View Full Version : Hiking below freezing
When you are hiking below freezing and you go to sleep at night what do you do with the things you have that you don't want to freeze? Do you put everything in your sleeping bag with you? Do you sleep with your water or do you dump it out and get new water in the morning?
Are there certain foods that you would usually take but totally avoid when they can freeze? Also for those who use the Sawyer Mini or Sawyer squeeze, or any filter really that can be/will be exposed to cold for a while what do you do to keep those things from freezing? :confused:
Wise Old Owl
02-13-2014, 01:58
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTuGJgka1qc
Nuf' said.........
Slo-go'en
02-13-2014, 01:59
It kinda depends on how much below 32 it is and how long it's going to stay that way. It may be enough just to slip a spare sock over your water bottle to keep it from freezing and keeping your filter wraped in something to keep it insulated. But if it's going to be well below 32 and stay that way for days, then you need to take it to the next level and have proper insulating sleeves for your water bottles and filter and/or sleep with them. Water blatters aren't a good idea in consitantly below freezing temps. Let that freeze up and who knows when you'll be able to use it again.
Food is typically not much of a problem, but frozen candy and power bars can break your teeth if you try to bite into them. I really like the candy orange slices when their frozen to about 10 below.
Feral Bill
02-13-2014, 02:00
I avoid things that can not freeze. Water gets wrapped in insulation, sometimes snow. A pot of mostly ice beats melting fluffy snow, too.
Wise Old Owl
02-13-2014, 02:06
It's a different kind of backpacking - fire and boiling - forget the filter. Water bottle between the legs.
try hiking in the summer , that always helps things from freezing
Another Kevin
02-13-2014, 08:57
When you are hiking below freezing and you go to sleep at night what do you do with the things you have that you don't want to freeze? Do you put everything in your sleeping bag with you? Do you sleep with your water or do you dump it out and get new water in the morning?
Are there certain foods that you would usually take but totally avoid when they can freeze? Also for those who use the Sawyer Mini or Sawyer squeeze, or any filter really that can be/will be exposed to cold for a while what do you do to keep those things from freezing? :confused:
Let's see. Headlamp, batteries, phone, one bottle of warm water (nice to get into a sleeping bag that's already warm, and a bottle of warm water will do that nicely!) all come in the bag with me. Laces on boots get pulled wide open so that I can get my feet back in if the leather freezes. The first few minutes of standing in frozen boots is one of my least favorite parts of winter hiking. Right down there with pulling that cold baselayer back on in the morning: do not ever, ever allow damp gear into your sleeping bag.
Water bottle outside the bag is only 3/4 full and propped upside down or at least on its side. If it freezes, I can thaw it quickly with a cupful of boiling water. Cookpot is prefilled with water because that way it's all set to melt in the morning if I have to melt it. Water bottles are kept head down, always, because water freezes from the top.
In winter, I like bringing bite-sized food. Energy bars are ok with advance planning: take the one you want to eat in a couple of hours and stash it in an inside pocket. I precut sausage, cheese, and suchlike into little pieces that I can eat even if they're frozen. Typically I'm snacking on high-energy things bite-sized things like cheese, sausage, peanut butter and crackers, gorp, ... all day long.
A thermos or the equivalent is nice to have so that you can have a hot drink. I find that a fairly lightweight solution is to make jackets for water bottles using Reflectix and flue tape. Winter is one time I bring actual Nalgene bottles. Sport drink bottles are OK for summer but I don't trust them for pouring in boiling water. And boiling does become a major means of water treatment. If you're going to have to melt it, you might as well boil it while you have a fire under it.
I don't bring a filter in winter. If I find water that isn't frozen, I use Aqua Mira.
Also, how far below freezing are we talking about here? If you're talking mid-20s F, remember that it's going to be ten degrees warmer in your tent, so stuff isn't going to freeze so much.
slbirdnerd
02-13-2014, 09:17
Fill your well-sealing Nalgene bottle with boiling water just before you crawl in, put it in your sleeping bag. Nervous about leaking? Dump out your clothing dry bag and seal it up in there. At 19 degrees or so, mine was still tepid in the morning.
If you carry a water filter, you must keep it from freezing, day or night. Forgot to put mine in the bag in January and throwing it away.
The Solemates
02-13-2014, 09:40
as others have said, it depends on temps and their duration. one night below freezing (and even into the teens) with days above freezing - no behavior changes are needed. hiking in true winter conditions were it does get outta the 20s during the day and dips close to or below 0 at night - and you have to start doing this differently.
filter, water, stove fuel, headlamp, and chapstick in the bag with me. my wife also puts her boots in her bag, wrapped in grocery sacks and/or ziplocs, and for good reason. hiking in snow all day and your boots are usually wet (even if you dont feel it). we've spent 30 minutes before just trying to get her frozen, swollen feet into frozen, non-pliable boots.
I put my wet shoe, socks and other clothes and put them in my pack liner and place them under my pad or feet depending on if I'm camping in snow. Shoe laces are completely untied and the shoes are fully open. If I have wet glove liners those will go under my balaclava which will dry them by morning. As others have said electronics, batteries etc would go somewhere in my sleep system, often becoming part of my pillow. Good advice on the water bottles above.
Also note that some popular backpacking foods like tuna and chicken in foil pouches turn into bricks if they're packed in water. Peanut butter is also pretty unusable if it's really cold.
Loose foods like granola work well - you can put powdered milk in a baggie and mix it with granola or oatmeal, boil some water the next morning and have a hot breakfast if you like.
MDSection12
02-13-2014, 10:26
It's a different kind of backpacking - fire and boiling - forget the filter. Water bottle between the legs.
+1
I boil the water before putting it into my Nalgene, and putting that between my legs in the sleeping bag... Makes for a nice warm start to fall asleep, and then you have unfrozen water when you wake up.
I got down to 9 F two nights ago, my new record. :)
Second Hand
02-13-2014, 12:51
I have done a lot of winter camping and backpacking in New England this year. Generally speaking, I bring food, water, and electronic devices. I've also been started to do something I swore I would never do... Pee bottle in the tent.
I did use a Sawyer squeeze filter on some snowy nights in Vermont in November. I kept the filter in the tent with me so it wouldn't freeze up..... It did freeze in my bag the next day because it had some residual water in it.
bigcranky
02-13-2014, 12:52
I put all that stuff in my sleeping bag with me. No big deal.
When you are hiking below freezing and you go to sleep at night what do you do with the things you have that you don't want to freeze? Do you put everything in your sleeping bag with you? Do you sleep with your water or do you dump it out and get new water in the morning?
Are there certain foods that you would usually take but totally avoid when they can freeze? Also for those who use the Sawyer Mini or Sawyer squeeze, or any filter really that can be/will be exposed to cold for a while what do you do to keep those things from freezing? :confused:
In winter, I try to adjust layers and activity levels when hiking to sweat the least, then I can usually let my body heat in camp drive out the moisture, such that by the time I go to sleep, I can just add layers, including my sleeping bag. If it gets into the teens or colder, I bring down booties because my lightweight trail footwear won't keep my feet warm in camp in those temps.
I don't bring the Sawyer in winter (use Aqua Mira drops) but just keep them with you in a pocket in camp or in your sleeping bag at night to prevent freezing.
My olive oil in winter gets very solid, but I just float it in the water that I'm heating in my pot to return it to liquid form to add to meals. If I'm bringing fresh eggs, they go (in a carrier) in the sleeping bag too.
Thanks Wise Old Owl. Really informative and enjoyable filming job. Am getting into winter camping and will surely use some of your ideas.
Likeapuma
02-15-2014, 01:38
I don't bring the Sawyer in winter (use Aqua Mira drops) but just keep them with you in a pocket in camp or in your sleeping bag at night to prevent freezing.
I was wondering what people did with their Aqua Mira... Thank you!
bigcranky
02-15-2014, 10:15
I don't bring the Sawyer in winter (use Aqua Mira drops) but just keep them with you in a pocket in camp or in your sleeping bag at night to prevent freezing.
I found this out the hard way. Also, when it freezes, it can crack the little plastic bottle, so the acid can leak out inside your pants pocket and detroy the pants. Found that out the hard way, too. :(