CAMPING AND HIKING IN THE COLD OF WINTER

Check the weather conditions before you go. Be sure to check your gear to know you have packed everything you will need. Have a backpack that will carry all your gear. You will need a very good warm pair of hiking boots.

The very main thing is to stay warm and dry. You want to wear your clothes in layers for more warmth. Always wear synthetic or wool clothing. Do not use cotton. Cotton clothing does not wick moisture. It may drop body temperature and it serves as a medium for bacteria. During the day you want your clothes to be closely fitted to trap body heat. At night, you want looser fitting clothes, so they don’t restrict your blood flow to your extremities while you sleep.

It is a good idea to keep the clothes you are wearing the next day in your sleeping bag overnight to keep them warm. No one wants to jump out of a warm bed into cold clothes. Be sure to take a warm hat to cover your ears, mittens or gloves for your hands, and thick socks. A waterproof layer outside is always a good idea.

Having a solid meal for dinner and breakfast help keep your energy up and your body warm. Drink plenty of water and hot tea or hot coffee.

When you arrive where you are going to spend the night you will need to pack down the snow where your tent will be placed. Be sure there are no sharp sticks or stones under it. It is a good idea to put a waterproof cover over your tent to keep it dry. You will want to use a lightweight and easy to assemble tent.

Once your tent is up, keeping your sleeping bags close together will create more warmth. Use a foam pad and a self floating pad to keep warm on snowy surfaces. Put your sleeping bag on top of these. Be sure your sleeping bag is insulated for damp cold weather. Do not breathe or crawl down deep in your sleeping bag as the moisture from your breath gets trapped inside. Breathing inside the bag makes it damp and you will lose warmth. Wear a hooded sweatshirt and pull the hood down around your nose and mouth with the string.

If you put a hot non insulated stainless steel water bottle in your sleeping bag at night, filled with hot water, of course, it will radiate heat like a sauna stone. Put the bottle next to one of these critical areas: your core, your inner thigh (near your femoral artery) or your neck (near your juggler).

Put your boot liners and insoles in your sleeping bag at night and your boots inside your tent. Avoid getting too warm. Moisture will get trapped in your bag and cause your body to overheat as you cool off.

Put your gear all around the base of the tent wall inside for more insulation. You can create a radiant barrier by duct taping a space blanket (mylar blanket) onto the tent ceiling. If this creates condensation do not use it.

You should take a water filter or a water purifier along with you. A water filter works by physically straining out waterborne protozoa, bacteria, but not viruses. A water purifier is designed to remove protozoa, bacteria, and viruses offering a higher level of defense.

Some things to be sure you do not forget would be as follows:

1. A spoon and a kettle

2. Compass

3. Map and pencils

4. A kit to repair anything that breaks, tears, leaks, etc.

5. Sunscreen and sunglasses

6. Matches in a waterproof container

7. Rain Jacket

8. 3 or 4 pair heavy socks. Wear one, wash one, keep at least one safe and dry.

9. Ultralight waterproof medical first aid kit

10. Headlamp and batteries

11. Solar camp stove or glacier camp stove with extra gas canisters to cook and keep warm.

Be sure before you leave to remove morning frost from your tent. During the day control frost by keeping your gear covered or inside a garbage bag. Dry all your gear daily.

We have a store in this mall that sells Heated Clothing. Check it out. The store is called “Volt Heat” Click URL to go to store.

https://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=1500403&u=2466015&m=95275

We also have stores that sell camping and hiking gear in this site.

Hiking and camping stores are as follows:

Amazon You will have to look at the bottom of the page in the site for this one.

Online Outdoor Closeouts

https://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=1411717&u=2466015&m=91287

Arkadia https://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=1539244&u=2466015&m=97366

Online Outdoor Closeouts https://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=1411717&u=2466015&m=91287

Arkadia https://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=1539244&u=2466015&m=97366

Camping Maxx https://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=645945&u=2466015&m=55242

Alvantor https://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=1571331&u=2466015&m=98967