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 Boundary Waters Quetico Forum Winter Camping and Activities Winter Camping Virgin Looking for Sage Advice Reply
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| Previous Messages: | |
| Author | Message Text |
| JimmyJustice |
03/05/2015 09:44AM Heading up today...looking forward to a fun trip. Thanks for the advice, I might even remember some of it.... |
| motdur |
03/02/2015 09:39AMquote JimmyJustice: "awborwn, Roger that." You will learn all about "Melton's" |
| JimmyJustice |
03/02/2015 08:37AM awborwn, Roger that. |
| awbrown |
03/01/2015 08:21AM I don't know what type of camping you are going to be doing, but be careful of wearing nylon around a camp fire. Outer layers of wool or cotton twill hold up better around the fire. |
| SevenofNine |
02/28/2015 06:54PM Your Carhartt bibs with some long underwear underneath should come in handy. Not so sure about your coats but it's supposed to be warmer towards the end of the week so those with some long underwear under your coat should be fine. You can spend a ton of money on winter gear buying wool over shirts like the Boreal Shirt and cotton canvas Anoraks from places like Empire Canvas works. If you have the money fine otherwise go with what you got or can borrow. My advice is to have at least two base layers of long underwear one to go over the other comfortably. Bring a balaclava, mitterns and spare clothing, boot liners and mittens and you should be fine. Layering is the key as long as each layer fits comfortably over the other. |
| billconner |
02/28/2015 03:03PM Daytimes my zamberlan hiking boots - fantastic - and just a pair of smart wool socks. I found some lined pants, no long johns ever for me, heavy long sleeve t shirt, flannel shirt, fleece, and down vest. Then I have a wind breaker I can put on if needed. Usually keep moving and remove vest. Stocking hat. My t shirt is cotton usually - never been a problem because I de-layer before I sweat. But if I didn't mention it, once I got the down booties I was never cold - day or night - winter camping. I do hate getting up, being so cozy. Oh yeah, I never wear my day cloths to sleep in. I want them dry so hang up in tent. They are cold maybe for 5 seconds when I dress in the morning. I've always liked cold - upstate NY and a year on Artic Circle - where zero in March seemed like a heat wave. But really dry - and down booties - solves all. |
| JimmyJustice |
02/28/2015 02:26PMquote billconner: "Down booties. My sleeping bag options are both 0 degree rated. A Swisse Sport Mummy Bag and a Teton 3- in-1. Both are 100% poly. Outer ware options are Columbia Jacket with nylon/poly shell and what the label says is a nylon liner but looks/feels like fleece, a FCXtreme Free Country Ski Jacket poly fill and liner. The former is bulkier and longer. The later lighter and shorter. I have used both for years skiing in Co. Ski Pants, Carhartt bibs and high quality rain gear bibs. (Wondering if rain bibs would provide wind break). Should I bring all, some combo, or start looking for better stuff? |
| SevenofNine |
02/28/2015 01:04PMquote motdur: "Hey Jim, Agree with all the other posters, great advice! I always bring in what I call trekking gear and camp gear. Its almost impossible to avoid sweating. When trekking and setting up camp, wear the minimum amount of gear as possible. Once you start moving you will warm up. I'm sure you know to stay away from cotton as a base layer. Once you have set up camp and things start to slow down, change into your camp gear. Good advice, I wear trekking gear as well although I'm starting to convert most my stuff to wool and cotton canvas. I still have lots of fleece and it's fine as long as you layer it. As Dan stated, a down coat for when you're not working hard is a light weight warm way to go. |
| motdur |
02/28/2015 11:26AM Hey Jim, Agree with all the other posters, great advice! I always bring in what I call trekking gear and camp gear. Its almost impossible to avoid sweating. When trekking and setting up camp, wear the minimum amount of gear as possible. Once you start moving you will warm up. I'm sure you know to stay away from cotton as a base layer. Once you have set up camp and things start to slow down, change into your camp gear. |
| NotLight |
02/28/2015 10:53AM Another thing I learned is, you also want to avoid sweating - at all. You want all your clothes stay as dry as possible. Just too hard to dry things out if you don't have a hot tent. This will be an issue if/when you are pulling a sled, and if there is not much wind. Even the tiniest bit of moisture on your clothes is a PITA after you slow down and your body heat production starts to drop off. The obvious thing to say is dress in layers. But, that is maybe not quite good enough advice if you are out multiple days. I wore my eVent rain pants and thin running tights, and that worked fine for my lower body. But, my normal oversize/floppy Gore-Tex jacket was way too warm; even at 10 degrees when I was moving, had all my other layers off, and the pit zips open. I tried taking the Gore-Tex jacket off but it got a little uncomfortable in the wind because my other layers weren't very windproof. I want to say I should have worn an even more breathable but semi-windblocking upper outer layer like cotton or one of those stretchy ski jackets, or maybe just a thinner Gore-Tex jacket (mine has an inner and outer layer, it's not just a single thin shell). And if you have too, just slow down. |
| billconner |
02/28/2015 09:42AM Down booties. Double sleeping bag, Exped DLX9 or similar, bala clava, I like a wool blanket for around my shoulders (I sleep on stomach with arms crossed under head), flannel pajamas (can't stand long underwear). But down booties. Don't go without them. I don't even wear socks with them and toes are always toasty. Plus the hard bottom allows for those quick night trips out of the tent at 15 below. Daytime keeping warm is easy - just don't stop moving. PS: I like those trips out at 3 or 4 - the sky can be awesome and silence inspiring. |
| bobbernumber3 |
02/28/2015 09:31AM I would suggest that a great sleep system is vital. Double bag with a down bag inside and a synthetic bad outside. Use a down air mattress or wool blanket/quilt/thermorest stack to insult you from the cold ground. If you need a hot water bottle to keep you warm, your system is not good enough IMO. Sleep wearing a balaclava to keep your head, neck and shoulders warm. Use a Nalgene bottle in your bag for night time relief without going outside. Aim carefully. |
| SevenofNine |
02/28/2015 09:14AM If you guys are going to fish then just keep a pot going that is heating water. Otherwise bring a large pot to boil down snow. Don't forget to add a little water in the bottom of the pot so the pot bottom doenst get scalded. Keeping conscious of drinking water is key. I bring a collapsible water container with extra water for my trek out it holds about 2 liters of water. From there I use a Thermos metal container and a Nalgene bottle. Be careful when putting hot water in a cold plastic container the heat will melt your Nalgene bottle. I like hot tenting but haven't got there yet. So I cold camp in a 3 man tent for the extra room to change clothes in the morning and keep my gear inside. Keeps me better organized. What you can do is instead of fully rigging your rainfly you can just drape it over the tent so you close up most of the ventilation. In the morning you open everything up to dry out the frost. Chemical hand warmers are a life saver when you're just sitting around. Otherwise, collecting (walking, pulling, and breaking) firewood as well as cutting and splitting firewood really keeps the blood flowing and keeps you warm. Aside from that volunteer to help out cooking at least it gets you near the fire. :-) |
| DanCooke |
02/28/2015 08:37AM Staying Hydrated, have at least two nalgenes placed where they are not going to freeze- cap down. Also do soups and make them with lots of broth. Frozen just heat dinners are good. keeping warm at camp when not in a hot tent. Stand on a small piece of Closed cell foam when just standing around. A Very Good down coat with lots of loft should keep you warm. Tents are good but a tarp is better than a summer tent in my book. Spent countless nights under tarps with no issues of frost buildup on the underside. If you do Quinsy's be prepared to do without they can and do collapse at times. Also bring a complete change of clothes if you will be the one digging out. they will typically get saturated and worthless. Go slow on your walk down Clearwater. enjoy the cliffs dress in layers and use the layers to stay cool and dry. |
| NotLight |
02/28/2015 08:31AM The biggest newbie thing I learned is to keep your boots as dry as you can. Be anal about that. Don't wear so many socks that your feet sweat. Cover as much of your boots with snowpants, rainpants, or gaiters as you can. Those little handwarmer packets are great. I'd get them going about 3-4am if I woke up in my sleeping bag, then put them in my boots and stuff socks in the boots. The handwarmers last about 8 hrs, so you can move them from your boots to your gloves for morning chores. It's nice to put your hand back into a warm gloves when you have to take your gloves off for little camp chores. Food is all frozen and hard as a rock. I had good luck boiling water, adding butter and precooked cubed meat, and then soup mix or instant potatoes. I don't eat very fancy. I would boil a pot of water first and fill 2 skinny thermoses. Then I'd cook and eat my food, and rinse out the pot afterward with some of the thermos water. The thermos water was hot all day - suspect you could use something lighter. Snacks freeze, so you need to keep them in a warm inside pocket if you don't want jawbreakers. Electronics dont like cold so those want to be warm all day - inside jacket and then with you in sleeping bag. |
| JimmyJustice |
02/28/2015 08:02AM I have been invited to go winter camping next week. This will mark a couple firsts for me. After 20+ years going to the BWCA this will be my first time winter camping and my first time on the gunflint side of the BWCA. Very excited! The top secret plan is to camp on Clearwater...keep that between us. I have been looking at other post regarding gear list etc. so I think I understand the core basics of winter gear and am starting to pack. But, remain curious about the following. Any suggestions will help me look like I've been in the endzone before and not a timid virgin: 1. Food/Water: a. Suggestions for staying hydrated. 2. Camp Life: a. Suggestions for staying warm in camp (other than big giant fire...I have the one down). 3. Housing: a. Do you prefer tents or quinsy? b. If the former, suggestions for optimization if all I have is my summer tent (lots of open venting. c. If the later, suggestions for building/utilizing the quinsy. 4. Portaging/trekking: a. Any suggestions on best use of time/energy getting to our campsite so I don't kill myself in the process of getting there. Thanks in advance. |
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