So you’re all set to go. You’ve ditched the cotton underwear for polypro, got yourself a warm sleeping bag, food and water and other necessary equipment and now you’re ready for just about anything winter has to throw at you. At least that’s what the books you’ve read tell you.
Before you venture into the wilderness you need to test your gear and here’s the way I do it. First, I go over my list to make sure I’ve got everything and then put it all in my pack. I went camping in ten degree weather once and forgot my gloves. Believe me, after a trip like that you learn to make a checklist and go through it.
Does everything fit in your pack? Excellent! Go to the next step. What? It doesn’t fit? Time to rearrange or get rid of some gear you might not need.
Next step. Once it’s all packed I put the pack on and head out into the woods, preferably in the snow, to see how heavy it is. I hike at least a couple of miles with it on and if it looks like I can keep going without killing myself I’ll stop for the next phase of testing. If it’s too heavy I’ve got three choices: find another way to carry it; get rid of some of the gear; get in better shape.
Now it’s time to pick out a temporary winter campsite. If there’s deep snow I’ll stomp an area flat with my snowshoes to compact it and then set up my tent and lay out my sleeping bag and basically act as if I’m getting ready to lay down and go to sleep. That includes getting into the sleeping bag. (Don’t forget to leave the boots in the vestibule or snow gets everywhere.) After all that hard work it’s nice just to lay there for a little while and relax. This also gives me some indication of how well the sleeping bag will work. Nice and toasty? Probably ok for an overnight. Already cold? Better re-evaluate the sleeping bag.
Another important aspect of this test is to take notes as you go. The gloves are no good after they get a little wet? Write it down. Cold in the sleeping bag and it’s not even zero degrees? Write it down. When you get home fix it before you have to go into the field with equipment that won’t do the job for you when you really need it.
Once you’re satisfied your gear is in good shape and you feel confident you can get by overnight it’s time to put your money where you mouth is. Wait for a night when the temperature won’t go below 20 or 25 degrees and head to your camping spot in the woods. If, for some reason, your gear is inadequate you can start a fire and stay warm that way or just pack up and head home. But if you’ve followed the steps here and properly tested your gear the only thing you’ll have to worry about is whether to get up in the middle of the night or try to wait until morning to take a leak because it’s COLD outside!
A bug-out bag is something that is always in transition for me because I use it for hiking and close-to-home camping trips. When summer turns to fall then winter you need to update the contents of your bag so that if TSHTF you don’t get caught in sub-zero temperatures with a lightweight sleeping bag and a water filter that will freeze up the first time you put water through it.
In a later post I’ll list out winter camping gear that I have in my pack so you can get an idea of what I take. Keep in mind this list is what works for me. If you talk to another experienced winter camper you’ll find a different gear list to go along with their philosophy. Who’s list is right? If the camper lives through the night comfortably then they’re right!
My Wife’s First Winter Campout. -4 F. I’m on the right.
6 comments
I agree with most of your comments as I have been in the outlands of AK, MT, ND, WA, ID, WY, OR, NV, AZ in the middle of winter. Over the years things have been changed out of my BOB. But I do not use it on my test runs, I have another bag just for use as a test bag. This way I always have one bag completely packed for all occasions and ready to go. I only open it up when and if i have to change out an item. My BOB is set up for all seasons year round.
-4 degrees! Even in my younger days I would have called you drug crazed 🙂 Though when I was Elk hunting in 2008 (Early October), it went from “balmy” to sub-zero in the space of 24 hours. The only place I could get warm was in my sleeping bag.
The bag I have was recommended to me by a good friend who is ex-Navy. The company is “Wiggy’s” in Grand Junction, Colorado. They have their own patented insulation, and supply the military with their bags, coats, gloves, etc. After I bought my bag, I bought bags for my wife and kids and a coat for myself.
I have no other interest in the company, and I seldom am so thrilled with a product to make recommendations. But as a Native of Southern California in his fifties, I stayed warm at night in below zero temperatures. That’s quite a bag!
And BTW, I was able to identify your better half without the caption :). Glad I’m not that far “over the hill” yet!
@Outlander777 – Sounds like you’ve got some serious experience in the cold. I actually prefer cold weather camping over summer time camping. Yeah, it’s more involved, but I love the challenge of it. I have a few different packs that I use depending on the season, but find that if I use the BOB for all of my hiking/camping needs it’s always ready to go. I’m afraid I don’t have the discipline to change a bag out every season. I just forget or let it ride or whatever, and when TSHTF I’m screwed!
@Cliffystones – I’ll take a look at those sleeping bags. Also, I’m glad you could tell my lady apart from me. 🙂 She’s actually quite beautiful, but when you’ve got five layers on it’s sometimes difficult to tell if the object inside is human, much less if they’re attractive or not!
You took your wife camping at -4 degrees and shes still your wife??..well I heard theres women out there like that but they must be in the center of the herd cuz there aint none on the fringes where I hunt
I’ll be honest with you; if something would happen in the middle of winter, I’d probably die first cuz I can’t stand cold lol. Then again, we do get some super cold weather here in Canada.
@Darrell – my wife liked your comment. Yeah, I got lucky finding this one! I don’t know too many women who are happy to wear a miniskirt to work in the morning and then shoot a deer in the afternoon. I’m a lucky guy. 🙂
@Dave – I don’t know where you live in Canada, but I’ve done a lot of camping up there and buddy you are in the wrong place if you don’t like cold weather!! I just got back from NB (Miramichi) and it was starting to get pretty chilly when I left. I’ve been camping up there when there was over two feet of snow on the ground.