On portage trail to winter camp
For you camping and trekking enthusiasts who are holed up in snow country for multiple months - why just wait until spring before you pitch a tent? Today, winter camping is hot.
Why? Like many new developments, it is gear driven. Canvas tents like the Snowtrekker create a welcome shelter wherever you might land & for whatever weather winter might dish up. Heat is now an option. With sled (preferably a long & narrow tobaggon) in hand, you can load a tent, food, clothing, sleeping bags AND a lightweight steel wood-burning stove - and snowshoe in to wherever your heart and health permit you to go.
These little wood fired gems can not only dry you out from mishaps, but they will sweat you out of your jacket and boots even in sub-zero weather. What had once been in many views a close cousin to a SufferFest, the day of just cold camping in winter is well nigh over. Heat is in. Some hot winter campers tend fires all night to keep things cabin-like, but many simply let the fire die out - relying on their sub-zero bags to carry them through the night. Able campers can launch fires quickly for warm morning starts.
January Day in BWCA (-22 below at night)
In addition to providing heat (and ambience…), the stoves are delightful “indoor” cookstoves that keep hotwater and coffee at hand, plus offer plenty of space for frying your fish - or bread - or really anything you enjoy on trails. Most have a little warming shelf that attaches for moving things off the boil. In many ways, it is the center of attention - if not the soul of the scene.
What else is on the short checklist?
Wear wool - underwear, pants, sweaters, shirts, jackets, and socks.
Boots for serious warmth - and waterproof warm slippers for hanging out inside the tent.
Headlamps (and a good book).
Sub-zero sleeping bag along with a Thermarest to keep dry & a second pad for insulation.
Waterproof tarp for the sleeping area (for bottomless tents).
Snowshoes suited for the location.
Ax, sharp saw, and hatchet.
A site with a wood supply.
Get good advice or go with a guide for a great start.
Don’t waste another winter sitting inside looking at your July memories. In Minnesota, the BWCA is a canoe country at rest - just waiting for winter visitors. Come see for yourself. Or discover a white haven in your locale.