Questions tagged [cold-weather]
Cold weather can mean a period of specific low temperatures, frequently the freezing point or below. It also describes atmospheric conditions, including wind and factors which lower temperature. It's also a subjective term, including the feeling of cold under certain conditions, and what to do or use to acclimate during periods of cold, in order to feel warmer.
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How to assess cold water boating/canoeing safety
I’m planning a spring vacation to eastern Ontario in mid May (Bon Echo area).
It looks like Pike and Walleye fishing opens around that time. So the people I’ll be vacationing with want to do some ...
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Have you slept outdoors in only warm sleepwear (no bag or quilt) at or near freezing?
I have an insulated sleeping pad that I like. Has anyone successfully combined warm sleepwear with a pad for a comfortable sleep at or near freezing night temperatures?
I'm referring to a tent that ...
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It's freezing, you're cold and have to pee. Should you hold it as long as possible to conserve heat energy?
When you pee in a freezing environment, you can see the warmth coming out of it by evaporation. So it might seem that holding the pee as long as possible actually helps you prevent from getting even ...
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How does layering differ for cold weather vs extreme cold weather?
I have read some articles/watched some youtube videos on dressing for the cold in the outdoors. Obviously there are varying degrees of cold from what we get in the UK hovering somewhere above zero to ...
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How can I make a winter mountaineering boot into an extreme winter boot?
I am planning to make a winter ascent of a mountain with a height of 4850 meters (15,900 ft). Its summit's lowest and wind-chill temperatures are around -30 C (-22 F) and -40 C (-40 F), respectively. ...
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Recommendations for cold-weather clothing on paddleboards
I'd like to paddleboard a bit during the winter. Living in Vancouver, BC, our seawater temperature goes down to about 7C (45F) in January. It's at 12C (60F) right now.
What I am concerned with are ...
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How does the R-value of goose down compare to cattail down?
I know that goose down is warmer than cattail down. But what are the R-values of each? How much warmer is the same weight/volume of goose down compared to cattail down? Is cattail down better than low-...
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Which Ultralight & Compact Jackets are suitable for Winters (minus 10-15 deg. Celsius)?
I am not sure if this question fits here but since I like to travel and often face difficulties because of different weather conditions in different cities/countries so, I am hoping that somebody ...
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Clothing for cold weather hiking
I will go for two day hiking on a mountain (intermediate level). The weather will be chilling (3 °C to 5 °C, no snowing,but it may rain). I would like to know what kind of clothing would be better?
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Is sleeping on the ground in cold weather better than on an air mattress?
My friend and I had an argument about this topic. He says that the cold air in the mattress will stay at the ambient temperature, so if it's -20 outside the air in the mattress will stay at -20 so I'...
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Are liner mittens significantly warmer than liner gloves?
Under a windproof shell mitten, is an insulating liner mitten significantly warmer than an insulating liner glove made of the same material and thickness?
This is a different question from "Are ...
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Why are Fjällräven sleeping bags so expensive?
The Fjällräven POLAR -20 REG has the following specs:
850 EUR
1650g and 25cm x 40cm volume
EN/ISO: -12°C comfort, -20°C limit, -42°C extreme
95/5 Down; 800 cuin
The MARMOT - Never Summer seems to be ...
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How should I dress for sweat inducing activities in cold weather?
I never seem to find the perfect way to dress for sweat inducing activities in cold weather. By sweat inducing activities I mean mostly activities in the mountains, especially hiking uphill or ski ...
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How do you take field notes at below 0 °C, without freezing fingers?
I'm taking inventory on my tree farm. The temperature today is -7 °C with a light breeze. Windchill of -10 °C.
I figure that there are lots of people who have this problem. Writing a journal, ...
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Is a hole in a cold place warmer?
I'm working on a setting for a tabletop RPG game. This place is located high on the mountains and it is cold. There is a village in this place and their is and inn who's only room is on the basement ...
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Would a lightweight 2-person tent or medium weight 3-person tent be better for near freezing weather?
I'm heading out this weekend, and the temperature is expected to drop below freezing, with a 20% chance of rain.
I have two tents, a lightweight 2-person, which I primarily use for backpacking, and a ...
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Using a thermometer for hypothermia diagnosis in backcountry?
Has anyone had good experience using an ordinary drugstore oral thermometer in the backcountry in winter weather, and getting trustworthy readings? I made the experiment (on a night that was around ...
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What was the temperature without windchill for the climbers that "Minus 148 Degrees" is written about?
The book Minus 148 Degrees is written about a winter climb of Denali in which a rapid weather change forced the climbers to seek refuge in an emergency snow cave.
The title is a reference to the ...
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What is the most severe temperature that a proper snow cave can protect you from?
This question was prompted by my answer to Under what conditions does heating a backpacking tent artificially make objective sense?. In my answer, I mention the possibility of hiking across Antarctica ...
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Under what conditions does heating a tent artificially make objective sense?
My question is motivated by the earlier question How To Quickly Warm A Tent, which generated a lot of interest, and one of the best comments ever on TGO:
All I could think about after reading your ...
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Hot water system as a heater for car camping?
For car camping near the snow line, is there anything that can safely be used as a heater while sleeping?
For example, how large would ordinary hot water bottles need to be, to comfortably emit heat ...
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Is it possible to acclimatize to a cold weather in a short time?
On some of my Himalayan treks I've seen people who wear shorts or wear single layer of clothing and shiver due to the cold weather (most of these people live in a tropical climate). When I've asked ...
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Is it warmer to sleep in a car or in a tent?
Is it warmer to sleep in a car or in a tent?
Suppose that our old internal-combustion-engine car breaks down in a remote place at -30°C, -40°C, or -50°C, and the engine won't run at all. Suppose we'...
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My car broke down in Siberia. What do I do now?
Some time ago, while driving on a snowy road, someone told me a kind of horror story.
It involved a guy who was driving alone with an old car on an overland road in Siberia during winter, so the ...
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Dead Canada goose stuck frozen to top of lake
I saw a Canada goose stuck frozen on Ramapo Lake in the Ramapo Mountain State Forest near Oakland, New Jersey. I was told that it had been dead for a while.
Can a goose freeze to the ice and get ...
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What are the considerations for using chemical heat pads in sleeping bags?
A now-deleted answer to this question suggested using chemical heating pads in sleeping bags at night to provide added warmth. The product suggested is the 'Thermacare ... Fe-loaded material' I ...
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Why don't climbers use electrically heated suits?
Why do climbers not use electrically heated suits to climb peaks like Mt. Everest? Or am I just mistaken and they already do it?
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What are the nighttime temperatures in Baxter State Park in June?
I'll be hiking through Baxter State Park, in Maine, in June. I am traveling as light as possible as I will be crossing multiple ridges. I have a 30F sleeping bag and a 0F bag. The 30F bag is much ...
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Why doesn't it snow much at -30 °C?
I live in Canada, and we get a decent amount of snow in the year. However, it is very well known that you never get a lot of snow when the temperature is really cold. For instance, you never get a ...
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How can people survive really cold nights outside with minimal equipment?
There are people who had to survive one or more nights in altitudes above 7000 m at temperatures far below zero, without tent, sometimes without sleeping bag or even a proper jacket. Some examples are ...
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Adapting to the cold [duplicate]
Some people seem to be able (as I've noticed when camping and traveling with different people) be able to produce more heat and need fewer layers in cold situations. Are there any techniques that ...
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Yosemite in late March a good idea?
My wife and I have never been to Yosemite. We will have some time off in a couple of weeks (end of March) and we're considering planning a trip to Yosemite.
The amount of rain and snow in recent ...
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How does drying stuff in your sleeping bag work?
A pretty common trick when winter camping is to dry anything that gets damp/wet (e.g., base layers and socks) in your sleeping bag (cf. How do you dry wet socks when camping/backpacking if it's ...
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How do I get my fingers and toes warm before rock climbing at cold temperatures?
I've had now a couple of days when going rock climbing while the temperatures are below the general comfort zone (meaning below 6 °C/ 43 °F).
When starting to climb, my fingers got cold rather fast ...
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Blizzard Chaser: What to take on a 5-hour Blizzard Hike?
Thank you for taking the time to read through this !
I just noticed there is a chance of Blizzard (Winter Storm Jonas) in our region (NY/NJ) and I would like to take this unique opportunity and go ...
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How do you reset your body 'thermostat' after hiking in snow?
About 10 weeks ago, I did a 16-hour snow hike in Newfoundland (off-topic: insanely gorgeous country!).
The outside temperature was still very warm for November, with highs of -5ºC / 23ºF and lows of -...
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Dozens of dead little spiders in the snow
The winter suddenly set in here and it was pretty warm before. We walked through the snow in a central European forest and I realized a lot of "black dots" (dozens of them) as a contrast to the white. ...
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Which country has the most snow days in Europe?
For snowboarding reasons I need to know which country has the most "snow days" (is it even called like that?). I don't mean the highest snow height or something. Just the time when it's white outside. ...
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How much does body fat actually insulate you against the cold?
I'm not a big guy, but I can sit in a cold pool of still water for a long time if I stay still and control my breathing, my skin gets cold, but after you get past the cold shock I can sit there rather ...
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How to prevent frost / ice damage camping equipment?
When camping in summer rain overnight or dew in the morning is fine as it'll likely all evaporate off in the day.
When camping in winter dew, rain, or sleet could lead to frost and ice on the tent ...
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What is a Burrito wrap? [duplicate]
I was going through one of the most amazing posts on The Great Outdoors which talks about if sleeping naked in a sleeping bag keeps you warmer than with clothes
The is something said about Burrito ...
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What clothing would be suitable for hiking and camping in 0°C?
I intend to hike and camp where the forecast temperature is around freezing. It can get windy in exposed areas, but I would be starting low and camping amongst the snow gums.
During the day air ...
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How dangerous is it to walk with wet feet in cold terrain?
Let us say we have around 0 degrees celsius and I have wet feet and I am in the middle of nowhere (let us say 2 days away from any civilisation). On the one hand people say it is no problem to walk in ...
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Does sleeping with liner shoes make you feel colder?
While reading this article about mountaineering boots I found following quote by Ian Nicholson quite interesting:
"When climbing in a double boot, bring the liner in your sleeping bag at night to ...
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Stove/fuel setup for harsh conditions
We already have topics on fuels here and here which give quite an overview. Also REI gives some info how to choose your stove and fuel properly.
Still I would like to know what are the best options ...
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Should the cloth part of ski gloves be treated before use?
I know that the leather part (if any) of ski gloves should be treated with some grease such as Hestra Balm or Sno Seal. But should the cloth (non-leather) part of the glove (again, if any), like most ...
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Using anti-perspirant in extreme cold climate
Could the use of anti-perspirant give benefit in extreme cold climate where sweating can be a significant problem.
I've read many articles regarding keeping warm when alpine climbing in the extreme ...
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How to stay hydrated with minimum water usage
A friend of mine asked a experienced long distance hiker, how to drink during such a hike. The answer was, drink 0.1l water per hour and then you are fine.
Is this correct and can anyone add some ...
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In cold conditions, will you freeze faster wearing wet clothes than not wearing any?
I have heard that in cold conditions, you'd freeze faster wearing wet clothes than not wearing any. I cannot find any proof that this is true. Is it?
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Can cold weather be sufficient to act as a refrigerator?
Might be a silly question, but if the place I want to travel to has 35 degree F highs and 27 degree F lows, and the ideal temperature for a refrigerator is 35 degrees F ... can't I just loosely pack ...
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