Anyone Do Any Cold Weather Camping?

[dougiemac]

Does anyone do any cold weather camping? I've been considering it but I'm not certain what equipment is needed, what equipment is nice to have vs must have. And what brand, models, etc. of equipment is good and what things to look for.

I get on REI and there's so much to choose from, and you can spend a small fortune on it. Any help is appreciated.

Also would love to hear other's cold weather camping experiences.

 

[Soylent Green]

My idea of camping these days is at a Holiday Inn. If I could find a tent like this one I would reconsider...

 

[JBum]

I use a hammock and my wooly!

 

[madHatter]

if solo backpacking in winter:
bivy sack, -20f sleeping back and sleep in your boxers and a t-shirt (plus all you other stuff)

if camping with others.. a simple three person tent. (remember that gear is considered a person). light is always good. next to floor space.
low ceilings can lead to frost buildup on the inside of the rainfly, it happened to me once on a particularly cold boy scout camp out.

then we get into the goose down vs Synthetic debate for fill of the bag.
down Pros: light, super compact, super warm with a higher fill power (800+) super breathable
down Cons: once it gets wet... it takes FOOOOOOOOOREVER to dry out. (at least the one i had years ago) the down will matte afterward and then get "cold spots" in the bag, so always store a down bag out of the stuff sack, and these get PRICEY.

Synthetic pros: dries out faster when wet, moderately light (around 3lbs), wont get cold spots, durable longer, just as warm as down, CHEAPER!
Synthetic cons: doesn't pack down real nice, kinda bulky, kinda heavy

i have been using a synthetic bag for the last 18 years or so. i store it outside of the sack hanging on a hanger. i am happy with the 0 degree rating is has.


as i think of other things i will add them to this

 

[jloneill17]

I use a hammock, sleeping pad, and 0degree bag. I stay warm all night.

 

[Cudruln]

One thing to remember the bigger the tent the harder it is to warm. Don't get to hyped up on the name brands, but don't go cheap.

Rei has a huge selection but the good thing is if you don't like something they accept returns. Also keep an eye out for their used sale, it is awesome

 

[FatAlbert]

I use a very small air air mattress, one designed to go on top a cot. It doesn't take much room in your pack and it gets you off the ground which is very important.

As small of a tent as possible is best to trap body heat. Also leave the window slightly cracked because even though heat will escape if your sealed up airtight you'll wake up soaking wet from condensation from your breath.

Take a pee bottle to bed with you because sure as hell as soon as you get warm in your bag you'll have to get out to piss.

Never trust the weather report. I make a habit of using dry bags to store everything I don't want wet despite what the weather says. Staying dry is the most important thing. Being cold doesn't suck, being wet and cold is hell.

 

[darthkevin]

From my days in the army I bought a Military Modular Sleep System. I also got a sleeping pad. This is not ideal if you are backpacking because it is heavy like 9 lbs I think. But I use that when it is rainy and cold here in Oregon as well as the sandbox in AFG where it got damn cold at night and in the winter and I never had a problem. I paid 80 bucks for a basically new one on ebay.

 

[Laufen]

Yeah, I used to camp out in Mid November in Nebraska for deer season. Most years it would get down to the teens. I had a cot, a mil surplus sleeping bag, big canvas army cook tent, and slept in most of my clothes plus wool socks. I pretty much stayed warm.
This year camped at Sam's place and it got down to 30. Same set-up, nice and warm.

 

[Willy Leadwell]

I had to stay at a super 8 motel once. Turned the bottoms of my feet brown. Does that count?

 

[George P. Burdell]

All you really need is shelter and a good sleeping bag. Everything else depends on how cold you expect it to be, how much wind, and how far you are going to have to carry your gear. There is a big difference between camping 100 yards from your car in GA and backpacking for a few days in the Rockies or somewhere with the potential to get really cold and windy. Start with basic stuff and figure out what you like before you invest in too much gear. For Georgia you really only need to change your sleeping bag to go from summer to winter in most cases

 

[OreGear]

A lot of it depends on what you define as camping. If your definition of camping includes a heater of some sort then you have a lot more wiggle room in the rest of your equipment.

If you're going without a heater, I would recommend getting a mummy style sleeping bag rated for 15-20 degrees lower than your expected temperatures. The lower the temperature rating, the fewer thermal layers you have to wear while sleeping. The mummy style bags will allow you to seal off the opening of the bag to prevent heat loss. I've used a non-mummy style 0 degree bag in 20 degree weather and it worked ok, but my head and shoulders were considerably colder than the rest of my body.

Most recently I've been using a Therm-a-Rest Trail Scout (about $60) for my sleeping pad and that adequately insulated me from the ground.

My biggest recommendation is putting whatever change of clothes or jacket you have in your sleeping bag so whenever you wake up, your clothes are already warm.

Worst case scenario I've resorted to using the shake up hand warmers to keep my bag and feet warmer in inferior sleeping bags.

 

[Kaotiktribe]

As mentioned all depends on what you consider camping.

Is your car with tons of stuff within reach or will you be hiking out many miles.

What you take will really depend on distance as weight builds up quick.