Yo' first winter wild camping!

So I thought that, someday, I’d give winter wild camping a go. I had my reservations about it as my sleeping bag and tent are definitely only rated 3 season and all of my previous wild camping trips had been in the warmer side of the Americas. So, well, I want to hear your experiences out there conquering the Tundra. The food you cook, the gear you bring, the cold you catch, that kind o' stuff.

 

...I'd like to chew on the subject matter. ​

I'm a four season camper and though I don't camp on the Tundra come February the temperatures in this neck of the woods are sufficiently low enough to do you some serious damage.

Depending where I am I may have to use a sled to get my equipment to the campsite.

So as for the gear. Let's start with the shelter or the tent. For me shelter is a whole package.

I have used a three season two person tent.
Depending on the ground I may lay down a "foot" - ground covering to keep my tent clean.
Making sure that I have selected a safe and sheltered place.
Inside the tent I lay ground cover - usually a rug that runs the length of my bed.
Next comes my Aligash cot.
Then my cot mat.
On top of that is my winter grade sleeping bag.
I will wear flannel pj's and a balaclava that covers my face and head.
If necessary I will take a hot water bottle and place it at the foot of my sleeping bag.
I dress appropriately and I do it in layers.
I have proper boots for the occasion and socks that are winter graded.
And yes...I confess...I very definitely have a night bottle.
"I ain't getting up in the middle of the night for no one!"​

 

A sled seems pretty handy as a mean of transportation through thick layers of snow. Haha, It's alright if you have a night bottle, getting up in the middle of the coldest night and face the risk of losing some heat is something I would want to avoid as much as humanly possible.

 

About food -
it's what you want, how you want it and when you want it.
But on this occasion...........



...back in the winter of '03 [sounds like a prospector talking]
I was a bit lazy when it came to food supply and prep.
What I did was take my Dutch oven full of homemade beef stew made from scratch.
Using my chiminea stove I simply heated it up and after a hearty serving
left the rest in the pot to freeze until I was ready to eat again.
One crusty roll and a cup of enriched hot coffee
took care of me for the whole weekend.



This is a chiminea stove - the one that I used was a smaller model.​

 

I have not had the pleasure of camping in the snow. It does get cold here in Tennessee, but not to the extreme that Canada gets. We get some snow once in awhile, but it usually only last a couple of days or so. If it isn't going to be above freezing during the day then I usually won't go. I expect below freezing at night, so I concentrate more on my sleep system. I will take an insulated sleeping mat, sleeping bag rated for colder then expected, military surplus wool blanket, and a felt sleeping bag liner. I will lay wool blanket over sleeping pad and then sleeping bag on top of it. If I feel to constricted in the bag I will unzip part way, and cover with felt bag liner that I unzip to make a blanket. Also if I need to get up in middle of night for whatever reason, I can wrap up in the felt liner like a blanket. I pay alot of attention to what I am sleeping on to keep my back and sides warm. I wear as little as possible in my sleeping bag usually under clothes and socks, and if I have room, I put the clothes that I will be putting on in the morning in the foot of my bag to keep them warm.

As Northern Dancer has stated in the post Dare Devil Camping, dress like an onion layer your clothing.

 

...good stuff @killerroy154. I forgot to mention that I have a sleeping bag insert too. With all that you describe you wouldn't have any trouble in our neck of the woods. I also have three winter coats - one is a Canada Goose model that has real fur around the hood and lots of down in the interior. Keeps me toasty warm.

Know your Stuff!
Be Prepared!
Enjoy the Challenge!​