30+ years ago I was solo backpacking in January In Massachusetts. As the sun was going down I stripped naked and stood in the wind then put on warm dry wool. I hung the day clothes overnight to dry out the sweat. 20 years ago I was snowshoeing in northern Illinois at about -20 F. I stopped to get a drink and get some pictures. I unsnapped my down coat and watched the steam rise off my chest and frost form on my sweater. Knowing the backside was just as moist I took off the down coat for a few minutes and shook it to drive cold dry air through the barely moist down. Why am I telling you this? Cold air is dry, use it to dry your sweat damped clothes and body. Dry clothes will quickly warm you, damp clothes will slowly kill you.
Years back when I lived in New England and climbed Mt. Washington regularly (in the winter as well and during storms), I would dress extremely lightly in the winter on the mountain. I'd routinely wear summer weight liner pants/shirts under my shell gear (basically next to no insulating value on the clothing as I tend to overheat easily when moving), and that would be about it. Of course I had warm gear with me in case I got stuck/needed it. I'd be comfortable while moving, although one time I got stuck for 2 hours on a small ice ledge while ice climbing Huntington Ravine (on my knees....that was super painful), and that got a bit chilly since it was 7 degrees not including the wind chill. I remember hiking up to Harvard Cabin one time in 3 degree temps at Pinkham, in those same lightweight liner pants and long sleeve shirt (basically the insulating equivalent of spandex lol), gloves and a hat....no shell stuff or gaiters. I don't think I sweat a drop on that hike up (it basically felt like being naked in a very cool room - not cold enough to shiver, but not comfortable by any means), even with a full pack......the only way that was possible in those temps was due to no wind - a very slight breeze would go through the woods from time to time, and that was coooold. I miss that mountain.
One of the things that an old grey beard (I'm sure he was younger than I am now, given that he was a dad of one of the scouts, but...) told me as a scout back in the 80s has stuck with me. I spent my college years in Michigan's UP, winter camping throughout the Keweenaw peninsula and it proved its worth. Your base layers are less about keeping you warm than they are about keeping you from getting cold. Moving the moisture away from the body so that evaporative cooling happens at the layers and NOT on the skin is key to both comfort and survival.
When you're sleeping in a tent in your sleeping bag, your head is exposed and you actually lose body heat through your scalp. It's best to wear a soft, warm hat at night, but dress lightly inside the bag. You'll be more comfortable and warm, and not wake up sweaty in the morning.
Or get a mummy bag, the chances of me keeping a hat on at night is zero with all the tossing I do so a mummy bag is the solution for cold camping for me.
I've never used anything other than a mummy bag since I was 10 - you've got a warm layer all around you and you just pull it tight around your head. If your head gets cold, it makes your body try and heat up to compensate, then you wake up covered in sweat - not good.
@@andrewfidel2220 I do a lot of tossing from side to side, no way I could keep a hat on but can't stand mummy bags, I use conventional bag with a "blanket" over my head, what I have is an Ozark Trail fleece sleeping bag I use as my head cover, it's light weight but very warm, you can tuck it around your head/shoulders, keeps cold air from going down into the bag, and you're head can move under it. I even do this at home, works great for keeping the head warm on cool nights.
My tip, and this had made a huge difference when in snowy areas. Before getting into your tent and sleeping bag in winter, do about 20 fast deep squats. This will get your body warm, but not sweat. That residual heat from your body when going into your cold sleeping bag will make the start of your night nice and cosy.
Yep, and take of much of your clothes, many people go into the bag with a lot of clothes on and the clothes are cold.. and then the sleeping bag insulates a lot of that cold on the inside.. making you freeze more.
@@Fixdgear Yeah, enough fluid and calories are of vital importance in the cold. And another kinda hilarious thing I learned, that I never thought about before is if nature calls and you have to go.. Go.. Don't hold it in, because the body burns energy wastefully (pun intended) by keeping it warm.
I'm an experienced cold weather camper and backpacker, yet I still learned something really valuable from this video, wear my cheap frogtogs over my pricey puffy to embers from the fire dont burn even more holes in it! Thanks Dan!
A couple of thoughts: 1. If it's really cold out, maybe 20°F, avoid using a filter since the water will immediately start to freeze inside the filter. Boil the water at a rolling boil for 1 minute instead. 2. R-value demystified. This is the same rating system as the insulation in your house. Typical walls in northern states are R-38 (in Oregon, anyway). But a nice R-4 or R-6 sleeping pad will keep you toasty at night. 3. Keep batteries in your sleeping bag and pockets. Batteries don't lose power in the cold, just the chemical reaction in batteries slows waaaaaay down and they must be warmed back up to produce power. 4. Socks. At least a second pair to sleep in so your other socks can dry out in your sleeping bag overnight. Wool is best. And shoes/boots/socks that don't restrict your toes moving will allow those toes to stay warm all day. That takes care of a couple of items.
20 degrees is really cold? Those of us in the Great White North would laugh at that because you will still see people wearing shorts at that temperature up here.
Good list! To elaborate on #4, have dedicated sleep clothes (if you don't sleep in the buff). Don't reuse ANY clothes that you've already worn outside. You can use the next day's clothes, but not ones you've already worn. That said, I bring PJs and fuzzy socks, sometimes they're thermals, but they only get used for sleeping.
@@stevec3872 Ha-ha! Absolutely, you're much colder up there. We just combine our temps with rain or wet snow through air inversions--I've stood in rain at 30 or lower!
Be bold, start cold. Start cold on a backpacking trek for example. When I am setting up, I purposely pull off layers until I am mildly uncomfortable, to keep from overheating and getting sweaty. Also, a head covering is a great piece of gear to have to sleep in to preserve body warmth. Lasty, smoke follows ugly. Just saying.
Another reason you shouldn’t fill your pad up with your lungs in cold weather is because once the warm air your put in cools down the pad will need to pumped up more
My son and I went on a backpacking trip (in CO) last Thanksgiving. We noticed our destination had received 3-4 inches of snow the night before our trip began, but figured that wasn't much snow, so it shouldn't be a big deal. What we didn't think about was the wind blowing that snow into depressions and valleys along the trail. There were places we only had 2 inches of snow and places we found 12 or even 16 inches of snow. We'd left our gaiters at home and snow quickly found its way into our boots, so we had wet boots and cold feet. A planned 3-day trip turned into a hike straight back to the truck on day 2. Now we take everything we can possibly conceive of needing and make the decisions at the trailhead about what to carry along and what to leave in the truck.
Here's a tip: if you're using an air mattress in car camping, you will need to put an insulating later on top of the mattress between you and the mattress. Otherwise the cold from the ground can still get to you.
Two cold weather sleeping tips that have helped me stay warm. 1. Wear a neck gaiter 2. Bring your down parka into your sleeping bag and spread it over your chest/torso. Even if you switch to your side to sleep some, it still helps insulate you.
if it's dry, I use mine as my pillow, stuffed into an appropriately sized stuff sack. if it's been damped out due to fog & winter mix conditions, I try to wear it as dry as I can after changing my base layers. there's no way it's going to dry on its own in those conditions.
These are great tips for anybody camping in cold weather. I do like how you emphasized the need for a 'sleep-system', it was one of the things our instructors drummed into us, "never sleep directly on the ground, unless you want to be planted in it". I learned most of these tips in the Canadian Armed Forces, as an infantryman a lifetime ago. The best advice I ever got that wasn't mentioned though, was "always have multiple methods for starting a fire". Even though it's not the first thing you do when you set-up camp, you never want to rely on just one way to start a fire. Not only for the igniter, but also the tinder that will help grow a fire. My fire-kit has a Bic lighter, fire-stick, waterproof matches, a magnifying glass, cotton balls w/Vaseline, cardboard strips soaked in parafin wax,, home-made fatwood, a small container of coffee-mate, and a few small candles. All of which can be combined in a myriad of ways to create fire in a variety of adverse conditions. Practice in adverse conditions too, and like others have pointed out, do it where you're safe first, so you know when the chips are down, you're not going to freeze due to lack of fire.
Would hexamine bricks and a Ferro rod be a good option? I keep seeing surplus hexamine packs on eBay and was thinking about some of those and an esbit stove as a back up to a canister stove
@@V8DV the fire-stick in my kit is a ferro-magnesium rod, invaluable, I also have 5 more in my pack with general supplies, since I'll wear one out eventually. I haven't added hexamine tablets, but they are a good idea, especially if you want a smokeless fire.
I what try my new camping quilts out at home in the back yard in winter to see how well they keep me warm. If it's too cold I can just come inside the house. Easier to know how a quilt works before you go into the Backcountry with it.
It is a problem on a multi day hike in the cold. The clothes don't dry, so you have to put them back on wet the next day. Making a fire is, most of the time, not possible. Plus : wet clothes are heavier. It is a problem if you have a lot.
I've been blowing my lung air into my old Thermarest for 25 years. If the relative humidity is high, like 90%, your pump will be blowing wet air into your sleeping pad anyway. I have a couple cold weather tips, some of which I've learned from experience: 1. Don't get locked in your tent. The weather was a little windy and wet when I went to bed, then at 3am when I desperately had to pee, all the zippers were frozen. I might have made my escape much faster if I only had a little squirt bottle of alcohol with me. Thawing a frozen zipper with your body heat sucks at 3am when you have to pee so bad that your eyeballs are floating. 2. Don't leave your beer on ice overnight. The afternoon was sunny and relatively warm, and I like my beer ice cold, so I packed it in snow in my dish pan. The snow was melting throughout the day, and my beer was sitting in a pan of slush that evening. By morning, all my beer was locked in ice in the dish pan. I barely survived. 3. Pile snow (when available) behind the fire pit to reflect heat and act as a wind break. 4. Hang a mylar emergency blanket behind the camp chairs to reflect heat onto your back. 5. Preheat your bed with hot water bottles. 6. Don't get sloppy drunk. By all means enjoy a couple of mandatory hot toddies or hot buttered rums, but if you get too drunk, your dilated capillaries make you lose body heat. You'll get deeply chilled, and can't warm up. 7. If snowfall is possible, don't pitch your tent under a tarp, unless it is VERY steeply pitched, and you're certain it will shed the snow instead of collapsing under the weight on top of you. 8. *BEWARE OF DANGEROUS TREES.* Look up before you pitch. If snowfall is possible, the last place you wanna be is beneath some big old conifer with a limb that holds 200 pounds of wet snow before it lets go. It's much safer to pitch under deciduous trees that have lost their leaves.
There's a reason why is call relative humidity... Relative to temperature and pressure Relative humidity refers to the moisture content (i.e., water vapor) of the atmosphere, expressed as a percentage of the amount of moisture that can be retained by the atmosphere (moisture-holding capacity) at a given temperature and pressure without condensation. As temperature increases the capacity for water does. So a breath of air is 35c at 95% humidity which is about 35g of water per kg of air. If you're sleeping at night and it's cold let's say 5c, that air inside will cool down. At 5c air can only hold about 5G of water per kg of air. So since 35g is higher than 5g, that water will form condensation. BUT if you use an air pump, that air is already cold down and its relative humidity won't be above 100%. That's why you don't get condensation when you use a pump
Don't pull your bag/quilt over your head to keep your face warm. I did this thinking I'd be helping myself two ways by also exhaling warm air into the bag and heating myself up, but that air is moist which makes you wet pretty quick. I figure out my issue after a couple shivering nights.
@@veganpotterthevegan that is such a sensible solution! I camped recently in cool weather (49F) and the only thing that got cold was my face. I don't like a blanket over my face bc it makes me feel like I can't breathe. Balaclava for next time!
@@that_auntceleste5848 I don't like a blanket over my mouth but do like it over my face, trick is to learn how to fold it so it covers most of the face leaving the mouth out to breathe. I use a separate blanket just for my head, it's a light fleece blanket but very warm, I use this "trick" at home for cold nights, it works great for sleeping bags cause you can tuck the blanket around the bag opening, keeps cold air from getting inside.
Very good point about not sweating. I live in the Great Smokies area, so I simply sacrifice an entire layer of clothing climbing to the camp site, and immediately change into dry clothing at camp, knowing that the wet clothes will still be wet ( and/or frozen ) to carry out in the morning. It's just too difficult to not sweat while climbing the elevation gain that Smokies trails are known for.
If it's really cold I'll stick a Hot Hands on the underside of each wrist, usually just held in place by my long-sleeve t-shirt cuff. (Although they do make adhesive hand warmers.) I like that under-the-wrist location because the Hot Hands ends up wherever I'm cold. If I roll to my side and go fetal, my wrists lay across my chest and I sort of hug the handwarmers. If my hands end up at my sides, away from my body, the handwarmers on my wrists keep my hands warm. If I've shrugged out of my stocking cap or otherwise my face gets cold, it's easy (and natural) to put my wrists up to warm my face or ears or nose--automatically, while I doze. Anyway, for a Dollar per night, it's totally worth it to me.
They're also a lifesaver if your feet get wet in the cold. I fell off of a log into a river during a crossing on a mountain hike once. It was November and there was about 6-8 inches of snow. I still had a few hours of walking and my boots were 100% soaked through. Changing my socks would have been pointless, because the new ones would just immediately become saturated. So I took two hand warmers, popped them and tucked them into my boots over my wet socks above my toes. Kept them from going completely numb or becoming frost bitten until we got to where we were spending the night and I was able to take off my boots and dry them safely. Definitely was the right call. Even if steaming my boots in foot sweat and river water for a few hours made them stink so bad that I discarded them after the trip.
Another good location for a handwarmer is between your thighs - it will warm the blood flowing through your femoral artery and you will warm up faster in your bag
You should never put them directly on bare skin. If you always have a layer of cotton or wool between the warmer and your skin, it won't burn you. You'll feel it getting too hot and can get it out long before it will damage your skin.
My Granny always told us "Smoke follows beauty." when we complained about the smoke following one of us as we searched for a spot around the fire that was smoke free. I believed her, as there was a cousin or two that never got a face full of smoke, and it was deserved!
An important lesson I learned is to be a little more careful about deciding on a campsite when planning a cold weather trip. Just winging it works ok in fair weather and long days, but as darkness is closing in, the snow is flying, and the temp is falling, hunting around for a campsite is a bummer. And plan less ambitious hiking days!
I learned this one the hard way last winter hiking in the Smokey's. I was convinced we would find a beautiful spot at 5,000 feet. Then we got up there and it was like...Nope...blowing snow with temps in the teens. Had to hike back down a couple thousand feet before we could setup.
Oh my, I'm totally putting that tiny air pump on my wishlist. That is exactly what I didn't know I needed! Especially because (the booth of) my car is tiny, so even when weight isn't a big issue when car camping, size definitely is! Generally great tips in this video
Tip 8: Always buy an extra long sleeping bag so the bottom an be used for storage particularly for your boots (have a bag to put them in). Tip 9: Use a water bottle that can hold hot water and not leak to bring to bed at night. Makes for a great warm start and gives you safe water in the morning.
In the military, we'd first lay down visqueen as a vapor barrier, our sleeping pad over that, then both our wool blankets folded in thirds, and finally our ECW sleeping bag. Make sure to fluff the the bag well! Strip down in the bag , and keep your cloths by your feet. One camp was in -20 F, and I was almost too warm all night. In the morning, I only had a 6" melted spot under my hips. Others that didn't follow the training woke up cold, and had huge "deer beds" melted into the ground. You need about 7 times the insulation below you than above you. For car camping, I run a 1.5" neoprene pad with a wool blanket above, and then my military mountain sleeping bag. Works down to about 15 F.
Tip One: Sleep with your clothes. If you put your next day's clothes inside your sleeping bag with you (especially your base layer), you won't have to put on freezing cold clothing in the morning. Tip Two: Reflectix insoles. Some places sell them, or you can cut them yourself. Makes a world or difference. Tip Three. Wear a hat. Seriously. Yeah, I know it's what your mother/father/grandpa/aunt always said, but if you're not wearing a hat for cold weather outdoor activity, you're doin' it wrong.
Good tipps 👍🏼 I make also sure to set up the sleeping bag as early as I can, so it unfolds the fibers as good as possible. And I always make myself feel warm before I go inside. You probably won't start to feel warm if you hop in feeling cold already. And i have warm wather in a thermos bottle ready to be poored into an uninsulated bottle so it acts as a heatsource.
Really good tips! Just a couple comments. 1. Sweating is okay (and many times cannot be avoided) as long as you change your clothes to clean, dry clothes before you climb into your sleeping bag. Even if you don't believe you sweated during the day, change your clothes! 2. Sleeping pads that are closed cell foam also work very well. Adding a few layers of cardboard or paper below them helps too! I spent 15 years camping with Boy Scouts in all temps in Michigan!
Sleeping bag comfort also depends on where you come from and where you go to. Years ago I met a Jamaican lady who was wearing a thick turtleneck sweater in the middle of summer and she was freezing here in Canada, newely arrived. Ha, I told her she's gonna be in for a surprise in winter.
The water filter tip is a really good one. I never thought of that, I've also never done any cold weather camping but may do some 3rd season camping soon ish. The Thermarest pillow is amazing. It is as comfortable as a home pillow in bed. I tried different air pillows and didn't like sleeping on a balloon. That Thermarest is where it's at, I'll take the hit to weight and space for the comfort.
Dan - I've camped all my life, however last year was my first year backpacking in cold weather. I succumbed to not putting my batteries in a warm pocket with me in my hammock and top quilt. Yes, dead batteries in the morning. LOL I did remember to snuggly tuck away my water filter though!! Thanks for the insight and tips! -dave
Have not cold weather camped in years, but I always found that a decent and decently sized wool blanket has a myriad of uses. Especially when cold, damp conditions are a factor. Bit heavy but very resistant to damage from fires and brush. And if you wear it like a kilt, people point at you.
i always add 2 bottle of warm water (platypus or other) in water resistant bags (in case the bottle leak) usually one at my feet and one close to my chest. This add a lot of comfort and when you wake up you can drink the warm water (with tea or coffee) to warm you up before leaving the sleeping bag.
Useful tips for me as I'm planning to keep camping over the winter in the UK. The overheating/sweating issue is something i've noticed when actually trying to sleep. I've not done any extreme cold camping so far, but some nights down to maybe 5 C / 40 F. Expecting much colder temperatures later in the night, I shove everything on and in half an hour I'm too hot, but here's the thing - I don't realise it. I'm hot, but I feel cold, because I move and I expose a bit of my overheated, damp body to a draught or a slightly colder bit of the sleeping bag, so I snug everything in even more, and it's a vicious circle. I know the feeling now, like I'm hot and cold at the same time. So, as when setting off on a cold day, it's maybe better to feel slightly chilly and only wrap up more when it gets colder. Another thing I saw on a video - there's a tendency to put too many layers on our torso and overheat the core temperature - tops and bottoms overlap for one thing, so with 3 layers you can end up with 6 around your middle. The brain reacts to the core temperature getting too hot by trying to cool off, by sweating and opening the blood vessicles in the skin - just what you don't want. I guess in a hypothermic situation, you do everything you can to protect your core temperature, but at more normal temperatures it might be better to pay attention to head, hands and feet, lower legs, arms, etc. But I'm not sure how you avoid that doubling up on the middle other than only wearing onesies, or very short tops!
Super wet and rainy days around 3°C are the hardest to cope with. Cause its really hard to dry yourself with all this condensetion on you. Now I always bring more spare cloths than I need. A tip if you expect temperature to freeze during the night is to expect your boots to be frozen if they were wet when you went to sleep. So its a good idea to have an extra pair of small shoes / socks. Ive seen a few friends having terrible days because they started their day by putting on frozen boots.
Not a backpack camper, but a van camper which is mostly my sleeping pod. For winter I've made the back of my van into a freestanding tent using an 8x10 emergency blanket tarp held to the roof & sides by 3 pvc poles. So far it works well and provides complete privacy inside. I have a medium sized solar blanket that will power a heating pad I can use to keep my core warm which shuts off every 2 hours. Next week it'll get into the 20s at night so I'll test it some more.
If you camp in cold weather and is able to make fire. Pack some kind of tarpaulin to set up behind your back. The heat will be reflect in the tarpaulin and make you much warmer overall.
It has been my experience that companies usually use survival rating. A wiggys bag is comfort rated, but I don't know about any others. I was just out in my wiggys bag that is 20 degree rated. It was 26 degrees and I was totally comfy. I'm a cold sleeper so if I am warm then the bag is warm. Regarding layering etc also remember that you do not want cotton, anywhere anytime. The saying is "Cotton kills". Get clothing that will wick moisture away. Super important. Pillows. I use a down coat for that. When its really cold, be sure to wear a hat. Site selection is another cold issue. If you can choose a place where you can find leaves to put under your tent that is good. Also, being in the bottom of a valley vs being higher up. Choose higher up. The cold air settles. Just don't get so high you are up in the breezy areas.
Cotton can be useful for windbreaker layer. It's true you don't want cotton close to skin but it works well as outer shell with wool layers underneath.
Greetings from a fellow outdoorsman who lives in arctic climate and served in the Norwegian army at the Russian border. I would say a plain cotton t-Shirt as the first inner layer is a big NO-NO. (I have seen many use them as base layer) Cotton is terrible to say the least, at transporting moisture and for insulation purposes. Go for either thin wool, (keeps you warm even if you sweat) synthetic base-layer (transports the moisture away, can be dried on body, in really wet and cold temps its advisable to change to something dry, when done with the heaviest loads) or fishnet-like/mesh-layer to create an air-pocket between your body and the 2nd layer. 2nd layer could be a bit thicker wool or even fleece, 3rd layer could be (if needed) thin down jacket and the last shell-layer should be wind and water proof while at the same time ventilate excess heat.
Even car campers need these tips. I learned that at Yellowstone. I was greatful I had multiple layers of clothing and multiple layers of bedding. Used a summer sleeping bag zipped, a blanket I had for my dog, plus an unzipped regular sleeping bag. My dog slept at my feet under the blankets and we both stayed warm. Oh and I always put an extra tarp under my tent because it doesn't matter what season it is, the ground is cold. LOL
Good tips. Particularly, don’t believe sleeping bag temperature ratings. Though not sure that using your breath to blow up mattress is a mistake- moisture content of the trapped air makes little difference to insulation- for me anyway. Also real pillow, bulkier and heavier. Take an Inflated pillow and use the weight saved to offset taking a warm hat that you wear in bed. Good stuff. In ultra cold, could mention using a vapour barrier to stop your sweat passing through and freezing on the outer layers.
Just avoid the confusion with sleeping bags and by a US army sleep system bag. 4 hours of sleep at -40*f when used properly. My pad is a Swiss military pad. Military surplus is always well documented. I took mine into freezing rain in the mountains. Wool is also a godsend.
I’m just starting out and went for my first camp recently. Kept my phone on the tent floor over night and wondered why I hardly had any battery in the morning 😒. Won’t make that mistake again! Thanks for the tips
Good advice. Below freezing does present risks for hypothermia, but most serious cases take place around 50 degrees. Fifty and wet with exhaustion trumps most temp ratings.
And remember the wind chill effect... The temperature on the termostat is not the same as felt temperature with wind! I slept outside in a tent in -22C (-7.6F) but my sergeant said that with wind chill that day the effective felt temperature outside the tent was closer to -37C (-34F). So having a layer that breaks the wind is really important.
@@harryhumphries72 Northern Norway, way above the arctic circle during winter. But like I said, the temperature was with wind chill effect. Not the air temperature itself.
I have definitely made the sleeping bad mistake. I upgraded the bag and Now I keep a wool blanket so I don’t have the heat pulled out from under me. Keep warm and camp on. 🤙🏼
Another great video! My two cents on the subject: go pee before sleep, you don’t want to have to get out of your sleeping bag during the night get cold and then have to get warm again… and bring reusable hand warmers, they can add the little extra comfort you might need, and next day, put them in boiling water and they’re good to go again! Hope it helps! Cheers from France!
I used footwarmers once and took my shoes off and left them in my socks when I went to bed. Bad idea. Foot warmers are calibrated differently from hand warmers in terms of oxygen. So when I took my shoes off and all that new oxygen was available, they got really hot.
@@jm-bv1wh I need to experiment around with those pee funnels, try a few different ones, because it sucks so bad having to get out of the tent...and for some reason when I backpack and camp I need to pee 3x through the night whereas at home I sleep through the night. I assume it'll take a bit of time trying it out at home before I'm comfortable using a pee funnel and a bottle inside a tent in the dark ^~^'
My wife and I have used hot water bladders when camping in Idaho during the winter. Wake up a little cold, start the jetboil and toss a hot bladder in by your feet. Works like a charm
Replace whatever socks or layers you might choose to wear with clean and dry ones, before you climb into your bag. Also be sure to hydrate one hour before retiring, but empty your bladder right before bedding in.
Excellent video! When I went through the Air Force Arctic Survival Course, they told us that the Eskimos had a saying: "To sweat is to die." Since it was -30 F. in Alaska for the course, I have never forgotten that. Also, I liked your layering system. Excepting the brand names, I wore the exact same thing to the summit of Wheeler Peak, New Mexico two weeks ago, and despite the freezing temperatures (23 F. at the summit), 35 mph wind, and ankle deep snow, I was mostly warm. I always enjoy your very informative videos.
Elmendorf is still kicking strong and the damn weather changes by the hour between humid and dry due to the clouds at the elevation in the surrounding area Alaska is not always a dry cold
I don't think sweating itself is bad. You just have to have dry wool shirt to change after the excercise. Spend a winter in northern Finland in the military. Sometimes you just have to sweat.
I love your authenticity immediately dude. I'm going to do some camping with my kids in the backyard and it's a little cold and one's autistic and a lot of the things you're saying. I know this stuff but with my kids and that unique situation in mind and what bedtime routines are going to be the most advantageous in mind while listening to you go through this stuff it gives me a whole new perspective unique to the situation I'm planning.
I lol'd about the smoke, because it's like every single time out in the bush that smoke just comes after you. So funny. When I'm camping in the cold, I like to pre-warm my sleeping bag by putting a hot water bottle in about a half hour before bedtime. Also wear a toque to bed to keep your noodle warm. It helps a lot
Your body produces a back draft or eddy in the breeze. You move, the smoke moves too. Best to debark wood snd feed the fire with little wood, often. Less smoke.
I lived in Wyoming years ago and did alot of cross country skiing. In cross country its a very big deal to learn how to be a quick change artist, its essential. Start out with what you came with. After you start down your snowie trail, you start peeling off layer by layer. Then when you stop for a break, you put some of it back on, then as you go again, off it comes. Your layers have to be handy, effective and light weight. I often had a light wind beaker around my waist to slip on when I stopped. As soon as I feel my skin feel cool, and my clothes, no long steam, means my clothes are becoming dry. Then I'll put on the wind breaker until I'll start again. Your right you have to be aware of what your body is doing, and work around it.
Things that work for me: Eat a high calorie snack b4 bed, fresh thick wool socks, fresh clean tight sleeping clothes and hat. All these things together warm you from the inside out and then trap in the heat. Nothing wrong with Hand/body warmers sometimes.
I've sewed a pillow slip, one for warm and one for cold, for my blow up pillow. First it keeps the pillow from siding around and second it adds some insulation value.
Nice Tips Dan ! One thing I want to add is: A woollen blanket that packs right in your jacket or bag pocket. I have used it since I was a kid and it does wonders. You can use it as a layer or as an insulation beneath you.
Few winter sleeping tips from random stranger: You can put empty backpack over your sleeping bag's feet end to get extra insulation, usually your feet are the coldest part of the body and they are secluded far from your torso as main heat generator. You might want to put your tomorrow clothes inside your sleeping bag for the night. That way, the clothes are not stupid cold, but lukewarm. This might also apply to your water container if you cannot afford to let it freeze solid, just put it all the way to the bottom of your sleeping bag. If you got fire and extra heat inside your sleeping bag would be appreciated, wrap a stone from fireplace in some fabric and put it in the feet of sleeping bag. Thinking of this popular comment section tip - you could also do this inside your tent with more stones, without risk of ruining your sleeping bag and without possibly dirtying useful piece of fabric. Just put the stones on layer of sticks. Also a little note - you should not blow into your mat because of the humidity, thats right. I think you misconcepted the explanation though - the air humidity inside the mat dulls its insulation properties as the humid air conducts the heat better.
It doesn’t have to be freezing or below for hypothermia to be a concern. An ambient temperature of 50 degrees F is the threshold. Without proper equipment and depending on other weather conditions, even temperatures of 60 degrees F can be dangerous.
When sleeping in the cold make sure to try to go to the bathroom (number 1 or 2, or both) before you go to sleep for the night. Your body naturally keeps your urine and fecal matter warm. Therefore your body spends more energy keeping those things inside your body warm, instead of distributing that heat to other places in your body. This also applies if you wake up at 3:00 AM with the dreaded urge to pee in negative temps and meters of snow outside of your tent. As much as it sucks, you've just gotta get up, get dressed, and get it over with. You'll be way warmer throughout the night, trust me.
My biggest tip with staying warm overnight is to eat a big meal right before you sleep, preferably a slow burning carb like oatmeal or brown rice etc. Gets the internal furnace going and helps you stay warm throughout the night !
This advice is perhaps the most important and the most common one that is not taken into account when spending the night in the woods in winter. Even if you have the best sleeping bag and sleeping pad, they won't keep you warm if your body doesn't have the energy to produce heat. It is the most common mistake that novice hikers make. Of course, you need to have the right gear for cold conditions, but it's easy to imagine that gear is just about keeping you warm. The sleeping bag only acts as insulation, and the heat produced by the body actually keeps you warm.
Did a late season (November) elk trip in Wyoming and used a combination of an insulated switchback pad and insulated air pad with my Nemo 20 deg bag, stayed warm at 12deg. Great tips!
With the whole layering thing-- also wear clothing made out of the right material as well. Wool is the best for next to the skin, since it will wick moisture, and it naturally adjusts to varying temperatures. It also retains most of its insulating properties even when wet, so you won't freeze even if you are sweaty.
@@finnberglander7816 That's why I suggested it. Light weight wool is good for warmer weather or layering in cold weather, and heavier weight wool for cold weather. There's a reason why people used to wear it so much before we started making synthetic fabrics. Wool, cotton, and linen were the staple fabrics up until recently.
I loved that the first recommendation is to avoid sweating, a problem that affects also and even in a worse manners bikers. That's why, when leaving for a trip, I first get my bike totally ready with all the luggage and stuff ready to go and only then I take a bath/shower and get dressed for the ride. Same when I camp. I get my camp completely ready to sleep and then I shower and get dressed for the night with dry clothes as hoc for sleeping, not riding.
i remember the first time i camped in the cold. i slept like i normally would at home in just in short and i woke up freezing, i never made that mistake after that i even heated a bottle of water put it in my sleeping bag it helped alot
I would add bring more cloths than you normally do in case things get wet, spare socks, gloves, hat, and a fresh mid layer set to sleep in. I also really like a set of polar-guard boots after a day trudging on snowshoes.
Been backpacking for 41 years and still learning. 2 years ago I got a bag that plugs into my sleeping pad and you roll it and that pushes the air into the pad. I have asthma and this helps. But I never thought air from my lungs would make the pad colder. Also when you get a new filter system, realize cold temps can cause a problem. I was at 12,000 last October and my Katadyn 3 liter bag filter and tubes froze. The next several nites I filtered 3 liters and drained the filter and tubes.
The first time my wife and I went car camping together nearly 20 years ago we learned quickly the need for a sleeping pad. It was probably late September and temps were not that cold but we learned fast the cold ground sucks the heat out of you. I also started winter hiking for the first time since gyms were closed during the lock downs. After my first hike in the snow I returned with icicles on the brim of my hat. I thought it was cool till I watched a video (maybe one of yours??) that made it clear that I would be in trouble if I'd lost my car keys and was stranded dripping with sweat. I have since learned to layer and slow down when I am stripped down as much as I can. Thanks for the tips!!
I had a nice mummy bag backpacking in Colorado, slept on the ground, no tent mostly. One night, we're up just below the snowline...somebody is shaking me...I open it up...gale force winds. "We need help looking for the tents". A couple of them had blown away, the floors stayed because people were sleeping in them but the tops ripped off. I think, It's dark, we're on a mountainside and they are useless now. Nobody flew away in one. "No. We'll find them in the morning if anything is left" Closed that thing back up. Couldn't tell a storm was blowing...well not a storm just windy like crazy.
You might ad to that that you should keep your tent well ventilated. Might sound a little counterintuitive But nothing worse than damp gear because of condensation
There's more to add to this. If you keep the inside layer more ventilated than the outside (i.e. zip up the fly, but leave the ventilation open for the core part of the tent), you can force the condensation to form on the inside of the tent fly, instead of the living area of the tent, keeping you nice and dry. This is because condensation forms at the coldest locations, and your body keeps the tent interior slightly warmer than outside. Remember to take any gear that you don't want damp inside the tent, though, so dirty boots? Wrap them in an old T-shirt or something to keep the dirt contained and bring them inside with you! Also, if the core of the tent ever reaches the temperature of outside, dew will form in there too, so keep that in mind if you have an itching for a midnight walk.
Great video and all good points! I would add one thing and that is to put on a change of clothes when going to bed. Especially socks and underwear. I bring sweatpants, a separate sweatshirt and a hat too. Even if you don’t seem to sweat, your clothes do pick up oils and such. The drier you and your clothes are, the warmer you will be when sleeping in the cold.
I live in a cold climate and here are some tips that I can give speaking from years of experience camping in cold. 1) Cotton kills. Never ever wear cotton as first (base) layer when you are out in the cold. Best is (merino)wool, synthetic fibers work also ok, but they become smelly quickly. 2) Winter boots need to be 1 or 2 sizes larger than regular boots. More room (air) helps blood to circulate in your tows and your feet are a lot warmer. Extra air helps to insulate. 3) Eat / drink something with high calorie count before going to sleep. Good things are greasy/fatty foods, like beacon. Sweets also help. Also small amounts of alcohol. I always have small bottle of Jägermeister with me when I am going to sleep. When I get cold during the night I wake up and take mouthful of Jäeger. 4) Never exhale inside your sleeping bag. It feels good at first but then moisture builds up in your sleeping bag and you will get cold. 5) Leave one or two layers on when going inside sleeping bag. Take outer layers inside sleeping bag with you and use them for extra insulation/ or as blankets, and bedding. When you wake up in the morning you have nice warm jacket/pants to put on.
Also any damp clothing will be dry in the morning when in the sleeping bag with you. Your body heat will slowly dry things out over the course of the nite
@@kb8996 Yes, in theory you are right. Alcohol can make you more cold if you drink too much of it, that you become drunk. What you need to do is drink small amounts at a time. Alcohol is very concentrated source of energy. 1/2 can of Coca-Cola contains 70 calories. Same amount of Jaegermeister contains 448 calories and it's the large amount of calories that will help you keep warm. Moderation is the key.
Super helpful video! People should avoid cots while camping in the fall/winter! I was camping as a kid and my parents didn’t even know that. I had a terrible night, cold the entire time.
It's a good idea to do a trial run with all equipment in the expected type of conditions. I bought a quilt rated to 20 degrees, I set up my tent in a snow storm with wet sleet in my yard and tried out the quilt. I woke up shivering at 32 degrees. I bought another quilt from another company, a 10 degree quilt that many reviewers said was comfortable below zero. When I tried it out at home I was toasty all night with temps that went down to 18 degrees. Had I stuck with the first quilt or failed to try it out in the cold I would have been miserable in the snow in the Sierra Nevada Mountains at high altitude. Similarly setting up my tent in a storm showed me what was needed to keep dry, keep the tent dry as well as my gear. One lesson was to absolutely know where I had stored the stakes, to have all the adjustments pre set on the tent and to have a cover of some sort to place over my pack. a light weight clear plastic poncho works well. I had occasion on my back pack to set up in serious downpour with hail and dropping temps and was really glad I had learned how to do it.
@@franny5295 Works if your unheated house reaches the temps you will be experiencing on the trail. I crawled into a down sleeping bag in an AZ mid summer. However that wasn't to test temps, rather I was testing fit. It was claustraphobic so back it went and I went to using a quilt.
Inadequate down sleeping bag, up on Nineteen Mile Brooke trail shelter in the Whites NH..This was late summer, too. BIG NO NO. I'lll never forget how bad a night that was.
While the ground can "suck that heat right out of you", the ground can be warmer than the air. It is a problem because the sleeping bag insulation is compressed by your weight and is much less effective than the insulation above you. That 20 degree bag may only be a 50 degree where you are laying on it. Ask any hammock camper. No ground contact but they will use a underquilt or a pad to keep the bottom side warm.
I personally use a inflatable pad on a cot, while inside my sleeping bag. I sleep like a baby in a 3 season tent. No buddy heater. I’ve not tried this in below 20 f weather. But at 28 f it worked great.
short idea to note that I have been using for years. For a pillow, I use the sleeping bag storage bag - stuff sack and fill it with clean cloths/sweats until this "pillow" has the loft I want. Not rocket science but thought I would share
Depending on the weather that you are camping in, I would probably talk about the importance of bringing your boots, water source/hydration bladder, and any electronics you have with you into your tent. My first winter backpacking trip in the snow, my boots were literally frozen solid, my bladder was a block of ice, and my electronics all died cuz of the cold. Made for an extremely miserable and tedious morning, which ended up in my group missing our objective for the next day since we had to thaw out our boots over the stove. Also, keeping your boots dry is super important, once again if you dont wan't it to freeze. Between using a vapour barrier and gaiters, its an absolute game changer!
One of my best tips for cold weather camping is to take a hot water bottle with you, even in the Spring/Summer, here in the UK, the temp during the night can still drop. I fill mine with the hot water left over from my last cup of tea for the evening, by the time I get in my sleeping bag, it's really toasty and helps retain the warmth inside the bag until the morning.
Wow. RUclips hasn’t suggested you in over a year. Just clicked in this and your filming style has changed and this video quality is amazing. Beautiful imagery!
Just spent the week in Yosemite with an Outdoor Vitals Hoodie because you told me to get one. "Its fall like this and there isn't snow..." Hahaha. Still only needed my puffy (layer #4) for a short time one night. Great product thanks!!!. By the way I see you are using the same fire & smoke I was using as well. Iv'e heard it is attracted to the CO2 of your breath. One more mistake, Make sure you zip up the rain fly of the tent prior to staking it down. Haven't done that in years but in the rush to set up the tent in the rain this weekend... 😩
Good tips and many great suggestions in the comments! While I have somehow ended up with two hiking pillows in my possession (neither of which I have bought), I rarely use them, because a great insulating pillow can be made with the stuff you already have: Pull your sleeping bags stuffsack inside out (so the compression straps are now inside the bag) and stuff it with your down&puffy jacket - voila! Another thing to note is that you need REALLY good ventilation in a tent in freezing condition, otherwise the water vapor from your breath will freeze and you'll wake to a tent full of frost that could have fallen on your sleeping bag/pad, melted and made it wet.
I’m a side sleeper so I need a thick pillow. The blow up pillow works good for me, I just wear a snug winter hat while I sleep. I like space and weight saving aspects of blow up pillows as well
I’m going to try putting insul bright fabric under my pad this season. I read somewhere it’s supposed to reflect your body heat back to you and it’s like $3 a yard. Super lightweight.
Back in the day, as a Scout Leader, we did a winter camping trip to Harper’s Ferry. Unfortunately, we didn’t check the weather report and an unexpected major winter storm hit us with arctic vortex freezing temperatures and high winds. Now, my gear was pretty good, or at least I thought so. I had a North Face tent, a heavy down sleeping bag, and a Therarest inflatable sleeping pad. I thought I was good to go. The storm proved me wrong. The wind came in gusts that would violently attack my tent an suck every bit of warmth from my tent and sleeping bag and leave me shivering until my bag would gradually warm just in time for the next warmth-sucking wind gust to rob me of my comfort and sleep. The worst night ever. So, I would add 2 things to your list: 1) monitor the weather and prepare for it. And, 2) do not underestimate the power of the wind to make your live unbearable. Choose your campsite wisely so it protected from prevailing winds. Use a tarp or natural lean-to to deflect the wind. I had a decent tent, but only a rain-fly which doesn’t do diddly in the wind. These are points of camping wisdom from an Elder Hiker.
I would definitely add the importance of managing condensation vs ventilation, especially with respect to sleep system. Something warm at the beginning of the night can turn into a soggy mess by the end of the night. Another thing would be understanding how to correctly use a mylar energency blanket to reflevt heat. If you are backpacking in unpredictable conditions, it's worth the weight consideration or having a secondary thermarest with this feature, especially if you are in a valley or canyon because they create their own convection system and can get colder overnight. Mylar under your pad will reflect your body heat back and can be helpful if you find yourself in an unforcasted storm sutuation suddenly and unexpectedly colder than what you were prepared for (e.g. freak summer snow). Additionally, adding a bag liner can also help add 5°-15° to a sleeping bag and are good to have if you are in a scenario when the weather can get iffy. An emergency bivy can also be helpful, but make sure it breathes so ypu stay dry.
Remember to be extra careful to keep your down sleeping bags dry. Moisture can cause the down to collapse and you lose some if not all of the insulation value. I know hydraphobic down is better but I usually go synthetic when even the possibility of down failure can be fatal.
I use a layered sleep system, but in the last couple years I've been sleeping in a Gen 3 Level 7 extreme cold weather parka and trousers (basically a suit made out of sleeping bag) as my inner layer. The best part is when I go pee in the middle of the night I'm bringing my inner layer with me instead of freezing and bringing all that cold back to my sleeping bag
About R-Values: you can roughly calculate the R-Value or your ground insulation by just adding up those of everything you sleep on. So if you got an old but good 3-season-pad already like a thermarest self inflating one (like I do) and you don't want to invest a ton of money in a new one just to try out winter camping you just bring one or two of the good old foam mats (depending on their thickness) and put them under your pad. This was warm enough for me and also my girlfriend in slight freezing conditions. Also I had tried to put three layers of mylar or such a foamy aluminium windshield cover under or between the layered mats. I cannot say how much that does improve the whole thing as I had no intention to try without while camping in the snow but you might want to give it a try. ;-) It might also be a good idea to build a bed of twigs under sleeping site or even under you whole tent, if you have one. Speaking of tents: make sure to use one with really good ventilation, you'll have a lot of condensation and wet=cold! I'm thinking of just bringing a tarp next time and making a longfire in front of it.
Went for our first family camping trip the other day, on a beach next to the Sea of Galilee. Day temperatures are hot but we were all freezing cold at night. Got to get some decent sleeping bags for the next trip.
Quick tips after several climbing trips to the Himalayas, which means sleeping in the cold. 1. Do not worry too much about the temperature rating of the sleeping bag, if all else fails, sleep in your downsuit/jacket! I've heard of people bringing up 4-season sleeping bags to Camp 4 on Everest (to save weight) but remain toasty in them simply by NOT taking off their down insulated jackets. 2. Within the tent, try to keep the edges of your sleeping bag AWAY from the tent - put your bag/boots/clothes/whatever above your head and below your toebox to create a material barrier between the tent fabric and your sleeping bag. The cold winds from outside can dramatically lower the temperature of the tent fabric, which in turn sucks the heat right out of your sleeping bag if it's in direct contact. 3. Keep a hot water bottle in the sleeping bag for your comfort, trust me this is a life saver. Put all your damp clothes in it as well as electronics to keep from freezing and to aid drying. 4. Oh, and pee bottle. Trust me on this. The last thing you want at 3am in the morning is to wake up, put on all your clothes and step out into the cold just for a wee. Save yourself a hassle and buy a damn pee bottle. Your body has one less thing (your bladder) to keep warm, and you can even shove that pee bottle in your sleeping bag to keep you warm as well.
The Pee bottle is great, My dad spent a little over a month working and camping in Antarctica. When he got back, He was not shy about singing the pee bottles praises. Just make sure you can tell the difference between it and the regular ones.
I used pee bottles when I was in Kuwait for the army. We worked nights and had to walk to a separate trailer for the bathroom so going out into the Middle East sun would make it so hard to fall back asleep. Just remember to throw out your pee bottles every day, it doesn’t make you barracks mates happy if you have 14 pissers and y’all share a building.
Dan, I’ve been watching your videos over the past few months, but have been binge-watching your videos now that I got the Covid and my wife has asked me to isolate from her and my four kids. I thought it was awesome that you are in Wisconsin. Then I watched the video/podcast of you and the Outdoor Vitals guy where you said you used to be a youth pastor (I’m a youth pastor and have been for the last 18 years). Then I watched a video yesterday and this video today where you had stuff from Forest Springs. I grew up attending camp as a kid and worked there as a counselor and senior counselor back in the day. And my kids are starting to attend summer camp there. All that to say, thanks for what you’re doing! I love your videos. And while I’m really in to bike packing right now, since I’ve “gotten to isolate” with Covid, I’m starting to get interested in backpacking, too. So thanks for stoking that, too. Blessing Dan. And keep those videos coming!
Very cool! Yep was a youth pastor for several years. Started going to Forest Springs about 13 years ago. We go to family camp, my kids go to summer camps, and we do winter camp when we can. Where are you at?? Feel free to email me. Dan@danbeckeroutdoors.com
It is a camping law that campfire smoke will follow you no matter where you sit.. trust me… I just scientifically proved this
That code work on climbing gear?
@@AZDesertExplorer it should!
Ah, mistake #8 is not using a Solo Stove to cut down on the smoke when you are filming a good video.
I hate rabbits...that cures the smoke following issue....
Time for a Breo or Solo...lol
30+ years ago I was solo backpacking in January In Massachusetts. As the sun was going down I stripped naked and stood in the wind then put on warm dry wool. I hung the day clothes overnight to dry out the sweat.
20 years ago I was snowshoeing in northern Illinois at about -20 F. I stopped to get a drink and get some pictures. I unsnapped my down coat and watched the steam rise off my chest and frost form on my sweater. Knowing the backside was just as moist I took off the down coat for a few minutes and shook it to drive cold dry air through the barely moist down.
Why am I telling you this? Cold air is dry, use it to dry your sweat damped clothes and body. Dry clothes will quickly warm you, damp clothes will slowly kill you.
Years back when I lived in New England and climbed Mt. Washington regularly (in the winter as well and during storms), I would dress extremely lightly in the winter on the mountain. I'd routinely wear summer weight liner pants/shirts under my shell gear (basically next to no insulating value on the clothing as I tend to overheat easily when moving), and that would be about it. Of course I had warm gear with me in case I got stuck/needed it. I'd be comfortable while moving, although one time I got stuck for 2 hours on a small ice ledge while ice climbing Huntington Ravine (on my knees....that was super painful), and that got a bit chilly since it was 7 degrees not including the wind chill. I remember hiking up to Harvard Cabin one time in 3 degree temps at Pinkham, in those same lightweight liner pants and long sleeve shirt (basically the insulating equivalent of spandex lol), gloves and a hat....no shell stuff or gaiters. I don't think I sweat a drop on that hike up (it basically felt like being naked in a very cool room - not cold enough to shiver, but not comfortable by any means), even with a full pack......the only way that was possible in those temps was due to no wind - a very slight breeze would go through the woods from time to time, and that was coooold. I miss that mountain.
One of the things that an old grey beard (I'm sure he was younger than I am now, given that he was a dad of one of the scouts, but...) told me as a scout back in the 80s has stuck with me. I spent my college years in Michigan's UP, winter camping throughout the Keweenaw peninsula and it proved its worth. Your base layers are less about keeping you warm than they are about keeping you from getting cold. Moving the moisture away from the body so that evaporative cooling happens at the layers and NOT on the skin is key to both comfort and survival.
Wow!
@@ChuckCharbeneau
I'm a native Hoosier but a big UP fan. Winter camping up in the Kewaa is HARD core. Hoo raah!
Yesir.
When you're sleeping in a tent in your sleeping bag, your head is exposed and you actually lose body heat through your scalp. It's best to wear a soft, warm hat at night, but dress lightly inside the bag. You'll be more comfortable and warm, and not wake up sweaty in the morning.
Or get a mummy bag, the chances of me keeping a hat on at night is zero with all the tossing I do so a mummy bag is the solution for cold camping for me.
I've never used anything other than a mummy bag since I was 10 - you've got a warm layer all around you and you just pull it tight around your head. If your head gets cold, it makes your body try and heat up to compensate, then you wake up covered in sweat - not good.
I always sleep nacked in my sleeping bag
@@andrewfidel2220 I do a lot of tossing from side to side, no way I could keep a hat on but can't stand mummy bags, I use conventional bag with a "blanket" over my head, what I have is an Ozark Trail fleece sleeping bag I use as my head cover, it's light weight but very warm, you can tuck it around your head/shoulders, keeps cold air from going down into the bag, and you're head can move under it. I even do this at home, works great for keeping the head warm on cool nights.
Heck, I wear a knit hat to better in winter at home. It makes all the difference for a cold natured sleeper.
My tip, and this had made a huge difference when in snowy areas.
Before getting into your tent and sleeping bag in winter, do about 20 fast deep squats. This will get your body warm, but not sweat. That residual heat from your body when going into your cold sleeping bag will make the start of your night nice and cosy.
Yep, and take of much of your clothes, many people go into the bag with a lot of clothes on and the clothes are cold.. and then the sleeping bag insulates a lot of that cold on the inside.. making you freeze more.
A few army vets told me this trick.
and a spoon of peanut butter! burning calories through the night keeps you warmer
@@Fixdgear Yeah, enough fluid and calories are of vital importance in the cold. And another kinda hilarious thing I learned, that I never thought about before is if nature calls and you have to go.. Go.. Don't hold it in, because the body burns energy wastefully (pun intended) by keeping it warm.
@@spuddlingbob8724 great point
I'm an experienced cold weather camper and backpacker, yet I still learned something really valuable from this video, wear my cheap frogtogs over my pricey puffy to embers from the fire dont burn even more holes in it! Thanks Dan!
🙌🔥
I learned that coats are now called, "puffys"!
Or, embrace your inner Joseph technicolour repair tape on your puffer like I do
If embers can burn holes through it it shouldn't be expensive or for camping.
Remember COLD:
C: Keep Clean
O: Avoid Overheating (remove layers before increasing exertion)
L: Dress in Layers
D: Stay Dry
I agree but thats not how acronyms work lol
@@MrJames_Bondage Yeah, that is exactly how they work.
@@MrJames_Bondage damn, it sure is kcao(rlbie)dilsd today
A couple of thoughts:
1. If it's really cold out, maybe 20°F, avoid using a filter since the water will immediately start to freeze inside the filter. Boil the water at a rolling boil for 1 minute instead.
2. R-value demystified. This is the same rating system as the insulation in your house. Typical walls in northern states are R-38 (in Oregon, anyway). But a nice R-4 or R-6 sleeping pad will keep you toasty at night.
3. Keep batteries in your sleeping bag and pockets. Batteries don't lose power in the cold, just the chemical reaction in batteries slows waaaaaay down and they must be warmed back up to produce power.
4. Socks. At least a second pair to sleep in so your other socks can dry out in your sleeping bag overnight. Wool is best. And shoes/boots/socks that don't restrict your toes moving will allow those toes to stay warm all day.
That takes care of a couple of items.
20 degrees is really cold? Those of us in the Great White North would laugh at that because you will still see people wearing shorts at that temperature up here.
Good list! To elaborate on #4, have dedicated sleep clothes (if you don't sleep in the buff). Don't reuse ANY clothes that you've already worn outside. You can use the next day's clothes, but not ones you've already worn. That said, I bring PJs and fuzzy socks, sometimes they're thermals, but they only get used for sleeping.
@@HostileTakeover2 Good points! "Dry" is the key to staying warm.
@@stevec3872 Ha-ha! Absolutely, you're much colder up there. We just combine our temps with rain or wet snow through air inversions--I've stood in rain at 30 or lower!
Socks socks socks. Yep
Be bold, start cold. Start cold on a backpacking trek for example. When I am setting up, I purposely pull off layers until I am mildly uncomfortable, to keep from overheating and getting sweaty. Also, a head covering is a great piece of gear to have to sleep in to preserve body warmth. Lasty, smoke follows ugly. Just saying.
I was taught to sleep in only underwear. It’s brutal in the morning but it beats waking up in the morning and not being able to get warm
Exactly. Our rule is to leave camp cold. The physical exertion will warm you up faster and more than you think.
Minnesota native. Yup! Be cold until your moving.
@@americanclassicmetal7913 I always keep the next day clothes next to me in the sleeping bag. Use them to block the zipper so less breeze gets in.
I always bring a balacava with me to sleep in, super small and light way to really help keep heat in
Another reason you shouldn’t fill your pad up with your lungs in cold weather is because once the warm air your put in cools down the pad will need to pumped up more
My son and I went on a backpacking trip (in CO) last Thanksgiving. We noticed our destination had received 3-4 inches of snow the night before our trip began, but figured that wasn't much snow, so it shouldn't be a big deal. What we didn't think about was the wind blowing that snow into depressions and valleys along the trail. There were places we only had 2 inches of snow and places we found 12 or even 16 inches of snow. We'd left our gaiters at home and snow quickly found its way into our boots, so we had wet boots and cold feet. A planned 3-day trip turned into a hike straight back to the truck on day 2. Now we take everything we can possibly conceive of needing and make the decisions at the trailhead about what to carry along and what to leave in the truck.
Here's a tip: if you're using an air mattress in car camping, you will need to put an insulating later on top of the mattress between you and the mattress. Otherwise the cold from the ground can still get to you.
Put it under the mattress too..so they air bed isn't getting cold from under it.
Two cold weather sleeping tips that have helped me stay warm. 1. Wear a neck gaiter 2. Bring your down parka into your sleeping bag and spread it over your chest/torso. Even if you switch to your side to sleep some, it still helps insulate you.
I sometimes sleep in my puffy coat and down booties and can stretch the bags temperature rating considerably.
if it's dry, I use mine as my pillow, stuffed into an appropriately sized stuff sack. if it's been damped out due to fog & winter mix conditions, I try to wear it as dry as I can after changing my base layers. there's no way it's going to dry on its own in those conditions.
What’s up Dan, tips for beginners are just as important as reminders to the experienced. Good video 👍
These are great tips for anybody camping in cold weather. I do like how you emphasized the need for a 'sleep-system', it was one of the things our instructors drummed into us, "never sleep directly on the ground, unless you want to be planted in it". I learned most of these tips in the Canadian Armed Forces, as an infantryman a lifetime ago. The best advice I ever got that wasn't mentioned though, was "always have multiple methods for starting a fire".
Even though it's not the first thing you do when you set-up camp, you never want to rely on just one way to start a fire. Not only for the igniter, but also the tinder that will help grow a fire. My fire-kit has a Bic lighter, fire-stick, waterproof matches, a magnifying glass, cotton balls w/Vaseline, cardboard strips soaked in parafin wax,, home-made fatwood, a small container of coffee-mate, and a few small candles. All of which can be combined in a myriad of ways to create fire in a variety of adverse conditions. Practice in adverse conditions too, and like others have pointed out, do it where you're safe first, so you know when the chips are down, you're not going to freeze due to lack of fire.
Would hexamine bricks and a Ferro rod be a good option? I keep seeing surplus hexamine packs on eBay and was thinking about some of those and an esbit stove as a back up to a canister stove
@@V8DV the fire-stick in my kit is a ferro-magnesium rod, invaluable, I also have 5 more in my pack with general supplies, since I'll wear one out eventually.
I haven't added hexamine tablets, but they are a good idea, especially if you want a smokeless fire.
I what try my new camping quilts out at home in the back yard in winter to see how well they keep me warm. If it's too cold I can just come inside the house. Easier to know how a quilt works before you go into the Backcountry with it.
Yep, I’ve done that.
ONLY IF I do my pad straps right, my quilt works great in very cold temps UNTIL I toss and turn in my sleep. Always create air gaps…..
@@gwmtnbiker I place my puffer on the side that develops a small gap and the chill is gone.
Sweating is no problem if you change base layer when you’re done working for the night. I always put in a dry merino wool base layer when camp is set.
It is a problem on a multi day hike in the cold. The clothes don't dry, so you have to put them back on wet the next day. Making a fire is, most of the time, not possible. Plus : wet clothes are heavier. It is a problem if you have a lot.
yeah, usually you have to re wear clothes. I'd rather not put on clothes that I had soaked with sweat the previous day.
I've been blowing my lung air into my old Thermarest for 25 years. If the relative humidity is high, like 90%, your pump will be blowing wet air into your sleeping pad anyway.
I have a couple cold weather tips, some of which I've learned from experience:
1. Don't get locked in your tent. The weather was a little windy and wet when I went to bed, then at 3am when I desperately had to pee, all the zippers were frozen. I might have made my escape much faster if I only had a little squirt bottle of alcohol with me. Thawing a frozen zipper with your body heat sucks at 3am when you have to pee so bad that your eyeballs are floating.
2. Don't leave your beer on ice overnight. The afternoon was sunny and relatively warm, and I like my beer ice cold, so I packed it in snow in my dish pan. The snow was melting throughout the day, and my beer was sitting in a pan of slush that evening. By morning, all my beer was locked in ice in the dish pan. I barely survived.
3. Pile snow (when available) behind the fire pit to reflect heat and act as a wind break.
4. Hang a mylar emergency blanket behind the camp chairs to reflect heat onto your back.
5. Preheat your bed with hot water bottles.
6. Don't get sloppy drunk. By all means enjoy a couple of mandatory hot toddies or hot buttered rums, but if you get too drunk, your dilated capillaries make you lose body heat. You'll get deeply chilled, and can't warm up.
7. If snowfall is possible, don't pitch your tent under a tarp, unless it is VERY steeply pitched, and you're certain it will shed the snow instead of collapsing under the weight on top of you.
8. *BEWARE OF DANGEROUS TREES.* Look up before you pitch. If snowfall is possible, the last place you wanna be is beneath some big old conifer with a limb that holds 200 pounds of wet snow before it lets go. It's much safer to pitch under deciduous trees that have lost their leaves.
There's a reason why is call relative humidity... Relative to temperature and pressure
Relative humidity refers to the moisture content (i.e., water vapor) of the atmosphere, expressed as a percentage of the amount of moisture that can be retained by the atmosphere (moisture-holding capacity) at a given temperature and pressure without condensation.
As temperature increases the capacity for water does.
So a breath of air is 35c at 95% humidity which is about 35g of water per kg of air. If you're sleeping at night and it's cold let's say 5c, that air inside will cool down. At 5c air can only hold about 5G of water per kg of air.
So since 35g is higher than 5g, that water will form condensation.
BUT
if you use an air pump, that air is already cold down and its relative humidity won't be above 100%. That's why you don't get condensation when you use a pump
I rarely ever leave my tent to pee in cold weather. Use an old Nalgene bottle and empty it in the morning.
@wyomarine 'For safety.'
Remove label on designated 'pee bottle.'😁
Don't pull your bag/quilt over your head to keep your face warm. I did this thinking I'd be helping myself two ways by also exhaling warm air into the bag and heating myself up, but that air is moist which makes you wet pretty quick. I figure out my issue after a couple shivering nights.
Classic mistake. We’ve all done it.
Thanks for the tip. It now seems so obvious. I usually tuck my head inside the sleeping bag. Next time I'll try it your way.
@@georgelewis7154 a balaclava will make you a lot more comfortable
@@veganpotterthevegan that is such a sensible solution!
I camped recently in cool weather (49F) and the only thing that got cold was my face. I don't like a blanket over my face bc it makes me feel like I can't breathe. Balaclava for next time!
@@that_auntceleste5848 I don't like a blanket over my mouth but do like it over my face, trick is to learn how to fold it so it covers most of the face leaving the mouth out to breathe. I use a separate blanket just for my head, it's a light fleece blanket but very warm, I use this "trick" at home for cold nights, it works great for sleeping bags cause you can tuck the blanket around the bag opening, keeps cold air from getting inside.
Very good point about not sweating. I live in the Great Smokies area, so I simply sacrifice an entire layer of clothing climbing to the camp site, and immediately change into dry clothing at camp, knowing that the wet clothes will still be wet ( and/or frozen ) to carry out in the morning. It's just too difficult to not sweat while climbing the elevation gain that Smokies trails are known for.
This is where the hot flashes cease to be a curse, when everyone else is cold your on fire.
Amen sister
Or have Graves’ disease.
If it's really cold I'll stick a Hot Hands on the underside of each wrist, usually just held in place by my long-sleeve t-shirt cuff. (Although they do make adhesive hand warmers.) I like that under-the-wrist location because the Hot Hands ends up wherever I'm cold. If I roll to my side and go fetal, my wrists lay across my chest and I sort of hug the handwarmers. If my hands end up at my sides, away from my body, the handwarmers on my wrists keep my hands warm. If I've shrugged out of my stocking cap or otherwise my face gets cold, it's easy (and natural) to put my wrists up to warm my face or ears or nose--automatically, while I doze. Anyway, for a Dollar per night, it's totally worth it to me.
They're also a lifesaver if your feet get wet in the cold. I fell off of a log into a river during a crossing on a mountain hike once. It was November and there was about 6-8 inches of snow. I still had a few hours of walking and my boots were 100% soaked through. Changing my socks would have been pointless, because the new ones would just immediately become saturated. So I took two hand warmers, popped them and tucked them into my boots over my wet socks above my toes. Kept them from going completely numb or becoming frost bitten until we got to where we were spending the night and I was able to take off my boots and dry them safely. Definitely was the right call. Even if steaming my boots in foot sweat and river water for a few hours made them stink so bad that I discarded them after the trip.
Another good location for a handwarmer is between your thighs - it will warm the blood flowing through your femoral artery and you will warm up faster in your bag
Just be careful to not let them get trapped somewhere too tight. They can cause some pretty serious burns
You should never put them directly on bare skin. If you always have a layer of cotton or wool between the warmer and your skin, it won't burn you. You'll feel it getting too hot and can get it out long before it will damage your skin.
My Granny always told us "Smoke follows beauty." when we complained about the smoke following one of us as we searched for a spot around the fire that was smoke free. I believed her, as there was a cousin or two that never got a face full of smoke, and it was deserved!
An important lesson I learned is to be a little more careful about deciding on a campsite when planning a cold weather trip. Just winging it works ok in fair weather and long days, but as darkness is closing in, the snow is flying, and the temp is falling, hunting around for a campsite is a bummer. And plan less ambitious hiking days!
I learned this one the hard way last winter hiking in the Smokey's. I was convinced we would find a beautiful spot at 5,000 feet. Then we got up there and it was like...Nope...blowing snow with temps in the teens. Had to hike back down a couple thousand feet before we could setup.
Right! setting up in the dark (which comes sooner) is less fun.
Oh my, I'm totally putting that tiny air pump on my wishlist. That is exactly what I didn't know I needed! Especially because (the booth of) my car is tiny, so even when weight isn't a big issue when car camping, size definitely is! Generally great tips in this video
Tip 8: Always buy an extra long sleeping bag so the bottom an be used for storage particularly for your boots (have a bag to put them in). Tip 9: Use a water bottle that can hold hot water and not leak to bring to bed at night. Makes for a great warm start and gives you safe water in the morning.
Tip 10: use an inexpensive 55° sleeping bag as a liner to save you from having to buy a dedicated winter bag
Tip#1 hydrate .
cold and higher elevation increases the rate of evaporation, you will dehydrate faster
In the military, we'd first lay down visqueen as a vapor barrier, our sleeping pad over that, then both our wool blankets folded in thirds, and finally our ECW sleeping bag. Make sure to fluff the the bag well! Strip down in the bag , and keep your cloths by your feet. One camp was in -20 F, and I was almost too warm all night. In the morning, I only had a 6" melted spot under my hips. Others that didn't follow the training woke up cold, and had huge "deer beds" melted into the ground. You need about 7 times the insulation below you than above you. For car camping, I run a 1.5" neoprene pad with a wool blanket above, and then my military mountain sleeping bag. Works down to about 15 F.
During the winter I feel like the best is to make yourself a quinzhee. The problem is it takes a lot of time.
Tip One: Sleep with your clothes. If you put your next day's clothes inside your sleeping bag with you (especially your base layer), you won't have to put on freezing cold clothing in the morning.
Tip Two: Reflectix insoles. Some places sell them, or you can cut them yourself. Makes a world or difference.
Tip Three. Wear a hat. Seriously. Yeah, I know it's what your mother/father/grandpa/aunt always said, but if you're not wearing a hat for cold weather outdoor activity, you're doin' it wrong.
Good tipps 👍🏼 I make also sure to set up the sleeping bag as early as I can, so it unfolds the fibers as good as possible.
And I always make myself feel warm before I go inside. You probably won't start to feel warm if you hop in feeling cold already.
And i have warm wather in a thermos bottle ready to be poored into an uninsulated bottle so it acts as a heatsource.
Really good tips! Just a couple comments. 1. Sweating is okay (and many times cannot be avoided) as long as you change your clothes to clean, dry clothes before you climb into your sleeping bag. Even if you don't believe you sweated during the day, change your clothes! 2. Sleeping pads that are closed cell foam also work very well. Adding a few layers of cardboard or paper below them helps too! I spent 15 years camping with Boy Scouts in all temps in Michigan!
Sleeping bag comfort also depends on where you come from and where you go to. Years ago I met a Jamaican lady who was wearing a thick turtleneck sweater in the middle of summer and she was freezing here in Canada, newely arrived. Ha, I told her she's gonna be in for a surprise in winter.
You need a "Left -Handed Smoke Shifter". In Boy Scouts we always carried one.
The water filter tip is a really good one. I never thought of that, I've also never done any cold weather camping but may do some 3rd season camping soon ish.
The Thermarest pillow is amazing. It is as comfortable as a home pillow in bed. I tried different air pillows and didn't like sleeping on a balloon. That Thermarest is where it's at, I'll take the hit to weight and space for the comfort.
Dan - I've camped all my life, however last year was my first year backpacking in cold weather. I succumbed to not putting my batteries in a warm pocket with me in my hammock and top quilt. Yes, dead batteries in the morning. LOL I did remember to snuggly tuck away my water filter though!! Thanks for the insight and tips! -dave
Thanks Dave!
Yup! Even phones! I often slept with my electronics and all batteries near my abdomen to not wake up to dead phone.
Have not cold weather camped in years, but I always found that a decent and decently sized wool blanket has a myriad of uses. Especially when cold, damp conditions are a factor. Bit heavy but very resistant to damage from fires and brush. And if you wear it like a kilt, people point at you.
i always add 2 bottle of warm water (platypus or other) in water resistant bags (in case the bottle leak) usually one at my feet and one close to my chest. This add a lot of comfort and when you wake up you can drink the warm water (with tea or coffee) to warm you up before leaving the sleeping bag.
Useful tips for me as I'm planning to keep camping over the winter in the UK. The overheating/sweating issue is something i've noticed when actually trying to sleep. I've not done any extreme cold camping so far, but some nights down to maybe 5 C / 40 F. Expecting much colder temperatures later in the night, I shove everything on and in half an hour I'm too hot, but here's the thing - I don't realise it. I'm hot, but I feel cold, because I move and I expose a bit of my overheated, damp body to a draught or a slightly colder bit of the sleeping bag, so I snug everything in even more, and it's a vicious circle. I know the feeling now, like I'm hot and cold at the same time. So, as when setting off on a cold day, it's maybe better to feel slightly chilly and only wrap up more when it gets colder.
Another thing I saw on a video - there's a tendency to put too many layers on our torso and overheat the core temperature - tops and bottoms overlap for one thing, so with 3 layers you can end up with 6 around your middle. The brain reacts to the core temperature getting too hot by trying to cool off, by sweating and opening the blood vessicles in the skin - just what you don't want. I guess in a hypothermic situation, you do everything you can to protect your core temperature, but at more normal temperatures it might be better to pay attention to head, hands and feet, lower legs, arms, etc. But I'm not sure how you avoid that doubling up on the middle other than only wearing onesies, or very short tops!
Super wet and rainy days around 3°C are the hardest to cope with. Cause its really hard to dry yourself with all this condensetion on you. Now I always bring more spare cloths than I need.
A tip if you expect temperature to freeze during the night is to expect your boots to be frozen if they were wet when you went to sleep. So its a good idea to have an extra pair of small shoes / socks. Ive seen a few friends having terrible days because they started their day by putting on frozen boots.
Not a backpack camper, but a van camper which is mostly my sleeping pod. For winter I've made the back of my van into a freestanding tent using an 8x10 emergency blanket tarp held to the roof & sides by 3 pvc poles. So far it works well and provides complete privacy inside. I have a medium sized solar blanket that will power a heating pad I can use to keep my core warm which shuts off every 2 hours. Next week it'll get into the 20s at night so I'll test it some more.
If you camp in cold weather and is able to make fire. Pack some kind of tarpaulin to set up behind your back. The heat will be reflect in the tarpaulin and make you much warmer overall.
It has been my experience that companies usually use survival rating. A wiggys bag is comfort rated, but I don't know about any others. I was just out in my wiggys bag that is 20 degree rated. It was 26 degrees and I was totally comfy. I'm a cold sleeper so if I am warm then the bag is warm.
Regarding layering etc also remember that you do not want cotton, anywhere anytime. The saying is "Cotton kills". Get clothing that will wick moisture away. Super important.
Pillows. I use a down coat for that. When its really cold, be sure to wear a hat.
Site selection is another cold issue. If you can choose a place where you can find leaves to put under your tent that is good. Also, being in the bottom of a valley vs being higher up. Choose higher up. The cold air settles. Just don't get so high you are up in the breezy areas.
Cotton can be useful for windbreaker layer. It's true you don't want cotton close to skin but it works well as outer shell with wool layers underneath.
Greetings from a fellow outdoorsman who lives in arctic climate and served in the Norwegian army at the Russian border.
I would say a plain cotton t-Shirt as the first inner layer is a big NO-NO. (I have seen many use them as base layer) Cotton is terrible to say the least, at transporting moisture and for insulation purposes. Go for either thin wool, (keeps you warm even if you sweat) synthetic base-layer (transports the moisture away, can be dried on body, in really wet and cold temps its advisable to change to something dry, when done with the heaviest loads) or fishnet-like/mesh-layer to create an air-pocket between your body and the 2nd layer. 2nd layer could be a bit thicker wool or even fleece, 3rd layer could be (if needed) thin down jacket and the last shell-layer should be wind and water proof while at the same time ventilate excess heat.
Even car campers need these tips. I learned that at Yellowstone. I was greatful I had multiple layers of clothing and multiple layers of bedding. Used a summer sleeping bag zipped, a blanket I had for my dog, plus an unzipped regular sleeping bag. My dog slept at my feet under the blankets and we both stayed warm. Oh and I always put an extra tarp under my tent because it doesn't matter what season it is, the ground is cold. LOL
Framing houses in Oklahoma winter, when it's icy and snowy, I stuff hand warmers in the toes of my work boots. Works amazingly well.
Good tips. Particularly, don’t believe sleeping bag temperature ratings. Though not sure that using your breath to blow up mattress is a mistake- moisture content of the trapped air makes little difference to insulation- for me anyway. Also real pillow, bulkier and heavier. Take an Inflated pillow and use the weight saved to offset taking a warm hat that you wear in bed. Good stuff. In ultra cold, could mention using a vapour barrier to stop your sweat passing through and freezing on the outer layers.
Just avoid the confusion with sleeping bags and by a US army sleep system bag. 4 hours of sleep at -40*f when used properly. My pad is a Swiss military pad. Military surplus is always well documented. I took mine into freezing rain in the mountains. Wool is also a godsend.
I’m just starting out and went for my first camp recently. Kept my phone on the tent floor over night and wondered why I hardly had any battery in the morning 😒. Won’t make that mistake again! Thanks for the tips
Good advice. Below freezing does present risks for hypothermia, but most serious cases take place around 50 degrees. Fifty and wet with exhaustion trumps most temp ratings.
And remember the wind chill effect... The temperature on the termostat is not the same as felt temperature with wind! I slept outside in a tent in -22C (-7.6F) but my sergeant said that with wind chill that day the effective felt temperature outside the tent was closer to -37C (-34F). So having a layer that breaks the wind is really important.
Bro Antarctica is -57c , where Tf u been camping
@@harryhumphries72 Northern Norway, way above the arctic circle during winter. But like I said, the temperature was with wind chill effect. Not the air temperature itself.
I have definitely made the sleeping bad mistake. I upgraded the bag and Now I keep a wool blanket so I don’t have the heat pulled out from under me.
Keep warm and camp on. 🤙🏼
Another great video! My two cents on the subject: go pee before sleep, you don’t want to have to get out of your sleeping bag during the night get cold and then have to get warm again… and bring reusable hand warmers, they can add the little extra comfort you might need, and next day, put them in boiling water and they’re good to go again! Hope it helps! Cheers from France!
I used footwarmers once and took my shoes off and left them in my socks when I went to bed. Bad idea. Foot warmers are calibrated differently from hand warmers in terms of oxygen. So when I took my shoes off and all that new oxygen was available, they got really hot.
Put a pee bottle in your tent. Lightweight Nalgene wide-mouth bottle works best. I've never had to leave my tent to pee.
@@jm-bv1wh I need to experiment around with those pee funnels, try a few different ones, because it sucks so bad having to get out of the tent...and for some reason when I backpack and camp I need to pee 3x through the night whereas at home I sleep through the night. I assume it'll take a bit of time trying it out at home before I'm comfortable using a pee funnel and a bottle inside a tent in the dark ^~^'
My wife and I have used hot water bladders when camping in Idaho during the winter. Wake up a little cold, start the jetboil and toss a hot bladder in by your feet. Works like a charm
Use your pee bottle as the hot water bottle. Don’t let that heat go easily.
Replace whatever socks or layers you might choose to wear with clean and dry ones, before you climb into your bag. Also be sure to hydrate one hour before retiring, but empty your bladder right before bedding in.
Excellent video! When I went through the Air Force Arctic Survival Course, they told us that the Eskimos had a saying: "To sweat is to die." Since it was -30 F. in Alaska for the course, I have never forgotten that. Also, I liked your layering system. Excepting the brand names, I wore the exact same thing to the summit of Wheeler Peak, New Mexico two weeks ago, and despite the freezing temperatures (23 F. at the summit), 35 mph wind, and ankle deep snow, I was mostly warm. I always enjoy your very informative videos.
Elmendorf is still kicking strong and the damn weather changes by the hour between humid and dry due to the clouds at the elevation in the surrounding area
Alaska is not always a dry cold
I don't think sweating itself is bad. You just have to have dry wool shirt to change after the excercise. Spend a winter in northern Finland in the military. Sometimes you just have to sweat.
I love your authenticity immediately dude.
I'm going to do some camping with my kids in the backyard and it's a little cold and one's autistic and a lot of the things you're saying. I know this stuff but with my kids and that unique situation in mind and what bedtime routines are going to be the most advantageous in mind while listening to you go through this stuff it gives me a whole new perspective unique to the situation I'm planning.
I lol'd about the smoke, because it's like every single time out in the bush that smoke just comes after you. So funny. When I'm camping in the cold, I like to pre-warm my sleeping bag by putting a hot water bottle in about a half hour before bedtime. Also wear a toque to bed to keep your noodle warm. It helps a lot
Your body produces a back draft or eddy in the breeze. You move, the smoke moves too.
Best to debark wood snd feed the fire with little wood, often. Less smoke.
It looks like he's the Devil reporting from the very depths of hell, surrounded by smoking brimstone. It does not inspire trust!!
I lived in Wyoming years ago and did alot of cross country skiing. In cross country its a very big deal to learn how to be a quick change artist, its essential. Start out with what you came with. After you start down your snowie trail, you start peeling off layer by layer. Then when you stop for a break, you put some of it back on, then as you go again, off it comes. Your layers have to be handy, effective and light weight. I often had a light wind beaker around my waist to slip on when I stopped. As soon as I feel my skin feel cool, and my clothes, no long steam, means my clothes are becoming dry. Then I'll put on the wind breaker until I'll start again.
Your right you have to be aware of what your body is doing, and work around it.
arm pit zippers are a great feature on outer layers
Things that work for me: Eat a high calorie snack b4 bed, fresh thick wool socks, fresh clean tight sleeping clothes and hat. All these things together warm you from the inside out and then trap in the heat. Nothing wrong with Hand/body warmers sometimes.
I've sewed a pillow slip, one for warm and one for cold, for my blow up pillow. First it keeps the pillow from siding around and second it adds some insulation value.
Nice Tips Dan ! One thing I want to add is: A woollen blanket that packs right in your jacket or bag pocket. I have used it since I was a kid and it does wonders. You can use it as a layer or as an insulation beneath you.
Few winter sleeping tips from random stranger:
You can put empty backpack over your sleeping bag's feet end to get extra insulation, usually your feet are the coldest part of the body and they are secluded far from your torso as main heat generator.
You might want to put your tomorrow clothes inside your sleeping bag for the night. That way, the clothes are not stupid cold, but lukewarm. This might also apply to your water container if you cannot afford to let it freeze solid, just put it all the way to the bottom of your sleeping bag.
If you got fire and extra heat inside your sleeping bag would be appreciated, wrap a stone from fireplace in some fabric and put it in the feet of sleeping bag. Thinking of this popular comment section tip - you could also do this inside your tent with more stones, without risk of ruining your sleeping bag and without possibly dirtying useful piece of fabric. Just put the stones on layer of sticks.
Also a little note - you should not blow into your mat because of the humidity, thats right. I think you misconcepted the explanation though - the air humidity inside the mat dulls its insulation properties as the humid air conducts the heat better.
Pee bottle rolled down towards your feet in the middle of the night. 🤗
Change your socks before you go to bed. That way you are not wearing sweaty socks that could get cold during the night.
It doesn’t have to be freezing or below for hypothermia to be a concern. An ambient temperature of 50 degrees F is the threshold. Without proper equipment and depending on other weather conditions, even temperatures of 60 degrees F can be dangerous.
When sleeping in the cold make sure to try to go to the bathroom (number 1 or 2, or both) before you go to sleep for the night. Your body naturally keeps your urine and fecal matter warm. Therefore your body spends more energy keeping those things inside your body warm, instead of distributing that heat to other places in your body. This also applies if you wake up at 3:00 AM with the dreaded urge to pee in negative temps and meters of snow outside of your tent. As much as it sucks, you've just gotta get up, get dressed, and get it over with. You'll be way warmer throughout the night, trust me.
😮👍
Need a collapsible urine container so you can stay in the tent. Much more convenient for winter camping.
pine needles and leaves under your tent/ pad can help insulate you from the ground + it makes the ground a little more comfortable
My biggest tip with staying warm overnight is to eat a big meal right before you sleep, preferably a slow burning carb like oatmeal or brown rice etc. Gets the internal furnace going and helps you stay warm throughout the night !
Hot sauce
This advice is perhaps the most important and the most common one that is not taken into account when spending the night in the woods in winter. Even if you have the best sleeping bag and sleeping pad, they won't keep you warm if your body doesn't have the energy to produce heat. It is the most common mistake that novice hikers make. Of course, you need to have the right gear for cold conditions, but it's easy to imagine that gear is just about keeping you warm. The sleeping bag only acts as insulation, and the heat produced by the body actually keeps you warm.
Did a late season (November) elk trip in Wyoming and used a combination of an insulated switchback pad and insulated air pad with my Nemo 20 deg bag, stayed warm at 12deg. Great tips!
With the whole layering thing-- also wear clothing made out of the right material as well. Wool is the best for next to the skin, since it will wick moisture, and it naturally adjusts to varying temperatures. It also retains most of its insulating properties even when wet, so you won't freeze even if you are sweaty.
I've found wool to be more comfortable over a broader range of temperatures than any other material.
@@finnberglander7816 That's why I suggested it. Light weight wool is good for warmer weather or layering in cold weather, and heavier weight wool for cold weather. There's a reason why people used to wear it so much before we started making synthetic fabrics. Wool, cotton, and linen were the staple fabrics up until recently.
can't stand wool! Never used it for camping. Other materials worked best for me, but I guess that's just personal.
"Plenty of blankets below - he'd been told. But Tommy knew better - and so he got cold." Wisdom from the 1918 edition of "Scouting for Boys."
I loved that the first recommendation is to avoid sweating, a problem that affects also and even in a worse manners bikers. That's why, when leaving for a trip, I first get my bike totally ready with all the luggage and stuff ready to go and only then I take a bath/shower and get dressed for the ride. Same when I camp. I get my camp completely ready to sleep and then I shower and get dressed for the night with dry clothes as hoc for sleeping, not riding.
i remember the first time i camped in the cold. i slept like i normally would at home in just in short and i woke up freezing, i never made that mistake after that i even heated a bottle of water put it in my sleeping bag it helped alot
I would add bring more cloths than you normally do in case things get wet, spare socks, gloves, hat, and a fresh mid layer set to sleep in. I also really like a set of polar-guard boots after a day trudging on snowshoes.
Been backpacking for 41 years and still learning. 2 years ago I got a bag that plugs into my sleeping pad and you roll it and that pushes the air into the pad. I have asthma and this helps. But I never thought air from my lungs would make the pad colder.
Also when you get a new filter system, realize cold temps can cause a problem. I was at 12,000 last October and my Katadyn 3 liter bag filter and tubes froze. The next several nites I filtered 3 liters and drained the filter and tubes.
The first time my wife and I went car camping together nearly 20 years ago we learned quickly the need for a sleeping pad. It was probably late September and temps were not that cold but we learned fast the cold ground sucks the heat out of you. I also started winter hiking for the first time since gyms were closed during the lock downs. After my first hike in the snow I returned with icicles on the brim of my hat. I thought it was cool till I watched a video (maybe one of yours??) that made it clear that I would be in trouble if I'd lost my car keys and was stranded dripping with sweat. I have since learned to layer and slow down when I am stripped down as much as I can. Thanks for the tips!!
I had a nice mummy bag backpacking in Colorado, slept on the ground, no tent mostly. One night, we're up just below the snowline...somebody is shaking me...I open it up...gale force winds.
"We need help looking for the tents". A couple of them had blown away, the floors stayed because people were sleeping in them but the tops ripped off.
I think, It's dark, we're on a mountainside and they are useless now. Nobody flew away in one.
"No. We'll find them in the morning if anything is left" Closed that thing back up. Couldn't tell a storm was blowing...well not a storm just windy like crazy.
You might ad to that that you should keep your tent well ventilated.
Might sound a little counterintuitive
But nothing worse than damp gear because of condensation
There's more to add to this. If you keep the inside layer more ventilated than the outside (i.e. zip up the fly, but leave the ventilation open for the core part of the tent), you can force the condensation to form on the inside of the tent fly, instead of the living area of the tent, keeping you nice and dry. This is because condensation forms at the coldest locations, and your body keeps the tent interior slightly warmer than outside.
Remember to take any gear that you don't want damp inside the tent, though, so dirty boots? Wrap them in an old T-shirt or something to keep the dirt contained and bring them inside with you!
Also, if the core of the tent ever reaches the temperature of outside, dew will form in there too, so keep that in mind if you have an itching for a midnight walk.
Great video and all good points! I would add one thing and that is to put on a change of clothes when going to bed. Especially socks and underwear. I bring sweatpants, a separate sweatshirt and a hat too. Even if you don’t seem to sweat, your clothes do pick up oils and such. The drier you and your clothes are, the warmer you will be when sleeping in the cold.
I live in a cold climate and here are some tips that I can give speaking from years of experience camping in cold.
1) Cotton kills. Never ever wear cotton as first (base) layer when you are out in the cold. Best is (merino)wool, synthetic fibers work also ok, but they become smelly quickly.
2) Winter boots need to be 1 or 2 sizes larger than regular boots. More room (air) helps blood to circulate in your tows and your feet are a lot warmer. Extra air helps to insulate.
3) Eat / drink something with high calorie count before going to sleep. Good things are greasy/fatty foods, like beacon. Sweets also help. Also small amounts of alcohol. I always have small bottle of Jägermeister with me when I am going to sleep. When I get cold during the night I wake up and take mouthful of Jäeger.
4) Never exhale inside your sleeping bag. It feels good at first but then moisture builds up in your sleeping bag and you will get cold.
5) Leave one or two layers on when going inside sleeping bag. Take outer layers inside sleeping bag with you and use them for extra insulation/ or as blankets, and bedding. When you wake up in the morning you have nice warm jacket/pants to put on.
Also any damp clothing will be dry in the morning when in the sleeping bag with you. Your body heat will slowly dry things out over the course of the nite
I disagree with #3. Alcohol brings your blood cells closer to the outer layer of your skin, which in turn will make you more cold.
@@kb8996 Yes, in theory you are right. Alcohol can make you more cold if you drink too much of it, that you become drunk. What you need to do is drink small amounts at a time. Alcohol is very concentrated source of energy. 1/2 can of Coca-Cola contains 70 calories. Same amount of Jaegermeister contains 448 calories and it's the large amount of calories that will help you keep warm. Moderation is the key.
Super helpful video! People should avoid cots while camping in the fall/winter! I was camping as a kid and my parents didn’t even know that. I had a terrible night, cold the entire time.
R-6.2! I'm pretty sure that pad has more insulation than my 1950's house😆
Seriously! I had no idea it even goes that high! Maybe there is a furnace built into it
Love the geese in the background! Nothin else screams FALL in southern Canada/Northern USA like migrating geese!
It's a good idea to do a trial run with all equipment in the expected type of conditions. I bought a quilt rated to 20 degrees, I set up my tent in a snow storm with wet sleet in my yard and tried out the quilt. I woke up shivering at 32 degrees. I bought another quilt from another company, a 10 degree quilt that many reviewers said was comfortable below zero. When I tried it out at home I was toasty all night with temps that went down to 18 degrees. Had I stuck with the first quilt or failed to try it out in the cold I would have been miserable in the snow in the Sierra Nevada Mountains at high altitude. Similarly setting up my tent in a storm showed me what was needed to keep dry, keep the tent dry as well as my gear. One lesson was to absolutely know where I had stored the stakes, to have all the adjustments pre set on the tent and to have a cover of some sort to place over my pack. a light weight clear plastic poncho works well. I had occasion on my back pack to set up in serious downpour with hail and dropping temps and was really glad I had learned how to do it.
I wasn't bold enough to do that lol. I just turned the heat off in the house...
@@franny5295 Works if your unheated house reaches the temps you will be experiencing on the trail. I crawled into a down sleeping bag in an AZ mid summer. However that wasn't to test temps, rather I was testing fit. It was claustraphobic so back it went and I went to using a quilt.
Inadequate down sleeping bag, up on Nineteen Mile Brooke trail shelter in the Whites NH..This was late summer, too. BIG NO NO. I'lll never forget how bad a night that was.
While the ground can "suck that heat right out of you", the ground can be warmer than the air. It is a problem because the sleeping bag insulation is compressed by your weight and is much less effective than the insulation above you. That 20 degree bag may only be a 50 degree where you are laying on it. Ask any hammock camper. No ground contact but they will use a underquilt or a pad to keep the bottom side warm.
looks like both airflow (under the hammock) and the ground are heatsinks
I personally use a inflatable pad on a cot, while inside my sleeping bag. I sleep like a baby in a 3 season tent. No buddy heater. I’ve not tried this in below 20 f weather. But at 28 f it worked great.
short idea to note that I have been using for years. For a pillow, I use the sleeping bag storage bag - stuff sack and fill it with clean cloths/sweats until this "pillow" has the loft I want. Not rocket science but thought I would share
camper-science.
Depending on the weather that you are camping in, I would probably talk about the importance of bringing your boots, water source/hydration bladder, and any electronics you have with you into your tent. My first winter backpacking trip in the snow, my boots were literally frozen solid, my bladder was a block of ice, and my electronics all died cuz of the cold. Made for an extremely miserable and tedious morning, which ended up in my group missing our objective for the next day since we had to thaw out our boots over the stove. Also, keeping your boots dry is super important, once again if you dont wan't it to freeze. Between using a vapour barrier and gaiters, its an absolute game changer!
“Not having the embers on my nice coat” as the camp fire engulfs your jacket. Lol also didn’t know that about the sleeping bags. Thank you.
One of my best tips for cold weather camping is to take a hot water bottle with you, even in the Spring/Summer, here in the UK, the temp during the night can still drop. I fill mine with the hot water left over from my last cup of tea for the evening, by the time I get in my sleeping bag, it's really toasty and helps retain the warmth inside the bag until the morning.
I've used my army canteen bottle. Just saves on bag space. Two pairs of wool socks.
You can also use it to pee in the middle of the night, and then snuggle with it.
@@garki1369 Actually, not a bad idea. Just remember what's in it before you make tea in the morning!
@@davidcox3076 Lolol! Otherwise it’s “pee tea”
Wow. RUclips hasn’t suggested you in over a year. Just clicked in this and your filming style has changed and this video quality is amazing. Beautiful imagery!
Just spent the week in Yosemite with an Outdoor Vitals Hoodie because you told me to get one. "Its fall like this and there isn't snow..." Hahaha. Still only needed my puffy (layer #4) for a short time one night. Great product thanks!!!. By the way I see you are using the same fire & smoke I was using as well. Iv'e heard it is attracted to the CO2 of your breath. One more mistake, Make sure you zip up the rain fly of the tent prior to staking it down. Haven't done that in years but in the rush to set up the tent in the rain this weekend... 😩
Good tips and many great suggestions in the comments!
While I have somehow ended up with two hiking pillows in my possession (neither of which I have bought), I rarely use them, because a great insulating pillow can be made with the stuff you already have: Pull your sleeping bags stuffsack inside out (so the compression straps are now inside the bag) and stuff it with your down&puffy jacket - voila!
Another thing to note is that you need REALLY good ventilation in a tent in freezing condition, otherwise the water vapor from your breath will freeze and you'll wake to a tent full of frost that could have fallen on your sleeping bag/pad, melted and made it wet.
I always sleep with my boots in my sleeping system, as frozen footwear is the last thing you need in the morning
I’m a side sleeper so I need a thick pillow. The blow up pillow works good for me, I just wear a snug winter hat while I sleep. I like space and weight saving aspects of blow up pillows as well
I’m going to try putting insul bright fabric under my pad this season. I read somewhere it’s supposed to reflect your body heat back to you and it’s like $3 a yard. Super lightweight.
Back in the day, as a Scout Leader, we did a winter camping trip to Harper’s Ferry. Unfortunately, we didn’t check the weather report and an unexpected major winter storm hit us with arctic vortex freezing temperatures and high winds. Now, my gear was pretty good, or at least I thought so. I had a North Face tent, a heavy down sleeping bag, and a Therarest inflatable sleeping pad. I thought I was good to go. The storm proved me wrong. The wind came in gusts that would violently attack my tent an suck every bit of warmth from my tent and sleeping bag and leave me shivering until my bag would gradually warm just in time for the next warmth-sucking wind gust to rob me of my comfort and sleep. The worst night ever. So, I would add 2 things to your list: 1) monitor the weather and prepare for it. And, 2) do not underestimate the power of the wind to make your live unbearable. Choose your campsite wisely so it protected from prevailing winds. Use a tarp or natural lean-to to deflect the wind. I had a decent tent, but only a rain-fly which doesn’t do diddly in the wind. These are points of camping wisdom from an Elder Hiker.
goretex bivy over sleeping bag
I would definitely add the importance of managing condensation vs ventilation, especially with respect to sleep system. Something warm at the beginning of the night can turn into a soggy mess by the end of the night. Another thing would be understanding how to correctly use a mylar energency blanket to reflevt heat. If you are backpacking in unpredictable conditions, it's worth the weight consideration or having a secondary thermarest with this feature, especially if you are in a valley or canyon because they create their own convection system and can get colder overnight. Mylar under your pad will reflect your body heat back and can be helpful if you find yourself in an unforcasted storm sutuation suddenly and unexpectedly colder than what you were prepared for (e.g. freak summer snow). Additionally, adding a bag liner can also help add 5°-15° to a sleeping bag and are good to have if you are in a scenario when the weather can get iffy. An emergency bivy can also be helpful, but make sure it breathes so ypu stay dry.
I was wondering about reflection to protect heat, Mylar under your pad, could also be over one or lining a tent.
Remember to be extra careful to keep your down sleeping bags dry. Moisture can cause the down to collapse and you lose some if not all of the insulation value. I know hydraphobic down is better but I usually go synthetic when even the possibility of down failure can be fatal.
I use a layered sleep system, but in the last couple years I've been sleeping in a Gen 3 Level 7 extreme cold weather parka and trousers (basically a suit made out of sleeping bag) as my inner layer. The best part is when I go pee in the middle of the night I'm bringing my inner layer with me instead of freezing and bringing all that cold back to my sleeping bag
...great idea, love that!! 💖 Hope they make one for the ladies too??? 😮😁🤗 )0(
About R-Values: you can roughly calculate the R-Value or your ground insulation by just adding up those of everything you sleep on.
So if you got an old but good 3-season-pad already like a thermarest self inflating one (like I do) and you don't want to invest a ton of money in a new one just to try out winter camping you just bring one or two of the good old foam mats (depending on their thickness) and put them under your pad. This was warm enough for me and also my girlfriend in slight freezing conditions.
Also I had tried to put three layers of mylar or such a foamy aluminium windshield cover under or between the layered mats. I cannot say how much that does improve the whole thing as I had no intention to try without while camping in the snow but you might want to give it a try. ;-)
It might also be a good idea to build a bed of twigs under sleeping site or even under you whole tent, if you have one.
Speaking of tents: make sure to use one with really good ventilation, you'll have a lot of condensation and wet=cold!
I'm thinking of just bringing a tarp next time and making a longfire in front of it.
Went for our first family camping trip the other day, on a beach next to the Sea of Galilee. Day temperatures are hot but we were all freezing cold at night. Got to get some decent sleeping bags for the next trip.
Quick tips after several climbing trips to the Himalayas, which means sleeping in the cold.
1. Do not worry too much about the temperature rating of the sleeping bag, if all else fails, sleep in your downsuit/jacket! I've heard of people bringing up 4-season sleeping bags to Camp 4 on Everest (to save weight) but remain toasty in them simply by NOT taking off their down insulated jackets.
2. Within the tent, try to keep the edges of your sleeping bag AWAY from the tent - put your bag/boots/clothes/whatever above your head and below your toebox to create a material barrier between the tent fabric and your sleeping bag. The cold winds from outside can dramatically lower the temperature of the tent fabric, which in turn sucks the heat right out of your sleeping bag if it's in direct contact.
3. Keep a hot water bottle in the sleeping bag for your comfort, trust me this is a life saver. Put all your damp clothes in it as well as electronics to keep from freezing and to aid drying.
4. Oh, and pee bottle. Trust me on this. The last thing you want at 3am in the morning is to wake up, put on all your clothes and step out into the cold just for a wee. Save yourself a hassle and buy a damn pee bottle. Your body has one less thing (your bladder) to keep warm, and you can even shove that pee bottle in your sleeping bag to keep you warm as well.
The Pee bottle is great, My dad spent a little over a month working and camping in Antarctica. When he got back, He was not shy about singing the pee bottles praises. Just make sure you can tell the difference between it and the regular ones.
I used pee bottles when I was in Kuwait for the army. We worked nights and had to walk to a separate trailer for the bathroom so going out into the Middle East sun would make it so hard to fall back asleep. Just remember to throw out your pee bottles every day, it doesn’t make you barracks mates happy if you have 14 pissers and y’all share a building.
A tip from the instructors at the Marine Corps MWTC, “if it’s cold, cotton is rotten.”
Dan, I’ve been watching your videos over the past few months, but have been binge-watching your videos now that I got the Covid and my wife has asked me to isolate from her and my four kids. I thought it was awesome that you are in Wisconsin. Then I watched the video/podcast of you and the Outdoor Vitals guy where you said you used to be a youth pastor (I’m a youth pastor and have been for the last 18 years). Then I watched a video yesterday and this video today where you had stuff from Forest Springs. I grew up attending camp as a kid and worked there as a counselor and senior counselor back in the day. And my kids are starting to attend summer camp there. All that to say, thanks for what you’re doing! I love your videos. And while I’m really in to bike packing right now, since I’ve “gotten to isolate” with Covid, I’m starting to get interested in backpacking, too. So thanks for stoking that, too. Blessing Dan. And keep those videos coming!
Very cool! Yep was a youth pastor for several years. Started going to Forest Springs about 13 years ago. We go to family camp, my kids go to summer camps, and we do winter camp when we can. Where are you at?? Feel free to email me. Dan@danbeckeroutdoors.com