winter camping help?

Question

can anyone recommend any specific clothing or brands for winter camping?

Answer 1

It helps to back up a bit and talk about some different stuff.

Protecting yourself from cold is done two ways:

You can generate heat. This is from eating, exercising, and staying hydrated. Don't overlook this part!

You can insulate heat. This is where clothing comes in, obviously, as well as your shelter, your sleep gear, and everything else that preserves the heat you have created with the metabolic processes of eating, drinking, and burning calories through exercise.

The best clothing for staying warm is dressing in layers for daytime clothing. It helps to understand that the best insulation (in houses too) is made of tiny air pockets that catch warm air and hold it between the cold and your body heat.

The more layers, the more places for air to get trapped. You can also shuck or add layers to get just the right amount of protection. This will keep you from sweating in something too warm and then getting cold from the moisture on your skin. The way you layer is important too. Thin stuff goes underneath, poofy stuff goes on top so you don't squish the air pockets...

Fabrics should be synthetic for the most part. Natural fibers that are good are wool and silk, and really that is about it. These fibers wick moisture away from you, instead of trapping it next to you. They also tend to either work in spite of being wet, or dry quickly, or both. NO cotton because if you get wet or start to perspire, it takes forever to dry out...and hypothermia will set in.

Don't underestimate sweat in the wintertime. If you are playing hard, even in the winter, you will start to perspire. This is the body's cooling system, remember, and it is wetness that can get trapped on your skin and cause you to get cold.

moosie is right, pantyhose are great! It's not a cross dressing thing, plenty of men are out there wearing them when they are camping in the winter. Nylon of all types is an excellent fabric for outdoors. There is breathable, waterproof, rugged, and delicate. They even have silicone impregnated nylon that is ultralight, very thin yet durable fabric for outdoor use.

If you tend to feel restricted in sleeves, don't forget the purpose of a vest, as an outer layer or closer to your body. Vests are for protecting your core...chest and abdomen (vital organs). This is the last part of your body to shut down in shock or hypothermia because the body is trying to spare the extremities to save it, and as such, it is the most important area of the body to keep warm.

Top everything off with layers that are waterproof and windproof. Good raingear will be both. It is extra warmth and will keep you from getting wet which, as you know, dramatically decreases body temperature. Wind does the same thing. If you get wet on a windy day in the winter, just start digging a hole and lay down in it. You will be dead soon and someone will be able to just stroll by and kick dirt back on you.

Also remember warm socks, boots, and keep a hat on your head. Protect your lungs by breathing warmer air through a scarf or similar piece.

I won't give you a sample outfit, just suffice to say follow these principles, and layer lightest weight to heaviest weight. And, as I said, poofy on top if it is waterproof, otherwise cover it with a waterproof layer only.

Sleeping clothes...there is debate on. I would recommend sleeping naked in your bag, other people say layer up. Back to the principle of air pockets...if you carry a big poofy sleeping bag and then layer your clothes the sleeping bag can't do its job...it was designed to use your own body heat as a way to heat the air around you. So, in effect with heavy clothes on, you are insulating yourself FROM your sleeping bag. I have camped in winter down to 18 degrees F (clear night, no wind) and I was only wearing long johns and bra and panties (couldn't go down any further)...in a zero deg synthetic bag, and I was toasty warm...and I sleep very cold. I can use a zero bag until April in TX that is how cold I get.

Sleeping bags. There is debate how to choose one. First, the temp rating on a sleeping bag is almost always a survival rating. not a comfort rating. So if you sleep cold, boost the temp rating of your sleeping bag by 10-15 degrees.

You want to fill your bag mostly with yourself, so get a bag that fits your body well without being too tight...too tight means you are squishing the insulation from the inside out. You will have gaps in your bag, such as behind the knees, women's curve at the hips, and around your feet and neck. Stuff these cold spots gently with clothing to create still more air pockets to hold warm air next to you.

Synthetic sleep gear, like clothing, should be kept dry. Down bags are known for being easy to pack, lightweight, but they are hard to clean, and if they get wet they are useless. Synthetics tend to be cheaper, retain heat when wet, but they pack bulkier and run heavier weight. So choose well according to your conditions. You can protect any sleeping bag, and boost it's warmth, with a bivy sack which is an outer waterproof liner.

Recognize the signs of hypothermia. Read up on it elsewhere, for me, I will just remind you that confusion and disorientation are common for hypothermia.

Last thing I will tell you is have an emergency plan if anyone gets too cold. This could be a lot of different things.

Firewood, and know how to make and keep fire.

Plastic to burrito wrap in with your sleeping bag, this holds in a lot of heat to warm you up fast.

Warm, high fat, high sugar, high carb foods and liquids and plenty of water. Lots of winter campers drink hot jello for protein, there is also hot chocolate and melt 1 stick of butter in per quart.

Proper shelter. Out of the wind, no water puddling, plenty of dried leaves etc underneath you is natural insulation. Use a good mattress as well. Those air pockets are everywhere, now that you know how it works!

Pee through the night even if you don't want to get out of your warm bed...and don't let yourself get dehydrated to keep from having to use the bathroom. Don't try to wait it out until morning. If the urine is in your body, you will waste energy trying to keep IT warm when it could be warming up something else...like the rest of your core. You can pee IN something with a little practice, like a jar or a zipper bag, and set it outside your sleeping bag and dump it in the morning. I have even done this as a female (a large zipper bag for better chance of a good aim). It isn't too hard but you do have to practice.

Much more info than you asked for. Stay warm out there, and have FUN! Remember camping rules are different, much less pride in a lot of areas than when you are in the real world. So pee in a bag and wear those pantyhose if it gets the job done.

Answer 2

When camping in the winter, the main objective is to stay warm AND dry. This means stay as warm as possible WITHOUT sweating. To accomplish this, you need at least two pairs of clothes in case your first pair gets wet (for example, you fall in a stream). You also need to think in layers, so that you can remove and ad them as needed. I would wear thermal underwhere, with a shirt and jeans on top (jeans only needed if in rough country) and then ski pants or something along those lines to keep your jeans dry, and multi-layer jackets. You need at least a light sweater, then a medium to heavy jacket. Cabelas.com has jackets that are actually two in one, you can remove the really heavy jacket and still have a lighter, water/windproof jacket.

Also, you need to have a beanie to keep your head warm, and if you're in the snow, insulated, waterproof boots are a must (if they're new, wear them for a week or so before you go to break them in).

Answer 3

I usually dress with three layers: base layer, insulation layer, and outer shell.

The base layer should be a moisture wicking material that wicks sweat or water away from your skin. Polypropylene top and longjohns are my choice for this layer.

The 2nd layer, the insulation, needs to be able to trap dead air, even if it gets wet. Wool pants and a wool sweater are my choice for this layer.

The last layer needs to be able to block wind and snow/rain from penetrating. A nylon raincoat and rainpants are my choice for this last layer.

Extremities: wool socks (several pair!) & winter boots; wool gloves; and a good hat.

One thing concerning winter clothing: do not wear cotton. When cotton gets wet, it loses all of its insulating value.

I also obtained at least half of my winter camping clothing at thrift stores; aka your winter camping clothing doesn't have to cost a fortune to keep you toasty warm.

Answer 4

lot of long drawn out answers here! Don't think to many people who answered have every camped in the winter. I'm talking sleeping here, The first thing you need is the best sleeping bag with the lowest temp rating, mine is rated to 40 below, second thing you need believe it or not is not to wear any clothes at all! Have hunted in the U.P of Michigan alot so I know what I'm talking about. Just to fight boredom I slept out in the open on my deck last week with the temp dropping to 5 below. Try it tonight. Try my way tonight, then try the dressing in layers tomorrow. See who's right.

Answer 5

temps and weather conditions are the main factor on what to have. Here in alaska I layer, starting with good wicking undergarments then 2 wool long sleave shirts, 1 med 1 heavy, wool will keep u warm when wet, then a good mediam waterproof windbraker with hood.
Keeping dry is the main object. When u r working open up jacket and/or remove excess clothing. when u cool down replace.
TAKE EXTRA! You can always take it off , but if U dont have it U cant put it on!

Answer 6

My favorite Outdoor clothing brand is Columbia...check them out at http://www.columbia.com/. Their clothing is worth the money...warm, durable, and fashionable. I baught a down coat for Duck Hunting in Eastern Oregon when I was 18 (I am now 28), and I use that coat for all my winter activities to include winter camping and skiing in Colorado.

As far as sleeping goes I have to agree with Richard. the less amount of clothing you wear the warmer you will be in your "Fart Sack". I love my sleeping bag it is rated at -40 degrees, but it is quite expensive at over 400 bucks through http://www.uscav.com/Productinfo.aspx?productID=5727&TabID=1&CatID=64 i am glad the army gave me mine

Answer 7

lots of clean dry EXTRA clean dry warm clothes including socks and extra shoes too. sweat pants and sweat shirts are great and the brand wont matter when your cold. bug repellent. FOOD water of course. um....thats just about it. OOO I almost forgot a nice warm beanie (sock hat) yes dont forget that and wind breaker with hood to go over the beanie. gloves if you have them if you forget them you can use socks over your hands. have fun.

Answer 8

wear clothes from thinnest layer to thickest and if their is snow where something waterproof like jacket, pants, boots and do not overdress which will cause you to sweat making you take off your jacket or clothing which then causes you to be very cold and possibly hypothermia

Answer 9

The North Face

Answer 10

wool lots of wool undergarments. Brands? Northface is good just depends on what your gonna do and how cold wil it be.

Answer 11

well you have to stay warm so your body stays at 98.6 degrees farenheit so i reccommend at least 3 t shirts or 1 or more jackets