1. Winter Camping Tips for a comfortable trip

2. Clothing  You need to bring wool socks, insulated boots, snow pants, insulated jacket, balaclava, toque, gloves, thermal underwear, wool or fleece pants and shirts, wool sweater, rain gear and underwear.  Gloves are useful because they allow you to do more but your hands stay colder in them where as mitts keep your hands warmer but you have to take them off to do things.  You should wear three layers: base, normal, and insulated. A base layer is thermal underwear, an insulated layer is wool/fleece pants and shirt, and a water wind proof layer consists of snow pants and winter jacket. The base layer is used to wick moisture away from your body. The insulated layer is to keep your body warm and prevent heat loss and the water wind proof layer is to protect you from the wind and water.

3. Clothing continued  The options for boots are to wear insulated winter boots or hiking boots with gators attached to them. winter boots are better because they will keep your feet warmer and dryer. If wearing hiking boots you should wear heavier socks so your toes don’t freeze.  A vapour barrier is an item of clothing that is impervious to water, creating a barrier for water vapour transportation. The humid level increases and tells your body to stop perspiring. These are worn to keep in water vapour to keep up your body temperature but shouldn’t be used if you sweat a great amount.

4. Snow shelters  There are several types of snow shelters like the quinzee, igloos, and the snow grave.  Quinzees are made by piling a mound of snow, leaving it to harden, and then digging a hole from the bottom in.  Igloos are made by cutting blocks of hard snow and arranging them in a circle and forming the next layer inward until its closed at the top. Then you cut an entrance and make a little dome to protect you from the wind.  Snow graves are made by cutting a hole in the ground, keeping the blocks you cut out and piling them around the outside of the ``coffin`` leaving an entrance for you to slide in. this is only used in emergencies.

5. Snow shelters continued  To set up a tent in the snow you have to pack down the snow in soft and make sure it is completely level. Make sure you pick a spot where snow won`t fall on your tent. You may have to dig down in the snow a few feet. After that you pitch your tent normally but using special pegs to hold down your tent. You may want to attach a few more ropes to your tent and hold them down with rocks or logs to ensure your tent will stay down. Also make sure you have a ground pad and tarp for underneath your tent.  To prepare the ground for your campsite you have dig, pack down, and level the snow so the wind doesn’t cut through your site and there isn`t snow being blown around the site.

6. Cooking  To unsure fires and camp stoves are not blown out by the wind you should build a wind break out of snow if there isn`t any hills or trees to stop the wind for you. You should cook far enough away from your tent and gear so nothing catches on fire.  To sit on you should either bring a chair, make a snow mound and cover with mat or backpack so the snow doesn’t suck your body heat out.  To keep yourself from having issues with your canister stove keep it warm. Put it in your sleeping bag, jacket, of deep in your bag.

7. Cooking continued  To keep the frost from condensing on the canister and cooling the gas while using put in a pool of water(at least an inch).  To clean dishes you can use snow to rub out your dishes or boil snow and wash in a bucket.  As a water source you should pack your own water if you can. If not you have to melt snow.  To prevent water from freezing you have to keep it warm. Carry to in your jacket upside down so water doesn’t freeze to the lid. You can stick it in a wool sock too to insulate it. Gatorade, ice tea or lemonade crystals also freeze at a lower temperature than water.

8. Sleeping  You should have a sleeping bag that can used in below zero temperatures and if not you should bring at least a liner to put in it. If possible bring a few extra covers to throw on in case the weather isn`t as you anticipated or someone in your tent doesn’t bring enough to keep them warm or you are freezing..  You should also use two sleeping mats, one for cushioning and one for insulation. One can be a foam one and the other should be an inflatable one.  Going to the bathroom before you go to bed will prevent you from having to go in the middle of the night but will also keep your body warmer while sleeping because your bladder isn`t sucking all of your body heat out of you to keep your urine warm inside you.  If someone in your tent wakes up freezing then if you have extra covers you put them on. If that doesn’t suffice then you will have to get up and make a fire with everyone in your tent to keep everyone warm until morning.

9. Bathrooms  To dispose of waste you should dig a hole in snow before and cover it up after you are finished. So no one steps on it mark it with a stick.  The bathroom spot should be picked far away from sleeping and cooking areas and somewhere that is kind of concealed for privacy.  Toilet paper is probably more comfortable to use but using a snow ball is more efficient because you can burry the ball with your waste. If you use toilet paper you have to either carry it with you for the rest of the trip or put it in a paper bag and burn it.

10. Campfires Small, multiple campfires Advantages: Less time to get started More room for people to get warm Disadvantages: Big groups get separated Easier to get blown out Uses more wood Large, single campfire Advantages: The whole group is together Uses less wood Harder to blow out Disadvantages: Not enough room for people to get warm More time to get started