10 most vital pieces of gear for winter overnights?

[twochordcool]

Hello everyone!

I am in pretty good shape for 3 season backpacking, but I am a little short on essential winter gear.

For example, I don't own a waterproof / breathable shell jacket...however, I do own pants and gaiters!

I don't yet own snowshoes or crampons, but it looks like I might not need them this winter anyway!



I have a 5 degree EMS synthetic bag, and am looking for a way to extend it's rating instead of investing in another new bag altogether.

I own 2 stoves - but they take the MSR cannisters, and my understanding is they can be almost useless in very cold weather.

THEREFORE!

I would like to ask everyone to make a "prioritized" list of vital things needed for backcountry overnights in winter -

I am putting in a lot of overtime at work and want to buy some new goodies, considering what you guys recommend.

Thanks ahead of time!

[redhawk]

Smartwool or Polypro base layers

Goretex (or similar) Outer Layers

Wool Fleece mid layers

White Gas stove (I prefer the Primus Multi Fuels)

Get a silk or fleece sleeping bag liner and a bivy cover for your bag

Waterproof, Insulated Boots with a good thermal insert

Smart Wool or Polypro Wicking Socks

Vapor barrier for under your sleeping bag on the tent floor and a good thermorest sleeping pad.

Extra Nalgene bottles to keep heated water in your sock/boots in your sleeping bag.

Pee bottle so you don't have to get out of bed at night.

Thinsulate watch cap to wear on your head in the sleeping bag

Down Booties for camp and in your bag at night.

Always carry plenty of matches and a couple of butane lighters and firestarter like Trioxolene tablets.

Couple of different hats, especially an "earband" to keep your ears warm and your head "uncovered" to dump heat when working hard.

Good pair of Waterproof mittens with thinsulate or wool liners as well as some flexible gloves for hauling logs and stuff when necessary.

[Dick]

Twochordcool,

I'm sure many will chime in with a variety of conflicting priorities . I did want to point out this 'sticky' post for winter gear. If you do a search for winter camping or winter gear, you'll see lots of posts on this subject.

Snowshoes: depends upon amount of snow and where and how you hike. They are required in the high peaks with 8" or more of snow.

Bag liner: I use this for a liner and it works well. Haven't needed it this winter so far!

Stove: a controversial subject, approaching religion. I use an MSR Dragonfly. It has worked well in both cold and warm weather, but it is expensive and not conducive to quiet conversation!

I'll try to post some more when I have more time.

Dick

Hello everyone!

I am in pretty good shape for 3 season backpacking, but I am a little short on essential winter gear.

For example, I don't own a waterproof / breathable shell jacket...however, I do own pants and gaiters!

I don't yet own snowshoes or crampons, but it looks like I might not need them this winter anyway!



I have a 5 degree EMS synthetic bag, and am looking for a way to extend it's rating instead of investing in another new bag altogether.

I own 2 stoves - but they take the MSR cannisters, and my understanding is they can be almost useless in very cold weather.

THEREFORE!

I would like to ask everyone to make a "prioritized" list of vital things needed for backcountry overnights in winter -

I am putting in a lot of overtime at work and want to buy some new goodies, considering what you guys recommend.

Thanks ahead of time!

[Neil]

Something you might want to consider: In the morning it is cold, the coldest part of the day usually. You too will be cold, having done nothing but sleep (hopefully) all night. I assume you'll be going hiking. So, in order to neither freeze in the morning nor to spend an eternity fussing with your wardrobe...get insulated clothes that you can put on right over top of your hiking clothes including your boots. Basically, thick fleece or down pants and an insulated coat. The very last thing to do before putting your snowshoes on and generating your own heat is to peel out of those warm clothes. Kind of like superman.

Definitely get really warm booties plus overbooties so you can walk around without putting your freezing cold hiking boots on or getting your booties wet.

Another item that is essential for the Western High Peaks Region: a bucksaw.

[Wldrns]

emphasis on gloves/mits

What you already have seen here is good, I just want to emphasize and give one bit of extremely important advice. Adequate gloves and mittens (already correctly top 10 listed) are vital. Keeping them dry under heavy activity is almost impossible, so dry spares should also be near the top of your list. No matter how warm you are when moving, wet hands will chill rapidly in winter temps when you stop. If your hands freeze up you can't do much else.

Here's my warning: Be extremely cautious of using gloves with soft integral, loosely attached inner liners. They may be warm and toasty when dry, but when they get damp (and they will) and you remove them for some reason, the liners stick to your hands and will come out of the outer glove fingers. They will be almost impossible to reassemble the fingers, especially with cold wet hands. When wearing gloves I prefer the kind with separate outer shell and removable wool or fleece inners that I can use separately or together. Even when wet you can still get your hands and fingers back inside. If you are not overly chilled your hands will warm again even in wet wool when you start moving again. Bring mits as a backup, and extra gloves you can keep dry for emergency.

[Boreal Chickadee]

Lots of good advice above.

On socks and mittens: wool. wool.
Even if the weather is mild and you pefer to start out with poly socks and hand covering there is nothing, absolutely nothing like a good pairs of wool socks and mittens. Carry them even if you don't wear them. Nothing will warm your hands and feet faster.

[Dick]

Something you might want to consider: In the morning it is cold, the coldest part of the day usually. You too will be cold, having done nothing but sleep (hopefully) all night. I assume you'll be going hiking. So, in order to neither freeze in the morning nor to spend an eternity fussing with your wardrobe...get insulated clothes that you can put on right over top of your hiking clothes including your boots. Basically, thick fleece or down pants and an insulated coat. The very last thing to do before putting your snowshoes on and generating your own heat is to peel out of those warm clothes. Kind of like superman.

Definitely get really warm booties plus overbooties so you can walk around without putting your freezing cold hiking boots on or getting your booties wet.

Another item that is essential for the Western High Peaks Region: a bucksaw.

Just a followup to superman's...er, Neil's post. Not gear-related really, but a common method used by many is a hot Nalgene bottle inside the socks you will wear in the AM. This will keep you warm, and you'll have drinking water in the AM. A few jumping jacks and/or a piece of candy might help to get the heater going, too. I also carry some of these.

Dick

[oldsmores]

A good book, or a deck of cards - lots of time to kill sundown to sunup

[percious]

Its been said, but I will emphasize, down booties are a must.

If you keep your boots in your pack under your head as a pillow at night they will not likely freeze. Much easier to put on in the morning.

-percious

[Dick]

Its been said, but I will emphasize, down booties are a must.

If you keep your boots in your pack under your head as a pillow at night they will not likely freeze. Much easier to put on in the morning.

-percious

Or, if you have room, in a plastic bag at the bottom of the sleeping bag.

Dick

[twochordcool]

Another item that is essential for the Western High Peaks Region: a bucksaw.

I usually carry an 18 inch bow saw with a blade cover wrapped up in my folded up tarp...and bungee it to the back of my pack.

Sometimes I can get at firewood that others can't because I can cut it up and some people can't!



(Dead and down, of course!)

Slim pickins in some of the more popular camping spots - and I'm really getting sick of signs of people cutting down live trees for firewood because they are too lazy to go a little further back.

[twochordcool]

If you keep your boots in your pack under your head as a pillow at night they will not likely freeze. Much easier to put on in the morning

I have seen synthetic/chemical hand/feet warmers in the hunting and camping departments in Walmart -

but I'm torn between 1) the guilty feeling of using a bunch and then inevitably having them end up in a landfill -

and, 2) the lightweight, boot-warming, potentially finger-saving practicality of them!

[Dick]

I have seen synthetic/chemical hand/feet warmers in the hunting and camping departments in Walmart -

but I'm torn between 1) the guilty feeling of using a bunch and then inevitably having them end up in a landfill -

and, 2) the lightweight, boot-warming, potentially finger-saving practicality of them!

I don't know what brand you've seen, but as posted above, I carry Mycoal warmers. I seldom use them, but they're there if I do. No need to use a bunch. They contain iron, water, cellulose, vermiculite, activated carbon, and salt, all inside a polypropylene bag (yes, and packaging, too). Granted, they are meant to be disposable, and they have to go somewhere. But given all of the things we tend to dispose of, I can think of worse things to end up in landfills.