Winter Camping
by Jim Stickley, post date Dec. 1, 2007

Winter camping in the Red River Gorge is awesome! Solitude, quiet, and the beauty of a green rhododendron patch dappled with snow, but before you go, here are some winter camping tips:

Dress in layers so you can easily adjust your clothing to regulate body moisture and temperarture. The three typical layers are (1) a liner layer against your skin, such as longjohns, (2) an insulation layer, such as fleece, and (3) a water and wind-proof outer shell. Armpit zippers help release excess moisture.

Avoid wearing cotten! Cotton loses it's insulating qualities when it gets damp, whether from rain or sweat. Wool or synthetic materials are much better suited to camping in cold weather conditions.

Your boots should have waterproof outer shells such as oiled leather or plastic.

Protect against heat loss through your head by wearing a toboggan, ski mask, etc. Over half of your body heat can be lost through your head. A scarf around your neck will help to avoid loosing middle body heat.

Do not wear too many pairs of socks. If the blood flow to your feet becomes constricted, your feet will get cold regardless of how many socks you have on. Tightening your boot laces too tight will constrict the blood flow as well. Cold toes can be caused by boot laces being too tight. The same goes for gloves and glove liners. Keep them snug, but not too tight.

Be sure to carry plenty of dry socks. Put on dry socks as soon as camp is set up. Socks that are wet from hiking will not keep your feet warm.

Drink plenty of water, even though you don't think you are thirsty. Dry winter air will dehydrate you quickly without you noticing until it is too late. Water is necessary for your body to generate heat. A good rule of thumb for checking hydration is the color of your urine. Urine will be light colored or clear if you are properly hydrated.

In below-freezing weather, turn your water bottles upside down so that the ice forms at the bottom of the bottle instead of in the opening.

Pack down snow where you want to set up your tent, and build your fire on top of packed snow. Clearing snow to build a fire will leave your fire extinquished in a wet and muddy hole.

Attach 4 to 6 foot of cord to each of your tent stake-out points so you can use rocks or logs for anchors if the ground is too frozen to drive in stakes, or the snow is too soft to hold a stake. You can also fill 1 gallon size freezer bags with snow and tie your stake-out cords to them for deadmen anchors instead of using stakes.

Carry a small insulated thermos-type bottle full of a hot drink or hot soup. If you get cold or just want a warming snack, you will already have something hot prepared.

If you stop for a long break or at the end of the day, put on your insulation layers before you cool off too much, otherwise your body will have to work harder just to warm you back up.

Keep plenty of hot drinks available as you sit around camp in the evening. The extra fluids are helpful and the heat is welcome. Limit alcohol intake as alcohol thins your blood and inhibits the body's ability to warm itself.

Snack before you go to bed so that your body will have enough fuel to generate heat during the long winter night. Exercise for a few minutes before getting in your sleeping bag. This will warm up your body and make it easier to warm up a cold sleeping bag.

Always use at least one pad under your sleeping bag. Insulating yourself from the ground is more important than insulating yourself from the cold air.

Don't breathe inside your sleeping bag at night. Breathe through a stocking cap or bandana instead. Moisture from your breath will wet your sleeping bag and reduce its insulating ability.

Vent your tent as much as possible at night to reduce condensation on the inside of the tent walls. The few degrees of warmth trapped by a sealed tent is not worth the trouble of damp clothes, sleeping bag, etc that result from the condensation.

Tie loops of cord to all of the zipper pulls on your pack and jacket, so that you can operate them with gloves or cold fingers.

Store extra batteries in your sleeping bag or close to your body to keep them warm. Cold temperatures will significantly reduce the life of the batteries. Cell phones and cameras need to be kept warm as well, but put them in a plastic bag to keep them dry.

Now for one last bit of advice. Like me, you may not believe this until you try it. This advice is pasted down from WW2 Veteran John Bowling: Undress in your sleeping bag, pushing your clothes down around your feet. That's right, sleep naked.

After shivering for about an hour in my sleeping bag, I was willing to try anything, even Mr. Bowling's advice. It wasn't easy, but within ten minutes after the work was done, I fell comfortably asleep.

Come morning, getting re-dressed in my sleeping bag was even more difficult, but I emerged warm and well-rested. Try this, it works!

Note: You may wish to avoid caffine, alcohol, or anything else that might give you the need to use the "bathroom" in the middle of the night. When you're naked, it's really cold out there!