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Winter
Camping
If you enjoy hiking and
camping during the spring, summer, and fall but wonder what to do once
the snow starts falling, winter camping may be a great opportunity for
you to continue doing what you love. If you take a few
important precautions winter camping can be as warm and as fun as
camping in warmer months, and it can be easily combined with activities
like snowshoeing and backcountry skiing to make for exciting weekend or
even week-long adventures.
The two main differences between winter camping and temperate weather
camping are pretty obvious: cold and snow. Staying warm is a
big concern, but it actually isn't as difficult as you may
think. Dealing with snow is pretty painless as well, though
you'll need a four season tent, as three season tents are designed to
keep out wind and rain but will collapse if they're heavily loaded
snow. The extra support from a four season tent is definitely
worth the cost and weight.
The trick to staying warm in winter weather is the same as staying warm
in the warmer months: wear layers and stay dry. Layers will
allow you to carefully regulate your body temperature and avoid getting
too cold or too hot by adding or taking off layers. Though
you may think that getting too cold is your only problem, overheating
produces a lot of trapped sweat, which then lowers your body
temperature quickly. Getting soaked from the inside out is
just as dangerous as getting wet from the outside in; both put you
quickly at risk for hypothermia. Melted snow will also get
you wet quickly. It's important to make sure you have a good,
full-coverage ground pad that keeps you sleeping bag high and dry above
the snow beneath.
It's also important to keep hydrated while winter camping, since your
body uses a lot of water in the cold and it's easy to become dehydrated
without realizing it. Don't be tempted to eat snow instead of
drinking water; not only will it drop your core body temperature, the
energy required to melt the snow will make you more thirsty.
Finally, remember that all of the extra insulation required to stay
warm and safe while winter camping is going to be heavy, so your pack
will be heavier than it would be on an equally long summer
trip. You'll eat more too, so you'll probably want to plan
for about a third more food per person per day. These
concerns, along with slower travel through the snow, will mean your
winter expeditions won't cover quite as much ground as your summer
backpacking trips may have covered.