Cold weather Advice

“This weekend im going for the BSA "polar bear" which all it is is staying outside in sub-freezing temps for 24 hours, sounds simple to you folks but im new to this so and advice on winter camping/staying warm would be appreciated. Thanks ya'll”

“howitzer, do a search for the "cold weather apparel" thread. Lot's of good advice for clothing there.

Also, get some chemical hand and toe warmers also, those things are great. You can probably get them for a buck or two at Wal-Mart.

Good luck and have fun! :-)”

“How cold is it going to get? Wet or dry?”

“good luck howitzer!

Do what artex said and search some past threads, there is a plethora of information on there.”

“howitzer - where in Michigan are you from ? I am going backpacking tomorrow nite - possibly on the Wisconsin/ upper michigan border.
First question - are you using a tent and what kind of sleeping bag do you have ?”

“death-its suppposed to warm up to the low 20s this weekend but friday night it will probably get down around 10 or lower. And right now its pretty dry out with only about a 1/2in of snow on the ground. Its possible we might get more though.
Hangman-were in south east michigan going to Island lake State Rec. Area. As far as the tent and sleeping bag, Im using my trusty ole' Timberline 2 and a this HUGE -15 rated sleeping bag made by slumberjack, as you can tell this isn't a backpacking trip.”

“Polypro or polyester longjohns, the heavy ones if you aren't walking. And stay dry, rain and snow resistant jacket and pants. Keep your feet warm and dry!! Water resistant boots with wool socks and a light poly sock liner.”

“Also, if you are doing this as a one time thing- try to keep it cheap, some of the stuff is expensive.”

“Go to Cabela's in Dundee, they have some warm weather gear in the clearance area.”

“Make sure you stay dry. Even from sweat! Stay well hydrated and eat lots of food so your body can produce heat. It does not matter how good your gear is. If your body does not produce heat. You are going to be cold. Not to underestimated how vital good winter gear is.”

“I use a compression sack (Lowes-XL) to keep my cold weather sleeping bag somewhat under control. I know, I know - I'll damage the fibers, but I only use the compression bag while hiking and take the bag out as soon as I set up camp.”

“bring plenty of those just open the package toe warmers

enough for 24 hrs”

“Thanks for all the tips ya'll”

“....shrinkage......”

“come again?”

“Mug was upset he couldnt locate his "gear" due to the winter tempature”

“Wear a good hat and keep your feet dry. Capping up both ends retains the heat.
Eat good too. When you eat it's like tossing more wood on the fire. It keeps you warmer.”

“how about STAY INDOORS”

“Our local BSA just did that the other weekend here. It made the news. There was alot of film footage of freezing kids standing around a fire in tennis shoes and hooded cotton sweat shirts.”

“no what the funny part about this is Troll, the rest of the troop is stayin' in the cabin just me and this other kid are in tents.”

“For those about to brave the elements this weekend...

I salute you!
- OOO-rah -”

“The most important advice regarding winter camping is to not take a dog with you, because dogs do not belong in the backcountry.

LNT = LDH.”

“The most important advice regarding Micah is that he was sexually molested by a dog when he was a child and that's why he has these hang-ups.

LNT = LMH”

“We're having a heatwave here, mid 20s tomorrow!”

“what size.......I was 155”

“well thats over.... and really it wasn't as bad as i thought it would be. I ended up sleeping with my friend in his old military pup tent and we put our gear in mine. It was kinda boring all day cause all we did was stand around the fire and eat everything we brought with us. But we did hike for a while, first time was to Island lake and we went and talked to all the ice fishermen. Then at about 7:00 we went hiking again, this time over to the railroad tracks were we walked the wrong way for about a mile then turned around, but it was cool cause we saw a freight train up close, counted 99 cars on it.”

“Oh yeah, i brought my camera along but only took two pictures if you wanna see 'em go to Troop479.cjb.net and click on the campout photos link.”

“You're now one step closer to your award and a little bit tougher of a Scout. Good job!”

“error noted”

“error corrected”

“Do you feel you may be sexually tempted by the dog? You are a sick monkey!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”