Most of us do not find precise and complete winter camping guide information online . Here we have tried to provide accurate and precise guiding for the camping lovers . Camping in the winter is probably the best time to camp. Fewer people, fewer bugs, most of the animals hibernating, we mean is there a better and more peaceful time to camp? You tell me.
Before going camping, you have to make sure you have the proper gear and food necessary for winter camping. Therefore, let us break down the rules and regulations while winter camping.
Rule #1: Finding the perfect spot
There won’t be cabins and cottage houses for staying in the wild. You will need to own a tent, and you have to set it up on your own. Setting it up anywhere is not ideal and finding the perfect spot might be a tricky part as, during winter, the entire forest is covered in snow. We suggest you to follow below instructions for your spots finding in winter camping:
- Firstly, try to find a solid spot near some trees and rocks, as they will protect you from strong wind blows.
- Secondly, try to stay close to the water resources, especially at river side and pond side.
- If you have chosen to camp in the jungle, you must set up your tent high from the ground. It will help you from attack from insects as well as snakes and other animals as well .
- If you stay close to the riverside, please make sure you are staying in high from the water level, otherwise you may face flooding problem .
- However, avoid spots near trees where the trees are unstable or damaged and the tree’s limbs are broken down, as they are natural hazards that might be a potential danger in the future.
- Choose a spot a bit far from other campers, as that way you will have some privacy.
Rule #2: Avalanche spots
Avalanches are swift flows of snow in a massive amount down a slope in such as snowy mountains. They can be triggered spontaneously due to snowpack weakening or external factors such as humans and animals. Being trapped under an avalanche is about a life and death moment. Try to avoid spots near high snowy mountains or places where there are signs of possible avalanches. Make sure to carry avalanche safety equipment in case you are traveling through an avalanche territory.
- Avalanche Transceivers: It emits a signal to other transceivers so that when someone is buried under an avalanche, rescuers can pinpoint their location using the transceiver.
- Snow Shovel: It can be used to dig out of the avalanche in case you are trapped underneath one. You can also use that shovel to dig out snow for boiling and turning it into fresh water, and also to make a trench near your campsite.
Rule #3: Setting up camp
Once you’ve found a suitable place for setting up your tent, make sure to perform several tests around the area before pitching a tent. Let’s list them up.
- Use a winter camping tent instead of a three season tent as winter camping tent has well-built poles for snow gathering and has sturdier fabric for gust resistance.
- Walk on the spot and stomp to make sure the space chosen is a solid one and has no empty space down there.
- Jump around on your skis to make a proper dense base.
- Build a snow wall to protect your tent from heavy wind.
- Choose a spot where there will be plenty of sunlight, as that will help you to warm up faster in the morning.
After the following steps are completed, then you are free to pitch your tent on the prepared spot. Make sure there is a water source nearby, or you may have to melt huge amounts of snow for water.
Rule #4: Wielding the essentials gears
When trying to buy the tent and other materials required for winter camping, there can be tons and tons of products. You need to carefully choose the right ones out of the infinite options.
- Choosing a tent that has more inner space to store food and other items
- Making sure the tent has proper ventilation system
- Getting waterproof bags for most of your items
- Getting an insulated water bottle as a normal plastic bottle can freeze up and cut your hydration system
- Sleeping bags with proper insulating materials inside
Rule #5: Proper source of heat
While watching movies, you will notice that the people present there will sit around a campfire cook food with it and warm up near the campfire. Well, in the real world, campfires aren’t easy to create, as you need to find a pile of wood to light up and due to modern advancements, there are better alternatives to campfires.
- Canister stoves:They are light in weight and dense, and takes less time to boil anything. In spite of that, they do not work properly in the cold environment. To fix that problem, make sure it has a built-in pressure regulator as in the cold, the canisters tend to depressurize and produce a weak flame, but a built-in pressure regulator can help with that. Keeping the canister stove inside your sleeping bag while you are away and using it later on can keep both the sleeping bag warm and improve stove performance.
- Light Fuel Stoves:They tend to run on white gas, burns hot, clean, and tend to work well in below freezing temperature. However, they are bulky and takes quite some time to boil when compared to canister stoves. Some of them tend to run on diesel, jet fuel, kerosene and gasoline, which leads them as an exceptional alternative for international travel.
- Backup stoves:Always make sure to get a backup stove just in case if the prime stove stops working in the middle of cooking or anything. Even if the first one is working fine, you can use the second to speed up your cooking time. You can use one to cook food and other one to melt snow for water usage. However, remember to pack up more fuel source since you will have more than one stove.
Rule #6: Intercepting traumatizing situations
Everyone loves to have fun whether it’s indoors or outdoors and people tend to have more fun when it’s during camping, as it’s a free wide-open space. However, while having too much fun, people tend to get injured and that might cause a panic situation. So, to avoid that, let us see all the ways to be careful during camping.
- Hypothermia:Hypothermia is a condition when your body is exposed to cold temperatures for a long time, the body tends to lose heat faster than usual, which leads to the body being colder and unable to retain heat to keep the body warm and causes respiratory problems and might even lead to death. So, to prevent that, make sure your body stays warm at all time and stay inside the tent to make sure your body can function properly.
- Frostbites:Frostbite is a serious condition that occurs when the body is exposed to very cold temperatures like below -0.55° Celsius and when exposed, cause the tissues of the body to rot off. It usually happens to hands, toes, lips and ears and when it happens, that part of the body will turn completely black and hard, as the tissues in that part are now dead. Doctors say that the wounded area may take up to a minimum of six months to heal back up completely. If you feel your hands or feet starts to get very cold, then you can go back to your and warm them up near a head source.
- Clothing:Clothing plays an important role during winter camping. You should have a winter hat to protect your brain from cold temperatures and a winter goggles to protect your eyes from snow and from drying out. You should also wear a pair of gloves and socks to protect your hands and feet from frostbites. You shouldn’t wear several layers of clothes as they will make you feel very hot quickly, and you shouldn’t also be wearing too little as you will get cold and possibly catch hypothermia.
Conclusion:
To conclude, make sure you know the proper steps to set up a tent site before going out to camp during winter, and make sure to buy and pack all the proper food and equipment required for camping as missing one item may cost you greatly. And, don’t forget to have fun during winter camping.
