Winter Camping Tips

Winter has arrived and the temperature has dropped. The winter winds make everyone start looking for that warm winter jacket. All the camping gear is stored and out of the way. So what is there really to do between now and Spring? Well there is always sitting on the couch and looking at the walls or the television. There is another choice, get the camping gear out and head for the mountains. There is no more beautiful sight than the sun coming up over the snow covered mountains.

Winter camping can be as enjoyable as any other time if you are prepared for the cold and make a few changes in clothing, boots and food you take along for the trip. There will be less equipment to carry with you. Just make sure you carry the right equipment. Remember this is cold weather camping and cold means really cold at night.

First make sure that you carry insulated coat and pants. These outer garments will stop the wind and cold from making you miserable and ruining your trip. Clothing under these outer garments should be worn in layers so that air can circulate. Warm air trapped in layered clothes will keep you warm and cut down on sweating. If the day warms up the outer clothing can be removed and with the layered clothing will keep you warm. Make sure that several sets of extra clothing are included because if you should slip and fall into a stream you will want to get into dry clothes as soon as possible. But if you are careful this problem should never come up.

Second thing to give serious thought to is a good pair of boots. The boots should be insulated, water proof and have a good non slip sole. A boot with a deep grooved sole will keep you from slipping on slick or muddy trails. Layer your socks, I like a pair of cotton socks first and then a pair of wool socks, again these will trap warm air and cut down on sweating. There isn't anything worse than cold feet.

For sleeping make sure that you have a well insulated sleeping bag. Your tent will block most of the wind but it doesn't do much for blocking the cold. Make sure that your sleeping bag is rated for the temperature you will be in. My personal choice is a sleeping bag that is rated for fifty below zero. It is rated well below anywhere that I would choose to go. So when you are choosing a sleeping bag for winter camping buy rating not price.

Food is the easy part. With all the dehydrated soups and meals on the market just buy what you like. Just make sure to check the protein and calories. In cold weather the body will burn a lot of each of these to stay warm.

Now that you are ready head to the mountains of Georgia, North Carolina or Tennessee and see the sights that most people never see. Most important is be safe and leave where you will be with someone so if anything should happen someone knows what your plans are and where you will be.