THE LIFE
A WINTER CAMPING TRIP can be just as long as
any backpacking excursion that you’d take dur-
ing the warmer months. If the weather conditions
cooperate and you carry enough food and fuel
canisters, it’s possible to stay out for days or even
weeks if you choose. Again, you’ll want to use com-
mon sense and avoid extreme weather conditions
when things can get potentially dangerous, but
otherwise you can camp for as long as you feel com-
fortable being out in the wilderness.
One of the staples of any camping trip is a bon-
fire, although during the winter it’s usually more
challenging to get that fire going. If snow is cover-
ing the ground, it can be difficult to find firewood,
and when you do find something to burn, there
is a good chance it will be wet, making it harder
to ignite. Cotton balls soaked in petroleum jelly
make a good fire starter and can help get a fire
going more quickly. Just remember, wet wood
tends to generate more smoke, which makes sit-
ting around the fire a lot less fun.
If temperatures are too cold to stay outside,
don’t be afraid to call it a day and escape to the
comfor t of your tent instea d. Huddling around the
campfire can be a lot of fun, but cold conditions
can easily turn dangerous and nothing quite beats
crawling inside a warm sleeping bag.
3
How long can I
stay out in the
backcountry?4
Boots or
snowshoes
or skis or
crampons?BOOTS
If the ground has only
a couple inches of
snow on it, and walk-
ing is fast and easy,
your winter hiking
boots (Lowa Ren-
egade Evo Ice GTX,
$295) should be all
you need.CRAMPONS/
TRAIL SPIKES
Crampons (Yaktrax
Summit, $90) are
especially helpful on
rocky, technical terrain,
such as when you’re
going up or down a
mountain. Trail spikes
will come in handy on
flatter surfaces where
a bit of ice may make
things slipperier than
you expected.SNOWSHOES
By adding more sur-
face area to your feet,
snowshoes (MSR EVO
Snowshoe Kit, $200)
allow you to stay above
the powder rather than
sink down into it. They’ll
also help keep your legs
feeling fresher, allowing
you to walk farther and
faster than you would
just in boots.SKIS
Using a set of cross-
country skis (Salomon
Snowscape 7, $225)
makes navigating the
backcountry much eas-
ier and more efficient,
but it requires some
skill and experience. If
you’re not familiar with
how to cross-country
ski, your first winter
camping trip isn’t the
place to learn.↓ GETTING STARTED IN WINTER CAMPING
54 March 2019 _ PopularMechanics.com