Here in the Canadian Rockies, winter can seem to last forever, so I decided to put together a list of cold weather camping essentials. These are items you can purchase or add to your current camp system, to help you extend your camping season.
We recently spent a night at Mount Kidd and I have to say, camping in March was actually incredible. From the peaceful empty campground, to throwing on your gators and exploring summer trails which are now buried below a layer of deep snow. There was something very relaxing about getting out to a busy site when it is at its most peaceful.
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Cold Weather Camping Essentials
Shelter
I absolutely love our Marmot Tungsten tent for summer backpacking but Marmot also makes a near identical tent for more adverse conditions. The Marmot Fortress two person tent has the same space as the Tungsten however it has a fully sealed inner making it a cold weather camping essential. There is still fly net on the doors and other smaller zippered openings to allow for circulation but this modification helps keep the inner of the tent warm.
The outer fly is made of more heavy duty fabric and the four corners have two clips and a longer peg line to make this tent super stable in bad weather.
It is by no means an winter alpine tent but it will keep you more than toasty in the shoulder season and we have used this tent down to negative 13 degrees celsius at night.
We also enjoy taking this tent backpacking in spring and fall, it isn’t the lightest tent out there but it is totally possible to carry it and we even took it on the Rockwall trail.
Sleep System
We use our summer sleeping pads, the Thermarest Topoluxe but during cold weather camping we pair it with the cold weather camping essential Z Lite by Thermarest. Putting this foam pad under standard summer pad increases the R-Value and makes it perfect for cold winter camping. You can of course spend money buying a winter sleeping pad but since the Z Lite costs under $80 this makes it a reasonable price upgrade.
A sleeping bag is of course a cold weather camping essential too, we have specific cold weather sleeping bags, the Mountain Hardwear Bishops Pass 0F/-18C sleeping bag. I love this down sleeping bag. It is reasonably priced and so soft and comfortable.
If you don’t want to upgrade your sleeping bag, we love our Sea To Summit Thermolite Reactor sleeping bag liner. This soft liner is a mummy shape and supposedly extends the temperature rating of your sleeping bag. We actually use this mostly with the Bishops Pass sleeping bag and there is a noticeable temperature difference between inside and outside of the liner.
Cooking
Isobutane doesn’t typically work well in cold temperatures, it is slower to boil and tends to freeze to the table and can be a real pain to get off! That makes a white gas stove a cold weather camping essential. This gas doesn’t freeze and performs well in cold temperatures. We use the MSR dragonfly stove for cold weather camping and even take it backpacking sometimes, depending on what we want to cook. The gas bottles are also refillable which cuts down on waste.
If you are backpacking and rehydrating meals in the cold, I’d recommend buying, or making a cozy, for your meal to sit in while it rehydrates, otherwise your meal may not rehydrate properly and worse still, it may also be cold by the time you come to eat it.
Clothing
A good down jacket is an absolute cold weather camping essential, perfect to wear around the campground and you can use it on cold spots like your hips on your sleeping bag at night. This is an item which is absolutely worth the investment as you can use it in any cold weather conditions, from walking to work, to exploring the backcountry.
A good merino thermal layer is perfect too and this is often what I will sleep in for added warmth, especially if I’m not using a winter sleeping bag. It is also a great base layer for winter hiking.
Down socks are also a little slice of warm luxury! An absolute cold weather camping essential if you suffer with cold feet when you sleep, you can also wear them around camp if they have a more solid bottom but be careful not to burn them or get a hole in them because once they have a hole in them, they will lose their feathers.
Staying Warm
If you have the opportunity to have a fire where you are camping, make sure to take plenty of wood and also some fire starters. If you are trying to burn wet wood or use a snow filled fire pit, these will help get the fire going as soon as possible, so you can be toasty warm in no time.
Another trick to staying warm is filling a nalgene water bottle with boiling water, they don’t melt and stay warm for hours in your sleeping bag. We often do this in the spring and fall.
You can also pack hand and toe warmers to keep you warm while out exploring or at night. These typically last up to eight hours, just make sure to only use them as directed.