Gear, and Skill on Winter camp.

[Reverenddel]

I love winter camping. Can't stand bugs, and you can hear someone/something creeping in the winter with the leaves.

So we went camping this weekend. Crawled into a Eureka Timberland 2 person, with Sportmen's Emergency Blankets on the floor, and one draped underneath the rain fly. I have an Exped Synmat 6, Slumberjack Esplande 0 rating, poncho liner, and a fleece that folds into a pillow. So warm? i'm sleeping in skivvies.

Open the back vent, and the front vent, and went to sleep.

Temps drops to 19 degrees where I was camping. How about with THAT rig set up? Not only did my nalgene water bottle NOT freeze up, it didn't even have ICE!

So that means, with THAT set up, it was at least 14-15 degrees WARMER in there, than outside.

Learn your thermal ratings.

[darkstar3d]

Nice! I need a winter tent. I go star watching in WV and my three season tent is a freezer in the winter. Lol


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[Ironbear]

Nice! I need a winter tent. I go star watching in WV and my three season tent is a freezer in the winter. Lol

Typically the only real difference in a winter tent, is that they are designed to withstand high winds and to support or shed snow load. So unless you camp in the open or when it is snow, not a lot of point. In any case, there is not a lot of insulation value in fabric walls, but it is surprising how much of a difference stopping the wind and trapping a little heat makes. IMHO, the important things are insulation from the cold ground, a proper bag, and a vapor barrier for moisture control.

I suspect that a slightly different strategy would apply for sort-of-cold and damp climates like around here; than for really-cold, but dry like the Midwest and Rockies.

One thing I like about my tent for cold weather. The rain fly has a vestibule that extends out. In the morning I can set up my stove on the ground (not on the tent floor), but under the rain fly where the heat is trapped inside. Can make hot drinks/breakfast without leaving the tent, and retain some of the heat. The tent wouldn't work well if it were snowing though since it wouldn't shed snow.

Heh. Out of curiosity, I just checked... my hometown is reporting actual temperature of -15°F right now, and a dew point of -22°F. So cold and dry. School is still on though!