Southerner in the snow

[HoboinaTux]

So I've never really traveled outdoors in the snow. I am going to hitch from Texas to New York. Sleeping outdoors. Perhaps in squat houses when available and friends in a few cities. Im seeking general gear and method advice on the best ways to deal with snow and the wet cold that comes with it. Way I see it, one of the most important issues to avoid is getting wet.

I prefer to travel as light as possible. I've recently aquired waterproof boots, thermals, and gloves. Ive got a bag and tarp.

What must you have when dealing with snow and cold? How do I stay dry? How do I stay warm? What do I avoid? What do I look for when finding a spot to sleep?

Simply put, how does a southerner travel in the snow?

 

[Mankini]

scrape all the snow off the ground before you bed down. otherwise itll melt overnite and soak your shit. lay on a thick pad cuz ground cold seeps up into you and youll feel it. get a down bag with a -40 rating: this equals about 6-10" of loft.
sleeping bags lie. so if it claims to be a -20 rated bag its really a +30 bag. etc etc.
protect from wind. 4 season tent; multi layer tarp/blanket combo; etc.

whatever cant be bought can be improvised. but fiddling around with heavy blankets or quilts is a pain in the rear.

 

[HoboinaTux]

I don't know if I want to carry a tent. Unnecessary weight plus difficult to avoid camping tickets.

 

[Desert]

I always had good luck with a light hammock and tarp. It keeps you off the ground but the tarp will condensate and freeze if it's cold and you use to cover yourself, sleep amongst the trees to stay hidden and out of the wind. Rain gear and a few hand warmers stuffed inside always kept me warm enough. If you sleep in your clothes you'll sweat and risk hypothermia on a cold night. Strip down as much as you can when you get in your bag. The best thing I found, in the winter, was to move at night to stay warm and sleep where you can during the day. Winter travel sucks any way you look at it. You will always be cold. Waterproof boots and wool socks are a must. Ditch anything you have that is cotton and replace it with wool. Even if you get wet, the wool will keep you warm enough.

 

[HoboinaTux]

In my experience, sleeping in a hammock is always much colder. Sure it's better than wet in the snow. But if a dry spot is available isn't it warmer to be on the ground?

 

[Desert]

It really depends on your setup. If you have a nice down bag to sleep in, I'd go the hammock route. You'll stay dry and the wind shouldn't penetrate. If your bag is not so great, the hammock and tarp combo would still work. Give the tarp enough room to breathe and your breath won't collect on the inside. Sleeping on concrete would be fine if, like the others said, you have a thick enough pad to keep the cold ass ground from seeping through. I think the most important thing you can invest in is a nice down mummy bag or bivy bag. You have to keep the bags dry though, otherwise you will be stuck somewhere waiting for it to dry or you can't use it the next night.

Also, keep in mind that you will burn a lot more calories and dehydrate quicker in cold weather. You won't realize it. Food and water are your best friends.

 

[Mankini]

how does a southerner travel in snow? ....verrry carefully. lol

 

[Mankini]

snows an amazing insulator if you pack it around you in berms. keeps the wind off. i make a depression in the center of three snow berms about 3 ft tall. then drape my tarp over as a roof. the front is left open so i can lay out my coffee setup in the morning. keep some empty plastic bottles in your bag so you can piss in the middle of the nite without getting out. in fact keep everything in there with you: clothes food socks drinking water shoes...anything you want to be warm and nonfrozen in the morning. i have metal water bottles i fill with boiling water at bedtime: they stay warm for @ 3 hrs or so.

 

[Kim Chee]

Subject has been beat up pretty good here:
https://squattheplanet.com/threads/gear-for-riding-in-the-winter.10435/

There's more info on cold related stuff if you use the search option.

 

[urchin]

Get a shemagh. Not only will it keep you warm, or at least your head, but it's also a multiuse tool with not even a great amount of imagination.

Be careful out there, I know Texas just had a ton of tornados and a blizzard as well.

The weather can get treacherous in the Northeast, not as nasty as in the Midwest but pretty unpredictable. Always keep in touch with what the weather may be several days in advance.

 

[lone wolf]

The only times i have slept in the snow were by accident so i was never fully prepared. Cardboard saved me from freezing. Your body heat will keep you warm if you can seal all/most of the holes in your homemade boxhouse.

When i was about 10, my brother and i built an igloo by digging a hole through a big pile of snow. Man was it warm inside. If i was going to stealth camp longterm in the snow I'd definitely make another igloo.

 

[Art101]

Man im looking at the weather forecast in your area and i would seriously consider bunkering down somewhere warm for the next few days.Its not fit for man nor beast right now...Be safe.

 

[Coywolf]

I have had success traveling in winter in the northwest with:

- -10 or -20 degree SYNTHETIC bag keyword SYNTHETIC Down is useless when wet. Even treated down.

- 10 X 12 heavy duty tarp. you can make many different kinds of shelters with this size tarp. Lean-to, tent, wood-ribbed shelter, burrito.

-Something to insulate you from the ground is key, cardboard, sleeping pad, ect.

-synthetic long underwear is key, usually 2 pair. A lot of people say long underwear is over-rated, it is not.

-*LAYERS* base layer(long underwear), mid layer (Regular clothes), warmth layer (Fleece), Outer layer (WATERPROOF jacket and pants) you can add more or less depending on the weather and temerature

-WOOL socks, a few pair. Make sure you have good boots, alot of people I know wear straight up rubber boots in the winter, with a change of regular shoes.

-Carry a pack cover or poncho for your pack. I line the inside of my pack with a trash bag

-If it rains alot, carry an umbrella. A lot of people bash umbrellas, but they have saved my ass in Eugene and the oregon Coast more than I can count.

-hand warmers are cool, if you can find 'em

-DO NOT wear cotton, cotton is fucking useless

*As far as technique goes:

-try not to camp on snow, unless there is 1+ feet of it to insulate you

-always sleep on a trap or cardboard to insulate you from the ground

-If your body starts telling you that it should really get indoors for a while, do it. listen to your gut.

-Drinking does not make you warmer. Dont drink a shit load and then expect to survive temps under 40 without any kind of shelter/bag

-Eat alot. your body is an organic heater, and it needs to be constantly stocked, the more you are in wet/cold environments.

-If your looking to squat, in the winter there are many abandoned second "Summer" homes. Looks for areas that looks like they are vacation rentals/community. Its pretty obvious whether someone has been in their home recently or not, especially when there is snow.

-Be very mindful of camping under trees in the winter. Snow load breaks limbs, and whole trees, add wind to that and it could be a disaster. ALSO getting under tree when it is raining/sleeting will be wetter and drip more than not being under trees. It you are going to stay under trees in these condition, looks for evergreens, they are better cover.

-that brings another point. Evergreen trees have 'tree wells' when there is alot of snow on the ground, it is the lowest part of the tree that doesnt get alot of snow around the base, creating a 'well'. these are great areas to build a shelter, and the snow will insulate you from cold/wind

-making igloos and snow caves are great. but please, know what you are doing first, those things can collapse in the middle of the night, and you can suffocate.

-Dont let yourself sweat. take off layers if you start to get hot, sweat will kill you, from the inside out.

-Know the signs and symptoms of hypothermia, as well as frostbite first aid

- #1 thing is dont get wet.

Here is a site with a few other tips: http://wildwoodsurvival.com/survival/winter/index.html

 

[Desert]

I agree with SIB, stay away from snowcaves until you have built a few and know how to build one CORRECTLY. The first time I slept in a snowcave I was about ten years old. My body heat actually melted a very thin layer of snow which inevitably refroze. I woke up in -5 degree weather with my sleeping bag frozen to the floor. Had I not been with a couple handy Eagle Scouts who knows what would have happened.

Here's another thing to remember. In my experience, the night after a big storm when the system moves out and the sky is clear is amazingly cold. Cloud cover traps radiant heat and keeps the temperature up. I refuse to travel on clear nights immediately after a storm.

 

[Gordon Liddy]

Although it is a bit cumbersome to carry around, Mr. Heater has saved my ass more than once. I recently upgraded to the "big buddy" that can be used inside a tent. It wouldn't be smart to be lugging a 15 pound propane tank around, but they work off the little green tanks also. Can double as a great stove to heat up food.