Winter & Cold Weather Backpacking
Stay warm while backpacking in the coldest weather
Many people love to backpack in the winter. The cold air and the freezing temperatures just gives them a different kind of experience. Backpackers and hikers often aren't prepared, though, for situations that could arise in those cold temperatures. Winter introduces many beautiful scenes of which your footprints might be the only ones. This solitude, however, makes cold weather backpacking even more challenging.
Prepare for the Worst
Before you head out, be sure to check the weather forecast for the area you will be backpacking in. Of course it will be snowy and cold, but watch for below freezing temperatures, storms, and cloud cover. Cloudy skies actually make for warmer temperatures, as the clouds keep in the heat. Check with the local rangers or park officials for a more detailed forecast.
Stay Dry and Keep Heat In
The main reason people die in the backcountry in cold conditions is from hypothermia after getting wet and your body temperature decreases. Don't just bring a rain jacket and expect that to do the job, though. Don't let snow melt into your clothes. Jeans are the worst for staying dry, as they keep the moisture in and don't dry quickly. Remember, it is harder to warm up after getting cold than just staying warm in the first place.
Layering clothing is very important to trap heat and insulate your body. But another mistake many backpackers usually make is trying to keep in body heat to much, and your body begins to sweat. Perspiration will make you very cold once you top moving, so monitor this and remove layers of clothes if you begin to sweat. Avoid clothes that are non-wicking, which don't let the moisture escape. Cotton is a killer for this. Never wear cotton socks or shirts, instead wear synthetic fabrics such as polypropylene. Also, always wear a hat and gloves, as these are two areas where a lot of body heat escapes.
Once clothing gets soaked, try any way possible to dry it. At night before going to bed, change into dry clothing and set wet clothes out to dry.
Eat and Drink Right
Drinking melted snow is highly inefficient, so plan on bringing just as much water while winter backpacking as any other backpacking trip. Warm liquids will warm you up, obviously, but cold water works just as good and keeps you hydrated. Frozen water won't do you any good though. Bring plenty of water, and keep it from freezing. This could mean keeping it inside your coat, in your sleeping bag with you, or in the middle of your backpack.
Food is also a very important part of creating body heat. When you digest food, the fats produce heat. This is why whale blubber is eaten in many arctic areas. Army survival courses teach soldiers to eat large chunks of butter to stay warn in winter conditions. For backpacking purposes, you can have olive oil on your pasta or eat oily foods like corn chips to get the same warming effect.
Winter Shelters
You should always bring a tent while winter backpacking, but you should still learn to build survival shelters in cold temperatures. Learning how to make some of these simple shelters is smart planning for possible emergencies. If it isn't snowing or raining, a simple shelter of sticks covered with piles of dry leaves, grass, broken branches, and other plants can insulate you enough from the cold ground. In worse conditions, you can build a shelter using snow blocks. You can stomp out blocks without tools, using your feet, and then lift them from beneath. Practice doing this so you can in an emergency situation. Survival Topics.com also features valuable articles such as how to construct winter survival shelters.
But even if you have a tent with you, it matters where you set it up. The higher you go the colder it is, but cold air also collects in the bottoms of valleys at night and into the morning. A level area somewhere in between is best. Try to find a place out of the wind as well.
Have a Heat Source
Many backpackers get by with no stove in the warmer months, simply eating cold, dry foods, but in winter a cooking stove is essential. Not only can it provide you with warm food and drinks, it can create enough heat to warm you up in cold conditions. As stated before, melting snow for drinking water is highly inefficient, but with a stove this is a possible solution to getting water. Always have enough waterproof matches, a lighter, and other methods to create a fire. A fire can easily be a lifesaver if you fall into a stream of lake and need to get warm and dry quick. For more information about starting fires, read the Wild Backpacker article, How to Start a Fire.
More Winter Tricks
Apart from these basic principles of staying warm while backpacking and camping in the winter, there are many other little tricks you can learn and use. Fully fluffing up a sleeping bag, for example, makes it more effective in trapping the warm air in. Doing sit-ups in your bag before going to sleep is another technique which gets you a warm start to the night. Some water bottles or canteens can be filled with hot, but not boiling, water and kept in the bag with you. Keeping water bottles inside your clothing during strenuous hikes keeps it warmer, so later you won't have to drink cold water, which can suck away some of your heat in the evening.
