i am in sweden right now, i wonder what are the most important things to think about, concaernig the cold?? would like to go in the wild, there are some nice forests and lakes around... ps are there any folks out there who are in sweden right now?? thanks!
When I camp in the cold I usually try to find a nice piece of ground and get it warm and keep it warm. Sometimes if you can dig down a foot or 2 the when you can get the ground warmed up the wind won’t blow away the heat as easy. Wind can be a big enemy in the cold it will blow away all your valuable heat find good spots with wind breaks. If there is a lot of snow you can do the snow cave thing in snow caves you can make some good ventilation and heat up a pan of water with some stones in it and turn of the stove and the rocks and water will heat it for a bit while you change you clothes or get in your bed. Be careful to keep enough oxygen in your snow cave when you run a stove a stove will suck all the oxygen out of the air quick. If you can get a good piece of canvas you can build a nice tent you can put a wood stove in but that kind of stuff cost a little bit of money. Eat a lot of food camping in the cold burns a lot of energy!! Keep you water jugs from freezing wrap them in a blanket if they are in the cold and it will take them longer to freeze. If you find a good camp you can build a sauna, using a sauna every few days will warm your bones keep you clean and healthy.
Layers of clothing. Remove and replace as activity dictates. NO COTTON! Wool and synthetics wick water away from the skin allowing evaporation. This is very important to protect you from over heating and buildup of perspiration. When that happens you find yourself soaking wet and freezing cold. Not a good combination. A lightweight tarp and a down bag for the appropriate temperatures are lifesavers if you're camping. Hypothermia occurs most easily when you're sleeping and not active to maintain body temperature. Build a shelter of the tarp and cover it with snow for insulation. And if you can't warm a place on the ground, insulate yourself from it with a sleeping pad or a healthy layer of leaves or pine needles.
no has mentioned yet, learn to build small sustaining fires. It's not as easy as you might think to keep a small simple fire going. You can use it to heat rocks which will hold heat for a very long time. You can also build a heat reflector from rock or snow or earth to keep the heat from the fire in.
A few people have talked about heating up rocks. Something that I found nice is after heating up the rock, wrap it up in a towel or some other fabric and put it in the bottom of your sleeping bag. Another thing I have found about sleeping in the cold is to not wear to many clothes when you sleep. The sleeping bag will absorb your body heat and keep it warm in there, but if there are too many clothes between you and the bag, the heat won't transfer. Dressing in layers is very important for when your awake, and make sure you have a lot of extra socks. It is better to carry too many pairs of socks than to not have enough. If you start to feel cold or incredibly tired without doing a lot of activity, MOVE around. You have to keep moving when it's cold, and make sure to drink a lot of water. Oh, and if you are a coffee drinker, the colder it is outside, the better that coffee tastes.
What HLS said. I try to stick to one layer of sleeping clothes. Also remember that layering your gear is important. A three season tent adds 10-20 degrees F to the rating of your sleeping bag. A set of poly pro longjohns adds another 5-10. A poly fleece pants and top adds 10-15. A silk bagliner adds 5 and a fleece bagliner adds 10-15. So if it's -10F, and you have a 20F down bag, a three season tent, a fleece liner and a poly pro base layer on your body, you're covered. And I like the hot rock in a towel idea. If the feets is warm, the rest of you is usually good to go.
If snow isn't available a lean to can be very warm, make sure you build it with a low ceiling and lots of leaves on top, moss works too if you can find large chunks. If there is snow though, definitely do the snow cave, they can be build relatively quickly and there's always more room! you just have to dig it out =p. I've never done one but that doesn't mean i can't be an expert too... Have fun too!
That is a semi-myth. More clothing, in general, equals more insulation and more warmth. On the other hand, too thick of clothing can compress the down which reduces insulation.
