The Voice of Experience (Febuary)

Cold Weather Camping

Three Ways to Lose Body Heat

1. Radiation: The emission of body heat, especially from skin areas exposed to the elements.

2. Conduction: The absorption of cold by the body when sitting on cold ground or handling cold objects such as a stove fuel bottle.

3. Convection: The loss of body heat from wind blowing across unprotected body parts.

Tips for Cold Weather Techniques

1. Some lowland meadows can be colder than sites higher up because wind moves down the mountains a night and cold air settles in valleys. Try to choose a protected site if there is a cold wind or snow falling.
2. Dehydration seriously impairs the body’s ability to produce heat. Drink fluids as often as possible during the day, and keep a full water bottle by your side at night.
3. If your feet are cold, don’t put on extra socks if your boots are already snug. Constricted toes are colder than with room to wiggle.
4. If you have to re-prime a balky stove, let it cool first. The lingering vaporized gas is highly volatile.
5. Carry extra fuel if you plan to heat up extremely cold water or melt snow.
6. Your stove will work better if you insulate it from the ground. Use 1/4 inch thick, 6” square plywood under the stove.
7. Always use lids when cooking.
8. After every meal, fill your stove with fuel so you won’t run out halfway through the next one. Fill to only 80% of capacity to allow room for expansion.
9. Fill half-empty water bottles with snow. (clean snow, no pink or yellow) The jostling movement while hiking will turn the snow to water.
10. If you must eat snow (not ice) melt and warm it in your mouth before swallowing. This keeps your stomach from chilling.
11. Turn your water bottles upside down before going to bed.
12. Don’t sleep in the clothes you’ve worn all day. They’ll be damp and provide little insulation. Pack an extra pair of long underwear and socks for the night.
13. To prevent boot from freezing at night, put them in plastic bag and place it under the foot of your sleeping bag.
14. Contact lenses and solutions can go in your sleeping bag to keep them from freezing.
15. Always wear a hat to bed. A balaclava is best because it covers your neck and ears.
16. To prevent cold air out of your sleeping bag when you roll over, take your down vest, sweater, or pile jacket and lay it across your neck and chest, tucking it in so it acts like a
    collar.
17. Keep your nose and mouth out of your sleeping bag because you’re breathing will dampen the inside of the bag.
18. The best way to keep your feet warm is to keep the rest of your body well covered. If your feet are cold, put on a hat.

Cold Day? Drink-Up
In winter dry air speeds moisture loss while cold can suppress your thirst – a combination that can lead to dehydration before you even feel thirsty.

Know how much water you’re losing.
During strenuous exercise, especially while wearing heavy clothes, you can lose as much as two quarts of water per hour through breathing, perspiration, and urination.

Hydrate properly
Drink a cup of fluids before you start, an additional half-cup every 20 minutes or so during exercise, and another cup within a half-hour after you finish. As a quick rule of thumb, drink as much as you feel thirsty for, and then drink some more. Sports drinks combine water, electrolytes and carbohydrates to hydrate more fully. On cold days, keep liquids warm in an insulated bottle or vacuum thermos.