1. 1st Stittsville Scout Troop
Winter Camping
1st Stittsville Scout Troop
Presented by: Paul Young-Davies
Adapted from Presentation made by Scouter Marc Couturier
123rd Ottawa Scouting Movement

2. Clothing
(1) You need to insulate yourself by keeping a trapped warm air layer next to your body.
(2) You need to protect your body from cold air and wind, and, if need be, other inclement weather, like snow, rain, and sleet.
(3) You need to keep as dry as possible, particularly from your own sweat. Clothes that wick moisture off the skin to the outside, and clothes that breathe, allowing moisture to pass through while still insulating and protecting, are best.
(4) Your clothes should be flexible, allowing you to adjust for changing temperature and exercise conditions easily, allowing you to remain warm without overheating.
(5) In case you do get wet, your clothes should do as good a job as possible keeping you warm, even when damp. Clothes that dry quickly are preferable.

3. Inside wicking layer: Usually synthetic long underwear that wicks sweat away from the skin, and provides some insulation.
Middle insulating layers: Breathable clothes that insulate by holding a warm air layer near the body, such as a wool sweater or fluffy synthetic jacket. Multiple thin layers are much better than one single very warm layer (for flexibility's sake), and materials that retain their insulating ability while wet are a must.
Outer shell layers: Should provide wind protection and help trap air within your insulation, while still allowing some ventilation and breath ability. During inclement weather, you will need a waterproof outer layer to keep you relatively dry inside.

4. Do not wear Cotton AVOID COTTON FOR OUTDOOR WINTER WEAR AT ALL COSTS.
Cotton absorbs water (and water vapor) like a sponge and holds it near your body for a long time. Then, cotton takes a long time to dry. Cotton does not quickly let water evaporate.
Cotton fibers shrink when they get wet, and thus cotton fabric looses its loft and hence its insulating ability.
Cotton afford poor wind protection unless it's very heavy and dense (and thus highly absorptive and poor breathing)

5. So If I Can't Wear Cotton... What can you use instead?
Polypropylene, a synthetic, and its derivatives (Thermax, Capilene, Cool-Max, etc.) are excellent materials for underwear, lightweight shirts, and the like. They wick water, insulate, and dry quickly. They're also light and pack well. As a class, these materials are often affectionately referred to as polypro.
Pile, or Fleece, is basically fluffy polyester, and makes great insulation for pants and jackets. Thin pile is good to hike in; thick pile is very warm. Pile also wicks water and dries very quickly.
Dacron, Polyester, Acrylic, and other synthetics were often used to make cheap, often very tacky, sweaters and shirts. This stuff is great to hike in! Go to your local Goodwill, Salvation Army or Value Village store before the outdoors stores. Watch out, though, rayon is made from wood fibers and is as bad as cotton.
Spandex or Lycra tights are worn by some people instead of polypro long underwear, although they do not wick as well and are definitely not as warm.

6. Down and its synthetic substitutes (Hollofil, Thinsulate, etc.)
Wool and silk do not wick as well as polypro, but retain their insulation ability even when wet (although wool dries very slowly).
Good for the middle wicking layer
Down and its synthetic substitutes (Hollofil, Thinsulate, etc.)
Too warm to hike in
Great for Parkas and mittens as well as sleeping bags.
The only problem with down is that it looses all its insulating ability when wet - you absolutely have to keep it dry.
Synthetic down does not have this problem, but is bulkier and heavier.
Nylon and similar synthetics
Good for the outer layer
Used to make raincoats and windbreakers,
tTwo types:
Uncoated nylon is used for breathable windbreakers (jackets and pants), Good outer layer to hike in as it traps air, blocks wind, and still breathes really well.
It is not at all waterproof
Coated nylon is used for inexpensive and lightweight rain gear.
It forms a vapor barrier, however it does not wick your sweat away and as such it is not good to wear unless it's really raining.

7. Basic Winter Clothing So, what exactly do I need to get?
Underwear – No Boxers
Long Underwear – Fleece PJ pants work great. Not advisable if you have fleece lined snow pants.
Pants – Avoid cotton-especially jeans and corduroy
Shirts – t-shirts, long sleeve shirts and long sleeved turtlenecks
Hoodies
Balaclavas – Great for sleeping in!
Toques - An extra one in your backpack is a good idea
Scarf - Neck Warmer
Socks – The best place to spend money
Mittens and Gloves – Mittens are great at bedtime
Snow Pants – Fleece lined with ventilation zippers are best. Heavy nylon splash pants over polyester pants and long underwear work well too!!
Winter Coat – Nylon jackets with removable liners are the best.
Boots – the boots with removable felt liners are best. Always a good idea to have 2 sets of liners.

8. The exception to the cotton rule!
Cotton should only be used for sleeping. This is the exception to the no cotton rule because you are generally not active when you are sleeping therefore you are not going to be sweating.
Do not overdress at bedtime. If you wear too many layers, you do run the risk of sweating!!

9. Sleeping Bags
A basic sleeping bag is simply a square blanket, fitted with a zipper on one or two sides, allowing it to be folded in half and secured in this position.
The basic design works well for most camping needs but is inadequate under more demanding circumstances.
The second major type of sleeping bag, sometimes called a mummy bag because of its shape is different in a number of important ways.
It tapers from the head end to the foot end, reducing its volume and surface area, and improving its overall heat retention properties. Some bags are designed specially to accommodate women's body shapes.
It usually does not unzip all the way to the feet. The zipper is a weak point in any sleeping bag's insulating qualities. Together with the tapered shape, this design feature helps protect the feet, which are more vulnerable to heat loss than other parts of the body.
It usually has a drawstring, equipped with a cord lock, at the head end, to help prevent the escape of warm air.
A mummy bag often cannot be rolled like a rectangular bag. Instead, it is simply stuffed into a stuff sack or compression sack.

10. Hydration & Nutrition
Planning food for winter activities must take into account the great
demands the cold weather and physical activity placed on the body
along with the difficulty of preparing foods in the winter (it takes time,
stove fuel) and having a menu which appeals to the group). Appetite
is generally reduced during winter activity even through the food needs
of the body have increased. If the meal isn’t appealing, it won’t get eaten.
In some situations you literally need to force yourself to eat.
Food types
All foods are made up of varying proportions of the three basic food types - carbohydrates, fats, proteins, and water, vitamins and minerals. Each
of the three major types can be converted into simple sugars and burned
By the body to produce energy but the time required for conversion
increases as the complexity of the molecule increases, so carbohydrates
are quicker to convert than proteins and proteins quicker than fats.

11. Caloric Requirements
General caloric requirements increase in the winter due to the energy
expended in keeping the body warm.
Caloric requirements for different activity levels are summarized below.
Activity Caloric Requirement (kilogram-calorie/day)
Basal metabolism 1,500 calories
Sedentary occupation 2, ,000 calories
Three season backpacking 3, ,000 calories
Winter backpacking 4, ,000 calories
Keep in mind that there are definite individual variances on these figures
based on age, body metabolism, health, etc.
Meals
Avoid taking fresh food in the winter (fresh fruit, vegetables, eggs).
These all contain water and weigh a lot (and you have enough to carry).
The exception to this is cheese, butter, or meats (needed for their high
Fat content). Take mostly dry foods (cereal, pasta, rice, wheat, oatmeal,)
baked goods (brownies, cookies), or
freeze dried foods (expensive but very lightweight and quick to cook
which can save on stove fuel).

12. WINTER WATER
Water (hydration) is just as important while Winter camping as it is
in summer camping. In the summer time, you lose water mostly by
sweating. In winter, you lose a lot of water just by breathing. Whether
you are thirsty or not, you need to drink quite often. Dehydration at
Winter camp can be almost as serious as hypothermia.
How do I know if I am becoming dehydrated?
A headache is a good indication that you are becoming dehydrated.
The colour of your urine is also a good indicator of dehydration. Clear
urine is an indicator that you are well hydrated. The more yellow the
color, the more dehydrated you are!! Deep yellow with a strong odor
is a sign of severe hydration.
Do not eat snow! It takes an incredible amount of energy to transfer
water from one state to another (solid to liquid). You are burning up too
many calories to do this which can quickly lead to hypothermia.