I'd recommend a -40* bag. A 0 or -10 bag won't be comfortable at those temps, more of a "keep you alive temp"

I'd recommend some sort of camping stove, like a jet stove or similar. a warm drink in the morning makes a world of difference when doing sub 0 camping.

 

Camp gloves so your riding ones don't get too sweaty. 2 layers underneath you is better than one on top. I'd bring something to insulate your bag from the snow. I don't know where you're going or whatnot, but I'd also consider a Garmin InReach for emergency. Plenty of water. Folks underestimate their levels of dehydration in the cold.

 

My style:

 

It has more to do with your own knowledge and experience and comfort with “discomfort” than the gear. Now, I have a really sweet winter camp set up (see below), but have also done the whole lean to and fire to stay warm thing as well. Assuming you not a newb:
good bag rated as low as you can justify for the temps expected, if not add bags and bivy to up the rating. Being too hot is bad as well. (And the good foam pad is a must)
. I’d add a fire for warmth in-front of your lean to. Something to melt water and warm drinks. Hot food - it’s adds heat and mental comfort. You can also dry out.
Dry clothes & boot liners
a Book. The nights are long and it keeps the brain occupied.
gas line antifreeze and a jump pack (keep batteries and water in your sleeping bag). If you need that sled to start in the morning give it all the help you can!

Do it. Winter camping is fun

 

Eagle scout here. Def need a pad under your bag. You have to change all your clothes before going to sleep as they will have moisture in them even if they feel dry. Gonna want to put your boot liners in your sleeping bag so they don’t freeze overnight. When my parents started camping they started in the backyard and every time they had to go inside for something it went on a list. I would sleep in your backyard first to get your clothing right for sleeping.

 

... I would sleep in your backyard first to get your clothing right for sleeping.

this is sound advice. also learn practices that keep your clothing dry... I used to wear plastic bags between my feet and socks to keep my socks and ski boots dry... you really want to be dry... and have dry gear

 

Pack some summer sausage or similar stuff that can be eaten when the food is cold.

 

After reading the first few words I thought it was going to be a joke about "summer sausage".

 

I use a -20 bag, tarp for ground sheet, foam pad under the bag, and a second tarp for a tent (or dig a hole and use tarp as a roof) sleep with your water, if really cold an MSR fuel bottle full of hot water in a wool sock is nice! If going alone would definitely bring a garmin inreach.

 

Calories

Food is the #1 thing to enter into the equation. Summer is as good of a time as any to experiment with different foods and quantity to see how much heat is being generated. I experience this throughout the year. For example tonight I will have a large meal and within an hour or so I will be so hot that I will need to remove my shirt. When I work on a hot day I eat less and drink more. I wish that I had known these things when I was young and froze when camping outdoors in spring or autumn.

Have you ever been on a camping trip and been cold while others where so hot that their sleeping bags were open? Tonight will drop to 18° C which is actually a good temperature to practice sleeping at night. The dew makes my sinuses flare up when sleeping outdoors which I find a PITA. I don't know what causes it nor how to fight that problem, but keeping warm is easy in comparison. The point I am trying to make is that calories is the largest factor in keeping warm, other than of course external heat. My hope is that you will experiment in the coming months. I have not done any studies on this, but I can reasonably say that eating chicken for me provides the greatest boost in heat. I don't know if it is the fat, but the heat that I generate from eating poultry is phenomenal.

I remember working in construction in winter and my boss seemingly had no trouble keeping his hands warm. One time he told me to remove my gloves and make a snowball which would help my circulation and keep my hands warm. It did not seem plausible to me, but I tried it anyways and sure enough it did NOT work lol This was my earliest experience with how we can come-up with the dumbest possible BS things that do NOT work! On a side note, I find the members on DooTalk are exceptional in ridding of the BS.

It would take me over 30 years to realize/understand that my hands and feet were cold in winter mostly because of what I was eating in the morning which was cereal! Some people don't even need to eat breakfast to stay warm. Their metabolism work in a different way, so one thing that may work for one may not work for another.

My biggest mistake ever was to skip breakfast on our second day snowmobile trip in Feb of 2020, just weeks prior to the covid lockdowns. Within an hour of riding I grew hungry and tired which led me to ride/work slower causing me to get cold starting at the feet. About an hour into the morning ride my toes were hurting too much, so I stopped and used the muffler to heat my feet. Since I was riding too slow at -25° C, the muffler was barely hot enough to warm my feet. I kept my socks on to warm them too, and had to press my feet against the muffler to get any warmth. After my feet were warm I rode a little harder and my feet somehow stayed warm enough for the next two hours to reach our lunch stop.

The reason that I skipped breakfast was a short circuit in my brain. When we did stop to eat it was lunchtime and I ate twice as much as everyone else. This kept me warm until our next stop around 6pm which I at another large meal. I am not sure if I ate enough, but I remember asking for extra on my plate and eating a few left overs like a hungry animal lol It was getting late and time to go as the temps were dropping fast, but it would do well enough to keep my feet warm for the two an half hour ride back to hotel. Within an hour the temperature had dropped down to -28° C and my heated visor was frosting. Even at -25° C, with the long muffs I was wearing thin cotton gloves with the grip and thumb warmers on the low setting. When we left after super I had bumped the thumb warmer to high and as it grew closer to -30° C I had to switch to my mits to keep my thumb from freezing. Around the same time my visor began to freeze-up and needed my left hand to wipe the frost off of the visor every 30 to 60 seconds. My mit didn't work to rub the frost off, so I had to put my cotton glove back on my left hand. I had to be quick because at 30-50 mph my hand would freeze within a few seconds. I quickly learned to slow down to wipe my visor. To warm-up my left hand that froze every 45 seconds, I needed to set the grip warmers on high which caused my right hand to get burning hot. So I gripped the handlebars harder with my left hand to warm-up quickly, and loosen my grip on the right hand too cool off. Within 30 min of this nonsense I was tearing-up from the stress and anxiety. The tears froze which made even more complicated to see lol

We eventually stopped and the leader asked how I was doing which was bad! I was rested and willing to drive a lot faster to keep warm, but I could not see! We had reached a wooden trail which was a lot warmer with less wind then the lake riding we had just done on Lac Turo. Those dumb decisions of mine turned the best ever snowmobile experience into parts that were a nightmare. The upside is that I have since worked on cold days in Spring of 2020 and the following cold seasons without issue by eating properly for the conditions. I have also bought the best warm boots that money can buy. Ironically I rarely wear them because they are so large that I have trouble operating the clutch in my cars. I have also learned that I did not need them for most winter days as long as I ate appropriately for the conditions.


For #2 I would vote on a self-inflating pad which is easily compressed and will do wonders to insulate against the cold floor.

I am enjoying reading through this topic and I am learning good tips.

 

A Dome Tent isn't that Heavy and takes up little Space. Same as an Air Mattress. You can add a Rack on the Sled or make a Small Trailer to haul your Camping stuff. A GPS would be a Good Safty item. A Portable Mini Camping Stove Cover Outdoor Tent Heater Heating Warmer With Handle. Put Life360 on your Phone, your Wifes Phone, or a friend's Phone, so Help can find you. Notify someone when your leaving and expect to return. Give them your Planned Route. Extra Gas would be nice also. A Signal Mirror, and Laser Pointer.

 

If you plan on using a tarp setup go on YouTube and look for some videos on a Mors Kochanski "super shelter". The wife and I constructed on for a weekend winter campout and it was very warm. Next time I do it I will make a long fire so I don't need to get up as much to feed the fire. Whatever you decide to go with you for sure need a pad of some kind to help keep the cold ground from sucking all of the heat out of your body.



Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

 

Spruce boughs can make a stellar sleeping pad, and all around insulation for where you stand. and sleep.
Get a bivy bag and a 2 peice sleeping bag. wear as little as possible while in it. It sucks to get into but it will warm up.
I know solo sounds like a good idea, but it is not.
Try to find someone to go with you.
Spent more time tenting in arctic and sub arctic conditions than I care to remember.

 

I think you give solid advice, especially with partnering with someone else. There are too many things that can go wrong. If one goes at it alone, then I suggest choosing the warmer nights. I have found myself snowmobiling up North in the coldest days of the year from having to follow others. I claim ignorance on the first trip, but I have since pleaded against choosing the coldest days of the year in mid February which has fallen on deaf ears. For someone like me who does not even ride much, minus 10 to 20° C is cold enough. For those who ride say 5,000 to 10,000+ miles a season, they know what they are doing and are well equipped, so putting me in those situations where the temps drop too low holds a high risk. There is a complete season to choose from, so for an overnight it makes a lot more sense to choose one that will drop not much lower than -10° C.

 

a great item is a jet boil and mt home meals also folgers coffee in small packets to pour in to h2o and get hot coffee

 

I have one. It’s a great stove, when it’s warm.
Propane, butane or any combo works great if the fuel is warm.
It does not work at minus 30.
Old school white gas, aka Naptha gets heated in the old school stoves before it gets burnt.
Been there at minus 50, getting the stove and lantern to light to keep warm, in the tent.
It’s a chore, but it will work.

 

Thermarest sleeping pad to put under your sleeping bag, it's self inflating then blow alittle more air in it. Will be a good insulator from the ground and it's very comfortable. Bring a good warm hat to wear while sleeping. High carbohydrate food and plenty of drinks. I think everyone else has covered most. Oh yeah, don't forget the MOST IMPORTANT item, toilet paper!😜

 

Crap, I had not thought of toilet paper lol

 

Snow is cold, it works well as a cleaning agent lol

 

Be careful. My dad was probably within an hour of dieing while winter camping. His own fault, but it was so cold they fired up the heater and had everything buttoned up so tight it used up 90% of the oxygen in the tent. He woke up in the am and sat up in the tent and was gasping as there was no oxygen 3 ft from the ground.

 

I have wondered about the draw in oxygen. I would expect there is more than enough change in the air to replenish the oxygen, but from what you are saying it did not happen. Very good to know. Thank you.

 

Scary story and the winter Ex stories brings back a few memories.
My Tent is canvas, stove goes out overnight and my bag keeps me comfy. In the am it’s a hop out, stuff and light the stove, visit nature and back in the sack till it warms up.

This has got me thinking of winter and I haven’t finished golfing yet!

 

Emergency blankets, tp, wind/waterproof matches (lighters fail to work when cold and even when warm, cold fingers don’t want to work) fast AND slow processing high calorie foods.
Cold is a quick silent killer when not kept at bay correctly.
My sled ALWAYS has strobe light, kindling, NUMEROUS fire lighting devices, knives and even lady hygiene products…………some of you may laugh, but they are sterile, and are perfect to lower down into a oil tank or fuel tank to absorb flammable liquids to quickly light a fire.
And ALWAYS remember….there’s no need to be Mr macho and light a fire with one match. In life or death situations, it’s not about getting the fire going with one match. It’s about using ANY AND ALL resources to get a life sustaining amount of heat AS FAST AS POSSIBLE….

 

slow processing high calorie foods

Would rolled oats be a good idea? I see kidney beans have a remarkably low Glycemic Index.

 

i don't know about you, but rolled oats give the sheets in like 60 minutes.

 

The absolute last thing I want to do is get that deep rumble around 2am when I finally get warm in the sleeping bag!

 

 

pistola.

 

i would think something like chicken and rice would be pretty mild and stick with you and not make you have to put the derriere out in the cold night air. Not to mention your stick and berries getting getting frostbite!

 

Whole wheat rice probably last longer too. I've been watching the Netflix series Alone. In one episode one of competitors had all of his fat stolen by an animal and he was worried that he wouldn't survive the cold without it.

 

For all around winter camping tips, check out the Boy Scout Fieldbook. I used to use the 1990’s/ early 2000’s version as a training aid in a number of outdoor classes. I can’t say anything about newer versions, but if you search around there’s a number of pdf downloads available.

 

I've enjoyed this thread. Great points. And appreciate that most folks writing and reading this understand the challenges of camping in the cold. For the folks who think this "sounds fun", and want to try camping in the cold with little practical experience, here are some things to keep in mind.
Don't believe the forecast. On one memorable trip I was in Thompson in late January, the morning temperature was forecast to be -40F. Woke up to rain and +40F. I had a relaxing breakfast and went down to the weather station.... to very politely ask "how could a forecast be 80F off in just 12 hours? He said the further north, the more the weather is driven by a combination of over night cloud cover and the jet stream location and height. The slightest change in any of the three and things change dramatically. Further north, more unpredictable, further south, more predicable. He said in the Sub-Arctic, if you want a long range forecast, you look down the street. If you want a short range forecast, you look out the window.
The second thing. When you are out in the cold, your brain doesn't work the same. I never need a list to do a sequence of things, unless I'm working in the cold, then lists are vital. Having a number sequence for routine things. 1, wallet, 2, keys, 3, cell phone, etc really helped. Sounds silly, until you have been there.

 

Advice appreciated on sleeping bags, what price range will it take to stay warm? Thx friends.

 

No easy answer to this question as so many variables. First - are you a cold or warm sleeper. you will need to go high temp rating if you’re cold when you sleep. Type of insulation will affect cost. Down is warm and light, compresses best to take up less room but needs to be kept dry and cost the most. My down bag is a -28c north face expedition bag that cost 600-800 cdn.
I have a -13 cheap canvas hunting barrel bag that is good when it’s not cold but it packs bigger than my tent! It was 110 cdn. normally you will sleep in some layers and if it gets too cold you can double bags too.
if you haul on a sled a cabelas bag for the temps you want to sleep in will do you fine. Shouldn’t break the bank.