(One of our members wrote up a review of the Dec. 19-20th Winter Camp...)



We all hope our endeavors in life will go smoothly, but sometimes they don't. An unexpected storm while hunting or hiking or a localized disaster that leaves you without shelter and power is much more serious if you don't know what to expect and haven't prepared your gear for such a situation. That's why a half dozen of us at MCSA decided to take part in an overnight winter encampment this past weekend.

Most of our 24 hours in the snow was spent pitching tents, gathering and cutting firewood, building a fire and testing gear. It was hard work, but we were all grateful for the hot food, warm fire and a place to sleep.

Later in the day, we had some time for a little plinking on a makeshift range set up across a frozen pond. Many of us brought rifles, but the highlight was Bill's tripod-mounted semiautomatic Browning M1919. That thing was a blast to shoot!

Here is some of what I learned about winter camping from this experience:

Lesson 1: Use a sled to carry your gear when traveling on foot

I've been backpacking during the summer, spring and fall and know how important it is to keep your pack light by leaving out unnecessary equipment. This is much harder to do when traveling on foot during the winter, though. The extra gear you need to stay warm makes for a very heavy pack. Therefore, if you plan to travel on foot for a significant distance in the winter and the terrain permits, rig a small sled to carry your gear. You'll be able to carry more equipment faster and with less effort this way.

Lesson 2: Everything takes longer in the cold

Cold hands make it harder to pitch a tent. Firewood may have a frozen layer making it more difficult to cut with a small axe or saw. Even starting a fire can take more attempts than usual. It's wise to leave yourself extra time when setting up a camp or you may find yourself in the dark and cold with no shelter or fire.



Lesson 3: You'll use much more firewood than you expect

I've started many campfires in my years of camping and thought I had a good sense of how much firewood we'd consume over a period of 24 hours. To be safe, we cut about double what we'd expected to use. By the following morning, virtually all of that wood was gone.

The lesson here is that while temperatures in the low 30s or high 20s may seem relatively mild in everyday life, when you're outside for long periods with no place to go to warm up, even relatively tame winter temperatures can be a big threat -- especially if you're resting or otherwise inactive. To stay warm, you'll need a large fire and plenty of wood to keep it burning.

Lesson 4: Ground insulation is critical

I have a full-length, heavily insulated roll-up sleeping pad, a mummy sleeping bag rated for 20 degrees (F) and a military surplus "bivy" bag, but even with this equipment I felt the snowy, cold ground sapping heat from my body. I made it through the 21 degree (F) night, but I need better ground insulation next time!

One of our guys had fashioned a folding sleeping platform out of the hard, foam exterior insulation panels used in home construction. He cut them into three 2-foot squares and attached them end-to-end with heavy duty tape in a way that allowed them to unfold accordion style. The result is an excellent and inexpensive way to create a 2x6-foot sleeping platform for your tent. Its only disadvantage is its bulkiness, but if you're carrying your gear on a sled, this problem is a non-issue.

Lesson 5: Bring extra socks

Survival experts say "warm is dry" when you're exposed to cold weather, but before this experience I didn't realize how this applied to my feet. Even though I wore waterproof boots rated for -40 degrees (F) and both polypropylene and wool socks, my feet still became a little damp from perspiration. Once the sun went down and I stopped moving so much, this dampness in my socks made for very cold feet. Therefore, bring extra socks and change them when they get damp!

In closing, I'll say that you can learn a lot about outdoor winter survival by reading about it, but there's simply no substitute for doing it!