Plus side: no bugs, no bears, pretty snow on trees. Minus side: freezing one’s fanny off.
Rebecca at Calipidder.com told me about a backpacking group she hangs out with. They’re planning a couple weekend snow-camping trips in the next six weeks and I’m getting sorely tempted — though the idea of buying a bunch more gear for cold-weather camping, and lugging it up a hillside, is holding me back for the moment.
Snowshoes can be rented but I would have to get an insulated jacket and pants. I’m not sold on needing a four-season tent (the good ones are all like $500). Seems like I could use one of my hiking poles to bolster the ceiling in my REI Quarter Dome if the snow got too carried away. I’ve certainly got plenty of pack: my Dana Designs Terraplane is as big as a Buick, but filling it to capacity and hiking several miles on snowshoes at high altitudes sounds slightly less than fun.
So I’m on the fence, as usual. Maybe I’ll just reread this thread at HighSierraTopix on good winter-backpacking tents till I make up my mind. Or flip a coin.
Tom:
Listen to last week’s and this week’ edition of The WildeBeat for a thorough beginner’s guide to winter camping. You may find that most of the gear you already have will be adequate.
In general, for non-mountaineering trips where you can choose more sheltered campsites, the favorite shelter of most experienced ski tourists is the pyramid tarp. The most prominent manufacturers of these are Black Diamond ( http://www.bdel.com/gear/mids_overview.php ) and Oware ( http://www.owareusa.com/ ). Other companies make teepees with similar properties. With most of these, you can pitch them using your ski or trekking poles instead of carrying separate tent poles.
These single-pole, floorless shelters have the advantage that you can excavate snow out from under them, making room to stand upright, and building-in all manner of furniture from beds to benches, kitchens to storage hutches, depending on how much time you want to spend digging. They can also be pitched in haste without any of that shovel work.
If you really want to travel light and don’t mind taking the extra time to make camp, a snow shelter such as a snow cave or an igloo is more secure and luxurious than any tent you could manage to carry. Mountain search and rescue people will build snow caves rather than taking lightweight tents because they’re safer.
Like everyone I’ve taken snow camping for the first time, I think you’ll find that you warm up to it.
I’m in the same boat – the bit of winter camping I’ve done has been great, but I sort have to force myself through the preparations. I wish I did it more.
Steve: Thanks for the reminder and the tips … going to check out the podcast now.
I, too, love winter camping a lot.
I have a Hilleberg Akto, which cost me $345.00. It’s pretty roomy for a one-person tent, and it’s pretty light and easy to set up.
Oh – I remembered this guide I found a while back which looks pretty useful.
Ah no links: http://www.princeton.edu/~oa/winter/wintcamp.shtml