Camping in the Winter: The Basics

Winter camping has many advantages. There are fewer pests and people, and you can enjoy the beauty and tranquillity of a pure winter paradise. However, if you aren’t ready, it could be cold and hard. To prepare for a successful winter camping trip, brush up on your fair-weather camping skills while adjusting for the added obstacles of freezing temperatures, snowy terrain, and unpredictable weather.

This is a list of what you should think about when going camping in the winter:

• How to set up camp in the snow: Choose a wind-sheltered location and free of avalanche threat, then prepare your tent site by packing down the snow.
• Stay hydrated and consume plenty of calories: Proper diet and hydration will keep you warm. Prepare healthful breakfasts and dinners, as well as quick snacks and lunches. Make a point to stay hydrated all day.
• Use appropriate winter camping equipment: You’ll need a durable tent, a warm sleeping bag, two sleeping mats, and a cold-weather stove.
• Warmer gear is recommended, including midweight base layers, fleece pants, a puffy coat, and a waterproof jacket and pants. Don’t forget to bring warm socks, a hat, gloves, and sunglasses.
• Prevent frostbite and hypothermia: Frostbite and hypothermia are genuine concerns during winter camping. Discover how to prevent them.
• Additional suggestions: Eating meals, filling a bottle with hot water, and performing jumping jacks are just a few ways to remain warm on a cold night.

Creating a Snow Camp

Winter camping location selection

The prospect of camping on snow is perhaps the most significant distinction between summer and winter camping (assuming you live somewhere near where it snows). Instead of quickly unpacking when you get to your destination for the day, spend some time discovering the ideal camping area. Relax, get a snack, put on some warm clothing layers, and search the site for the following items:

• Wind protection: A natural wind block, such as a grove of trees or a hill, might improve your experience.
• Is there a decent water supply nearby, or will you have to melt the snow?
• Avoid camping on vegetation: Set up camp on the snow or in a well-established bare-ground campground at patchy snow conditions.
• Avalanche danger: Make sure you’re not on or below a potentially slipping slope.
• Setup should not take place beneath unstable or damaged trees or branches.
• It’s lovely to have some space between you and the other campers.
• Where the sun will rise: Choosing a location that allows you to see the sunrise can help you warm up faster.
• Landmarks: Look for landmarks to assist you in finding the camp in the dark or during a snowfall.

Putting Up a Tent in the Snow

Before setting up camp, use snowshoes to pack down the snow.

While it is possible to construct a snow shelter, such as a quinzhee or an igloo, most first-time snow campers will spend the night in a tent. Set up your tent as usual if you aren’t going to be on snow. Here are some pointers if you’re going to be out in the snow:

• Pack down the snow: You might not be able to sleep well if there is a lot of loose snow around. Before you set up your tent, go about in your snowshoes or skis, or stomp around in your boots.
• Create a snow wall: If feasible, build a snow wall around your tent if it’s windy. If this isn’t possible, dig out a couple of feet of snow for your tent and vestibule—this aids in reducing the wind effect. However, do not entirely seal your tent. It still needs to be adequately ventilated.
• Dig out your vestibule: To generate additional space for storing stuff and to make it simpler inside and outside of your tent, dig out a bench beneath the threshold.
• Use snow stakes: Standard tent stakes will not work in the snow. Instead, bury snow-filled stuff bags or use snow-resistant posts. Make sure your tent is adequately anchored down, so it doesn’t fly away if the wind comes up.
• Keep sharps away from your shelter: Keep any object that might rip your tent away from your protection, and do not bring it inside. This comprises ice axes, crampons, and ski edges. Ripping your tent during a winter storm might be devastating.

Your Kitchen in the Winter

Creating a snow-covered winter kitchen

One of the benefits of winter camping on snow is the possibility of constructing your kitchen. You may dig out and mold the snow with your shovel to build a cooking area, benches, tables, and even a storage cabinet. Make it as elaborate as you like by using your imagination.

You can bring a floorless tent or a tarp from home to make a safe place to hang out while you cook and eat. A tent or tarp should be set up first. Then dig a place to stand under the tent.

Never Leave a Trace 

• Even in the dead of winter, it’s critical to practice Leave No Trace camping etiquette. Here are some winter camping considerations:
• When possible, stay on heavy snow cover.
• Camp at least 200 feet away from a trail, water, and other campers.
• Human waste and toilet paper should be kept out of the way when camping on snow, so you should put them in a bag. Excrement should be hidden in an 8-inch-deep trench dug in the ground at lower elevations. To keep animals from digging up the excrement, cover it with a boulder and leave it there.
• If you’re having a fire, utilize dead, downed wood. Never cut or break limbs from living, dead, or downed trees.
• Respect wildlife and keep a safe distance from it. Winter is a dangerous season for animals.

Winter Camping Food and Drink Suggestions

While camping in the winter, melt snow for drinking water

When you’re walking through cold, snowy terrain, your body expends a lot of energy. It’s critical to eat and drink enough water before, during, and after your exercise to stay energized and warm.

Here are some food and drink suggestions:

• Enjoy hot and simple meals: While winter camping, a hot meal is extremely satisfying, but keep your meals simple so you aren’t stuck cleaning a lot of dishes in the cold. Consider calorie-dense foods that don’t take long to prepare, such as one-pot meals. Freeze-dried dinners and breakfast items are also excellent options. Find out more about meal planning.
• Take brief lunch breaks: Simple sandwiches or quick-grab snacks and energy items with protein, lipids, and carbs are appropriate for lunch. Try not to take extended lunch breaks to chill down. Instead, take small pauses to eat or merely nibble while you’re going.
• Bears are usually in deep hibernation throughout the winter, but other species would happily feast on your food if you leave it out. Put your food in a backpack or hang it from a tree with a sack and rope. Some places may have food storage rules; educate yourself with them before leaving home.
• Remember to drink: When it’s chilly outside, stopping to drink water might feel like a significant hassle, and you may not feel as thirsty as you do on a hot summer day. To keep adequately hydrated, make it a habit to consume water often throughout the day. Making hot liquids, such as herbal tea or hot chocolate, or drinking soup are wonderful methods to warm up and rehydrate at camp.
• Bottles: Most winter campers leave their hydration reservoirs at home and instead bring water bottles. A water bottle cover that can be attached to the outside of your pack will keep your water close by.
• Melting snow: Because many rivers and lakes are frozen solid or buried behind feet of snow throughout the winter, you’ll almost certainly need to melt snow for drinking water.

To melt snow:

• Set aside a spot to collect pristine, white snow.
• Turn on your stove.
• Fill your pot halfway with water, then top it up with snow.
• Add more snow when it melts.

It’s better to fill all of your bottles before you go to bed so they’re ready to go the next day.

Winter Camping Equipment Essentials

The most important guideline of winter camping is to remain dry and comfortable. When you’re out in the cold for lengthy periods of time, having the correct clothing for your trip might be important to your enjoyment.

Winter camping equipment is comparable to that required for backpacking but focused on warmth and hardiness. Here are some specifics on the main items:

• Tent: It’s critical to have a shelter that can withstand cold weather. Keep the following factors in mind when selecting a tent for winter camping:
• If you’re camping below the tree line and don’t expect very stormy weather, a standard three-season hiking tent will suffice.
• A four-season tent is suggested for severe winds and heavy snowfall. 4-season tents feature stronger poles and heavier materials than 3-season tents, allowing them to endure strong winds and large snow loads. They also feature less mesh and rainfly that reach near to the ground to keep whirling snow out.
• You’ll need some additional room. It’s a good idea to choose a tent that can accommodate one more person than the number of people sleeping in it (eg. a 3-person tent for two people.) This allows you to store your goods inside, safe from the outdoors.

Winter campers wear backpacks

Backpacking in the winter involves more gear and warmer, thicker clothes, so you may need to use a larger pack than you do in the summer. Pack as light as possible, but always be prepared for cold circumstances. For a 2- to 4-day excursion, here are some general guidelines:

• The pack must be at least 65 liters (3,967 cubic inches) in size.
• Deluxe: at least an 80-liter (4,882 cubic inch) pack.

If you want to carry skis or snowshoes, be sure your pack includes lash points or other means of securing these bulky goods.

Wear a sleeping bag rated at least 10°F lower than the lowest temperature you expect to face to ensure comfort on cold nights. If you get too hot, you can always vent the bag.

Consider the following while purchasing a sleeping bag:

• Cold-weather bags are filled with either goose-down or synthetic insulation. Due to its greater warmth-to-weight ratio, down is a popular choice. Just make sure it’s dry (when wet, down loses much of its insulating ability).
• Winter bags are defined by draft tubes hidden behind zippers, draft collars above the shoulders, and hoods that assist preserve heat in the bag.
• If you are unsure whether your sleeping bag is warm enough, you can use a sleeping bag liner. These provide additional warmth while also reducing wear and keeping your luggage cleaner. The additional layer might offer 5 – 25°F of warmth.

A sleeping pad offers important insulation and comfort. Here’s some information regarding sleeping pads that you might find useful:

Use two pads: To avoid losing body heat on icy surfaces when winter camping, use two full-length pads. To gain the optimum insulation from the chilly ground, apply a closed-cell foam blanket to the floor and a self-inflating blanket on top.The foam pad also acts as protection if the self-inflating pad is ruptured.

Consider R-value: Pads are graded by R-value, a measurement of insulation that ranges between 1.0 and 8.0. The greater the R-value, the better the insulation. All-season or winter pads typically have an R-value of around 4.0 or greater.

While winter camping, a liquid fuel and canister stove are utilized

Backpacking Stove: Winter camping is good for most liquid-fuel stoves and certain canister stoves.

White gas, which burns hot and clean and works well in cold weather, powers stoves that use liquid fuel. If you want to cook, you can use canister stoves, but they are heavier and take more time to heat up. You also usually have to prime them before you can start cooking. Some multi-fuel stoves may also be used with unleaded vehicle gasoline, kerosene, jet fuel, and/or diesel, making them an excellent alternative for foreign travel.

Canister stoves are lightweight, small, and quick to heat up, but not all perform well in cold weather. If you opt to use a canister stove for winter camping, be sure it has a pressure regulator built-in. Canisters can depressurize and generate a feeble flame in cold weather. A pressure regulator can help with this. Also, keep your fuel canister warm by storing it in your sleeping bag at night and in a jacket pocket when you’re about camp and getting ready to cook.

Suggestions for stoves:

• Have a backup: You should bring a backup stove if your primary stove breaks down. A second stove can also help to speed up the group-cooking process.
• Bring extra fuel: Keep in mind that melting snow for drinking water requires more fuel. You’ll also consume more gasoline at greater altitudes.
• Create a stove base: Using a piece of plywood sized to suit your stove as a stove base can increase performance. Wrap the base of a stove that rests on the fuel canister with tinfoil to reflect some heat up and help keep the canister warm. Keeps your liquid-fuel stove or canister burner with remote burner from sinking into the snow as it heats up, which could make it fall over in the snow.
• Set your fuel canister in water: Another method for preventing a fuel canister from becoming too cold is to place it in water. This will assist in keeping the temperature above freezing. Bring a flat-bottomed dish just large enough to contain a canister, fill it with water, and place the canister inside.

Snowshoeing in the snow by a winter camper

Skis, snowshoes, or a snowboard: The best way to get around if there are only a few inches of snow on the ground is to go on hikes. However, if you’re going to a snowy location, you’ll need some sort of float to make navigation simpler. Your primary options are as follows:

Snowshoes: If you don’t ski or snowboard, snowshoes are probably your best choice. Snowshoeing is similar to hiking in that it is simple to learn. Learn more about snowshoeing in our Beginner’s Guide to Snowshoeing.

Skis: Cross-country touring skis are ideal for mild terrain. Bring your backcountry skis for tougher slopes.

Snowboard: You can utilize a split board, which breaks into two lengthwise halves, transforming it into skis for climbing slopes (at the top of the hill, you put the board back together and snowboard down). You may also carry a normal snowboard in your bag and trek uphill with snowshoes.

Sled: Some winter campers use a sled for longer treks and adventures. A sled allows you to carry more goods while reducing the weight on your back. A sled is not suitable for every terrain (steep slopes and narrow trails might be challenging), so plan your route and track conditions ahead of time. Here’s how to build your sled for winter camping.

Avalanche safety gear, such as an avalanche transceiver, probe, and shovel

Avalanche Safety Equipment: If you’re going to be traveling in avalanche territory, you must have three items with you and know how to utilize them:

When an avalanche buries someone, rescuers utilize transceivers to locate the victim. Avalanche transceivers send out a signal that other transceivers can pick up on. Before venturing into avalanche territory, you must first learn to utilize one. This needs expert training and practice. For further information, read How to Select Avalanche Transceivers.

A probe is a pole that can be folded up and has a way to tell how far down it is. (usually up to 10 feet long). After an avalanche, sections can be swiftly built to probe into the snow and aid in the search for victims.

A shovel is required for digging out avalanche victims. It’s also useful for leveling a tent site, excavating a snow shelter, or melting new snow for drinking water.

Note: If you’re going to be traveling across a snowy environment, you must detect and avoid avalanche areas. Check the local avalanche prediction as well to see what potential threats exist. Remember that avalanche predictions might be generic and inaccurate in specific places. Before you go, attend an Avalanche Awareness class available for free in many places, including certain REI stores. 

The Top Ten Requirements

As with every wilderness excursion, you and your fellow campers will require the Ten Essentials. Before you leave the house, double-check that everyone is on the same page about who is bringing what. 

Winter Camping Outfits

A cold-weather camper layers up to remain warm

Having the proper clothes and layering is critical to your comfort during winter camping.

• The base layer is your underwear layer that goes nearest to your skin. Midweight long underwear is a superb all-around choice for winter camping. Lightweight is excellent for moderate weather, while heavyweight is best for temperatures below freezing. Look for textiles that drain moisture away from your skin and dry rapidly, such as polyester or wool.
• Middle layer: This is your insulating layer, which is primarily intended to aid in the retention of body heat. Warmer equals fatter (or puffier) in general. Most winter campers prefer a puffy down or synthetic insulated jacket for their upper body. If you prefer fleece, get a heavyweight fleece jacket. Fleece pants or heavyweight long underwear are ideal choices for your legs. More information regarding insulating choices may be found in
• The outer layer, often known as the shell layer, is your waterproof/breathable barrier against snow, sleet, rain, and wind. In the winter, it is critical to have a fully waterproof jacket and pants rather than just water-resistant ones since moisture may badly freeze you if it reaches your inner layers. However, this clothing must also be breathable for sweat from your base layer to escape.

On cold days, these little gadgets may bring a lot of comforts:

• Winter hat: A simple wool or synthetic beanie would suffice. Make certain that your hat covers your ears. Consider using a facemask or balaclava if your face becomes chilly.
• Gloves and mittens: Fleece gloves are adequate for basic warmth, but insulated gloves with waterproof/breathable shells are preferable. Mittens allow your fingers to exchange warmth while sacrificing dexterity. Whatever you select, it’s a good idea to have a spare pair in case they become wet.
• Always use goggles or glasses to protect your eyes from the sun and wind. If you expect bright, sunny days, you’ll want to wear glasses or goggles with black lenses and visual light transmission (VLT) of 0 – 19%. Light-colored lenses, like yellow, gold, amber, or rose, help to improve contrast in low-light situations when the sky is cloudy. A VLT of 20 – 40%, or even greater, might be beneficial in gloomy situations.
• Socks: Do not wear cotton socks. The fit of your boots controls the thickness of your socks. You can’t keep your feet warm if your boots are too tight. An extra-thick sock won’t help. Take a few extras.
• Footwear: Traditional hiking boots can be used if only a few inches of snow are on the ground. However, in deeper snow, you’ll appreciate wearing waterproof and insulated winter or mountaineering boots. Using gaiters will prevent snow out of your boots while also adding warmth.
• Skiing and snowboarding, of course, necessitate boots suitable with the bindings.

Keeping Cold Injuries at Bay While Winter Camping

Frozen tissue and hypothermia, which happens when your body’s temperature drops below normal, are big risks when you go camping in the winter. To avoid them, you must actively take care of yourself and your trekking companions. Here are a few examples:

• Stay warm, don’t get warm: You can keep a pleasant temperature by clothing correctly, which is far easier than attempting to warm up after becoming too cold.
• Don’t attempt to tough it out: if you see your fingers or toes growing chilly, stop and check on them, then warm them up. Warming up may be accomplished by placing chilly fingers in your armpits or cold toes on a warm tummy. It is also possible to use hand warmers and toe warmer packages.
• Keep an eye on your friends: Ask them how they’re doing regularly, and if you notice pale patches on their faces or they’re becoming awkward on the route, you can make them stop and cover up their skin or put on a warm layer.

Winter Camping Hints

Consume food for warmth: Your body produces heat as it digests food, so if you’re feeling cold, consider eating something. Have a little snack before going to bed to keep your metabolism working, and have a candy bar handy in case you become cold in the middle of the night.

Increase ground insulation: Place your waterproof clothing between your two sleeping pads to provide additional insulation from the chilly ground.

Use your foam sleeping pad for more than just sleeping: use it for sitting or standing on when cooking. It aids in keeping you warmer and dryer.

Fill vacant floor space in your tent: Having many empty floor space within your tent makes it difficult to warm up the interior area. Bring your bag and other gear inside (avoid sharp objects that might shred your tent, like as crampons and axes) and lay it around you on the tent floor as insulation against the chilly ground.

Exercise before bed: Shivering all night is guaranteed if you crawl into your sleeping bag chilly. Do 50 jumping jacks, jog around camp, or chase your pals around. Get inside your sleeping bag and zip it up tight after your heart is racing and you’re feeling warm.

Go pee when you need to: Your body uses less energy to keep warm by emptying your bladder. If getting out of your toasty warm sleeping bag in the middle of the night seems too much to bear, try a pee bottle. Women can enter the bottle using a urine funnel.

Fill a bottle with hot water: To make a little heater that will last all night, boil a liter of water and pour it into a hard-plastic water bottle (a metal bottle will be too hot). Screw the lid on tightly, check for leaks, and place it in your sleeping bag. Holding the bottle near to your stomach or between your legs will quickly warm you up, but be careful—the bottle will be rather hot at first.

Bring your boots inside: Bringing them inside will keep them a few degrees warmer than leaving them outside. This will make them more comfortable to put on in the morning. If your boots have detachable liners, place them in your sleeping bag at night to keep them warm. Socks and footwear insoles are similarly affected.

Sleep in clean clothes: Body oils, sweat, and grime can degrade the insulating capacity of your sleeping bag over time. For sleep, put on clean long underwear and socks.

Store your bottles upside down: Because water freezes from the top-down, storing bottles upside down reduces the likelihood of the bottle tops freezing shut. Just make sure your bottles’ lids are properly fastened on and won’t leak.

First, make sure your batteries are completely charged: Winter nights are long, so make sure your torch, GPS, and mobile phone batteries are new or completely charged before embarking on an adventure and always have extras. Lithium batteries work well in cold conditions, although they can overload some devices, such as headlights (for compatibility, consult your product’s handbook). Alkaline batteries will work in any gadget, but they will deplete faster.

Keep gadgets warm: Extreme cold can deplete battery power. Keep items like your headlamp, mobile phone, GPS, and additional batteries close to your body in your sleeping bag or a jacket pocket when not in use.

Safe your camp: Before leaving your camp for the day or going to bed at night, be sure that everything that may be blown away or buried by snow is put away and secure. Make sure your skis or snowshoes are upright so they don’t disappear beneath a covering of snow and that items like your stove, shovel, and water bottles are stored wherever you can find them.