Posted by Lee S. Apr 28, 2009
The experienced wilderness survivor knows the joys of winter camping, like silence and solitude. You already know how to dress; next, is to prepare for a winter storm. A winter storm can come out of nowhere in the mountains. So, let's set up your base camp so it's storm-ready.
Make your camp in a sheltered spot, like the down-wind side of a group of trees. Check them for dead branches and pull down any you find. Trample the base for your tent wearing your snowshoes or skis; make it as level as possible.
Start with an insulating footprint for your tent. The best tents are shaped to shed snow, like a dome tent., and also provide plenty of space. A tent fly can keep your tent walls freezing. Erect the tent on the footprint with the entrance away from the prevailing wind. Build a packed snow wall three to four feet high and a foot away from your tent walls along the back and around the sides to the entrance as a windbreak and for extra insulation.
Place a tarp or space blanket, like the one inside your first aid kit, on the tent floor for more insulation. Keep a brush just outside your tent (or in the vestibule) to knock off any snow on your clothes and boots, and keep it outside your tent. Use warm sleeping pads under a good winter sleeping bag like this one from Sierra Designs that's good to 30 degrees. Sleep in your baselayer top and bottom, and bring your outer clothes inside your sleeping bag to warm up before you put them on. Wear a hat or balaclava for warmth while you sleep as well as when you're outside, and make sure you're breathing outside your sleeping bag to avoid humidity building up.
Use your stove to cook and to melt snow; keep water bottles upside down. Cook outside your tent; fuel fumes can be deadly. Eat plenty of carbohydrates, and make warm drinks throughout the day to help keep your core warm and to avoid dehydration.
Now that you've set up a storm-sturdy camp, your next big danger is hypothermia.
**http://blogs.zappos.com/blogs/outdoor/2009/04/28/survival-of-the-fittest-surviving-a-winter-storm-while-camping
The experienced wilderness survivor knows the joys of winter camping, like silence and solitude. You already know how to dress; next, is to prepare for a winter storm. A winter storm can come out of nowhere in the mountains. So, let's set up your base camp so it's storm-ready.
Make your camp in a sheltered spot, like the down-wind side of a group of trees. Check them for dead branches and pull down any you find. Trample the base for your tent wearing your snowshoes or skis; make it as level as possible.
Start with an insulating footprint for your tent. The best tents are shaped to shed snow, like a dome tent., and also provide plenty of space. A tent fly can keep your tent walls freezing. Erect the tent on the footprint with the entrance away from the prevailing wind. Build a packed snow wall three to four feet high and a foot away from your tent walls along the back and around the sides to the entrance as a windbreak and for extra insulation.
Place a tarp or space blanket, like the one inside your first aid kit, on the tent floor for more insulation. Keep a brush just outside your tent (or in the vestibule) to knock off any snow on your clothes and boots, and keep it outside your tent. Use warm sleeping pads under a good winter sleeping bag like this one from Sierra Designs that's good to 30 degrees. Sleep in your baselayer top and bottom, and bring your outer clothes inside your sleeping bag to warm up before you put them on. Wear a hat or balaclava for warmth while you sleep as well as when you're outside, and make sure you're breathing outside your sleeping bag to avoid humidity building up.
Use your stove to cook and to melt snow; keep water bottles upside down. Cook outside your tent; fuel fumes can be deadly. Eat plenty of carbohydrates, and make warm drinks throughout the day to help keep your core warm and to avoid dehydration.
Now that you've set up a storm-sturdy camp, your next big danger is hypothermia.
**http://blogs.zappos.com/blogs/outdoor/2009/04/28/survival-of-the-fittest-surviving-a-winter-storm-while-camping
