Any winter camping experience?

[fogman]

Op - where did the trip occur?

Ely Minnesota at BSA Northern Tier program.

 

[Worsley]

During survival training at Fairchild AirForce Base we camped out in temps even colder than -20. We weren’t given much gear other than what the average aircrew survival bag had, so we cuddled a lot to stay warm never been so hungry and cold.

 

[webb297]

Coldest I ever camped in is -2. That was really cold.

The Northern Tier winter program program is no joke.

I did the Summer Canoe program, that was a blast.

 

[fogman]

Yep…Graf in the winter! Love it when you wake up and your canteen is frozen solid!

Everyone was given a small Nalgene bottle, insulated cover and paracord lanyard when.issued our winter gear. Once filled, preferably with hot water, you put the insulated bottle between your insulated clothing layers with the lanyard around your neck. At night you filled it with hot water and dropped it into the foot of your sleeping bag to preheat your bag. Any other water you didn't want to freeze was buried in the snow to keep it insulated from the cold..

 

[Huckleberry]

If you want to go winter camping or work in the Artic or Anarctic then there's one word you need to know.......Wiggy's

Wiggy makes or has the best Cold Wx Snivel Gear in the World.

https://www.wiggys.com/

And when you take youngsters out into the frozen wilderness, help get their mindset squared away by having them read Jack London's "To Build a Fire". It's a classic but still one of the best Cold Wx survival primers.

And remember the old Aleut or Inuit saying, "If your feet are cold, put on your hat"

 

[Mightydog]

Everyone was given a small Nalgene bottle, insulated cover and paracord lanyard when.issued our winter gear. Once filled, preferably with hot water, you put the insulated bottle between your insulated clothing layers with the lanyard around your neck. At night you filled it with hot water and dropped it into the foot of your sleeping bag to preheat your bag. Any other water you didn't want to freeze was buried in the snow to keep it insulated from the cold..

We didn’t have any of that fancy stuff in the 70’s early 80’s. Just the metal canteen with metal canteen cup and either field jacket with liner or if lucky a parka. Those were the days. If we were lucky we got to sleep in a 5 man tent with diesel heater. Took turns getting up at night to rap the stovepipe to keep from clogging.

 

[Atlasarmory]

Sleeping bag rated for the proper temperature is a must. Do not wear the clothes you were wearing all day in your sleeping bag when you go to bed they are full of sweat and you will freeze your azz off.

 

[fogman]

Sleeping bag rated for the proper temperature is a must. Do not wear the clothes you were wearing all day in your sleeping bag when you go to bed they are full of sweat and you will freeze your azz off.

The trick was to run around the "track" we had around camp until you were just starting to feel prickly on your back. That meant you were warm enough to start to sweat. Then you went over to your sleeping area and stripped out of all your day clothes and put on a fresh base layer, socks, balaclava and liner gloves before you got too cold. Your day clothes were stuffed between your inner and outer sleeping bag, boot liners in the inner bag with you and your boots were tucked beside you with the uppers sandwiched between your sleeping pads..

 

[Busa]

Early 80's on the poplar lick trail in the savage river state forest, it wasn't supposed to snow but by the next morning there was 6" on the ground. Still had a good time.

 

[Sampson]

Never experienced the extreme low temps like some of you. Makes me shiver just reading some of these stories

Mid 80's went squirrel hunting in Green Ridge SF. 17 degrees when we stopped at Sheetz in Hancock @ 11PM.
Slept on the ground next to the fire, no tent just a sleeping bag. and some brandy. Got mighty cold when that fire died out around 5am.

Hunted a managed hunt at Soldiers Delight a few years back in January when the high for the day was 14. Tough to sit still, but the deer were moving about.

 

[fogman]

A few pics from the trip.

Sent from my LM-Q730 using Tapatalk

 

[Pale Ryder]

Yea. In the Army. It sucked.

My idea of camping these days is in a hotel room.

This.

Two suggestions, get plenty of large size hot hands, shake them up and place at least two in your sleeping bag an hour before you plan on going to bed. Failing that get a rubber hot water bottle and use in place of the hot hands.
Second, sleep on a cot in a heavy bag.

 

[outrider58]

Yep…Graf in the winter! Love it when you wake up and your canteen is frozen solid!

I've hunted where the water bottle(room temp) I put in my pack that morning froze solid by lunch time.

I've also ice fished in Md where we had to keep our beers inside our clothes to keep them from freezing and bursting.

 

[lazarus]

I've hunted where the water bottle(room temp) I put in my pack that morning froze solid by lunch time.

I've also ice fished in Md where we had to keep our beers inside our clothes to keep them from freezing and bursting.

I remember one winter was cold enough here the potapsco froze over completely (happens every few years), but so thick my friends and I (maybe 15, 16 years old?) were throwing 25lb rocks off one of the old railroad bridges 40ft up over the river and the rocks were bouncing off the ice.

It was one of those rare times highs were in the teens for a week plus with daytime temps not getting over freezing for a week or two either side of those super cold temps. Super cold for Maryland anyway.

 

[brianns]

Cotton kills. ie: go with wool and synthetics as mentioned.

 

[outrider58]

Cotton kills. ie: go with wool and synthetics as mentioned.

Definitely. Cotton naturally makes you sweat, which cools the body down.

Wool and wool/synths rule the day. Polypropylene rules.

 

[Johnconlee]

My boys and I are staying out tonight on my mother in laws place. We heard a fox earlier now just geese in the marsh on the other side of the creek. Moon is pretty bright with the snow. We camped at home during a snow last winter, when I came home from work Tuesday my 7 year old asked to camp out so here we are. Hot tent is quickly moving from a neat idea to a need. I also like the looks of the baker type tents, I could be in my bag looking past the fire out at the patuxent river right now.

 

[hodgepodge]

Fudge! That's cold.

It builds character. But I've got character.

 

[lazarus]

Fudge! That's cold.

It builds character. But I've got character.

I’ve got a Charles Dickens novel of character.

Character building is for young people who don’t know better IMHO. That’s why you build character.

 

[Rab1515]

I feel like this disserves a place here: home built tent heater. https://hackaday.com/2022/01/06/7-tent-heater-provides-comfort-on-a-budget/