The hard truth about winter camping - What will you do about it?
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- Опубліковано 1 жов 2023
- I got hit by a shoulder season winter storm with over 20 cm of snow.
This video shows how I did everything to stay safe and get as comfortable as I could for night with below freezing temperatures using three season backpacking gear.
Major gear items on this trip:
MSR Windburner Personal System geni.us/BgZz
Thermarest Parsec -6C/20F sleeping bag geni.us/lzwo
Thermarest NeoAir XLite NXT MAX mattress geni.us/vOvE90S
Durston X-mid 1P Solid tent durstongear.com/products/x-mi...
Fenix HM50R headlamp geni.us/gKkl6c
My quick review of the Durston X-mid 1 Person Solid tent • Quick Review - Durston...
Connect with me: / kane_does_outdoors
#backpacking #hiking #wildcamping #ultralightbackpacking #gear #fastpacking
Good video man. No long intros, practical advice. No fluff. Will be subscribing
You summarized the goal of my channel perfectly
The shoulder seasons present some of the most difficult challengers vis-a-vis packing / gear list. Great advice on the correct way to deal with cold and wet conditions.
I'll take -10C and completely frozen over -5 to 5 C any day.
Very cool vid. but I don't understand why you don't want to use a 2 person tunnel tent, cook inside, get warm and enjoy nature! Tunnel tents in winter can offset your weight, you can carry other much lighter things! 😄 and get a lighter weight on all equipment in total !
I see your point about using body heat to dry damp clothes. I do the same for trousers but find it very uncomfortable to keep wet clothes on my upper body. So I immediately change to a dry (and warm) baselayer and put the damp one in a silnylon bag that goes into my sleeping bag. That way it's warm in the morning and I put it on just before I pack my sleeping bag and start hiking.
For a lot of those things there isn't a right or wrong way, just personal preference. That's what I find really interesting about going out on adventures with other people, especially when they have a lot of experience. Everyone has their own slight variation on how to do things. There's a surprising overlap, but not like there's one set of rules.
This is why I like winter climbing and backpacking.
I love the solitude, I hike and backpack solo and love the peace and quiet and it's awesome being able to hit some of the more popular trails in my State and not have to see other people
me too.... but I don't go alone. going alone for more than one day is stupid in my opinion. i go alone near the city for a day at most.
@@cesuntbanii nothin stupid about it, lots of people do it. Not everyone goes hiking or camping so they can be loud and joke around with their buddies in nature, some people like to go alone and find solitude for introspection. And these kinds of places in wintertime are absolutely ideal for that. You just have to know what you're doing, be prepared and smart about it and know when to quit.
@@plaguepandemic5651 i did all that. :) but i'm a point in my life where i find it not worth doing it alone anymore. love the outdoors !!!
This was a very low risk trip IMO. But yes I prefer being out with other people, and becoming less and less interested in being out alone.
Use a half tennis ball for poles in snow tip
Nice video!
I would suggest keeping the lid of a Pringles packet in your bag so that you have something to put at the bottom of any poll to distribute the weight over the surface.
Great idea!
Nice. I carry a motorcycle kickstand base that you would use to keep your kickstand from digging into really hot asphalt. It is heavier than a pringles lid but has a textured surface and a notch to keep the pole in place.
Kane brings winter…😳👍
New Brunswick Canada 🇨🇦
Great video and advice for winter camping. Cheers from Norway
You gotta make an insulated sleeve for your food, so it doesn't lose heat whilst rehydrating. I made mine out of an Amazon bubble wrap envelope and a zip lock bag. Costs next to nothing, weighs next to nothing.
Great advice and what a view! Thankyou for sharing!
Great channel and info! Keep up the good job!
Thanks Esteban!
A few of my friends and I always camp on the south coast here in Jamaica on New Years Eve, mid-winter. Usually fairly cool with a low of about 21C. Quite nice, actually. Haven't had any snow yet, but maybe one of these years.
without investing $3000 in gear you probably have some drinking money left.
@@eddydewilde4958 Whole heaps, which gives us nuff for plenty of Red Stripe :-)
Good choice of tent. Before I got the X-Mid solid inner, I only had a gen1 X-Mid. I did go snowshoe backpacking with it and worked surprisingly well. I used it with the inner mesh tent and also without. Both methods worked well. I've also carried a tarp in snow season which increases the covered area for activities.
My preference is without an inner, typically with a square pyramid. As you said the gen 1 mesh inner will work fine, it just doesn't offer any real benefits in the winter except for having a fitted floor to the tent. Some people prefer that vs sleeping directly on the snow - which takes some getting used to.
The x-mid family really does pitch easily, and I don't have to mess around tying two poles together as I do with my MSR Front Range mid. Bonus - there's no pole in the middle of the living space.
@@KaneDoesOutdoors just wondering what your input / advice regarding XMid’s would be if I was looking for a quiver of one, mostly for 3 season but also to use for casual winter backpack camping in the same neck of the woods as you….. Solid or the OG mesh? I won’t look at the Pro as it is just too much tent [$-wise and just don’t need that uber-light of a tent). I won’t base my decision solely on your input, but would take it into consideration as I mull…. Thx
@@dave_ben On both the 1P and 2P the solid is only a 1 oz penalty. To me it comes down to if you will be camping with the inner in the winter or not. If it's mostly 3 season use, I'd go with the mesh version for the ventilation, cheaper too.
@@KaneDoesOutdoors
Thanks Kane! Happy holidays btw!
Thank you for the video. It was very helpful.
So you keep the wet layer/raingear/puffy mix on for sleeping? I kinda like that idea, have to try it, because I really dont like changing clothes, especially in the morning.
Quick tip that feels awesome: After you poured hot water into the meal, stick it in a ziplock and under your shirt as close to the body as you can. Free body warmup and the meals rehydrate better. Or even better on multiday trips, repackage all meals in freezer ziplocks and only bring one clean dehydrated meal bag for insulation, pour water in the ziplock, stick it in the clean insulation bag and under your shirt.
Hi Tamara, it depends on the weather but yes I usually sleep with most of my clothes on. Pretty rare that I keep the puffy/rain gear on unless I'm at the limit of my sleeping system.
For the food trick, I definitely do variations on that in the depths of winter. This video was recorded on the last weekend of September near Banff. The bears were still active and it was actually the same night that a very tragic incident occurred about 2 hours north from where I was. Trying to keep food odours off me as much as possible/realistic...
Thanks for the comment!
I love my Windburner in winter! I even use the the 2L when I am planning on melting snow!
What’s the lowest temperature you’ve used it at?
Definitely have used it in mid to low 20s Fahrenheit for melting snow.
It was -5C (~23F) in the morning that I used it and the performance was excellent. Curious what the limit will be!
@KaneDoesOutdoors ok thats about where I was at also.
I also made a small base for it with insulation on it to keep canister warmer from frozen ground. It also stabilize the entire thing when boiling full pots of water or melting snow.
On the Durston poles @4:00 might be worth getting something like simple motorbike stand pucks/'coasters', they are v light, cheap, could make a great ground surface for the poles, especially in mushy conditions and a big difference in windy conditions.
Yep I’m going to toss a ski pole basket into my pack. Should do the trick. I’d used small flat rocks in the summer but they’re not ideal.
This is what I do with my wet layer.
I take out my dry layer, quickly take off my wet layer (skin exposed or base layer, whatever you have for the moment) put on my dry layer then put my wet layer over everything. I found it more effective then waiting for the wet layer to dry out, freezing balls for a few minutes and having fresh dry layers on cold body is my choice.
I would like to hear your opinions!!
Hi - I typically don't carry "extra" clothes. My layers are intended to be added and removed from the outside; maybe some extra mid layers that I swap out depending on the day's temp.
I'm sure a lot of people use your approach. The common point is being aware that your clothes will likely get wet and you have to have the presence of mind to get to stay calm and get to work when you get to camp. Anyone who's been out in bad weather/winter knows that the real hustle starts when you get to camp!
Thank you....I learned a few new tricks.
Surviving and thriving in these condition must be such a rush! I've never full snow camped and excited to try.
It’s hard to explain but I love it!
When there is any doubt about wetness I prefer to use a synthetic insulated sleeping bag. I have my doubts about getting into a down sleeping bag with wet or damp cloths on, but with synthetic it’s not such a big concern.
I haven’t used synthetic in years - the new treated hydrophobic down is pretty impressive.
Stove operation and boil time aren't effected by air temperature. They are effected by fuel temperature. A good way of keeping your stove operating properly in colder temps is to keep the canister warmer. When I get to camp, the first thing I do is put my can in my jacket pocket to warm it with my body. I also bring a small neoprene coozie to put the canister in when I'm using it to keep it from cooling down to much. And finally, because the can cools itself as fuel leaves it, I don't try to boil more than a couple liters of water at a time. These have allowed me to use canister stoves effectively and consistently down to -16C/0F.
May I suggest gators and while I'm at it snowshoes (or skis) and, a sled thingy. It's not hard to imagine getting enough snow where it's impossible to trudge through it.
Subbed, rugged and beautiful scenery.
Thanks for the sub!
Heavy! Wow, I just found out this winter running sessions, I have Raynaud's Syndrome. Learned from other runners. My fingers go all numb and white even underneath wool gloves.
So you got wet and then started to put a rain shell on? Your fingers are numb from the cold and you wear gloves as opposed to mitts? At 7 and a half minutes you're sat outside in your puffy insulator in the sleet? Sorry to ask.
Sleet? It’s snow.
@@KaneDoesOutdoors I get what you're trying to do but it just didn't shout 'knowledge' to me personally, these are very basic things. Be careful what you're sharing on here.
Always liked the shoulder seasons but got away, sort of, with not taking them seriously because the western U.S. is so arid. Finally got a decent ventilated anorak and rain pants. The gear upgrade can sometimes prevent a cold and wet situation -- but now it can also serve to mitigate the problem when, not if, it happens. Any other attitude is simply being unprepared!
100% agree, I've gotten away with a lot of things!
Rain pants are pretty unpopular these days, but the pair I have weigh in at 7 oz. This time of year I just toss them in the bottom of my pack. They can make a huge difference.
Thanks. Always interesting. Checkout Buffalo Gear for the U.K. No layers needed. Also, smart wool, Duck Worth wool products from Montana, alpaca from Paka Apparel and Winter Green products from Minnesota. They all check my boxes for for protective comfort hiking gear. Best wishes. Happy Trails.
I'll check it out!
Great video, thank you for sharing
The only downside of a closed up tent at low temps is heaps of condensation, but temps below freezing the stuff will at least freeze and be easy to shake out.
I was out this past weekend and just used the X-mid without the inner - definitely prefer that approach. You get more room and the frost even easier to shake off in the morning.
Good video. I'd add an insulator for those freeze dried meals.
Thanks - That’s something I’ve been thinking about adding to my winter kit. I didn’t have my water bottle parka either which is pretty important when temps are consistently below freezing. This was September though…
Nice video Kane !
Merci!
This is so much better on telly.
This is beautiful. Thank you for sharing. Just curious where you shot this video. I’m guessing somewhere close to Banff or K-Country
Piper Pass ✌
Sudden snow can be challenging in any camping situation , and keeping warm even more . Quand tu parlais de ta Durston pole qui renfoncait, je me disais que peut être si tu utilisais des "trecking poles accessories" que tu pourrais mettre à une extrémité pour l'empêcher de caler , comme les skis basket ou autres ? Thanks for the video
Salut! Je pensais a qq chose de semblable comme les basket de ski. Mais honnetement c'est rare que je avoir un baton Durston dans la neige. Les skis vont sortir bientot et rendu la c'est deux batons pleine grandeur.
J'espere que ca va bien!
@@KaneDoesOutdoors c'est vrai qu'avec tes bâtons de skis tu vas être équipé !
Great Vlog thank you ! Oh and subscribed :)
Awesome, thanks!
Why didn’t you put your protective layer on before you got wet?
The 30 minutes before gaining the alpine was pretty thick forest with wet snow falling off the trees, that's what did it. Hindsight is 20/20. When the sun is going down the priority is getting to camp and no stopping every 5 minutes to faff about with clothes.
Vapour Barrier Liner
Will keep your clothing/shoes/sleeping bag dry from the inside!
Great video, friend.
Thanks!
Where is this? Snowing that much already end of September?
Kananaskis Alberta, just south of Banff. I think it was raining below 1800 m / 6000 ft.
Great video! why only 2 and not 4 snowstakes?
That’s my shoulder season gear, it was september and they had called for more rain than snow.
Some great advice - but why were you wet in the first place? (Carrying waterproofs during hours of any sort of precipitation, in my experience, is a no-no!) Otherwise lots of really thought provoking ideas. Thanks.
I prefer to be cool when I'm on the move and generally overheat in a shell and become soaked in sweat. In retrospect, my hardshell could have been better than the softshell, but sometimes when you're in it you make a decision and keep going. The 30 minutes before gaining the alpine was pretty thick forest with wet snow falling off the trees, that's what did it. Hindsight is 20/20. When the sun is going down the priority is getting to camp and no stopping every 5 minutes to faff about with clothes.
Brilliant!!
The only way I go winter camping is with my Russian Bear tent and Winnerwel Nomad stove or Luxe 3W, lots of supplies, all being towed by a snowmobile, or at least a good size ski pulk. Gotta' have fire!
Sounds like glamping! All jokes aside different styles for different objectives. I did a lot of winter trips to a particle board shack with a wood stove on my father’s hunting property as a teenager. Fire is nice 😊
So i notice that you put your rain jacket between your wet midlayers and your puffy with the aim of drying out the midlayers. Do you notice that messing up your puffy at all or does the moisture just evaporate through the collar?
That’s intentional - the WP jacket acts as a vapour barrier and moisture will come up through the collar. If I don’t do that the down will saturate in a few minutes. I’ll even do that at rest stops on trail - WP jacket first then insulation. When I can I leave the two jackets unzipped as much as possible to let more moisture out.
@@KaneDoesOutdoorsGreat explanation
@@KaneDoesOutdoors Thanks for further explaining that. At night when u get in your bag and the temp is below zero how do you keep any still wet clothing from freezing, I would imagine the rain jacket trick wouldn't work as well in a bag. I thought about putting the clothes under your pad so that some of your body heat gets to it but I imagine it could still freeze from the cold ground and also increase condensation in your tent. Another idea I had was putting the wet clothes in a dry bag in your sleeping bag with you but then maybe it would get super smelly.
I go to bed completely dressed in my wet clothes and wake up dry. I used both bottled with boiling water to speed up the drying and push the dew point to the outside shell of the bag. Ideally I’d use a VB bag inside my sleeping bag I don’t have one yet. For my hiking socks I put them in a plastic bag under my sleeping bag, but I don’t seal it shut. Waking up to completely frozen socks is not fun.
Hi Kane,
have been wondering why you did not choose a spot closer to the higher brush and trees around, as they would provide some shelter against windchill. Or is it just from the camera angle?
Hi - good question. I was actually in pretty close to those small trees right behind the tent and they would have provided quite a lot of protection if hte wind had picked up. There wasn't any wind in the forecast though, and the temperatures weren't predicted to drop that much. In the morning it had only gone down to -5C which is very manageable. But yes, in different conditions I would have found a more sheltered area in the trees.
Just found your channel kane! Awesome video, looked like it was a great time out. I appreciate you talking through your process and gear choices.
What are you using to film?
Cheers.
Thanks! Just subscribed to your channel.
I've experimented with several cameras. All of the locked off shots in this video are from a Sony ZV-1F. That camera gets a lot of mediocre reviews, but the 1" sensor and f2.0 lens work very well in low light. I've used the original ZV-1 and canon m50 (too bulky, not many lenses). The ZV-1 is also great (better autofocus than the 1F, f1.8 lens), but that zoom lens with moving parts is a concern especially in the snow. Battery life on the ZV-1 series is not great either, but such a compact camera. Considering the new a6700 - weather sealed, lots of lenses, battery life, low light performance... What are you using?
Very good coverage on use of layers when wet and on timing. I just got back from a backcountry camping trip in Ontario. It's 25 C here, so I went swimming in a lake. What a contrast!
I have the Sundown backpack too. It's great!
For the rain pants, would you recommend a full side zip model so that it can be taken off/put on without removing boots?
For the rain pants yes probably a better option to have ones with a zipper but I had packed those and originally planned to wear different shoes. I can normally slide those pants over trail runners. Glad I wore the Salomon mids though!
@KaneDoesOutdoors Ahh last minute gear changes just before leaving :) I've done that before!
Nice one like always
Thanks Alex ✌️✌️
Great video. Why didn’t you cook inside the vestibule?
In theory I shouldn’t have been cooking anywhere near my tent, but sometimes you cut corners when it’s cold and you’re tired - not recommended.
Look up Banff in the news, the big headline was Friday night and I was out Saturday. The big furry animals haven’t gone to bed yet.
Just a side note, one of the main reasons I use freeze dried meals to to reduce odours. Not only are they convenient but most are made of odour proof mylar bags. I'm pretty sure they attract animals less than cooking a real meal.
@@KaneDoesOutdoors I get it. Sometimes you are so tired you just want to do the bare minimum and go to bed. About those freeze dried meals. I think it’s best to assume they are not odor proof at all. I can always smell hints of spices or ingredients before I open them. I figured if I can smell them, bears can too. There’s something else that’s interesting coming from an interaction I had with a ranger in bear country. It was already cold, but the bears in that area don’t truly hibernate. I was hot tenting. I complained how annoying it is when you have a stove right inside your tent but can’t cook on it. He said “cooking inside is fine when it’s cold, but eat away from your tent, just keep it ventilated.” I thought it was very interesting. I still try to cook away from my tent unless the weather is bad outside though.
@smellybearc7411 I agree they aren’t odour proof, but they don’t smell as much as frying up a steak, and my clothes won’t smell as much either.
Nice vid😊 where are you
This is right below Piper Pass in Kananaskis Alberta. Great spot.
Great pitch of that Durston tent. Not your first rodeo.
Definitely not, I’ve owned a lot of pyramid style shelters. First one was a Mountain Laurel Designs Trailstar in 2009 or 2010. If you can pitch that odd shaped thing an x-mid is a joke.
Nice video 👍🙂
Thanks for the visit!
I use a lightweight, synthetic over-quilt to deal with moisture when it’s cold, which is remarkably effective.
When it’s seriously cold and I’m seriously wet, I use my empty meal bag as a hot water bottle then wrap the wet stuff around it followed by my synth quilt. Usually takes 1 - 2 reheats to have layers dry enough to wear again.
It’s even faster when I pop it in my lap and under my down quilt as well but that’s only for desperate measures.
The hot water bottle or a variation on that is very effective. I haven’t tried the over-quilt, but I do own a synthetic 40F quilt so I should give it a try. Great to hear some different strategies for challenging conditions.
Awesome footage Kane…what you wearing for boots on this journey?
Thanks!
I was using Salomon Quest 4s - Pretty much perfect for those conditions.
can't get any ice out of a smart water bottle either.
100% - I often end up thawing a nalgene in water while I’m melting snow.
@KaneDoesOutdoors 40 below has some great water bottles that are softer so you squeeze them enough to break the ice. a little pricy but work well for winter they make coozies to fit all sizes as well.
@stonedapeadventures I’ve heard of them but never got around to pulling the trigger!
If you are carrying smart water bottles, I would invert them and bury them in the snow. Be sure to mark the spot. It keeps the water from completely freezing and the ice that does form is on the top (bottom of the bottle).
You will not laugh
You will not cry
You will learn by the numbers
I will teach you
Great vid! for that tent is it worth it for these types of temperatures? Just found ya channel!
It's a great tent - It comes in 3 variations, all in 1 and 2 person versions. I've used both the 1P solid and Pro 1. For what I do, the 1P solid is the best option. It's only a 30 g penalty over the standard 1P version that has more mosquito netting vs solid nylon panels, and offers more protection from blowing snow and wind. I don't like having the floor integrated into the fly for winter since it's harder to shake out frost, as would be the case for the Pro models. They all set up in a few minute and are very storm proof. I also like how silpoly sheds snow, and the setup is very fast.
@@KaneDoesOutdoors thank you for this! Very helpful,
I'm sorry, but just the fact that you got "soaked" makes this video a major fail. The number ONE rule in winter: "Never, ever, get Wet!" Another major mistake: The SOFT plastic Nalgene bottle. Those bottles are just perfect for...summer time. In winter, you must use the HARD lexan plastic bottle. Why? Because the water getting colder creates a void in the bottle. Therefore, deforming a SOFT plastic bottle. The result is that the lid may come lose with all the consequences we know.
For everyone else watching this video:
Never ever get wet in winter!
No soft plastic bottles in winter, use the HARD ones.
Use layers and constantly adapt to the situation. Avoid to get wet at all cost. Also, the use of gaiters is always a good idea. Have a set of clothes ONLY for sleeping. Stuff that in your sleeping bag for easy and quick access to it. If very cold, you MUST start a fire, or your stove, immediately. Why? Because if your hands freezes, then this could be the end for you. Keeping your fingers warm is the first thing you should do.
Nope, fantasy land. I don’t know why so many “survival” experts propagate those myths ✌️
@@KaneDoesOutdoors OK, so you're saying that getting "soaked" in winter is OK? that getting frozen fingers is not an issue? And so on? Then please explain us all why those topics are #1 on ANY Arctic and Antarctic training? Why NO Antarctic and Arctic experienced explorer is using a SOFT plastic bottle? And how do you explain that it took over 45 minutes for an experienced explorer to set his tent and almost couldn't make it, this just because of frozen fingers?
But I get it, you don't know sh*t, but yet know better than everything being teach at any serious extreme cold training facilities in the world.... FYI, It's a well known and scientifically proven fact that water gets you colder TWENTY FIVE times faster than air. And if your SOFT plastic bottle doesn't "shrink" when boiling water inside becomes colder, then you're either blind or on some drugs.
WAKE UP kiddo! You are the one pretending to be an expert here, but just proved otherwise...
@@KaneDoesOutdoorstbf, he’s right. 😂 First mistake is getting wet in the first place
@tom24057 love to know what miracle gear absolutely prevents getting wet.
Soaked? Nah. That's avoidable, but wet happens somewhere.
@@MastaSquidge "miracle gear" lol good one :)
Where's the candy...
I'm thinking candy, iron-based heat warmers for core heat release, thermos of boiling water pre-made, closed-cell foam mat below thermorest, white gas stove, non-plastic bottles (brittle) , zippo pocket warmer, synthetic puffy for around zero (also good for canoe/kayak camping - safer than down), mesh base layer, goretex socks, 4 season tent proven in large winds, emergency bivy if tent destroyed by wind...thermos with boiling water in sock in sleeping bag with you...just a few items
It was September - at that time of year most people are still using 3 season gear.
Where’s Kane???🤔🤷♂️🧐🫣🇨🇦
Haven’t gone anywhere…
@@KaneDoesOutdoors we ll be waiting..,
New Brunswick 🤠
Promo sm 😕
You can't winter camp in pajamas and think it will be cozy 🙄
🤔