good tent for winter camping image
Tracy
I am planning to have my very first winter camping next month. I heard some people said that a four-season camping tent is necessary for a winter camping. I purchased a camping tent this summer and it's a three-season camping tent. I think it's OK because I will use my sleeping bag. Do I really have to buy a four-season camping tent?
Answer
The major differences between a 3 season and a 4 season tent are that the winter rated tents are designed to be able to support or shed a heavy snow load without the frame breaking or the tent collapsing. They also tend to have the rainfly system designed to maintain a more reliable space between the fly and inner tent wall to minimize condensation and having the fly press on the tent due to a build up of snow. Winter rated tents tend to have smaller window and ventilation areas and will more often have an exterior vestibule arrangement to block wind and to give you a place to leave snowy gear outside the sleeping area or to cook on the ground but out of the wind during storms.
Unless you expect heavy snow loads or severe blizzards and extended bivouacs, a good quality (not discount store) 3 season tent can be perfectly adequate for winter camping. I have winter camped many times with 3 season tents, in fact, probably more often than with my 4-season ones (though I own several tents of each type). If your tent pitches tight so that the fly doesn't blow around and snap in the wind and has strong poles and a vestibule or good fly overhang over the door, you will most likely be fine in it.
For winter camping in snow I always carry a microfiber towel to wipe condensation off the inside of the tent walls at night and before I get out of my bag in the morning.
Be certain you have stakes that will work in the ground conditions you will encounter. Fat plastic stakes will not work on frozen ground -- get the thin metal ones that twist in. If you will be camping in deep snowpack, you will want to be able to make "dead man" anchors by attaching the guy lines and corner staking tabs to buried stuff sacks that you fill with snow or rocks or tying your guy lines to buried branches. You will probably need to stake the tent more solidly than in warmer weather due to the higher potential for wind. Nothing is worse than watching your dome tent bounce down the mountain and out of sight over a cliff (hasn't happened to me but I've seen it happen to others).
The major differences between a 3 season and a 4 season tent are that the winter rated tents are designed to be able to support or shed a heavy snow load without the frame breaking or the tent collapsing. They also tend to have the rainfly system designed to maintain a more reliable space between the fly and inner tent wall to minimize condensation and having the fly press on the tent due to a build up of snow. Winter rated tents tend to have smaller window and ventilation areas and will more often have an exterior vestibule arrangement to block wind and to give you a place to leave snowy gear outside the sleeping area or to cook on the ground but out of the wind during storms.
Unless you expect heavy snow loads or severe blizzards and extended bivouacs, a good quality (not discount store) 3 season tent can be perfectly adequate for winter camping. I have winter camped many times with 3 season tents, in fact, probably more often than with my 4-season ones (though I own several tents of each type). If your tent pitches tight so that the fly doesn't blow around and snap in the wind and has strong poles and a vestibule or good fly overhang over the door, you will most likely be fine in it.
For winter camping in snow I always carry a microfiber towel to wipe condensation off the inside of the tent walls at night and before I get out of my bag in the morning.
Be certain you have stakes that will work in the ground conditions you will encounter. Fat plastic stakes will not work on frozen ground -- get the thin metal ones that twist in. If you will be camping in deep snowpack, you will want to be able to make "dead man" anchors by attaching the guy lines and corner staking tabs to buried stuff sacks that you fill with snow or rocks or tying your guy lines to buried branches. You will probably need to stake the tent more solidly than in warmer weather due to the higher potential for wind. Nothing is worse than watching your dome tent bounce down the mountain and out of sight over a cliff (hasn't happened to me but I've seen it happen to others).
Do you have any tips for a beginner winter camper?
Simba
I would like to try winter camping. I have been summer camping quite a bit but mostly just at campgrounds. There is a campground about an hour away that has year round camping so I was thinking about trying it for a weekend. What tips to you have for a beginner winter camper, who has intermediate summer camping experience? What gear would I need? This is what I was thinking.
4 Season tent
Winter sleeping bag
Snow shoes
Warm winter clothes
What am I missing? Any additional tips?
Answer
tons of info on the web, here is the most intensive one I have found and refer to the most.
http://www.princeton.edu/~oa/winter/wintcamp.shtml
As for your list of gear some of that partly depends on where you are. Winter camping in the desert you won't need snow shoes but all the rest of those items yes you will. For a beginner I recommend starting out by renting a cabin in a wilderness area that way you have options to retreat too should plans go awry.
http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/sequoia/recreation/rec_rentals.html
Tents are the main place to retreat to and a four season is the best to use, size is also very important. if you have 2 go with a 3-4 man, 4 go with a 6 man and so on. You need to have room for the gear to stash out of the weather. Include a tarp to use for rain shelter and wind breaks, not all winter camping has snowy weather. Coleman makes one of the best winter tents on the market, Exponent Northstar X6 Tent
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00697792000P?prdNo=4&blockNo=4&blockType=G4&isABTestAvl=true
Clothing is critical and dress in layers, avoid cotton here is a great article telling you how and what to look for,
http://www.rei.com/expertadvice/articles/dress+layers.html
As for winter sleeping bags, definitely go with a well known product rated for zero degrees or colder. Down filled bags ounce for ounce keep you the warmest however and this is very important when they get wet they become useless hypothermia freezers. I consider the weight factor and survival factor and choose the synthetic over down every time. Here is my choice,
http://www.rei.com/product/778929/marmot-trestles-0-sleeping-bag
Always use a check list so you don't forget gear and here is a good one,
http://www.rei.com/expertadvice/articles/backpacking+checklist.html
tons of info on the web, here is the most intensive one I have found and refer to the most.
http://www.princeton.edu/~oa/winter/wintcamp.shtml
As for your list of gear some of that partly depends on where you are. Winter camping in the desert you won't need snow shoes but all the rest of those items yes you will. For a beginner I recommend starting out by renting a cabin in a wilderness area that way you have options to retreat too should plans go awry.
http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/sequoia/recreation/rec_rentals.html
Tents are the main place to retreat to and a four season is the best to use, size is also very important. if you have 2 go with a 3-4 man, 4 go with a 6 man and so on. You need to have room for the gear to stash out of the weather. Include a tarp to use for rain shelter and wind breaks, not all winter camping has snowy weather. Coleman makes one of the best winter tents on the market, Exponent Northstar X6 Tent
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00697792000P?prdNo=4&blockNo=4&blockType=G4&isABTestAvl=true
Clothing is critical and dress in layers, avoid cotton here is a great article telling you how and what to look for,
http://www.rei.com/expertadvice/articles/dress+layers.html
As for winter sleeping bags, definitely go with a well known product rated for zero degrees or colder. Down filled bags ounce for ounce keep you the warmest however and this is very important when they get wet they become useless hypothermia freezers. I consider the weight factor and survival factor and choose the synthetic over down every time. Here is my choice,
http://www.rei.com/product/778929/marmot-trestles-0-sleeping-bag
Always use a check list so you don't forget gear and here is a good one,
http://www.rei.com/expertadvice/articles/backpacking+checklist.html
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