Boy Scout Troop 325 Scoutmaster Minute

Winter Campsite Tips

November 18, 2008
Andy Duprey, Scoutmaster

When selecting and establishing your Winter Campsite in possibly rainy weather, keep the following factors in mind :

  1. Camping regulations
  2. Other campers
  3. Wind - avoid ridge tops and open areas where wind can blow down tents or create drifts.
  4. Be aware of "widow makers", dead branches hanging in trees.
  5. Avoid low lying areas where the coldest air will settle and where water can puddle-ask Ted about this.
  6. Exposure - south facing areas will give longer days and more direct sunlight.
  7. Water availability
  8. Level ground
  9. Wooded areas that provide wind break and cover. Also good for setting up tarps and tying guy lines. But be aware of the possibility of fog/rain drip

Setting up your tent

  1. Lay your tarp or tent footprint out
  2. Set up your tents with the doors at 90 degrees to the prevailing winds.
  3. Make sure that your tarp is folded under the tent.
  4. Stake the tent out.
  5. Make sure that you set your rain fly properly and stake it out.
  6. Lay out your sleeping bag and gear while the sun is still up

In your tent

  1. After dinner, fill your water bottle with warm water and slip it in your sleeping bag. Make sure the lid is on tight and does not leak.
  2. Put other water bottles in your boots or inside a sock.
  3. This will give you water for drinking in the morning.
  4. Warm up before you get into your bag. Do some jumping jacks, etc. so your heat is built up for when you get in your bag.
  5. Go to the toilet before you go to bed.
  6. Sit down inside the tent entrance and, keeping your boots outside, remove them and set them just inside your tent on a rag, or in your sleeping bag stuff sack turned inside out., or, if your tent has a vestibule, in there.
  7. Climb into the tent and close the door.
  8. Strip off your layers of clothing to what will be appropriate in your sleeping bag.
  9. Remove any wet/damp layers and replace them with dry ones, particularly socks.
  10. Place damp (DAMP, NOT WET!) items in the sleeping bag with you near your trunk. This will help dry them overnight.
  11. The more layers you wear the better insulated and the warmer you will be
  12. However, too much clothing can compress dead air space in the bag and reduce its effectiveness.
  13. Set all your pocket gear in your boots, or your tent pocket.
  14. Mummy bags can be a bit scary at first. Make sure the bag is not twisted.
  15. If it is very cold, you can draw the hood about your face, leaving just you nose out, but most people are most comfortable with their heads on rather than in the hood.
  16. You will probably wake up a number of times during the night. This is normal in cold weather. Your body needs to change position to allow for circulation to compressed tissues and to move around a bit so that muscle movement generates more heat. If you are still cold, eat some protein to "stoke up your furnace" Power bars are good for this. If you open one, eat it all, you do not want to leave uneaten food in your tent.
  17. With 8 or more hours in the tent, you are likely to need to urinate in the middle of the night. Go for it! Otherwise you won't get back to sleep, and your body is wasting energy keep all that extra fluid warm. You will be surprised how quickly you can get out and back in and your body really won't chill that much.
  18. Don't forget to practice Leave no Trace!

Good night scouts