What You Should Know to be Prepared for Winter Camping

Winter campers know that the change of seasons is no reason to stop camping for the year. In fact, winter offers a lot of unique opportunities for the adventurous camper. If you approach a winter outing with solid preparation and a positive attitude, you'll find that winter camping is a great way to enjoy the outdoors during the colder months of the year.

Clothing - The key to cold weather camping is to dress in lots of layers - and I mean lots! A thermal underwear base layer goes a long way toward overall comfort. If you're on a budget, a pair of pantyhose or tights make a pretty effective substitute. Layering is often more difficult on your lower body, as most of us have far more easily-layered sweatshirts and jackets than we do easily layered pants, so pay special attention to your legs. Nothing makes winter camping more miserable than cold feet and legs. Wool socks, even several pairs, continue to hold warmth, even when wet, and cost less than socks made of performance fabrics. Either will work great. Another key to success is to buy and wear a good hat. Much of our body heat leaves the body through the head, so a good hat is critical. I often suggest a thin, tight-fitting hat underneath a thicker, looser one. The two hats create an insulating air-space in between them, and will keep your head nice and toasty. If it's going to be exceptionally cold, pick up a face-mask or thick scarf to cover your mouth and nose. Hands are another problem spot where proper clothing will make all of the difference. Mittens will provide more warmth than gloves, as the fingers can share the body heat that you produce, and thin fingerless gloves inside a good pair of mittens will allow you to remove the outer layer when you need to without exposing your whole hand to the elements. Of course, you'll want some good winter boots, too.

Gear - Most of your standard camping gear will adapt itself quite well to winter use. There's no real reason to do anything special regarding stoves, packs, and the like. You will want a good winter sleeping bag. I recommend a "mummy" bag with a hood for warmth. An all-season sleeping bag can be extended to cold-weather use by adding a cover or liner to the bag, increasing it's heat-retaining abilities. Bring a couple of extra blankets too, just in case. When winter camping, it's always better to over-prepare than under-prepare. We'll look at tents in the next section, as there are some special opportunities surrounding shelter while winter camping, but whether you're planning to pitch your tent or not, it's a good idea to bring a couple of extra small tarps to protect your gear from snow and moisture. If you'll be trekking a long way into the woods, some snowshoes and/or crampons may be needed. Make sure that you get out on these before your first overnight trip, and are familiar with their use.

Shelter - Shelter, to me, is the really fun part of winter camping, as the wonderful world of snow-shelters opens up. If you choose to go the traditional route and pitch a tent, make sure that your tent is rated for winter use. Winter tents hold heat, and keep out the elements much better than their fair-weather counterparts. If there is snow on the ground, I suggest either clearing it, if it's not too deep, or pitching the tent on a clean, dry tarp. If your body heat melts the snow under your tent, you'll want the melt-water to stay outside, for sure. If you decide not to go with a tent, you'll need to build a snow shelter. Contrary to initial impressions, snow shelters are often warmer than tents. Snow is an excellent insulator, and will hold in any body heat produced by those dwelling in a snow shelter. You can make an effective shelter, or quinzhee, with only a few inches of snow on the ground, but bring a winter-rated tent regardless of your intentions, in case you're unable to construct your shelter for any reason. All you'll need is a small shovel. Very simply, here are the basics of building a snow shelter:

- Start by piling snow into a large rounded mound. The ideal height for this mound is nearly head-height, but you will often have to make due with a smaller shelter, due to time constraints and snow availability.
- Break up some small dead sticks, and push them about 4 inches into the mound all around, making a giant snow porcupine.
- Starting with a small hole at ground level, hollow out the mound from the inside, stopping whenever you hit one of your sticks.
- Clear out the floor of your shelter, lay down a tarp, and move in.

You can see my Associated Content article on building quinzhees for more detailed instructions and tips.

Activities - While much of your day and evening may be spent around the campfire, winter camping offers a slew of great activities. Sledding is a great way to spend the day, and the sleds might help you to transport your gear in to camp, too. Ice skating, snow-shoeing, cross-country skiing, snow-sculpture, and ice-fishing are all great pastimes, as well.

Extra Tips:
- Keep your clothes for the next day in a ball at the bottom of your sleeping bag. Then they'll be warm when you put them on in the morning.
- Bring an extra-cozy warm hat for sleeping in. Your head will stay warm, and you won't have to wear your nasty, smelly overnight hat all day long.
- Eat a lot! You burn a lot of calories just staying warm in the winter. Eat 4 hot meals a day while you're out camping.