Cold weather camping

[MrAK]

I feel sorta bad as I picked up some almost new seeming Mountain Hardwear cold weather sleeping bags from another member here months ago. While out prospecting recently I slept on the roof rack of my SUV in one and was almost too hot while in boxers.

On a positive note, I used to use these liners when sleeping at hotels while working on the road. They won’t give much extra warmth but they’re easier to clean than your sleeping bag and give an extra layer of protection to your bag if you’re sleeping in regular clothes.

https://www.amazon.com/Cocoon-Travel...coon+sl&sr=8-5

A nice chocolate bar smothered with peanut butter is a good treat before bedtime.

[Irving]

I saw those liners as well, and with some of the cheap hotels I have to sleep in for work, I may pick one up anyway.

[JohnnyEgo]

If you want to swing up my way, you are welcome to borrow my JetBoil. It does exactly one thing; boil about 2 cups of water really, really fast. So if you are going to Mountain Home it, or need a quick French Press cup of coffee or a hearty oatmeal, it will get the job done quick. Otherwise, it's a bit of a one note wonder.

For hard-pack Colorado ground, I just buy the cheap nail-style stakes at pretty much anywhere, and pound them into the ground with an Engineer's hammer. My Kingdom is known to be a flight risk in high winds, I guy mine the hell down properly, and it has yet to go sailing. The nail style aren't great for loose-pack ground, though.

[Irving]

Thanks, but I should be alright with what I have.

Tent camping for muzzleloader a few weeks ago I got exactly ONE tent stake into the ground all the way. I had both the previously mentioned cheap steel that comes with every tent, and the big plastic ones Army Surplus sells. The only one I was able to pound is was the one I placed right on the center of a weed, because I knew there was probably not a rock there. Every other one hit a rock. Oh yeah, the plastic tent stakes just explode when you hit a rock.

[buffalobo]

Stay dry

Always have dry clothes to change into

Always put on dry sleeping clothes

Insulate yourself from ground

Ample room to dress without gymnastics.

Hot food, small campstoves are worth the weight/space/effort.

Be prepared to be cold at times. It's cold weather camping. The gear you need to be comfortable will change with your circumstances and experience.

Or

A compact size pop up camper mounted on your cargo trailer would be ideal.

[StagLefty]

Buffalobo gave the most important advice I was going to give "always put on dry sleeping clothes" I used to hold winter camping training in Scouts for Klondikes. I could always tell the kids who listened on the first morning by the ones who were okay in the morning and the ones who were miserable. If you wear pac boots like Sorels,take the liners out at night and put them in the bottom of your sleeping otherwise they'll freeze from the sweat in them and your feet will be miserable in a short time. I loved winter camping after learning how to do it properly.

[Gman]

Thanks, but I should be alright with what I have.

Tent camping for muzzleloader a few weeks ago I got exactly ONE tent stake into the ground all the way. I had both the previously mentioned cheap steel that comes with every tent, and the big plastic ones Army Surplus sells. The only one I was able to pound is was the one I placed right on the center of a weed, because I knew there was probably not a rock there. Every other one hit a rock. Oh yeah, the plastic tent stakes just explode when you hit a rock.

Amazon: IUME 4 Pack / 8 Pack / 10 Pack Black Heavy Duty High Strength Steel Camping Tent Stakes Peg Unbreakable and Inflexible

[Irving]

Those are at the Surplus store, I guess I'll pick some up.

[hatidua]

A good warm sleeping bag and appropriate warm clothes make a big difference. Crawling out of a bag that isn't warm enough to face a day in winter is daunting.

A large portion of my annual fishing is in the colder months and many days never make it above freezing, with many nights going below zero with waders and boots being frozen solid in the morning....not always amusing.

I use various sleeping bags and choose the bag based on it being rated for at least 20* colder than the forecast, 30* lower than the forecast doesn't hurt anything. My go-to winter bag is the MH Ghost, rated at -40* which has been ample for even winter 14'ers. For daytime activities, it's layering based on activity level. If you are active, it doesn't take much to stay warm, even at 10* but if you are sitting around, it can really take a lot of goose feathers to stay comfortable. For being active, I use a really light Patagonia down sweater under a shell. If I'm sitting around camp and it's cold, I'm wearing a Mountain Hardwear "Absolute Zero" parka.

The lower the volume of a tent (all else being equal), the warmer it's going to be when humans are in it. A really tall tent that allows for standing up contains a lot of air to warm up.

Be extremely careful if you intend to cook inside a tent. I've seen two tents essentially explode and disappear in a matter of less than 20 seconds as a result of either flames or ignited butane. In both instances the people were fairly messed up as a result.

A really warm sleeping bag is easy to unzip to cool off, but a sleeping bag that isn't rated for the conditions can only be zipped to the top and then it's just plain cold.

[Irving]

Definitely not planning on cooking in the tent. I find that once dressed and moving around, things are, generally, a lot more tolerable.