This document provides tips for winter camping and avoiding exposure. It discusses planning ahead and preparing for cold weather by checking forecasts, packing the proper gear like warm layers, tents, sleeping bags, and food. Specific tips include setting up camp with trampled areas and snow walls, packing gear in a specific order, keeping extra dry socks, dressing in layers, and recognizing signs of hypothermia and frostbite. Proper food, shelter, clothing, and first aid are emphasized for staying safe and comfortable during winter camping.

1. W I N T E R C A M P I N G
2 1 3 T I P S F O R W I N T E R C A M P I N G A N D A V O I D I N G E X P O S U R E .

2. How you thought
it would be

3. What Really Happened

4. P L A N A H E A D
A N D P R E P A R E
H O W C A N W E F I X T H I S ?

5. R E M E M B E R . .
• Keep yourself and
clothes Clean
• Avoid Overheating
• Wear clothes Loose and
in Layers
• Keep Dry
C . O . L . D

6. W E A T H E R
• Know the weather and ground conditions before you
go.
• Weather Sites > http://www.nohrsc.noaa.gov/nsa/
http://www.wunderground.com/StateSnowDepth.asp
• Temperature, wind chill, precipitation.
• Don’t forget about the sun.

7. G E A R
• Pack your gear in the right order – both personal and
camp gear
• Winter camping even affects the order in which you
pack your gear. Pack your camp gear so that the
pieces you want first are packed last, then you won’t
have to dig through the whole load to get to your tents
first.

8. G E A R
• Unpack coolers first. Then you can set things you don’t
want in the snow on top of them while you set up
camp.
• Next should be any folding tables or chairs, then your
tents, ground covers, tarps/poles and camp tools like
axes and shovels

9. G E A R
• Tramp down areas, where to build your kitchen and tent.
• When setting up the tent, make sure its door is at 90
degrees to prevailing winds.
• Stake your tent out. Build snow walls on the tent’s
windward side by mounding its sides with snow.
• Start digging out a porch in front of your tent so that you
can take off your boots easier and then make a kitchen pit,
which should be at a minimum of six feet in diameter,
enough for four to six people.

10. G E A R
• Pack your personal gear the same way.
• Extra socks, gloves, hats, and carb snacks and hot
beverage mixes on top.
• Next should be the clothes you plan to change into
before climbing into your sleeping bag for the night

11. G E A R L I S T
• Internal/external frame backpack
• Four-season tent
• Sleeping bag
• Inflatable sleeping pad
• Collapsible snow shovel
• Foam sleeping pad
• Trekking poles
• Fuel bottles
• White gas stove
• Waterproof matches and lighters
• Cook set
• Plastic spoon and cup
• Headlamp with extra bulb and batteries
• Parkas
• Water bottles
• Compass/GPS
• Vacuum-insulated bottle for hot drinks
• Multi-tool, Swiss knife or pocket knife
• Goggles, sunglasses
• Chemical heat packs
• Assorted zip-lock bags
• SPF+45 sunscreen
• Stuffsacks
• Lip balm
• Toilet paper
• First aid kit with personal medications

12. A D D I T I O N A L W I N T E R G E A R
• Additional poles and splints
• Stakes (for staking your tent into the ground when
going to windy areas)
• Ground sheet (tarp or space blanket)
• Wisk broom (for brushing the snow off your boots and
clothes before going inside the tent)

13. G E A R P E R F O R M A N C E
• Camping gear performs differently in cold weather
• Propane stove performance degrades as temperatures drop (especially
colder than 15°F),- everything will take longer to cook.
• Cold weather propane cooking could use as much as three times more fuel,
and liquid fuel stoves twice as much, than warm weather camping.
• In cold weather; liquid fuel stoves work better than propane, and propane
works better than butane.
• Cold weather also reduces battery performance. Take your flashlight and/or
extra batteries to bed with you.
• *Lithium batteries last longer and are least affected by cold temperatures.

14. G E A R P E R F O R M A N C E
• Take a propane canister into your tent at night – it will work better
than one left out in the cold all night (which may just barely work
– if at all)
• Butane pocket or BBQ lighters are practically useless if left out
overnight – be sure to have some matches.
• Turn personal water bottles and canteens upside down,
overnight, so the part that freezes first is the bottom.
• Fill a coffee or cooking pot with water before you go to bed. It’s
hard to pour frozen water, but if it’s already in a pot it is ready to
easily melt for use.

15. S L E E P I N G T I P S
• Get warm before getting into your sleeping bag by
performing a few of jumping jacks to build heat up.
• Before sleeping, get all the gears, water bottle and
tomorrow’s lunch out your pack.
• Don’t forget brushing off snow from your boots and
clothes before going inside the tent using a wisk
broom.

16. S L E E P I N G T I P S
• Strip off layers of clothing and just keep to what is
enough to fit into your sleeping bag. [Too much of
clothing can compress the dead air space in the bag].
• Take off damp clothing layers and put on dry ones,
especially socks.
• Dry up wet items by placing them in the sleeping bag
with you.
• Put morning food and water bottle in the sleeping bag

17. S L E E P I N G T I P S
• Sleep with your face out the bag to reduce any
moisture accumulation inside it. Wear a hat.
• Bring a thermos with hot water inside your tent.

18. S H E L T E R
• Tent
• Snow Cave
• Igloo
• Quarry and Blocks

19. C O L D W E A T H E R C L O T H I N G
• Most people know to dress in layers for cold weather –
but do they know why, and what type is best?
• ★ Cotton is the worst material for winter and cold
weather clothing! It not only absorbs and retains
moisture, (body perspiration), but it also compresses
when wet – losing all of its “dead-air,” (space between
fabric fibers), heat retention capabilities.

20. C O L D W E A T H E R C L O T H I N G
• Dressing in layers also makes it easy to add or subtract
layers to compensate for different levels of activity
• Baggy clothing, (at least not-too-tight clothing), will keep you
warmer because it allows more “dead-air” insulation
• It is very important that your outer layer of clothing is
moisture and wind resistant – even if you won’t be in snow or
anticipate getting wet. Wind will cut through even the
heaviest clothing and coats quicker than you think, and your
clothes will soak up air moisture you didn’t even know was
there.

21. C O L D W E A T H E R C L O T H I N G
• Proper footwear is extremely important. This means
your feet dress in layers too. And your boots must be
roomy enough to allow for two pair of socks, and a
moisture-barrier layer if the boots are not water-proof.
• The first sock layer should be a thin pair of synthetic
socks that will wick moisture, (sweat), away from the
feet. Followed by a thicker wool insulating sock.
• ★ two pair of cotton crew or athletic socks will not keep
your feet warm!

22. C O L D W E A T H E R C L O T H I N G
• Pro Tip..Nylons. Under the wool socks.
★★★ Emergency tip:
Always carry an extra pair
of socks wrapped in two
plastic grocery or bread
bags. If your feet
accidentally get soaked –
you can immediately put
on dry socks, and a plastic
bag over them, to keep
your feet insulated from
the wet boots until you get
back to camp.

23. C O L D W E A T H E R C L O T H I N G
• Mittens will keep hands warmer than gloves, and
mitten-gloves, are the “best of both worlds,” and the
best choice for warmth, but a second choice would be
a pair of wool or microfiber liner gloves, covered by an
outer pair of water-resistant gloves.
• A single pair of thick ski-gloves is the “least-best”
choice.
• Always have “back-up” gloves in case your primary
gloves get wet.

24. C O L D W E A T H E R C L O T H I N G
• A hat is a must – but a warm winter hat or toboggan,
not a ball cap
• A heavy-weight or wool neck gaiter is better than a
neck scarf, and a balaclava will quickly be appreciated.

25. F O O D

26. F O O D
• Avoid Batter…Pancakes, waffles, french toast..
• Keep food in the cooler to keep it from freezing.
• Golden Rule: 10 L of snow make 1 L of water.

27. W I N T E R F I R S T A I D

28. Make sure you know, and can recognize, the signs
of hypothermia and frostbite.

29. F R O S T B I T E F I R S T A I D
• Seek Medical Care Promptly
• Restore Warmth
• Get the person to a warm place and remove any wet clothing.
• Unless absolutely necessary, the person should not walk on frostbitten toes or feet.
• Do not rewarm the skin until you can keep it warm. Warming and then re-exposing the
frostbitten area to cold air can cause worse damage.
• Gently warm the area in warm water (not hot) or with wet heat until the skin appears red and
warm.
• If no water is nearby, breathe on the area through cupped hands and hold it next to your body.
• Do not use direct heat from heating pads, radiator, or fires.
• Do not rub or massage the skin or break blisters.

30. F R O S T B I T E F I R S T A I D
• Bandage the Area
• Loosely apply dry, sterile dressings.
• Put gauze or clean cotton balls between fingers or
toes to keep them separated.

32. – F A M O U S L A S T W O R D S O F T R O O P 2 1 2 W E A R I N G
V A N S O N B A C K P A C K I N G T R I P .
“It’s never going to snow, it’s June. I don’t need
my boots”

33. S O U R C E S
• http://campingwithgus.com/cold-weather-winter-
camping-tips-pdf/
• http://survival-mastery.com/skills/camp/cold-weather-
camping-tips.html
• http://sectionhiker.com/hiking-socks-and-sock-liners/
• https://www.princeton.edu/~oa/winter/wintcamp.shtml