What do you actually use for hiking & camping in cold weather?

[melensdad]

Water is going to be a big deal for these guys and especially with the weight of it. I've got enough of these GEN3 Stainless Steel 32 oz. Bottle & Nesting Cup Set - Self Reliance Outfitters? pathfinder 32oz stainless containers with cup & lid combo's to lend one to everyone going. ...

I've not found anything lighter than the plastic bottle the water comes in when you buy a bottle at the supermarket. I'd never consider anything like that on a hike. Be great for "car camping" but not for hiking.

Take the cup, leave the container at home.

Tell each of them to go to the supermarket and buy 2 of 1.5 Liter bottles of water. That will cover their water needs. The container weight of that 32oz stainless container is more than I'd want to carry and it holds an ounce less than a 1 liter of water but it would weigh more than a 1 liter bottle of water after you fill it. On top of all that you can burn the empty plastic bottle in a campfire so you don't have to carry it out ... but you are going to have to pack out those stainless steel containers.

If you are near a stream/pond then use a simple SAWYER filter and only take 1 Liter water bottle per man. The SAWYER filter will filter 100,000 gallons of water, weighs about 6 ounces with all the parts and is pretty much idiot proof to use. You can even screw them onto most water bottles, fill the bottle in the stream/pond and drink straight out of the bottle through the SAWYER. They are often found on sale at Wal Mart or Dicks at this time of year for about $15 (depending on the model). 1 of the SAWYERS is good for your whole group.

If you shave off a couple ounces everyplace you look you end up being a pound or two lighter overall. If you are really good you can shave 10# of weight.

I'm not an ultra-light devotee, but I will shave excess weight wherever I can find it. I don't cut my toothbrush in half or any of the hard-core stuff but I only carry the bare minimum of what I need while still covering all my needs.

 

[melensdad]

Full-size toiletries for EACH person? Don't need all that, even for a month long adventure.
Complete change of clothes for everyday? Probably not required. Jeans? HELL NO
Personal flashlights/lanterns? Again, not really needed. Spare batteries? Maybe 1 set for the entire group to share.
Only 2 water bottles? You'll want more than that...

Ditto on the above. But I'd go a step farther on some of it.

No blue jeans or cotton pants of any type, they are miserable when they are wet.
1 pair of synthetic hiking pants, which they should be wearing, is all they need.
2 pairs of underwear, 1 on their body, 1 in the pack.
3 pairs of wool "light hiking" socks. 1 on their feet, 2 in the pack, very likely 1 will come home unused unless you are walking through water.
1 pair of boots or hiking shoes, on their feet. Maybe a pair of sandals in the pack for around camp.
A headlamp would be nice, they weigh a couple ounces. A couple of those tiny keychain LED lights that are disposable come in handy, no need for spare batteries since 2 of those keychain LEDs weigh less than 1 AAA battery! Just take an extra LED keychain light (or two). You can buy them in 10 packs from Amazon for a couple dollars. Attach them to the zipper of your jacket, etc.
As for shirts, consider layers. 3 total shirts, 1 of which is worn on the inbound hike. Merino wool is my favorite, most non-hikers don't own merino wool shirts so I'd advocate synthetics instead of cotton. Again, cotton is miserable when it gets wet. Wear 1 shirt in. Switch at night, add another for insulation, jacket over the top if needed inside the sleeping bag.

 

[KittySlayer]

Personal flashlights/lanterns? Again, not really needed. Spare batteries? Maybe 1 set for the entire group to share.

A headlamp would be nice, they weigh a couple ounces. A couple of those tiny keychain LED lights that are disposable come in handy, no need for spare batteries since 2 of those keychain LEDs weigh less than 1 AAA battery! Just take an extra LED keychain light (or two). You can buy them in 10 packs from Amazon for a couple dollars. Attach them to the zipper of your jacket, etc.

Take lights for everyone. Light and cheap is fine but newbies need illumination at night. Even if they are not scared of the dark they have not yet learned that you always keep X in this pocket so you can find it in the dark. There will be multiple things they need to find in the dark and a light makes the process much faster so you can get back to sleep.

 

[melensdad]

Take lights for everyone. Light and cheap is fine but newbies need illumination at night. Even if they are not scared of the dark they have not yet learned that you always keep X in this pocket so you can find it in the dark. There will be multiple things they need to find in the dark and a light makes the process much faster so you can get back to sleep.

Agreed that newbies need illumination but a headlamp (at least the type I have) have multiple settings. Mine even doubles as a camp lantern. Many don't do that. But some do. And most of the decent ones have both WIDE beam and also LONG FOCUSED beams for multiple needs.

And the micro lights provide plenty of light for mulling around to go pee behind a tree, use inside a tent, etc.

 

[PistolBob]

I'm taking some rookies out with me in Oct for a simple overnight. There will be a two mile minimum hike in, maybe 3 to 5 if they're up to it. Then we'll be setting up camp for the night and hiking out some time the next afternoon hopefully after catching a few fish. Its not a great big mighty excursion, but it's something that if done right could lead these guys into doing more stuff outdoors, and likewise if it's an awful miserable experience they may never do it again.

Most of my "camping" experience isn't in cold weather, but in the past I've used a USGI single person tent with full military sleep system on a pt foam pad. That setup is completely four season weather proof and the only downside is the 15 pounds of pack space it takes up. I've also slept outdoors in a hammock with a heavy wool blanket wrapped up inside a USGI gortex bivy. Which is great, until the weather goes terrible even with a tarp.

Those two setups at different ends of the spectrum are about all I've got to go on. I want to point these guys in the right direction and lay some options out in front of them, but this isn't my strong suit. If anyone can layout a setup that's simple and works I'd appreciate it.

I'd really like to know some simple cost effective lightweight ways to get guys a decent nights sleep.

It's not cold in October. Take a decent tent, and sleeping bag and they ought to be fine. October will be cool or hot not hardly ever miserable cold. I usually take a hoodie, and tie it around my waist...if I need it I can put it on...if it's hot I can take it off....layers is where its at.

Have fun!

 

[CampingJosh]

It's not cold in October. Take a decent tent, and sleeping bag and they ought to be fine. October will be cool or hot not hardly ever miserable cold.

This is a bad assumption. I've been snowed off the trail in October. It really depends on where they are going.

 

[PistolBob]

This is a bad assumption. I've been snowed off the trail in October. It really depends on where they are going.

The last substantial October snow we had in central Indiana was on October 18 1989. I've been here almost 60 years...that was it. i think he said they were going to be in Indiana.

 

[thunderchicken]

3yrs ago I was camping with a group of friends the first weekend in October and that Fri was rain. Saturday morning we woke up to lots of ice coated equipment. Then on Sun it was frosty. Given the conditions we more experienced were fine some others could only huddle by the fire until we scrounged up warm gear/dry layers for the less prepared. So October can be a bit dicey for people inexperienced with cool/cold weather camping. Keep them warm, dry and well fed. Remember they will be burning more calories than normal. The oatmeal bteakfast you mentioned....probably not going to cut it if you plan to do some fishing as mentioned in the OP.

 

[thunderchicken]

2yrs ago first weekend in October our annual fishing trip was again kinda drizzly on Friday got down into the mid 40s at night...cool damp air, experienced camper, I think were on the edge of being miserable. Fed them a good hot breakfast built a decent fire, God blessed us with sunshine and boom...happy campers.
If we are talking never been camping "rookies" my opinion is you are asking a bit much...they would probably be better served with a camping trip where they don't have to pack their gear in. An old scout leader used to tell us when I was a kid "camping does not mean roughing it". Now we used to camp in Dec/Jan where we wouldn't take tents or cook kits and we had to build shelters and improvise cooking equipment...it was always one of our favorite camping trips. BUT we prepared for it 2 months in advance and even had a camp out in advance to teach rookies/remind others of some basic survival skills. Keep in mind the rookies are going out in potentially inclement weather. From my perspective it has serious chances of being disasterous. I have seen MANY campers try to pack their gear down a trail only to find it's not secure next thing you know their sleeping bag is dragging the ground bc it wasn't tied tight into the stuff bag, or the straps weren't securely holding gear to the pack. I just hope they know what they are getting into.

 

[teddy12b]

Lots of good points and I'll try to address them.

I get the idea of using water bottles from the gas station instead of the stainless steel containers. Everything is a balancing act of give and take. For me, I fall on the side of carrying in less water, but having a tougher container. With the extra ounces of the stainless container, I get a nearly indestructible container for water, I get something I can set in a campfire that'll purify my water through boiling, I can warm it up in the fire before bedtime and toss it in my sleeping bag, and if I feel the urge I can make char cloth with it and the nesting cup. I see it as a much more versatile tool, than just a container for holding water. For me and what I've used it for in the past, I really have a man crush on those pathfinder stainless container kits. Having said that, I wouldn't blame a guy for just bringing in water bottles and a filter either.

Part of my planning for Oct is that this trip will be in Indiana and the historic first frost (kills off most bugs) is usually in the first two weeks. I'd really much rather not be dealing with ticks and mosquito's if I don't have to, but I'll still spray my boots with insect repellent. The weather and our preparations for it will play a huge factor in our comfort. That's something I'm trying to plan ahead for even with this conversation. I don't expect to wake up to a pile of snow, but even if it's 35 degrees out and guys aren't setup for it right that can be pretty miserable too. Rain would make everything much more difficult as well, but it'd still be a good time.

The guys I'm taking aren't complete city slickers, and in reality we're only hiking in two miles and doing that for just one night. We're going to end up setting up a camp on the edge of a pond, so we can literally just wake up and start fishing before having a little oatmeal breakfast and we may end up taking in some more food than that even. A big part of this is just having a "guys" trip, but also to get these guys outdoors with some time to show them a few basic skills as the opportunities arise.

My goals for the hike are pretty simple:
1.) Make sure they enjoy it.
2.) Ensure they enjoy it by keeping them dry.
3.) Ensure they enjoy it by keeping them well fed.
4.) Ensure they enjoy it by keeping them warm.
5.) Ensure they enjoy it by making sure they sleep well.
6.) Get them some experience in boiling their own water.
7.) Get them some experience in finding fatwood naturally.
8.) Get them out of their comfort zone and put a new experience in front of them.

The biggest part that I'm concerned with out of all of those is making sure they have a nice warm night staying dry and cozi in their sleeping bags.

 

[Zoub]

Insist on access to their packs prior to heading in.......put most of your gear in their packs.

In October I'm doing some day hikes in MN and will have their packs ready to go. My pack will be fluffy and light.

 

[KittySlayer]

Insist on access to their packs prior to heading in.......put most of your gear in their packs.

Yeah, make the newbies carry the beer. The aluminum cans are lighter than that Pathfinder water tank you are going to carry.

 

[Hawkeye]

Yeah, make the newbies carry the beer. The aluminum cans are lighter than that Pathfinder water tank you are going to carry.

Dont you use the dehydrated beer? That and a water filter lets you bring in a lot more! and the 32 oz water bottles make a good mini-growler!

 

[melensdad]

Dont you use the dehydrated beer? That and a water filter lets you bring in a lot more! and the 32 oz water bottles make a good mini-growler!

You can rehydrate the dehydrated beer (I prefer to dehydrate cans of Stroh's) with stagnant pond water filtered through a 2oz Sawyer filter

MINI Water Filtration System | Sawyer

 

[Hawkeye]

You can rehydrate the dehydrated beer (I prefer to dehydrate cans of Stroh's) with stagnant pond water filtered through a 2oz Sawyer filter

MINI Water Filtration System | Sawyer

Its been a very long time since I drank a Stroh's but I thought it was made with stagnant pond water, so that might come close to the original...

 

[melensdad]

...the stainless container, I get a nearly indestructible container for water, I get something I can set in a campfire that'll purify my water through boiling...

Downside of this is that all the nasty crap that is in the water is still there, its just dead. Doesn't filter out the crap or improve the taste of nasty water. So if your water source is less than clear then you have a lot of dirty crap in the water after boiling.

Its been a very long time since I drank a Stroh's but I thought it was made with stagnant pond water, so that might come close to the original...

EXACTLY

 

[teddy12b]

Downside of this is that all the nasty crap that is in the water is still there, its just dead. Doesn't filter out the crap or improve the taste of nasty water. So if your water source is less than clear then you have a lot of dirty crap in the water after boiling.

I take a cotton bandana with me and use it to cover the lid of the water can. Keeps most of the big floaters out of it, and anything that doesn't get screened out by a bandana, or killed through a boiling will probably be just fine.

 

[Sailor]

skip the tent, set your tarp up to protect you from the wind and rain. Make your fire close enough you can easily reach out and grab your hot cup of water/tea that is next to it to warm up if needed. You are not likely to sleep well anyhow, with all that bourbon you are going to take.

 

[teddy12b]

skip the tent, set your tarp up to protect you from the wind and rain. Make your fire close enough you can easily reach out and grab your hot cup of water/tea that is next to it to warm up if needed. You are not likely to sleep well anyhow, with all that bourbon you are going to take.

You know me too well.....

 

[melensdad]

I take a cotton bandana with me and use it to cover the lid of the water can. Keeps most of the big floaters out of it, and anything that doesn't get screened out by a bandana, or killed through a boiling will probably be just fine.

Coffee filter would be a heck of a lot better than a bandana.