Tent camping in the snow is certainly more dangerous than regular summer camping. This means preparation and knowledge is important before taking your first winter tent camping trip. In this article, I have put together some valuable tips that are a “must know” for heading out into the snow.
Temperatures are reaching below zero, which simply means you need to find a way to stay warm and stay safe. Safety is my number one for winter camping. I will teach tips to block wind, stay warm in bed, dress warm, and make a fire to provide yourself with some clean drinking water.
Before we get started, let us consider that everyone lives in different locations. Snow and winter for you may not be the same for someone else. However, in this article, I keep my tips general for all types of snow adventures. Keep in mind that the colder the temperatures the more prepared you have to be. The tips and examples I give should be taken to the highest degree of readiness, because staying warm in minus 30 compared to minus 5 is a totally different game.
7 Tips For Tent Camping In The Snow
- Block The Wind
- Sleeping Area – Stay Warm
- Choose The Right Tent
- Turning Snow To Drinkable Water
- Dress For Survival
- Building A Fire In The Snow
- Wear Sunglasses or Winter Goggles
1. Block The Wind
When it comes to setting up camp in the snow, it is very important to prevent wind from attacking your tent and camp area. Firstly, wind can cause a number of problems in cold temperatures. What can wind cause camping in the snow:
- Destruction Of Tent
- Wind chill can cause you to freeze much quicker
- Extremely loud noise, flapping tent
- Prevent fire from starting
Wind can even cause more issues, but that’s just a small list of important things it can effect. Having a sturdy tent is important because if a tent happens to collapse you are stuck inside. When it is freezing and snowing it is much harder to escape a fallen tent. With wind comes wind chill, which is an effect caused by air blowing and increasing the time it causes things to freeze. As a human, we tend to be affected by wind much easier than an inanimate object. This will cause us to freeze a lot faster. In addition, fire is a MUST! Wind can blow out your lighter, match, and starter kit. Fires provide drinking water, food, and heat. These are some issues wind causes when camping and having a way to prevent these crucial problems is very important. You need to build a wall to block the wind.
How to build a wind blocker?
1. A great way to create a wall in the winter is with snow. Having a small shovel on hand winter camping is important. Almost in a C shape, build a wall that will keep the wind from blowing into your camp area. The C shape pushes wind around the camping area.
I noticed how effective it was when I climbed Gros Morne NL. On top of the mountain, the wind was unbearable, making me extremely cold quickly. They had rock shelters stacked up in the C shape, and you could not feel the wind one bit when sitting inside. The photo on the side shows Gros Morne on top and the C shaped rock wind wall. It isn’t super easy to see, but if you build a wall around your winter camp area like this you will have minimum wind issues.
2. One time when I went ice fishing the amount of wind was crazy. I built up a small snow wall, but I also used a tarp and stuck sticks into the snow. Placing the sticks in the snow and placing the tarp around it built a nice wall to keep wind away. I enjoyed my ice fishing much more after that! It is an easy build for your camp area as well, use long durable sticks and you have a tarp wall.
2. Sleeping Area – Stay Warm
I think that having a safe sleeping area is the most important part of camping in the snow. Obviously having the correct 4 season tent is important. We will talk about tents next, but for now, let’s go over your sleeping space.
1. Create a flat base under your tent. Packing down the snow where you place your tent is important. The hard base acts more as an insulator when it is compacted down. It also makes for a comfier area in general.
2. Sleep above the ground. Use a sleeping pad that is made for 4 seasons. The pad keeps you away from direct contact with the snow. Trust me, sleeping without a good sleeping pad will make you cold very quick, especially when there is snow. Sleeping pads are rated under R-Value, a winter rated sleeping pad should be a minimum 4.5 R-Value.
3. Use a 4-season sleeping bag. A sleeping bag is used to keep warm air from escaping and prevent cold air from entering. In the winter it is a must to find a 4-season sleeping bag rated at a temperature suited for your needs.
Create a Hot Water Bottle – Tip
First of all, make sure the bottle used in this idea can hold boiling hot water.
Anyways, over your fire, boil snow into water. Make enough to fill your bottle up and pour it inside. This creates your own hot water bottle that you can place inside your sleeping bag. It works great when you fill multiple bottles and place them in your sleeping bag before you get in. The bag pre-heats and builds a cozy warm bed for you. Keep one at the base of your bag to keep your feet warm throughout the night.
Use Hand & Toe Warmers
Little packs of Hand and Toe warmers are also a great substitute for a hot water bottle. Shake up your warmers and put them in your sleeping bag too!
3. Choose A Winter Tent
It is time to choose a tent. There are so many important details to keep in mind when buying a 4-season winter tent. If i tried to write it all down it would fill up the whole article. So I actually have a full “Best Winter Tents” article made, click to see 10 winter tents that are available for you. I’ll still briefly go over what is important here though:
1. Make sure it is 4-season ready. A 4-season tent is stronger and more durable. I like to say it is an upgraded 3-season tent. The build of a 4-season tent is stronger. It can handle strong winds, hold against snow, it is thicker, warmer, and much more waterproof. It should have high-quality seams so it doesn’t fall apart or leak.
2. The size of the tent. It is very important to choose a low profile winter tent. The taller a winter tent the more wind attacks the exterior, and like mentioned above wind is an issue. It is also important you do not get a huge tent for the winter season. More space in the tent makes it much more difficult to keep the tent warm. Smaller the better in the snow, the more air that can get inside the easier it will fight against your body heat. So choose small and low, camping in snow is not about luxury. It is about survival!
3. Ventilation Quality. Ventilation in the winter is very important. You might think its crazy to keep a vent open when it is below 0, however, when in the tent your breath creates condensation. Over time it builds up and creates a layer on the inside of your tent. We see this in summer, but its water. In winter, it turns to ice. So the better the vents, the less ice and snow you will see build up inside your tent. It is a normal part of winter camping, so you will have build up. Less is better! When you finish your trip, you must air out the entire tent to prevent mold.
See 10 of the best winter tents by reading our article, and there is a lot of information regarding winter tents in that article too! Another great winter tent option is Canvas Tents. They are more expensive but provide a shelter like no other. Read about canvas tents in our “Best Canvas Tents for Camping” article.
4. Turning Snow To Drinkable Water
Snow is generally safe to melt and drink. I remember as a kid I would just scoop it up and pretend it was ice cream. Although, after some small research, I came to realize snow might not be as safe as you thought. Since snow falls from the sky, it can actually pick up dirt and bacteria in the air. This means it might be holding onto something your body might not want.
It is always a good idea to choose to be safe, rather than being sorry. Especially if camping in such low temperatures. So you could just boil the water over a fire for 10 minutes. This should kill the bacteria that might have been lurking in the snow. It’s highly unlikely that pathogens survive in snow, usually, if the snow is clear white it’s usually good to go. Just remember, it is only 10 minutes to boil though. Also, you are probably going to boil it down to drink anyways, water is better than eating snow.
Warm water will actually keep your body warm. Drinking cold water or eating snow could make you very cold. You do not want to lose needed body heat!
5. Dress For Survival
When dressing to prepare for a cold and wet weather you want to do it right. Dressing in layers is important, but choosing the right layers is what makes it effective. Let us look at layers:
First Layer
AKA the Underneath (Long Underwear) Layer. This layer is known as the “extra skin” layer. It is recommended to be skin tight because it acts as sweat moisture removal. So once our body sweats and creates moisture the clothing layer actually absorbs and rids it away from the skin. It is very important to have this layer on when in cold temperatures. Why? Because if your clothes become damp the freezing air will cool the dampness along with your body. Which could lead to hyperthermia, and that is a serious issue.
Second Layer
AKA the Warm Insulation Layer. This is the layer where we put on wool, insulated jackets, thick sweaters, so basically a layer that will keep you warm. It simply is thick and it builds a layer of insulation. Similar to a house, we use a thick layer insulation to keep the inside of our homes warm. We want body heat to stay in and keep cooler temperatures out.
Third Layer
AKA the waterproof layer. This is the layer that you place a waterproof shield on top of everything. It should also be a windbreaker, meaning it should prevent cold air from coming straight into your body. This layer is very important because once you get wet inside it is game over. Cold temperatures will quickly cool any dampness inside the jacket, leaving your body out to freeze. Like I said early on in the article, when it is windy, the air will cool you down much quicker, so make sure it is also windproof.
6. Building A Fire In The Snow
To build a fire in the snow you must be prepared. When heading out to camp it is highly recommended that one of the first things you do is build a fire. Why first? Because a fire will provide you with so much, I will make a short list of what fire provides:
- Heat
- Cooking Source
- Water To Drink – Snow to Water
- Source of Light
- Can Prevent Predators
How To Start The Fire?
Starting a fire while camping in the snow seems difficult. It would be if you were lost without material, but on a camping trip you must prepare and bring the right materials. To start a fire it is easiest to bring a lighter or matches. This is what will give you the initial flame, but you can’t just start it that easy with a lighter or match. I like to bring a mini fire starting kit, and I find what works best is a mini candle. Just a wick and some wax, and voila, you have a flame that will last a great amount of time. There are many DIY starter kit ideas, but I find a candle works fine.
Next, before you light the candle find materials you are going to burn to start the fire. If a birch tree is nearby, use the bark, it will light up better than paper. If you brought toilet paper, that will work fine too! Search for wood around, or use an axe to cut wood up. Try to cut up a tree that is already fallen. Start with splits and small pieces at first, then later you will use larger pieces if needed.
Now it is time to start the fire. Gather smaller sticks and birch bark, make a designated fire area. Light your candle, lay it near the base of your fire pit area. Catch the bark or paper on fire and let it grow. Add wood when needed, but do not smother your fire or it will burn out. Blow air on it slowly to let the flame grow.
Lastly, maintain the fire and have enough wood. Now use the fire to stay warm, cook food, and whatever your heart desires!
7. Wear Sunglasses or Winter Goggles
In the winter the sun still shines bright. It might not be that warm blast of heat, but it still shines brightly. Since snow is a shiny white color, it reflects the suns brightness right back into your eyes. It can easily damage your retina and even cause temporary blindness. Depending on the weather, wear sunglasses or goggles. Obviously, if its extremely cold it is great to wear winter goggles. They prevent sunlight from damaging your eyes, but they also keep you warm. Use sunglasses if temperatures are not extremely low, but recommended on longer winter treks is to use goggles.
Conclusion
Finally, to finish off the article “Tips For Tent Camping In The Snow”. If anything, what I hope people take away from this article for winter camping is that preparation is very important. If you do not prepare yourself for the dangers of hyperthermia and winter survival, it can end in serious injuries and even death. It is a consequential activity that I hope everyone takes seriously.
I hope the article is informational, and my readers learned at least one valuable piece of knowledge. If there is any other tips for camping in the snow that you think should be listed feel free to comment below. I love to see other campers thoughts and opinions. If you don’t want to miss out on any camping articles go ahead and Email Subscribe below.
Thanks for reading in at Simple Tenting!
