57
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Accepted
What are some common mistakes to avoid when trying winter camping for the first time?
Common mistakes, some of which I've made:
Unfamiliarity with equipment - this isn't specific to winter camping of course, but if you've used all the gear before in milder conditions, then there's ...
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40
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What are some common mistakes to avoid when trying winter camping for the first time?
Some common mistakes, definitely nothing close to exhaustive, so feel free to edit (I'll make it a community wiki if appropriate). If the point is about what you should do, the mistake is not doing it ...
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35
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What are some common mistakes to avoid when trying winter camping for the first time?
To add to the already-good other contributions:
Wearing cotton clothing is a common mistake. When cotton gets wet (from sweat or external sources), it doesn't quickly get dry, and that cold moisture ...
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33
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Why do I always wake up freezing?
As to why you're still cold with those specs: it happens to me as well, and I think the specs are for the 'average' person meaning not only average amount of body fat but also average temperature ...
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27
votes
Accepted
What coat should I wear when camping that won't be damaged through melting by embers from a fire?
Wool does not melt or drip
This answer might surprise you: wool!
Wool (...) does not melt or drip(.)
Wool ignites at a higher temperature than cotton and some synthetic
fibers. It has a lower rate of ...
- 23.5k
27
votes
Accepted
Sleeping in unheated outbuilding for a prolonged period
The biggest heat loss will be to the concrete floor and there too will be the greatest condensation from body moisture, with potential for mould growth and rotting.
I would provide insulation and a ...
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25
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Why do I always wake up freezing?
If you're consistently cold in your sleeping system, then you need to change your system.
An adequate sleep system for cold weather constitutes two sleeping pads: a solid foam sleeping pad underneath ...
- 53.5k
21
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Sleeping in unheated outbuilding for a prolonged period
Moisture is absolutely the biggest problem here. It will build up under you, so you have to get yourself and your sleeping bag off the concrete.
A bare minimum would be a ground sheet and a foam ...
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19
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Why do I always wake up freezing?
Here are some other things you can try,
Fill a water bottle with hot water, wrap it in a t-shirt and put that inside your sleeping bag.
Don't drink warm tea before you go to bed, as that will ...
- 69.2k
18
votes
What are some common mistakes to avoid when trying winter camping for the first time?
Winter outdoor recreation can be a place where the margin of error is a lot smaller than in warm-weather/typical camping season. Winter stuff also just takes a lot more overall energy to do anything, ...
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17
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Accepted
How could a lighter winter sleeping bag also be warmer?
I think it is easiest to see the difference here: Specification Chart
The heavier one is a semi rectangular bag while the lighter one is a mummy bag. Both bags have the same amount of loft, which is ...
- 10.7k
16
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Sleeping in unheated outbuilding for a prolonged period
As the others point out, you need to get off the ground a bit; my suggestion is to get hold of a couple of wooden pallets - where I live (UK), I can find them for free wherever there is building work ...
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12
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Is there a simple at-home test to objectively measure the insulating value of a sleeping pad?
If you want to test a sleeping pad's insulation yourself at home, then the way to do that would be to try sleeping outside your house in and see how they work. That is worth doing because you might ...
- 69.2k
11
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Why do I always wake up freezing?
A point others haven't stressed enough is that the sleeping bag specs I have encountered are way off, in my experience. My experience is that the sleeping bag should be as warm as possible, under ...
11
votes
What are some common mistakes to avoid when trying winter camping for the first time?
Don't underestimate condensation.
Other answers have mentioned sleeping mats. The problem is that if you're camped on cold ground, you've got a cold groundsheet, and that's going to get condensation ...
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11
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What are some common mistakes to avoid when trying winter camping for the first time?
Haven't seen this one yet:
It may be tempting, but don't pitch your tent under a snow-covered tree, unless you're prepared for that snow to fall on you. Speaking from (youthful) experience here.
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11
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Will I be warmer in my sleeping bag inside or outside of my tent, when winter camping?
The tent will definitely be warmer because it keeps the wind away. As you are sleeping your body produces heat and a tent helps keep that warmer air around instead of it blowing away in the wind.
...
- 69.2k
10
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Why do I always wake up freezing?
Putting together a lot of ideas already covered and adding some tips I've gotten over time. I don't have much natural insulation and get cold easily, so these tips have all been important for me.
...
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10
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What are some common mistakes to avoid when trying winter camping for the first time?
Underestimating how hard it is to walk in the snow
I have done quite a lot of summer hiking and decided to go in winter on a track I knew well.
The track was layered with about a meter of snow. It ...
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9
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Is there a simple at-home test to objectively measure the insulating value of a sleeping pad?
It is not clear whether you are motivated mainly by scientific curiosity or mainly by a desire to ensure comfort in the wild. My answer assumes the latter.
This answer adds only one point to Charlie'...
- 23.4k
9
votes
What are some common mistakes to avoid when trying winter camping for the first time?
I have camped for a month in March/April in Alaska. The biggest problem that we had was managing moisture of clothing, and bedding. Things slowly get more moist, largely from breathing and you ...
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9
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Will I be warmer in my sleeping bag inside or outside of my tent, when winter camping?
You will always be warmer in a shelter of any sort than you will be out against the raw elements of winter.
You would be surprised how much warmth a tent can provide, but they still aren't the best ...
- 53.5k
8
votes
What are some common mistakes to avoid when trying winter camping for the first time?
There have been various wonderful points about the proper use of equipment (tents, pads, gloves), and other hints. One thing I didn't see is the advice to anticipate the cold. What I mean by that is ...
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7
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Is a mountaineering tent necessary for backpacking Iceland?
Skirt. If you care a lot about wind and sand, then you should look for a tent with a skirt - many moutaneering-specific tents do have one. But skirt does increase the weight, so there's no right ...
- 1,478
7
votes
What coat should I wear when camping that won't be damaged through melting by embers from a fire?
TLDR: military grade tech fabrics designed for air and tank crew uniforms.
As others have pointed out you might reconsider cotton as an outer layer only.
Be careful with waxed cotton as some have ...
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7
votes
How can I keep insulin at the correct temperature in sub zero temperatures?
For type 2 diabetics some of the new inhaled insulin products like Afrezza seem to be more forgiving of temperature fluctuations. These appear to only be the fast acting insulin's so not a big help ...
- 30.3k
7
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Will I be warmer in my sleeping bag inside or outside of my tent, when winter camping?
Yes, a tent would have kept you warmer.
Tents block the wind and thus will eliminate wind-chill.
While insulation of a tent is not good, it will still allow your escaping body heat to be trapped ...
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Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible