Post by larrybecker on Oct 27, 2011 13:58:58 GMT -5
Cold Weather Camping Basics
Dear Folks,
All of the following involves the exercise of common sense and common purpose. When in any doubt, ask for help — we are in this together. If medical help is suggested, follow that suggestion. Take care of yourself and then come back to the event later. We’re all built differently with different tolerance for the cold. Don’t take chances. Help each other. Your safety is everyone’s concern. We need to be the change we want to see in the world.
First some rules:
Fire:
Never, never, never have any exposed flames in a tent, either for warmth, cooking, lighting or smoking. This prohibition goes to candle or specially designed candle lanterns. As to lighting, there are cheap flashlights and rechargeable battery-powered lamps/lanterns that work fine, can be hand-cranked for recharging, etc.
Never have a cooking device or heating device in a tent. Even tents that have a “vent hole” in them are not safe for heating or cooking devices. For those that wish to hear about it, I can describe personal, futile efforts to escape a tent in which there was a common cook stove flare-up.
Gas and liquid fuel devices are extremely dysfunctional in tents for many reasons, including carbon monoxide issues. Don’t use them inside tents!
Rain/Snow:
There are two basic issues that you will be up against as to the weather: cold and wet.
First, let’s discuss wet. Even when it is cold, if you are dry, cold is much, much easier to deal with. You need to stay dry. If it is raining, you need to have something like a poncho with a hood. Relatively cheap long nylon ponchos are available, and if you don’t rip them, they are very effective. If you wear raingear that ends at your hips or waist, you will look more fashionable, but the water will do exactly as gravity and wind mandates: It will drain off the short poncho and soak your hips, thighs, legs, etc. Also, long rain ponchos can be used to pull under you if you have to/want to sit down. If you can afford Gore-Tex type gear, make sure you get jackets and pants (but these things are very pricey.) Sources of ponchos include Army/Navy stores and places like Dick’s and Eastern Mountain Sports (EMS), Wal-Marts, among others.
The Gore-Tex-type gear helps let you vent your sweat, which also helps you stay dry, and that is particularly important if you are either (a) engaged in vigorous activities such as hiking, or (b) way over-dressed and too hot. You should not need the high-end Gore-Tex wear for what you’re planning to do, but if you have it, you might as well wear it.
Cold:
Second, let’s discuss cold. It gets cold in Albany. Here are some things to help you. Some of this may be basic, and I’m going to tell you what most of you may already know. In the winter, cotton is not your friend. Undergarments that wick sweat away from your skin and into your outer layers are important. Common products such as polypropylene, silk, and other advertised wicking fabrics should become a staple for you. A pair of warm, wicking long johns will alter your experience of cold in a remarkable way. Wool socks, or socks containing at least 50% wool (with no cotton) are almost mandatory. Of course, our mothers were right: Wear a good hat — wool is great, and a heavy watch cap of almost any material that can be pulled down to cover your ears is best. Wool sweaters are good and so are many of the heavier fleece pullovers. And don’t forget your scarf. It keeps you warm and is very effective as a valve to let excess heat out when you loosen it or take it off.
Let’s touch here on a little “science.” My winter wilderness instructor used to tell me that the body, in terms of dealing with the cold, divides itself into two regions: the “core” (chest/internal organs including your head) and the “extremities” (fingers/nose/toes/ears). When your internal core temperature gets too low (because you got too wet, you’re not wearing enough or the proper clothing or a good hat, or it’s just impossibly cold outside), your body begins to make automatic adjustments to your internal flow of blood. That is to say, that certain blood vessel/capillaries have shunting mechanisms that redirect the warming blood from the extremities to your core to keep your life-essential organs working. When that happens, less blood flows to the fingers, toes, nose and ears and frost nip and frostbite can occur. Frost nip and frostbite are no jokes; they are serious and can result in permanent damage or even amputation – and they can all be prevented. So this is to say, that by keeping your core dry and warm, you will assist your fingers, toes, nose and ears in staying healthy. But you’ve got to affirmatively help your fingers, toes, nose and ears in that regard.
Toes: Wear shoes/boots that keep your feet dry and wear wool socks. There are other measures to take when it gets really cold, such as foot layering by wearing polypropylene socks, moisture-barrier socks or plastic bags, wool sock and then waterproof felt-line boots. As to hands: There’s a big difference between gloves and mittens, with mittens much better at keeping your hands warm. Again, fabric material makes a big difference, especially if the fabric gets wet; wool is better than most in retaining its ability to provide some warmth even when it’s damp. But, keeping dry is a big factor. Ears: Wear a hat that lets you pull the hat or a flap down over your ears. Nose: You have to keep track of how you feel; you have to have your internal monitor working. If you feel that your nose is getting too cold, take off your gloves/mittens and warm your nose up. Get inside to a warm place like the library or a restaurant. If at night, cup your nose and mouth with your hands and breath out through your mouth.
Camping:
Almost all tents are created equal in keeping you warm: They don’t, except for their ability to keep you out of the wind, rain and snow, which is incredibly important. But their insulating “R-factor” is negligible.
When you are trying to sleep in the cold, there are a few important basics. First of all you need to get off of the ground. Sleeping pads, not your sleeping bag will do this for you. The trick is to have as much dead air space between you and the ground. There are inflatable roll out closed foam pads which are very good, but expensive. There are inflatable mattresses, or bulky thick foam pads that you can lug around, that are difficult to transport but are even better for warmth than the high-end, expensive inflatable roll out closed foam pads (that are used for trail hiking where weight is a major consideration). If you put enough blankets on the ground, that would work too, but you would need quite a few to get sufficient loft off the ground.
Second, although blankets are good to sleep under, a sleeping bag is the best. I can tell you that you should be able to find a whole bunch of good buys on all camping equipment on Craigslist right now because every one is dumping their camping gear for the winter. There have been books written on fill material for bags, with some advantages for down/feathers and some advantages for manmade fill. Take your pick and just make sure you find one that has the appropriate rating. For example, my experience is that if you get a 30°F bag, it does not really mean that it will keep you comfortable when it’s down to 30°F. It means it’ll keep you alive at 30°F. Of course, what you wear into the bag is also important, so if you’re wearing fresh dry wool socks, your wool-blend long johns, and a wool shirt and a hat, you’ll probably be fine. And, it is absolutely much warmer to zip two bags together (some are made to do that, with right-hand and left-hand bags) and share that bag with a friend.
When things get really cold and sufficient snowfall permits, it is possible to build functioning snow caves to sleep in or have small (around ten-fifteen people) gatherings. The temperature in a snow cave can be approximately 20 to 40 degrees warmer inside than outside (without any artificial heating source), so they can serve as a warm-up location as well as other purposes.
As a follow-up to the above, perhaps people who might be throwing out their old sweaters with chewed-out moth holes, or old sleeping bags, or their out-of-fashion gloves or mittens or other winter gear would be willing to donate it. We could wash and dry it and then keep it in a winter gear trunk for people who need some extra warm stuff while on the occupy site.
And if anyone has any specific questions about the above, I’ll try to help you out with answers.
Best,
Larry Becker
Ph: 518/462-5814
larrybecker@msn.com
Dear Folks,
All of the following involves the exercise of common sense and common purpose. When in any doubt, ask for help — we are in this together. If medical help is suggested, follow that suggestion. Take care of yourself and then come back to the event later. We’re all built differently with different tolerance for the cold. Don’t take chances. Help each other. Your safety is everyone’s concern. We need to be the change we want to see in the world.
First some rules:
Fire:
Never, never, never have any exposed flames in a tent, either for warmth, cooking, lighting or smoking. This prohibition goes to candle or specially designed candle lanterns. As to lighting, there are cheap flashlights and rechargeable battery-powered lamps/lanterns that work fine, can be hand-cranked for recharging, etc.
Never have a cooking device or heating device in a tent. Even tents that have a “vent hole” in them are not safe for heating or cooking devices. For those that wish to hear about it, I can describe personal, futile efforts to escape a tent in which there was a common cook stove flare-up.
Gas and liquid fuel devices are extremely dysfunctional in tents for many reasons, including carbon monoxide issues. Don’t use them inside tents!
Rain/Snow:
There are two basic issues that you will be up against as to the weather: cold and wet.
First, let’s discuss wet. Even when it is cold, if you are dry, cold is much, much easier to deal with. You need to stay dry. If it is raining, you need to have something like a poncho with a hood. Relatively cheap long nylon ponchos are available, and if you don’t rip them, they are very effective. If you wear raingear that ends at your hips or waist, you will look more fashionable, but the water will do exactly as gravity and wind mandates: It will drain off the short poncho and soak your hips, thighs, legs, etc. Also, long rain ponchos can be used to pull under you if you have to/want to sit down. If you can afford Gore-Tex type gear, make sure you get jackets and pants (but these things are very pricey.) Sources of ponchos include Army/Navy stores and places like Dick’s and Eastern Mountain Sports (EMS), Wal-Marts, among others.
The Gore-Tex-type gear helps let you vent your sweat, which also helps you stay dry, and that is particularly important if you are either (a) engaged in vigorous activities such as hiking, or (b) way over-dressed and too hot. You should not need the high-end Gore-Tex wear for what you’re planning to do, but if you have it, you might as well wear it.
Cold:
Second, let’s discuss cold. It gets cold in Albany. Here are some things to help you. Some of this may be basic, and I’m going to tell you what most of you may already know. In the winter, cotton is not your friend. Undergarments that wick sweat away from your skin and into your outer layers are important. Common products such as polypropylene, silk, and other advertised wicking fabrics should become a staple for you. A pair of warm, wicking long johns will alter your experience of cold in a remarkable way. Wool socks, or socks containing at least 50% wool (with no cotton) are almost mandatory. Of course, our mothers were right: Wear a good hat — wool is great, and a heavy watch cap of almost any material that can be pulled down to cover your ears is best. Wool sweaters are good and so are many of the heavier fleece pullovers. And don’t forget your scarf. It keeps you warm and is very effective as a valve to let excess heat out when you loosen it or take it off.
Let’s touch here on a little “science.” My winter wilderness instructor used to tell me that the body, in terms of dealing with the cold, divides itself into two regions: the “core” (chest/internal organs including your head) and the “extremities” (fingers/nose/toes/ears). When your internal core temperature gets too low (because you got too wet, you’re not wearing enough or the proper clothing or a good hat, or it’s just impossibly cold outside), your body begins to make automatic adjustments to your internal flow of blood. That is to say, that certain blood vessel/capillaries have shunting mechanisms that redirect the warming blood from the extremities to your core to keep your life-essential organs working. When that happens, less blood flows to the fingers, toes, nose and ears and frost nip and frostbite can occur. Frost nip and frostbite are no jokes; they are serious and can result in permanent damage or even amputation – and they can all be prevented. So this is to say, that by keeping your core dry and warm, you will assist your fingers, toes, nose and ears in staying healthy. But you’ve got to affirmatively help your fingers, toes, nose and ears in that regard.
Toes: Wear shoes/boots that keep your feet dry and wear wool socks. There are other measures to take when it gets really cold, such as foot layering by wearing polypropylene socks, moisture-barrier socks or plastic bags, wool sock and then waterproof felt-line boots. As to hands: There’s a big difference between gloves and mittens, with mittens much better at keeping your hands warm. Again, fabric material makes a big difference, especially if the fabric gets wet; wool is better than most in retaining its ability to provide some warmth even when it’s damp. But, keeping dry is a big factor. Ears: Wear a hat that lets you pull the hat or a flap down over your ears. Nose: You have to keep track of how you feel; you have to have your internal monitor working. If you feel that your nose is getting too cold, take off your gloves/mittens and warm your nose up. Get inside to a warm place like the library or a restaurant. If at night, cup your nose and mouth with your hands and breath out through your mouth.
Camping:
Almost all tents are created equal in keeping you warm: They don’t, except for their ability to keep you out of the wind, rain and snow, which is incredibly important. But their insulating “R-factor” is negligible.
When you are trying to sleep in the cold, there are a few important basics. First of all you need to get off of the ground. Sleeping pads, not your sleeping bag will do this for you. The trick is to have as much dead air space between you and the ground. There are inflatable roll out closed foam pads which are very good, but expensive. There are inflatable mattresses, or bulky thick foam pads that you can lug around, that are difficult to transport but are even better for warmth than the high-end, expensive inflatable roll out closed foam pads (that are used for trail hiking where weight is a major consideration). If you put enough blankets on the ground, that would work too, but you would need quite a few to get sufficient loft off the ground.
Second, although blankets are good to sleep under, a sleeping bag is the best. I can tell you that you should be able to find a whole bunch of good buys on all camping equipment on Craigslist right now because every one is dumping their camping gear for the winter. There have been books written on fill material for bags, with some advantages for down/feathers and some advantages for manmade fill. Take your pick and just make sure you find one that has the appropriate rating. For example, my experience is that if you get a 30°F bag, it does not really mean that it will keep you comfortable when it’s down to 30°F. It means it’ll keep you alive at 30°F. Of course, what you wear into the bag is also important, so if you’re wearing fresh dry wool socks, your wool-blend long johns, and a wool shirt and a hat, you’ll probably be fine. And, it is absolutely much warmer to zip two bags together (some are made to do that, with right-hand and left-hand bags) and share that bag with a friend.
When things get really cold and sufficient snowfall permits, it is possible to build functioning snow caves to sleep in or have small (around ten-fifteen people) gatherings. The temperature in a snow cave can be approximately 20 to 40 degrees warmer inside than outside (without any artificial heating source), so they can serve as a warm-up location as well as other purposes.
As a follow-up to the above, perhaps people who might be throwing out their old sweaters with chewed-out moth holes, or old sleeping bags, or their out-of-fashion gloves or mittens or other winter gear would be willing to donate it. We could wash and dry it and then keep it in a winter gear trunk for people who need some extra warm stuff while on the occupy site.
And if anyone has any specific questions about the above, I’ll try to help you out with answers.
Best,
Larry Becker
Ph: 518/462-5814
larrybecker@msn.com