camping in the snow

[catingeorgia]

can anyone give some valuable information about setting up camp in the snow season? never camped in the snow and i was wondering how to pop my tent and where to pop it as well with all of the snow on the ground. is there a specific way to clear away the snow or do you put it directly on the snow? i have a sleeping pad i use to combat the cold of the ground but it just seems that the snow underneath would give it an icebox effect. thanks

 

[Wolfeyes]

If the snow is high enough and solid enough, I'd say your best bet is to forget the tent and build a snow hut. If that's not an option, I would suggest digging down to the ground a bit larger than your tent, set up your tent, then dig a pathway out. Pile the snow around the edge of the hole just like digging a fire pit. If at all possible, have the walkway facing downhill.

Several reasons for this:

1.) Your tent stakes will bite into soil a lot better than snow.
2.) Your tent won't sink and get all floppy if the snow starts to melt.
3.) Digging down and piling the snow around the hole will act like a wind break.
4 Having the walkway facing downhill will allow water to run off away from your tent should the snow start to melt.

 

[catingeorgia]

a snow hut? hmmm....sounds like it takes some time. have to look that up and believe me i will...just sounds to complicated compared to my plans. awesome advice and very well thought out. sounds like youve been there before. wont really be squatting for more than a day though because i want to stay on the road and very rarely spend more than a nights sleep gettin by. i understand that sometimes you have to because believe me ive been there before...but on the fly it seems that you just have to dig till you hit the soil. how about this...is there a particular item to use to brush the snow away to soil...and is it bad to actually be on the snow with a tarped bottom tent? thanks for the ideas

 

[cranberrydavid]

If you're just setting up for the night and the snow is deep, don't worry about digging down. Just stomp it down good and flat. The snow is actually warmer than the air at night, so mostly look for a place out of the wind. NOT under trees! Sometimes limbs break and bury you under a ton of snow and ice, and they find your frozen ass in the spring.

 

[finn]

I'd be sure to make sure there's a place for the cold air. You don't want to be sleeping on the lowest part of the ground, you want to be higher, because warm air rises and cold air sinks. If there are evergreen trees nearby, break off some branches with a lot of needles and put that under your sleeping pad.

 

[Diagaro]

when I went winter camping in the cascades I would dig down, then tunnel about 6 feet, hollow out a cave, set tent up in cave and was warm as fuck!
see the snow after multiple failings becomes hardpack porous ice, not snow and not solid ice. as time passes, your body heat turns the walls/ceiling to sheer ice, making it as solid as cement, same as your entry tunnel, at this point you could even have a small fire (hobo style, with a shield to focus all the energy to your cooking pot/kettle/pan) basically a tent inside of a Eskimo cave.