I figure since I've moved to Wisconsin why not enjoy what it has to offer? "But what does Wisconsin have to offer?" you may ask... Cold, and lots of it. For the next three months.

I've been camping before, just never in extreme cold weather (sub-zero celcius). Anyone have suggestions on what kind/brands of gear to buy? I'd like to go camping in nicer weather too so if I can use the gear for both that'd be great. Probably only weekend trips for now, but maybe longer when it warms up.

12/3/2006 12:24:52 AM

my old rommie did it and had a special bag for the temp, don't know much else


I for one fail to see the appeal of going out and sleeping in cold and dirt like animals.

12/3/2006 12:30:22 AM

It's peaceful! Just you and nature. A chance to get away from it all. Besides... if you can't get laid on a camping trip with your woman then you just suck.

12/3/2006 12:32:54 AM

12/3/2006 12:34:55 AM

I guess I should have specified camping outside...

12/3/2006 12:42:04 AM

Yeah if you have plenty of warm clothes and can stand a little cold, winter camping is a lot better (IMO). You don't have to worry about any bugs or anything like that, plus you don't have to worry about rain ruining your weekend.

12/3/2006 1:10:31 AM

Cold weather camping is rough. Like ^ said, there's no bugs, but honestly, the cold kinda ruins it. I stick to camping when it's nice out.

As far as your actual question, mostly you'll use seperate gear for decent and cold weather. Sleeping bags don't adjust to hot/cold weather, you need one for each. Tents stay about the same. Same with sleeping pads. Also, never had any good experience taking girls cold weather camping, they do nothing but bitch about how cold it is.

12/3/2006 3:36:19 AM

cold weather camping is so much more fun than camping in the heat

i was on pilot mountain a month or so ago

it dropped below freezing and i got sick as shit though

12/3/2006 3:46:13 AM

REI is a good store to get some stuff for camping, and they could prob help you figure out brands.

12/3/2006 3:50:51 AM

Does it get cold enough there that you can camp out on a lake and go ice fishing in the morning? That would be hot.

12/3/2006 4:21:46 AM

buy some of those thermacare heat wraps. open one just before bed and throw it in your sleeping bag. it makes so much difference! (well, when I camp in like 30F it does)

12/3/2006 6:38:10 AM

Quote :

"they do nothing but bitch about how cold it is."

Not true! I love cold-weather camping. I guess I do bitch about not being able to shower, though.

You'd want to get a mummy bag (do people even use the rectangular ones any more?) that's rated for a lower temperature than you actually expect. It's probably best to just to talk to someone at the store ... if you live in an area where it's very cold, I'm sure they'd know the best thing to tell you to get.

http://www.princeton.edu/~oa/winter/wintcamp.shtml#Personal%20Equipment has some good info for winter camping. A lot of it is obvious, but some of it is good.

12/3/2006 12:11:47 PM

different gear does make a big difference. closed cell foam pads are a better thermal barrier for cold weather than the inflatable kind, sleeping bags goes without saying, and a lot of tents are labeled "3 season" or "4 season" for that reason as well.

12/3/2006 12:17:21 PM

0 degree down bag and a four season tent. closed cell foam pad.

heres a trick - take some hand warmers with you and put a couple of them in your bag about an hour before you go to sleep - itll be all warm and cozy when you climb in.

also, put some hot water in the nalgene bottle before you go to bed and put it in the bag with you - itll stay warm most all night

make sure your ho takes enough clothes - you know a woman will just suck away your body heat (no pun intended)

im sure johnnyswank will have some good ideas too

12/3/2006 12:42:42 PM

Sub-zero celsius is not that cold (30 Fahrenheit), and you're lucky if that's the daytime high in Wisconsin during the winter. Winter camping is the only time I get to use my most expensive camping shit. Unfortunately, I'm now in NC, where winter is an abstract concept. I guarantee you that NOBODY here has had to plug a car in to make sure it starts in the morning.

12/3/2006 12:42:46 PM

mountaineering coursepack: http://pe.ncsu.edu/gtholden/283/coursepack.html

12/3/2006 12:52:00 PM

I've never done any winter camping, but I've camped where it got sub 30F at night. You can buy or make fleece liners for your sleeping bag, they can be bulky and kind of a pain to carry around but it's so WARRRRRMMM! A fleece liner would be my number 1 accessory in the cold.

Also you can bring an extra Nalgene bottle for peeing in at night. That way you don't have to get out of the tent and freeze your ass off. It's a good idea to get one that's bright yellow or something so you don't switch it up with your other bottles.

12/3/2006 1:57:29 PM

i've heated large rocks in the fire and brought them inside the tent to help keep it warm. you'll want to initially wrap them in a rag or old t-shirt so they don't catch anything on fire.

12/3/2006 3:01:47 PM

also an important tip for sleeping is not to overdress and be too warm, cause then youll start to sweat and even a little will make you really really cold

12/3/2006 3:05:36 PM

Quote :

"Unfortunately, I'm now in NC, where winter is an abstract concept."

we still have winter here. i consider anything below 50 degrees cold

12/3/2006 4:14:52 PM

i've spent a little time in the field (up to a week at a time) with temperatures in the low-teens to low-20s. the insulated UnderArmor is a good product. polypropylene long johns are good, too. a microfleece beenie is worth its weight in gold, along with microfleece gloves. if it really gets cold, a terrorist mask or scarf is nice (we had them, but were almost never allowed to wear them, along with most of the rest of our good gear). if it's also wet (or snowy) outside, you'll want gore-tex (another thing we were only rarely allowed to wear, which pissed me off to no end).

make sure you have good, waterproof boots. I like Gore-tex boots, since they still breathe, but spray them with that waterproofing spray stuff. good socks are the money. if you're going to be hiking a lot, i like to wear a really thin, slick, synthetic sock under a wool sock, or better yet, a pair of Thorlos.

tents are for pussies. you don't need that shit unless it's raining hard. even then, you can make a makeshift shelter with a poncho and string if you need to. you don't really need much whizbang highspeed expensive gear, either, other than the stuff i mentioned earlier.

a good sleeping bag is something you'll want, though. ours had an inner layer that zipped into an outer layer, which zipped into a gore-tex layer. we then put the foam bedroll underneath ourselves, and it actually makes a difference (in warmth, and maybe a little in comfort in terms of padding). make sure you take the time to assemble the layers properly and get everything fully snapped and zipped together, then pull the drawstring tight up around your head and face. only your eyes and nose (and maybe your mouth) should be exposed. it's amazing how well that setup works...i slept in 6-12" of snow in 13-15 degree F weather and was fine (IF you properly assemble it. if you don't do it right, you'll freeze your ass off big time).

put your boots and your water in the bag with you at night, or they'll be frozen in the morning. a hand warmer can indeed be used to kickstart the warming process when you first get into the bag.

12/3/2006 5:46:08 PM

Make sure you have an all seasons tent. Those two and three season tents with all the mesh dont do shit in terms of heat retention.

12/3/2006 6:10:55 PM

I'v been on both mountaineering and dogsledding expeditions, and just because you're camping in the snow does NOT mean you have to be cold.

The first thing you figure out when snow camping is the difference between chilly and cold. You will often feel chilly, but with the right gear, you don't ever feel cold.

The second thing is when you're cold, MOVE!! We would run laps around camp to get our body heat up. Sitting there freezing your ass off hoping to get warmer will never work, the surest way to warm up is to go run around for a few minutes. If your gear is good, then you'll keep that heat with you for a while.

TheDuke pretty much covered everything but I'll add some pointers:

-Pack a fresh pair of socks for every day, when it's cold out you'll appreciate nothing more than warm dry socks.
-Hats are crucial, buy the warmest one you can find. Also get a neck gaiter...those two things together will keep you warmer than any other two pieces of gear.
-Don't use open cell foam pads, used the closed cell...it will keep you warmer.
-Make sure your ground tarp or plastic sheet doesn't have any holes or tears, you will melt the snow and get yourself wet if you're not careful.
-Fill your water bottles at night with hot water and put them in your sleeping bag before you get in. Leave them in there all night along with as many articles as possible of clothing you plan to wear the next day. That way you won't have frozen water bottles and warm clothes.

12/3/2006 6:21:46 PM

^^if it's cold enough that you need a tent, you prob have no business being out there unless you're Lewis and Clark or something.

[Edited on December 3, 2006 at 6:23 PM. Reason : that's just extra shit that you'll have to carry]

12/3/2006 6:22:56 PM

of all the fun things to do in the area camping in the wisco winter doesnt hit my radar

12/3/2006 7:27:21 PM

When I was cross country skiing for a week, we set up tarps using ice screws and ski poles. A tent does nothing but trap moisture on the inside, making it heavy as hell to carry around by the second day.

You can camp without a full tent in the winter because there's no bugs/snakes/spiders to deal with.

12/3/2006 8:10:30 PM

^it also traps heat though. a good 4-season tent will ventilate well.

12/3/2006 8:13:10 PM

listen to theduke and wolfpacker 06. But, here's something you shouldn't do: don't even think about wearing your jeans...rugged or not, they suck up moisture like no other and keep you wet. Thermal underwear is a must....wear something like windbreaking nylon (there's other synthetic combinations) pants with sweat lining.

12/3/2006 9:16:00 PM

also, "mountaineering: freedom of the hills" has tons of good info

12/3/2006 9:24:02 PM

Thanks for all the help guys -

Duke: I assume the sleeping back you're talking about was the US Gov't issue 3-piece? A guy in my unit from 2nd ID (Korea) was telling me similar stories about being in almost single-digit temperatures and sleeping in nothing but that 3-piece and being fine. I tried one last year and musta been missing a piece because I was freezing my fucking ass off in a TENT. Maybe I'll check on prices for civilians to buy one (haven't been issued one at my current unit). Also, I don't know why the military won't let you use the bad-ass cold-weather gear - they used to do that shit to me while I was in training. Maybe they want you to save it for when it's REALLYREALLY cold so you appreciate it more...

Wolfpacker: Thanks for filling in the gaps - I'm in the Army Nasty Guard so I'm familiar with basic things like changing socks, what to wear for "normal" temperatures, but not so much when it's in the low-double or even single digits. I shave my head regularly so I definitely know all about having appropriate head gear... It's amazing how much air can flow around your head in a kevlar if you don't insulate it, but at the same time it's a helluva lot warmer than outside!

12/4/2006 12:35:55 AM

I would rather off myself.

12/4/2006 12:43:00 AM

no cotton clothes what so ever
get a good (-20 deg.) mummy bag
eat alot of hot soups ect....
you can never have enough clean socks (clean, dry socks are one of the most important camping items, especially if you're doing any hiking)
don't get wet (including not sweating)
keep a good fire (doesn't have to be big, just try to keep one going whenever you're at the campsite)
keep your head covered
if there is alot of snow around and it's sunny out you'll need sunglasses to protect your eyes (snow blindness is a bitch)

If it's really cold out, dig a small pit to build your fire in.....when its time to go to sleep, cover the hot coals with a layer of dirt, and bed down on top of it.....the coals will keep the ground toasty for damn near the whole night, but make sure not to sweat. Sweat + Cold = no fun.

12/4/2006 8:50:06 AM

I second "Mountaineering: Freedom of the Hills". Mountaineering is basically knowing how to camp right in the worst possible conditions.

Generally a 4-season tent isn't worth taking unless wind and snow is a problem. Climbing in the Sierra in winter most of the time I take a bivy sack or a light 3-season along with a 0-degree bag.

12/4/2006 1:50:47 PM

Quote :

"Duke: I assume the sleeping back you're talking about was the US Gov't issue 3-piece? A guy in my unit from 2nd ID (Korea) was telling me similar stories about being in almost single-digit temperatures and sleeping in nothing but that 3-piece and being fine. I tried one last year and musta been missing a piece because I was freezing my fucking ass off in a TENT. "

yep, that's it. green layer, black layer, and camo gore-tex layer. you need all 3 (especially the green and black layers) to be warm, and it helps to lay on top of the bed roll, too. i'm telling you, it makes a HUGE difference whether or not all the layers are properly zipped and snapped together. if you put it together half-assed, you'll freeze.

12/4/2006 4:03:48 PM

i used to love our winter freeze outs in the Boy Scouts
5 mile hike into the woods with no tent and a roll of plastic and some twine
in the middle of january

good times

the coldest i have been camping was low teens
we use all military surplus shit
alice packs and mummy bags

12/4/2006 5:30:03 PM