Whatchya Wearing: Winter Camping

A friend visited us one snowy morning

Hut trips and winter backpacks are fun. But there is something else I enjoy in the winter as well: Car camping.

As I said previously:

Much like a hut trip  in reverse: We set up camp and hike to and from our camp. We don’t ski to the hut first and then back again.

The concept is similar. When the nights are long and cold, some good food and an adult libation or two makes the time memorable. Add a cozy shelter with very warm sleeping bags and clothing , in addition to  the welcoming glow of  some lights, and a good experience will be had while camping.

Just another way to enjoy the outdoors.

And one I have enjoyed quite a bit over the years!

Day Use clothing

What clothing I bring during the day very much depends on the activity.

Most of the clothing, but not all, is based on my day use Nordic touring clothing.   

When I am skiing, this is the kit I take I course. I used it When I was camping in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison in January. The goal was to ski the road that is groomed for Nordic tours. A fantastic ski tour in an otherwise busy national park!

Black Canyon of the Gunnison ski tour. Twelve miles round trip on what is usually a very busy road in the summer.

But what about when I am hiking?  

I swap out my ski pants for BDUs. The polycotton blend works surprisingly well in the cold and dry air when there is not a lot of snow (otherwise I’d be on skis! 🙂 ).  The pants area also a little thicker for a smidge more warmth versus nylon hiking pants and they are durable if there should be a campfire, or I am scrambling up and down rocks, ladders or otherwise.  I’ll also take my older, but lighter, GoLite Bitterroot since I will be out during the day but back in camp at night.  Otherwise, the clothing is the same. What works well for skiing works well for hiking in the winter I find.

Footwear? All depends. Again, if I am skiing, I use my Nordic touring boots.

If there is not too much snow on the ground, I’ll use trail runners and possibly a thicker Smartwool type merino sock from, where, else Costco (Kirkland brand) 🙂  A real bargain at $5 per pair roughly. Since I am not doing multi-week hikes in the winter, they last just fine.

When I made a late Thanksgiving camping trip to the Sand Dunes, this is the footwear system I used.

If there are a few inches of snow on the ground, I take my old reliable Hi-Tec hiking boots I use for trail work and around town in snowy or slushy conditions. Since I am camping versus backpacking, I will have an opportunity to dry out fairly easily. And my Sno-Seal treated boots will repel snow reasonably well for the three-to-five days I am doing this types of trips.  I couple this boot with the same socks as above. It was my footwear of choice when I went to the Badlands this past December.

And if it is cold and wet as opposed to cold and fluffy snow? I am car camping, out there to see something, and do not have to get from A to B.  I am in my tent, enjoying a cup of hot chocolate, reading a book and enjoying the chance to be warm, dry and having the gift of time to do nothing but relax! I’ll wait until the weather is a bit better. 🙂

We were not car camping in the Winds! 🙂

Which brings me to….

Clothing system at night

My clothing system for at night when deep winter car camping is the biggest change. Since I am essentially doing a hut trip in reverse, without having to haul in anything, I can mostly take the warmer, but bulkier and heavier, clothing that I would not take winter backpacking. 

Handwear 

The handwear is very similar since it serves the same purpose: Keep my hands warm and dry!

• The leather work gloves and liner combo is used more, however. Since I am typically doing some more involved cooking, additional camp chores and just hanging out a bit with a significant other or friends, I tend to be doing more “stuff.”  As mentioned in my winter backpacking article, this combo is surprisingly warm.

• If it is particularly frigid out? My boiled wool mittens are every reliable.

Feet

I generally don’t suggest wearing them in your living room, however.

• A thick pair of socks is used just for at night. Again, warm and dry socks are heaven on a cold, winter night.

• But unlike winter backpacking, unless I was on a short hike or hauling something in by sled, I’ll take my Bunny Boots. They are quite possibly the warmest boot you can buy. They work. And they work very well.

Headwear 

I bring two key pieces of clothing to keep warm in toasty in camp.

from the Sportsmans Guide

• Thick fleece hat.   Similar to the one I linked. Very warm. Perfect for changing into when I’ve been skiing or hiking all day and my other hat may be a touch damp.

• Multi-use fleece hood. Mine was originally a surplus store special. Thicker, sturdier almost wool-like fleece that resists wind and moisture. My beater down coat below does not have a hood. This fleece hood makes a pretty good substitute. A very critical piece of head gear when the mercury plummets.

Additional Base Layers and Pants in camp

• The ECWCS Gen III layer 2 grid fleece thermals I mentioned in my winter backpacking clothing article.

• And if it is freezing? I can layer my heavier running pants I use for skiing that are fleece lined. Mainly for sleeping as much as anything.

Outer insulation layers

• 

  from eBay

  Since I am not schlepping the weight on my back, I eschew the old-school army liner pants of ECWCS Gen I and use the newer ECWCS Gen III Level 7 pants. That’s a mouthful for saying HUGE AND EFFEN WARM PUFFY PANTS!  These pants aren’t quite the dirt bagger bargain of my older pants.  However, at about $100 for their warmth, durability, water repellency and easy of putting on and off with other bulky winter wear, these military pants compare quite favorably to commercial down pants meant for backpacking.  You can often find these military pants for less than half price on eBay. Which make them quite the good purchase in my opinion. The commercial down pants are lighter and less bulky but not nearly as warm or durable.  These military pants are made with high-quality Primaloft and are very toasty. I would not take these pants backpacking unless it were a short trip with a pulk. But for cold weather base camping? Absolutely.

• My beater down coat is my top outer layer of choice.  I am invariably doing more in camp, and I seem to camp in the desert southwest in the winter (where it can get quite cold!) so the clothing takes a beating. This every faithful puffy has older style baffle construction. I don’t how many ounces of down it contains, but it compares favorably to my new Montbell Frostline with ~7oz of down fill.

• My 200 wt fleece combined with a 100 wt fleece serves as a warm layer set esp if the days are relatively warm and sunny. The fleece set is often just warm enough when putzing around and doing tasks such as making breakfast or enjoying my cup of coffee while soaking up some sun in the winter.  A 200 wt fleece is very versatile, durable and just a great item to have for every outdoors person.  

 ***

With the clothing above, I can be very comfortable in the heart of winter. Using a variation of the gear above, I was able to enjoy a beer one frigid winter night in New Mexico. How cold was it? Cold enough where the beer turned into a slushy!

The beer may have been a little bit frozen.

But I was not. 🙂