Snow Camping

Snow camping is a great experience, provided you come prepared to deal with a few of the challenges that camping in the snow presents.

If you can prepare for snow camping, then you can focus on having a good time, and there certainly are a lot of ways to have a good time snow camping. You probably wont have to share the wilderness with too many other people like you would in summer, for starters, and there are some fairly unique things to see, like sun covered forests, that you don't get to see any other time of the year.

So if you can find the time and proper equipment to go snow camping, the experience is well worth the extra effort.

Snow Camping - Gear

Here are a few pieces of snow camping gear to consider bringing with you so that you can stay comfortable and safe in the cold weather.

Winter Sleeping Pad - One important piece of snow camping gear is a winter sleeping pad. If your winter sleeping bag has enough insulation then you may be able to forgo a winter sleeping pad, but the extra insulation that a winter sleeping pad will help to keep you toasty warm. Most of us lose quite a bit of body heat in to the ground when we sleep, and it is this exact thing that winter sleeping pads are designed to prevent.
Winter Sleeping Bag - The most important piece of snow camping gear you can bring with you is a good winter sleeping bag. Snow is cold, after all, and you want to stay warm at night so you can get a decent sleep. It's hard to get a decent sleep, however, when you cant stop shivering, so do yourself a favor and leave the summer sleeping bag at home. A winter sleeping bag is a good investment.
Winter Tent - A winter tent is another piece of snow camping equipment that you should strongly considering bringing with you for camping adventures in the colder months of the year. Winter weather is notoriously fickle, and can change quickly. To avoid having your summer tent flattened by a surprise blizzard, you should bring along a four season, winter camping tent. It will hold up better in wind and offer better waterproofing than a summer tent, which can make all the difference when trying to get a decent night's rest.
Insulating Layers - One more important piece of snow camping equipment to bring along is a good insulating layer for lounging around camp. Snow is always cold, but a good insulating layer will go a long ways towards protecting you from the worst of the weather's bite. Down garments, in particular, make excellent insulating layers for around camp, and no one does down garments better than Mont Bell. In particular, they make a good parka for both men and women, as well as a matching pair of pants, again for both men and women.

Snow Camping - Safety

Snow camping is all about safety, because there are a lot of things that can go wrong in winter conditions that you just don't have to worry about in the warmer months of the year.

First and foremost, you should consult a forecast before you leave, so that you have a rough idea of what to expect in terms of weather. You should also bring along extra layers and extras of the essential items, like socks, so that if things get wet you can switch them out and stay dry yourself. Being wet and cold is no fun at all.

Good footwear will also be essential, especially if you are going to be spending time away from your camp. Again, you want to protect your feet from the wet and the cold as much as possible.

As long as you go prepared, however, you are bound to have a great time snow camping.