Winter Overlanding & Camping: How about an Oppo Guide?

[way2blu]

I'm looking to do more camping trips as temperatures get colder, but there's a lot more to the logistics of winter camping for a variety of reasons. Wondered, where can I find the best, informed, answers for my use case? Hmm...

I figured we should have an Oppo guide to winter camping and compile our hivemind advice here. @Curators please let me know if this is the right place to try setting it up.

It'd be cool to have users contribute articles and quotes, and build a comprehensive how-to page for winter camping with our collective expertise. It'd be a fun community project and might be useful even to internet dwellers who stumble on the oppoverse by sheer luck or search-engine-oppomization.

A few overall categories I could think of:

• Camping tips/gear/safety
• Car prep & winterization
• Offroad driving techniques, especially ones important during winter
• Trip planning & research tips
• Links to any winter camping posts you've made on Oppo that you want shared in this list. I know we've got some heroic stories of winter adventures from a variety of users

What do you all think of the idea? I'm not yet an expert (much less even experienced) at any of this but would be happy to help set things up and contribute as best I can.

[beefchips]

@gibbsemphasis the one thing I know about winter camping is you need to keep yourself off the snow as you sleep. At the very least a thick air mattress in the tent, or better yet a camper van

[HammerheadFistpunch]

@gibbsemphasis sounds cool but i wonder if the number of people with interest and experience couldn't be contained to this one thread. Then just tag as a guide. You could also collect everything in this post and repost your own guide.

[Just Jeepin']

@hammerheadfistpunch Agree: let’s keep pushing the use of tags.

[HammerheadFistpunch]

@gibbsemphasis my advice general for winter camping is

More changes of underwear and socks than you think.
Compartmentalization of gear to a high level, especially clothes.
Layers. Layers in clothing, layers in bedding
Camp meals need to be hot and simple. None of this dicing and sauteed business.
High and dry. Sleeping, eating, sitting. As much as you can. It's worth the bulk to bring a good chair and even table.

[SilentbutnotreallyDeadly]

The main thing I remember about car camping in the snow is that while sleeping in the back of the 4x4 is easy enough...the condensation inside the vehicle is a pain and can be extremely damaging for many parts of the car...

[jminer]

@gibbsemphasis Organization on the site and highlighting things like a guide to winter camping is currently difficult. It's something we have plans for, but in the meantime probably posing questions from time to time gathering input from the horde and then putting it together in a more polished article.

I personally love winter camping, usually less people to encounter and no bugs. I can stay pretty comfortable down to a low of about 15 but I'll stay inside if it's going to be colder.

As far as related content, @AestheticsInMotion made a solid intro to winter hiking post a while back.

[Wrong Wheel Drive]

@gibbsemphasis I'll be putting together a camping post soon as I write this comment from the van rental I'm still in. Did some winter vehicular camping considering it got down to 28F a couple of nights. It's been mid 40s the other nights at lower elevation.

One key thing is you need ventilation otherwise you are going to have condensation freeze on your windows which is unpleasant to scrape off! With the right sleeping bag though the only challenge is being willing to get out of bed in the morning.

[Wrong Wheel Drive]

@hammerheadfistpunch said in Winter Overlanding & Camping: How about an Oppo Guide?:

@gibbsemphasis
Camp meals need to be hot and simple. None of this dicing and sauteed business.

Pfft that is nonsense! I will have my five course meal no matter what the weather. Just kidding though, I agree in general on keeping things simpler when you want to minimize the time spent outside of a sleeping bag. But when the sun sets before 5pm, I ain't got anything better to do than prep an awesome meal. 100% on hot stuff! I enjoy making hot cocoa with dinner just to have a hot drink without caffeine.

[HammerheadFistpunch]

@wrong-wheel-drive "But when the sun sets before 5pm, I ain't got anything better to do than prep an awesome meal."

I hear that. I guess it depends on what winter means. Cold and dry? Or cold and snowy. The former? Absolutely. The latter? Not worth it

[StuckMTB]

I’ve never gone car camping in the winter but I’ve done a fair bit of backpacking and the basics are still true here. I think my winter camping tips can be summarized in five key points.

#1: Plan ahead and be prepared. Know where you’re going, how to get there, how to get home in a hurry if needed. Make sure you have a backup plan. Have a backup for your backup plan. Fun fact: most people who are found dead of hypothermia and exposure out in the elements take their clothes off before they die because their brain tricks them into thinking they’re warmer without them. The brain can do some very weird and dumb shit if you’re too cold to think straight.

#2: Start small! Start with an excursion into your backyard, or an overnight trip somewhere nearby to test out your gear and your setup. Aim to try out similar temperatures to what you’ll experience in your “goal trip.” This will give you lots of opportunity to figure out what works and what doesn’t and you can fine tune your setup before the risks get too high.

#3: Exercise is your friend. Going for a hike, gathering and chopping wood, jumping jacks, all of these things are great for keeping your core warm and your body temperature up. Which brings me to …

#4: Thermal management! This means a few things, but relating to #3 specifically, it means managing your sweat and using lots of layers. Be mindful of when your core temp is rising and remove a layer before you overheat to prevent getting sweat soaked clothing. Also, try to prevent sleeping in wet, sweaty clothing by changing right before bed. Merino wool is also your friend.

#5: Good gear is important. This doesn’t have to mean expensive gear but it often does. Down is your friend, especially if you’re backpacking and weight and packability matters. Get yourself a good sleeping bag with a “comfort” rating that is at or below the temps you expect to be sleeping at. Sleeping bag temp ratings vary a bit between manufacturers, and not all use the same standard. But if I’m going to be sleeping at 30°F, I’m using my 15° bag. If I’m going colder than that, I will add another blanket and possibly other layers on top.

[StuckMTB]

@beefchips said in Winter Overlanding & Camping: How about an Oppo Guide?:

@gibbsemphasis the one thing I know about winter camping is you need to keep yourself off the snow as you sleep. At the very least a thick air mattress in the tent, or better yet a camper van

Surprisingly this is only kind of true. Snow is actually a very good insulator if you’re sleeping on it when it’s below freezing outside. If you’re sleeping on the ground and the ground is below freezing, a layer of compacted snow can help. But in either scenario, you do need to have a good quality higher r-value (4+) sleeping pad between you and the ground. Nothing keeps you up more than a cold butt from the cold hard ground.

[Taylor Martin]

@gibbsemphasis Big poofy slippers are great at night! I know I'm not an expert, but I've done it before. Keeps your socks from going cold.

Regardless, I think a series about "An Oppo's Guide To ____" would be great! This could go for overlanding, race car driving, maintenance, and pretty much anything. These articles could be a decent way to build up "credibility" on the site so more people see Oppo as a source to be reckoned with.

[StuckMTB]

@taylor-martin another tip I’ve used is filling a nalgene or some other capable water vessel with near-boiling water right before bed and keeping it in your sleeping bag while you sleep. It’ll be a nice extra source of heat while you slumber with the added benefit of it not being a lump of ice in the morning.

[DipodomysDeserti]

@hammerheadfistpunch said in Winter Overlanding & Camping: How about an Oppo Guide?:

@wrong-wheel-drive "But when the sun sets before 5pm, I ain't got anything better to do than prep an awesome meal."

I hear that. I guess it depends on what winter means. Cold and dry? Or cold and snowy. The former? Absolutely. The latter? Not worth it

Camping alone or only with adults is much different than with children as well. No way am I taking time to prepare a bunch of stuff in the cold with hungry cold kids waiting. For our Thanksgiving trips I prep everything at home, so I just need to add heat once I’m ready to cook.

Wind is a big factor too during winter here. No way do you want to be outside chopping stuff in the cold, dry wind.

[HammerheadFistpunch]

@stuckmtb Don't forget to put it in a large sock or your liable to burn yourself.

[StuckMTB]

@hammerheadfistpunch excellent point! I was wearing several socks at the time so that wasn’t really necessary.