Cold weather camping

Pat Mustard

Cold weather camping is about keeping warm, dry and comfortable while camping out in cold weather. In that regard, I thought that I might look at gear, food, drink, and other things.

There is a Norwegian saying: "There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing." With regard to wild camping, it’s not just the clothing, it’s the gear and the preparation also.

The weather forecast should be checked beforehand. If it’s expected to be 2 degrees celcius, there may be frost. If the temperature is expected to drop to minus 10 degrees celcius with a possibility of snow, further preparation is required. Also, it should be borne in mind is that it can be significantly colder on top of a mountain than it will be at sea level.


GEAR

Hammock and tarp:

People who sleep in hammocks in cold weather will have a layer of cold air beneath them, which will make the experience a colder one than sleeping in a tent on a sleeping mat, all other things being equal. Hammocks and tarps cannot offer the same protection from the elements that a good tent can.


Tent:

The tent that is brought should be able to stand up to the circumstances and the weather. It should be lightweight enough to carry, waterproof enough to keep out the rain, strong enough to stand up to the wind, well ventilated enough to prevent build up of condensation, and if it snows, the tent should not collapse under the weight. If your tent isn’t capable of standing up to the conditions, it’s not going to be a good trip, in cold weather.

If you are going to camp on the side of a mountain, you may need a proper mountain tent. Even reasonably good tents can get mangled by the high winds on mountains. A festival tent from a supermarket has an even smaller chance, under severe conditions.

If you are not camping on the side of a mountain, and if your campsite is sheltered from the wind, you would hope to be okay with a half-decent, well ventilated, reasonably sturdy, waterproof tent.

Vents should be kept open in tents in order to prevent build up of condensation.


Sleeping mat:

In cold weather, the sleeping mat should be the best one that you can bring. A sleeping mat is essential, especially considering that the underside of your sleeping bag will be compressed by your bodyweight, reducing its insulation value.

If the sleeping mat is not of good quality, you may be able to compensate for this by adding improvised insulation underneath you. In this regard, you could use your waterproofs and spare clothes etc (assuming that they are dry).


Sleeping bag:

The object here is not just survival. The object should be to keep warm enough to sleep comfortably through the night.

A warm sleeping bag should be brought for cold weather camping. It is also possible for people to use effective layering with a colder sleeping bag, in order to keep warm enough.

Down is an extremely effective insulator. Down sleeping bags can be packed small, so they take up less space in your rucksack. They are more expensive than bags with synthetic fillings, often costing hundreds of euros. When down becomes wet, it loses much of its insulation value and it will take longer to dry, compared to synthetic bags.

The sleeping bag should be appropriate to your height. If you are 5’6’’ and if you have a 6’6’’ sleeping bag, you will have a pocket of cold air at the bottom of your sleeping bag. This is not ideal.

Sleeping bags have several temperature ratings. Many brands follow the European Standard EN 13537:
http://www.lightwave.uk.com/articles/temperature-ratings
Upper limit: The highest temperature at which a standard adult male is deemed to have a comfortable night’s sleep without excessive sweating.
Comfort Limit: Temperature at which a standard adult female can have a comfortable night’s sleep.
Lower Comfort limit: The lowest temperature at which a standard adult male can have a comfortable night’s sleep.
Extreme limit: A survival rating only for a standard adult female. After eight hours, hypothermia may start to set in.

I’ve read that men sleep warmer than women, hence the references in the temperature ratings.

I tend to pay most attention to the comfort limit. Also, I prefer to err on the side of warmth, because it is always possible to zip open the side of the sleeping bag if you are too warm. However, it is much harder to compensate for a sleeping bag that is not warm enough.

In order to be on the safe side, it should be expected that manufacturers may exaggerate the temperature ratings on their sleeping bags, perhaps by ten degrees celcius or more. This should be borne in mind when selecting a sleeping bag in the first place.

If you plan on going camping in -10 celcius temperatures and if your sleeping bag has a comfort rating of minus -15, if you take account of exaggeration of temperature ratings, you might consider the bag as being more realistically effective to maybe minus five degrees celcius, so maybe you should also bring a sleeping bag liner, thermal underwear, balaclava, a blanket, and putting another layer of insulation underneath your sleeping mat – whatever you have that will work.


Waterproof outerwear:

Waterproof, breathable outerwear keep you dry until you are ready to retire to your tent. It’s important to keep dry in order to keep warm and comfortable. I would tend to recommend proper GoreTex jackets and overtrousers. GoreTex is waterproof and breathable. GoreTex gloves may also be useful.


Warm clothes:

In cold weather, it is important to use layers of clothing. As you become warmer or colder, you can add or remove layers. It must also be remembered that the insulation value of clothes will diminish when wet. Some materials are more susceptible to this than others.

Cotton absorbs moisture. People wear cotton during the summer, to keep cool. This cooling effect is the reason that cotton is unsuitable for winter use. Because cotton absorbs sweat, I think that it should be avoided for strenuous activity such as hillwalking, climbing, etc.

Wool is very warm. Wool retains much of its insulation properties, even when wet. When it becomes wet, wool dries quickly. Fleece is also warm. It is perhaps not as warm as wool, but dries very quickly. Fleece is lighter than wool. Fleece can melt in a fire.

Getting to a remote campsite can be strenuous, and can build up a sweat. Sweaty clothes should not be slept in, especially in cold temperatures. The sweat will absorb heat from your body. A fresh change of clothes should be used for sleeping.

Warm clothes to consider; thermal or base layer, woollen sweater, woollen hat, 2 X fleece jackets, buff or scarf, woollen socks, thermal underwear. Also, a balaclava or ski mask is useful for keeping your head and face warm at night. Gloves should be brought.

Synthetic materials such as polyester may have wicking properties, but will not be as warm as fleece or wool.


FOOD & DRINK

Clothes insulate you, but your body is the furnace that heats you in the first place. It burns food. When you are out in the cold, it is important to eat correctly and regularly enough, in order to maintain body heat. I think that this is especially true when you are camping in cold weather, because if you don’t keep warm enough, you won’t have a good night’s sleep.

My understanding is that high protein food will burn more slowly over a long period of time. Therefore, you may want to consider cooking and eating foods such as meats and beans as your last meal of the day. These high protein foods should burn a long time and keep you warm as you sleep during the night. If you don’t eat these foods, you may be woken with the cold during the night. Protein gives off energy of 4 calories/ gram.

Fats are the most calorie dense foods, at 9 calories/gram. Fats burn slowly, releasing energy over a long period. This is good for cold weather camping. Fats require more water to break down. Cheese and many types of nuts are high in fats.

Carbohydrates release energy quickly, which should be borne in mind if you need to heat up quickly. Approx 4 calories/gram.

The food needs to be transportable. Eggs and some types of fruit and vegetables may be crushed in your rucksack. Cheese, tinned food/soups, and Meals Ready to Eat (MREs) should be fine. Chocolate can also be brought, being generally high in fat and carbohydrate.

Depending on how cold it is, how long you are out in the cold, and your overall activity levels, your calorific requirements may go up. I’m just going to post some links on this rather than say much on a topic of which I have only a basic understanding. I would prefer to err on the side of caution and bring plenty of food and drinks, rather than the other way around.

It should be borne in mind that the very high calorific requirements described in the links assume that that the main activity is backpacking; i.e. carrying maybe 10kg or 15kg of gear around for the entire day. In Ireland, there are far fewer remote areas than huge countries like Australia or the United States, so there is less scope for walking around in the wild for a whole day. On that basis, I am inclined to suppose that the calorific requirements in the links are higher than would be needed in Ireland.

http://www.getoutdoors.com/go/golearn/86
http://sectionhiker.com/winter-backpacking-food/
http://www.uaf.edu/files/acep/GalenaNuclear.M.Yoder%5B1%5D.pdf
http://www.princeton.edu/~oa/winter/wintcamp.shtml#Food


Water:

The amount of water that will be required will be approx 2.1 litres per day for a 70kg man. During hot weather and during exercise, this requirement may increase threefold*. It is important to avoid dehydration. Dehydration reduces resistance to cold and increases risk of hypothermia.


Hot drinks:

I find Nescafe sachets of white coffee with sugar are handy – just add hot water. You might want to keep an eye on the caffeine intake in the cold, as it is a diuretic, which tends to cause dehydration. Sachets of hot chocolate can be bought individually. I never know whether soup is a food or a drink, but hot soup is great when out in the cold. All of the above can be got in a supermarket like Tesco.


Alcohol:

Alcohol is a diuretic, which tends to cause dehydration, leading to reduced resistance to cold and increased risk of hypothermia, apart from an increased chance of having to get up in the middle of the night. Alcohol is also a vasodilator, leading to increased peripheral heat loss. Therefore, it’s a good idea to keep a check on alcohol intake. http://www.princeton.edu/~oa/safety/hypocold.shtml


Tobacco/nicotine:

Vasocontrictor. Increases risk of frostbite, apparently. That said, I can’t remember when I last heard of somebody getting frostbite in Ireland. Probably not a major risk.


That's all for now, but it should be enough to start.


*"Mountaincraft and Leadership", Eric Langmuir, Third Ed. (Revised), p.100.

silverharp

not much to add but a few additional points, it gets dark early so unless you have loads of time on your hands you might likely be doing things in the dark, still walking,setting up camp etc. so my advice bring a bigger torch then you might use in the summer.
Another factor with winter temperatures is wind chill, 4C in a forest on Oct is not the same as 4C on a mountain in Jan, throw in the dark and it can be very slow doing small motor skills stuff so have your kit as organised as possible as its much more likely that you will lose kit, have something blow away and the like

Another multi use piece of equipment is a smartphone with a backup battery charger, I picked up an X4 charger in Maplins for under 40 euros last year and its proving useful. I can watch a movie and let the phone charge overnight. It goes without saying (I hope) that ye should have some sort of Viewranger type app up and running, it wouldnt be right to make it any more difficult for mountain rescue to find you in the unlikely event.

Carawaystick

Angelhair pasta is handy, it cooks quick and bulks up soup.
Herbal teabags give a bit of flavour to water if you need to boil it to make it safe

Dried fruit and nut mixes are available in your local german discount supermarket, dried fruit has sugar, nuts have protein and fat.

Ranulph Fiennes praises dates as a handy snack he used crossing Antartica.

If there's a prevailing wind, sitting out in the lee of your tent is much better than sitting in the wind...

If you need to melt snow for water, take it slowly until there's a layer of water at the base of your pan, otherwise you might burn the arse out of it, where it is dry
You'll also need a lot more than a pot of snow for a pot of water....

Regarding fabric, I understood most fleece is made of polyester.