How To Stay Warm Backpacking
By Steve Gillman, Thu Dec 8th
Stay warm or die. That's what it comes down to at the extremes.More people die in the wilderness of exposure than from anyother cause. Staying warm, of course, also means more comfort,and for backpackers, it can mean going even lighter, withoutmore risk.
Staying warm in the wilderness is about proper gear and goodskills. Proper gear means clothing and equipment suited to theenviroment you're in. This is a subject in itself, worthstudying if you spend much time backpacking. With bettermaterials and designs, the newest clothing and equipment saveslives. It is skills, however, that make the biggest difference.
How To Stay Warm - Tips and Skills
- Set up camp in the right places. Hilltops are windy and cold,and cold air also fills valleys at night. Level ground somewherein between, out of the wind, is best.
- Wear clothes to bed. Shake and fluff them up to make theminsulate better. Some recommend against sleeping in clothes, butI've tried it both ways many times, and it's always warmer withclothes on.
- Wear a hat. This may be equal to a pound of insulation inyour sleeping bag. A lot of heat is lost through an uncoveredhead.
- Go to bed dry. Stay up until your clothes have dried, orchange into dry clothes. On a warm, dry night, however, you canput damp clothes on your sleeping bag to dry them with bodyheat. You may need warm, dry clothes the next night (Thinkingahead is a great wilderness skill).
- Breath into your sleeping bag. Only do this in a dry climate,or if you're sure it's your last night out. You'll get damp, butyou should dry quickly from hiking in the morning.
- Take a water-bottle full of hot water to bed with you. Thisis
