While there is a learning curve, camping in snow isn’t that difficult so long as you have proper warm gear. The same can’t be said for wet conditions though. The moment you get wet, your body starts to lose heat because of evaporative cooling. To make things worse, some gear loses its insulating properties when wet. So, it is crucial that you and your gear stay dry when camping in wet winter conditions. Here’s how.
Forget About Down
Insulating materials work because they have pockets of air. Air has low thermal conductivity, meaning heat can’t pass through it easily. The more pockets of air, the more the heat is trapped. This is why down is such a good insulator: There are lots of air pockets in between the fluffy feathers, making it one of the best materials for cold weather.
However, the moment down gets wet, the feathers start to clump together. All of those air pockets get compressed, so down loses its insulating properties. By contrast, wool and (to a lesser extent) most synthetics don’t compress as much when wet, so they can still insulate even when wet.
So, while I normally love wearing my down jacket as my mid layer, I opt for my wool hoodie instead when the conditions are wet or sleeting. Yes, the wool is 5x heavier and much bulkier than the down jacket, but I don’t have to stress about it getting wet.
My wet winter three-layer setup. The wool hoodie is THICK! It’s heavy, but worth it. In dry conditions, I wear a down jacket instead.
Line Your Pack
The waterproof cover that comes with your pack isn’t exactly reliable when it comes to keeping things dry. And you absolutely need your sleeping bag to be dry if you stand a chance of staying warm at night.
A simple 10 cent solution is to line your pack with a trash bag. You’ll still want to use your pack cover, since it will keep your pack from getting saturated and heavy.
Have a Strict “Wet/Dry” Routine
Have one set of items which will be exposed to the elements. These are your “wet” items . Your “dry” items don’t come into contact with the elements, such as your pajamas and sleeping bag. You’ll need lots of plastic bags or a dry bag to keep wet and dry items separate in your pack.
Wet items need to always be completely sealed and separated from your dry items. You also need to be strict about taking off your wet items in a way that they don’t come in contact with your dry ones. Consider packing an extra towel to dry yourself off before changing into your dry clothes. Note I say “extra” because you don’t want to dry your body with the same towel you use to wipe condensation from the tent.
Protect Against Condensation
Tent condensation is a big problem when camping in winter. Even if your tent has good ventilation, it’s almost impossible to avoid condensation. If your sleeping bag touches the sides of the tents, it will end up wet—and you’ll end up freezing.
I switch to a larger tent in winter for this reason. I’m short, so I don’t have to worry about the bottom of my sleeping bag touching the tent. However, my backpacking partner is taller, so he sleeps with his feet inside a trash bag so his sleeping bag doesn’t end up wet.
Consider a Tarp + Tent
Summer rains usually pass by quickly. So, even if it’s raining when you reach camp, you can just wait to set up camp. But winter rains and sleet can last hours, leaving you no choice but to set up camp in the rain—potentially causing the entire interior of your tent to get wet.
There are some solutions for setting up a tent in the rain so the inside doesn’t get wet. Like using the “fly first” method with some tents (which admittedly takes a lot of practice to do). The easiest solution is to just bring a tarp. Pitch the tarp, and then pitch your tent underneath it.
Yes, it’s one more thing to pack and carry, but you will likely appreciate having a dry area in front of your tent for cooking dinner too. Alternatively, just use a tarp shelter. Then you won’t have to worry about condensation either. See some tarp shelter setups here.
Don’t Breathe Into Your Sleeping Bag
As tempting as it is to put your face into your sleeping bag, don’t do it. Your breath contains a lot of moisture (approximately 15-25ml is released per hour during sleep!). It will introduce moisture into your sleeping bag, causing your sleeping setup to get wet, and you to get cold.
Go Hardcore with the Waterproof Gear
Water-resistant gear is okay in winter when the you’ve got really thick wool layers underneath. But if the sleet and rain will be constant, it’s better to go with hard shells that are truly waterproof. You’ll want a waterproof shell jacket, pants, overmitts, and gaiters. If you don’t want to spring for expensive shell mitts (they are expensive!), bread bags over your fleece or wool gloves will work.
SLOW DOWN
Waterproof shell layers are pointless if you are just going to get wet from sweat. Yes, good wicking base layers can help here, but the most important thing you can do is slow down. The moment you feel yourself starting to sweat, slow your pace or take a short break (ideally to eat some chocolate or other high-calorie food).
Image credit:”IMG_2743”(CC BY-SA 2.0)byeuphro
