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Thread: Winter camping ideas

  1. #1

    Default Winter camping ideas

    Hi, could anyone care to share some winter shelter options/tent suggestions for camping in cold environment? Which is better in terms of insulation, size, durability and weather conditions? Thanks!


  2. #2
    Senior Member hunter63's Avatar
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  3. #3

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    Go to Youtube, put in the search box winter camping.....there are a great many videos with lots of awesome information...JoeRobinet, Shug, Sintax77 are just some

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    So, this is the primitive skills section.... do you want info on a primitive winter shelter? You mentioned tents... not very primitive.

    Here is a Swedish brand tent that is well reviewed for extreme winter conditions.
    http://us.hilleberg.com/EN/
    http://us.hilleberg.com/EN/contact/dealers.php
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  5. #5

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    For over a period of 20 years, I've done many winter long-hunting trips while out at the cabin [not so much as of late - getting old sucks].. There were times I would only see the cabin upon arrival and final departure....most often for a week at a time, sometimes the entire 2 week hunting season.



    If primitive, you will need to think a "super shelter" type lean-to...one with solid back and roof, a medium height ceiling, wind-breaking sides and a semi-closed front because you also need to be able to heat it [and then regulate it] so that closure can't be too too robust.

    You need to be elevated off the ground [IMO, not less than 6"] and provide robust insulation between the ground and you.

    You need to keep dry above all else...rain, sleet and snow cannot be allowed to get to you. At the same time, your breathing and natural perspiration will create water vapor inside your shelter. You need to be able to mitigate that. You need to shed any wet or damp clothing and you can get sweated up quickly. You do NOT want to camp in the immediate vicinity of standing or running water. At my cabin, the air temp is often a solid 10-15 degrees colder within 30 yards of the running creek and this creek is big - much of it on the property is 20-30' across and an much of it is up to 6' deep. It almost reminds you of a canal....but it's a 'fast' creek that moves a LOT of water quickly and that brings a draft that adds to the already lower temps.

    You need to keep a decent supply of body-temperature drinking water [or slightly cooler than body temp] to hydrate because yes - you can dehydrate in the winter as or more easily than in the dead of summer.

    You need to think about carbs and calories - and I suggest you triple what you might normally intake. Winter camping is very tough on the body. Everything's harder to accomplish....you're padded up in layers of clothing which adds bulk, which translates to extra weight to your body......and just hiking to get firewood in the snow takes 3 times longer / is 3 times harder to accomplish [if the snow is say, 6-8" deep]. It's worse when it's even deeper. Cutting, chopping or batonning frozen [or near-frozen] wood is also 3 times harder than normal...adding to the dilemma of perspiration and also calorie/carb requirements.

    ....but it's fun as Hell and I wouldn't give it up for anything.
    Last edited by druid; 03-01-2016 at 04:52 AM.
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  6. #6

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    I agree with druid. If you enter winter without preparing for it the other three seasons (Building a Passamaquoddy style Bushcamp or Sami/Cree Style Earth Lodge) a fire dependent lean-to type shelter with a long fire built tightly to last is a probably the most efficient investment of calorie expenditure. Be sure to choose an area that can support a high fire wood consumption rate. You can actually do the ecology of an area a favor by choosing a location that is choked with dead and dying understory. Only thing I would add is to be careful of root fires once the fire thaws and dries the ground. Big issue in Spruce/Fir country. Have a blast. Winter is pretty flippin magical.

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