grandpa]

Besides warmer clothes? More ground insulation at night for starters.

 

[ppine]

More focus on a good fire. It is best not to be too ambitious in winter. The peace and quiet is impressive and keeping things cool is easy. More clothes and a heavier bed.

 

[briansnat]

Extra clothing. Plenty of batteries for your lights because you'll be using them a lot longer. Perhaps two sleeping pads to provide extra insulation. I use a Ridge Rest covered by a Thermarest.

A gas stove, as canister stoves don't perform well, or at all in cold weather. A small tube of fire starting gel to help prime your stove if you have a Whisperlite or similar stove.

 

[Pathfinder1]

Hi...


And warmer bedding.

 

[MountainMan22]

Those are all the right and common suggestions for weather you're talking about backpacking in, but don't forget some hand warmers. My hands are always the worst part to suffer in colder weather. My knuckles turn purple and they hurt.

 

[charley]

Hot chocolate and Baileys.

 

[pastywhite]

The cost of the down winter bags keeps me inside. I don't want to scimp on my bag for cold weather. Too dangerous when that is your lifeline for the night.

 

[ppine]

Mountainman,
Put on a hat to aid circulation to the extremeties.

 

[MountainMan22]

You're saying that putting on a warm hat will help lessen the cold in my hands? Is that true? My mama didn't teach me that trick. I usually just constantly blow hot air into the palm of my hands.

 

[pastywhite]

You're saying that putting on a warm hat will help lessen the cold in my hands? Is that true? My mama didn't teach me that trick. I usually just constantly blow hot air into the palm of my hands.

The old "you lose <insert random %> of you heat through your head" myth has long been disproved. You lose no more heat from your scalp than through any other exposed area of skin.

I use a hat when my head is cold and gloves when my hands are cold.

 

[ppine]

Pastywhite,

It is not a myth.

 

[pastywhite]

Pastywhite,

It is not a myth.

Scientists debunk myth that most heat is lost through head | Science | The Guardian

Science Knowledge: How Much Heat Do You Lose Through Your Head?

http://www.wintercampers.com/2011/02/19/the-truth-about-heat-loss-through-your-head

Do We Lose Heat Through Our Heads?

It is a myth.

 

[MountainMan22]

I don't know guys this sounds like a battle that should be fought on the Myth Busters show. :tinysmile_twink_t2: I'm not sure who to believe now. Pasty is posting links and you say no. Maybe for some, the keeping the head warm theory works and for others it doesn't.

 

[charley]

The old "you lose <insert random %> of you heat through your head" myth has long been disproved. You lose no more heat from your scalp than through any other exposed area of skin.

I use a hat when my head is cold and gloves when my hands are cold.

And a fire when both are cold.:tinysmile_fatgrin_t

 

[DThewanderer]

Maybe we should all email Myth Busters until they do this one, if they haven't already. Might be fun to annoy them in to doing it. Does anyone know what their email address is?

 

[pastywhite]

I'm not sure Myth Busters would do this since it it has been proven time and time again. It's just physics. There's nothing magical about the head that would cause it to lose more heat than any other part of your body.

This is just one of the perpetuated myths like granddaddy longs are poisonous (they are not even spiders) or moss only grows on the north side of trees.

 

[ponderosa]

It is the myth that refuses to die, as noted by the links above. I growl to myself a little every time someone tells me to put on a hat to keep my hands and feet warm, like if a person was just smart enough to wear a hat, they'd be toasty warm. I use a good wool sherpa hat lined with fleece, and my hands and feet are still freezing most of the time.

 

[Pathfinder1]

Moss grows on trees?

 

[ppine]

If you think those sources are credible, more power to you. The internet has information to support almost any point of view.

The next time you go camping and it is below freezing, or better yet below 10 degrees, try this experiment. Sleep for a night without a hat, then wear a really warm hat, like a rabbit fur lined mad bomber the next night. Tell me what you find out.