CAMPING
TIPS
By Chantal Macartney
W
hat is the longest night of your life? That’s easy—it’s the one you spend in a wet sleeping bag.
Outdoor winter activity shouldn’t become a grim battle with nature. Ignorance is not bliss! Enjoying the outdoors goes hand in glove with planning for maximum comfort and safety. Let’s consider some tips that will make your outdoor adventures a more pleasurable experience.
PACK THE RIGHT WINTER CLOTHING
Photo by National Capital Commission
Are you planning a camping trip this winter, but don’t know what to pack to keep warm? Cotton is one material to avoid. Whether it’s rain or sweat, cotton will lose all insulation value if it gets wet. Try wool or synthetic materials like polypropylene, instead. These will retain some insulation value even when wet, so they’re much more suitable for cold weather. Covering your head is vital in winter if you want to stay warm. Over half of your body heat is lost through your head, so it is essential to keep it covered if you are cold. A toque or balaclava in cold weather can make the difference between having a good day or a bad day outdoors.
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AVOID HYPOTHERMIA
Hypothermia can kill people even in summer if they get wet and their core body temperature drops too far. In winter, the threat of hypothermia should be constantly in the back of your mind. During outdoor activity, it’s important to drink lots of fluids. When you’re dehydrated, your body produces less heat. Drinking lots of fluids will actually pump up your metabolic rate, stoke your internal furnace and reduce your chances of getting hypothermia. Eating lots of wholesome, healthy food will also help keep hypothermia at bay. Healthy food provides your body with energy to generate heat and it keeps your blood sugar levels high. A healthy snack just before getting into your sleeping bag at night will help keep you warm. It’s true that “warmth is dry,” so stay dry. When exercising, avoid getting overheated. If you start to sweat, open your jacket for a short time to dry off, but not too long or you could lose too much valuable heat. Remember to bring an extra change of clothing in a day pack, in case you get sweaty. Wetness from rain or sweat will add to your discomfort because your body cools faster than when it’s dry.
SNUG AS AN ARCTIC HUSKY
When camping during any season, always put a thick insulation mat underneath your sleeping bag to avoid heat loss through the bottom. A sleeping bag liner adds insulation to your sleeping bag and it’s easy to sew at home from a flannel sheet. It won’t provide much insultation, but it will trap another layer of warm air to help induce a comfortable sleep. The liner will also keep your bag cleaner during camping trips.
On a cold winter night, before sliding into your sleeping bag, go for a walk. Don’t work up a sweat; just get enough exercise to get your blood moving. Once more, it’s like stoking up your internal furnace so it keeps you warm throughout the night. Because so much body heat is lost through your head, wear a toque to bed. On cold nights, you might even want to wear a scarf and gloves or mitts. Sometimes, I even slip a hot water bottle into my sleeping bag 10 minutes before bedtime. Ahhh! Sheer pleasure. Don’t wear too many layers of clothes in your sleeping bag. They could prevent your body heat from warming up the bag itself. If you wear a light layer of clothing to bed you’ll be chilly for a few minutes, but you should be more comfortable in the long run.
WISE WINTER WEATHER WATER TIPS
When out on a skiing or snowshoeing adventure, do you find that the water in your bottle freezes too quickly? Here’s a tip… water mixed with lemonade, Gatorade, or Kool-aid freezes at a lower temperature than just plain water. As well, the sugar in these drinks give added calories that your body needs for highenergy winter activities. Leave your water filter at home during winter camping trips. If you don’t, when you finish pumping water, the moisture still left in the filter may freeze and split the inner systems and ruin the filter. Chemical treatment of water isn’t ideal when winter camping either, because the chemicals take much longer to kill bacteria in cold weather. Boiling for 10 minutes is often the best method for water purification. And there’s a payoff— you just have to add hot chocolate to have a nutritious and comforting drink.
O T TAWA O U T D O O R S W I N T E R
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