I said I'd never try this

A drop of condensation from my bivy startles me awake. I brush the moisture away and blink at a tableau of stars framed by leafless trees. The temperature hovers around 0 degrees Fahrenheit.

Hours before, we had parked at the empty trailhead and affixed our headlamps for the two-mile hike to our planned camping area. The trail hadn’t been used since the last snowfall and our snowshoes sank several inches with each step. We chose a spot to camp that—in warmer months—was likely a boggy glade strewn with rocks and rotting stumps. On that February night, it was buried under many feet of leveling snow.

As I tried to find my way back to sleep, my head spun from the rapid transitions of the last few hours: busy Friday workday to dark car ride to frozen woods. The disorientation was profound—like stepping from a frenetic and steamy restaurant kitchen into a silent walk-in freezer. As I fidgeted in my sleeping bag, the hibernating forest seemed indifferent to my presence. Or perhaps it was casually curious—can these clumsy, furless hominids really survive the bitter Adirondack night?

Survive we did, although extracting myself from my layers of insulation required a measure of willpower. My gear was coated in a fine dusting of snow, but the morning light was cheerful. Most camp chores had to be frequently interrupted for hand re-warming. Less precise tasks could be done wearing my giant mittens (they afford me all the dexterity of a catcher’s mitt). The temperature was -2 degrees, but it wasn’t uncomfortable if I took my time. Like hiking in winter, cold-weather camping often rewards patient efficiency.

Eventually, we sat on our foam mats and enjoyed a hot breakfast. We watched as several early hikers marched past through a screen of trees fifty yards distant, their eyes fixed on the trail ahead of them. Even when I waved in their direction, they didn’t notice us.

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I never thought I'd want to try winter camping. Performing all the necessary camping minutiae in the cold and extended dark always seemed impossible to me. I’ve spent many hours in the winter woods at night, but these were always spent hustling back to my car after a long day of hiking. There is something radical about choosing to hike into the cold and dark. It is empowering and exciting to learn that I can settle into that harsh environment and make it my home, even if only for a night. I've actually ended up really enjoying it.

Below are some notes about strategies and equipment at this very early point in my winter camping experience. They will be useful to me as I think ahead to future trips but may also be interesting to those who think they might want to try a night out in winter.

Winter camping gear

After years of trial and error, I have everything I need to hike comfortably in the winter. Fortunately, that gear, together with my regular backpacking equipment, meant I had 90% of what I would need to try cold weather camping. Here are a few items I purchased or repurposed.

• Backpack: I have a giant 75L Gregory pack that I originally used for backpacking before I realized that I didn’t need anywhere close to that much space. It’s been gathering dust for years but I’ve pressed it back into service for winter backpacking. It’s got plenty of space and lots of exterior organization which can mean less digging around in the pack while my hands are quickly freezing. The weight is the only downside of this pack: it weighs about twice as much as my summer pack. 

• Sleeping system: I have a 40F degree quilt for warm weather and a 20F degree mummy bag. Rather than buy another cold weather sleeping bag, I learned I could combine the two to theoretically sleep in 0F degree temperatures. I added a used military GORE-TEX bivy sack that I found on sale for $50. I also bought a foam mattress to use under my air mattress to provide extra insulation from the ground. 

• Stove: Traditional cold-weather camping doctrine calls for a white gas stove. This is because canister stoves (isobutane) often lose the pressure needed to run properly in very cold temperatures. I learned that placing the canister in a water bath helps keep the pressure high enough to work normally. So far, this strategy has allowed me to use my simple canister stove (Soto WindMaster) down to -2 degrees with no issues.

• Silly luxury item: I got a tiny digital thermometer to clip to my pack. It may seem frivolous, but it's helpful during this learning period to know the temperature as a reference point. The thermometer even has a feature where it can display the coldest temperature in the last 24 hours which is great for evaluating my sleep system choices and planning for next time.

• Ultimate luxury item: Down insulated pants! These weigh very little and add a ton of warmth. They are great to pull on while setting up camp or while cooking in the morning. I forgot them once and missed them.

Winter camping skills and lessons

• My hands and feet run cold. I use hand warmers to actively warm my hands at camp. In the morning, the first thing I do is open new hand and toe warmers. I wait a few minutes to start morning chores so that these have a chance to activate. My boots are very cold in the morning, but the toe warmers heat my toe box allowing my feet to be comfortable. I put the hand warmers in the pockets of my large down jacket when moving around camp. I use liner gloves to do camp chores and when my hands get too cold, I put them in my jacket pockets for a minute and they quickly warm up. It's important to do this before they get too cold! 

• I bring a mesh ditty bag with me that I use to contain several items that go into the sleeping bag with me at night. These include my fuel canister, phone, and hand/feet warmers for the morning. The bag keeps these nicely contained and easily accessible. Since my water is in thermoses, it can stay outside my bag (many winter campers bring water bottles into their bag as well to keep it from freezing).

• I discovered waterproof socks this year which have been great for running in damp winter conditions. I’ve found that these work well when winter camping as a way to keep the interior of my boots from getting damp from sweat (and then freezing overnight). I still bring wool socks to change into in the morning if a longer hike is in the offing. The pair of waterproof socks I have are a very cheap variety from Amazon.

• When hiking in winter, I usually bring two lightweight rechargeable headlamps (the second is for a backup). I've found that these aren't really sufficient for camping in the winter and I've started bringing an older, heavier duty Black Diamond headlamp that uses AAA batteries instead. Lithium batteries are expensive but essential for the light to endure in low temperatures.

• On one of our trips, we were in an area where fires were permissible so we decided to build one on the snow for practice. A light folding saw I had brought on a whim turned out to be extremely useful for processing larger pieces of blowdown. It was surprisingly easy to find fuel for the fire in winter as any dead wood that was not buried in snow was quite dry. I did re-learn that lighters do not work in even a slight breeze (it took me a long time to light that fire). I now make sure I bring some windproof matches in my pack.

• My humble lightweight Buff proves its worth again as a sleep-aid. When the night air is really cold, I pull it over my mouth and nose and breath through it while I sleep.

• I usually bring my Kindle when camping because I like to read before sleeping. On my first overnight in winter, I learned that e-ink devices don't work well in extreme cold. Anyway, I think it would be hard to keep your hands warm enough to read unless you used a tent.

Planned refinements

My winter overnight pack usually weighs 35 - 40 pounds. This is fine for shorter days, but I’d ultimately like to use my winter camping skills to unlock more interesting trips (e.g., morning ascents, multi-day loops). I’ve also found that my sleep system, although thrifty and creative, is bulky and not as warm as dedicated winter sleeping gear would be. Eventually, I’d like to purchase a 0 degree bag and a lighter bivy. These upgrades would allow me to ditch my large foam pad (saving more space and bulk) and unlock the use of my lightweight summer backpacking pack (ULA Circuit), saving an additional 3 pounds or so.  

I don’t regret buying not these items outright as I had little idea of what I needed. It was great that I was able to try winter camping without spending much money on new gear. Now that I know what I want, I can keep an eye out for sales and discounts.