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wharrier
member (50)member
  
01/12/2021 02:55PM  
I did my first winter solo trip this past weekend. I had my dog, so wasn't totally solo. My biggest takeaway was solo trips in early January involve alot of dark alone time. What do other campers do when solo in the winter? The first night, I went to bed at 6:30. I had planned on bringing a book but forgot it. I was cold tenting which I think is less conducive to staying up late.
 
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01/12/2021 03:37PM  
That is certainly one of the troubles with cold camping. Unless you are going to build a fire and tend it for a while, its a lot of dark time. On my last cold camp (which was some time ago now) I built a fire to try to dry a few things, melt snow, and cooked bratwursts on sticks. Certainly kept me out of the tent for a while.

I had not thought of it this way before, but when hot tenting the stove doesn't just provide warmth and dry clothes - it is entertainment. I never light it in the evening before dark
01/12/2021 03:41PM  
I don't go solo. But what we usually do is ice fish. Or have a nice campfire
Kraut88
senior member (53)senior membersenior member
  
01/12/2021 03:51PM  
When cold camping I would be in my hammock and usually go to bed real early. Reading is kinda tough as your hands get cold quickly. When hot tenting I still go to bed early, but sometimes I read or listen to the radio for a bit. With hot tenting there are a lot more chores, setup, take down and packing up is more involved, so I'm wiped out anyway and am looking forward to the rest.
Minnesotian
distinguished member(2309)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
01/12/2021 04:02PM  

Yeah, this is a tough thing. Probably one of the more challenging things when solo winter camping. When I go hot-tent solo winter camping, bringing a book is number one. But I usually bring two or three, in case I get bored with the first one. I also bring a Boundary Waters magazine or Backpacker or Astronomy magazine, something that is easy to read. Or an anthology comic book.

On my Iphone I have a bunch of domino games, but I don't like that option as it uses the battery and the cold can tap the battery even more. However, I do bring a small speaker that also doubles as a battery backup, and I end up listening to a symphony or two. That's always nice to concentrate on music without distractions.

I bring a journal, of course, and writing fills some time.

I bring a sharpening stone, and touch up the knife, axe or hatchet. I also have a sewing kit to do repairs on my gear if needed. I have whittled a spoon or two, so a curved knife is packed. I also bring a couple of complicated knot how-to's from Ashley's Book of Knots and see if I can tie them.

But yeah, when it is dark and you are out there by yourself, time can really slow down to a crawl.

wharrier
member (50)member
  
01/12/2021 05:32PM  
Kraut88: "When cold camping I would be in my hammock and usually go to bed real early. Reading is kinda tough as your hands get cold quickly. When hot tenting I still go to bed early, but sometimes I read or listen to the radio for a bit. With hot tenting there are a lot more chores, setup, take down and packing up is more involved, so I'm wiped out anyway and am looking forward to the rest. "


There are definitely plenty of chores to keep you busy during the day. I seriously went to bed at 6:30 and was plenty tired. I woke up at some point and thought it was probably about 4am. Nope, 11:30. After 14 hours in the sleeping bag, my arms were hurting from being contorted for so long.
Bradley p
Guest Paddler
  
01/13/2021 07:01PM  
I do lots of solo trips year round. This winter I've been out cold camping pretty much every weekend since thanksgiving. Which has been about 18 nights out ( had an 8 day in the mix).

The first thing that has really helped me is dialing in my camp clothing situation. I have a four layer system where I can stay warm sitting around to about 0 degrees maybe lower? Highly recommend down pants, down booties, and a balaclava along with the standard stuff. If you can figure out a warm layering system it makes it much easier to not want to hide in the sleeping bag.

I try to hike at least until close to dark and do most camp chores by headlamp.

At camp I either spend time shoveling out or packing down a spot. Then pack down trails to my preferred water/snow collection area, my latrine, a stargazing spot.

If not having a fire I love standing out on the lake and stargazing. Otherwise collecting/processing/burning wood is a great way to stay warm.

I usually spend time in the evening looking at maps and planning the next day.

I try to stay up until 8 or 9 and am often out of the bag between 5-7am depending on how sick I get of rolling around. A book (or ebook on your phone for lightweight) is good if you can keep warm while reading. I usually just sleep in my base layer so have to cinch up my bag pretty tight which makes reading uncomfortable.

Hope that helps!
wharrier
member (50)member
  
01/14/2021 10:12AM  
Thanks Bradley, those are some great tips. I think my biggest problem is that I start a fire and cooking way too early. No reason why I can't cook in the dark with a head lamp. Warmth isn't an issue, it's the boredom that sends me into my bag early.

The fish actually started biting at around 3 and at 3:30 I thought I should head back to camp since I had to stop and clean fish on the way. Got back at 4:00 and thought, 'that didn't take nearly as long as I expected'. I really could have fished all the way until sunset or later.
Lailoken
distinguished member (157)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
01/17/2021 04:40PM  
I winter solo, love days, not fan of nights. It is because of soloing that got hot tent. Night too long to have to be either moving or in bag. I could not read or do anything in the long evening. Now, more weight to carry but can "hang out" in the evening with books.
 
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