Shelter Choice, Snow Loading etc
My dedicated winter/mountaineering tent is the Hilleberg Red Label Soulo. This thing withstands incredible punishment. Both in terms of extremely high winds and heavy snow loading. It is also surprisingly warm; it eliminates drafts completely and probably adds 5-10 degrees F over outside temperatures. Pyramid tents with lots of tie-outs are supposed to be winter worthy shelters capable of "moderate snow-loads" but I highly doubt my MLD solomidXL could take the kind of snowloads I've gotten before. I would definitely avoid anything with a sharp ridgeline.
The downside is that the Hilleberg Soulo costs about $700 (at least in the US), weighs 5-6 pounds, and is quite bulky (if memory serves, packed size is cylinder about 18" long and 6-8" in diameter). Note all these figures are for the one person version. A 2 person shelter is always more efficient than the analogous 1-person version.
I suspect a dome tent like this is required for heavy snow loads but I'm more skeptical that they are the most efficient way to deal with low temps, high wind and ground snow alone. For that you are probably better off just wearing extra clothes and investing in a warm mummy bag to eliminate drafts.
The downside is that the Hilleberg Soulo costs about $700 (at least in the US), weighs 5-6 pounds, and is quite bulky (if memory serves, packed size is cylinder about 18" long and 6-8" in diameter). Note all these figures are for the one person version. A 2 person shelter is always more efficient than the analogous 1-person version.
I suspect a dome tent like this is required for heavy snow loads but I'm more skeptical that they are the most efficient way to deal with low temps, high wind and ground snow alone. For that you are probably better off just wearing extra clothes and investing in a warm mummy bag to eliminate drafts.
A proper mountaineering/4-season tent will be able to handle moderate snow loading without collapsing. In this surprise whiteout in Canyonlands National Park I managed to stay warm and dry despite heavy snow and overnight temperatures down to 10F.
A surprise snow storm in Indian Peaks Wilderness in early Oct 2017. Even though this lightweight tent (Big Agnes Fly Creek UL1) works great in a rainstorm, it couldn't handle heavy, wet snow.
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Notice the "bow" center pole that forms the ridgeline. I got soaked that night.
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Once it's mostly stopped snowing you want to clear the snow off the top of the tent (too much snow will collapse any tent eventually). If you're going to be in the same spot for more than one night, it's not a bad idea to pull the snow back from the side walls of the tent. No tent that you would want to sleep in is truly water proof. They are simply water resistant. The slanted outer tent (or fly) sheds excess rain or snow to the ground to minimize time spent in contact with the walls.
Snow stakes/anchors
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Deadman anchors work great in snow. You can use the stakes that come with the tent or simply sticks/branches you find near your campsite. I have camped in the snow many times but have never wished I'd had "snow stakes" because deadman anchors work so well.
You can use snowshoes to dig a slot in the snow to lie the anchor in. The most effective hole is 6-12" deep and is covered with piles of compacted snow. |
Just after a grenade went off at my campsite near Lost Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park (March 11, 2018). The mylar emergency blanket serves two purposes; (1) I put it under my sleeping pad to reflect radiant body heat and (2) as a dry place to sit for camp chores etc.
Stove Choice
I usually don't take meals that have to be cooked on winter trips but I am required to take a stove to melt snow for drinking water. A liquid fuel stove like the MSR whisperlite which burns white gas is works great in cold-weather conditions at altitude (To be honest this is the only stove I've used for this purpose). The aluminum windscreen and base to sit the stove on are critical in high winds but are also helpful to trap heat which reduces fuel consumption and melt-times. The stove, windscreen, lighters etc can be stored inside the Snowpeak 1.4L Titanium Cookset. The frying pan lid of this particular pot is useful for scooping up snow to dump in the during melting.
You can boil the snow if you want but if the snow is fresh, this isn't necessary. Snow is essentially distilled water so the risk of pathogens in the snow is extremely low.
You can boil the snow if you want but if the snow is fresh, this isn't necessary. Snow is essentially distilled water so the risk of pathogens in the snow is extremely low.
Melting snow for drinking water with Whisperlite stove. Pear Lake, RMNP (Dec 02-03, 2017)
I've been thinking about changing my stove of choice for deep winter use. In the summer of 2018 I decided that hot/cooked food was definitely the way to go. This means that I'll need a powerful stove for melting snow (which the Whisperlite excels at) but also a flame that came be more easily adjusted for simmering. Up until winter 2018, my winter stove had been exclusively the MSR Whisperlite and when backpacking I only use it for melting snow.
The few times I've actually used this stove for cooking (as opposed to just melting snow), it has charred my food every single time. The first experience was on my Utah Road Trip back in winter 2017. This stove really only has two modes of operation, "OFF" and "afterburner". You can fine tune the flame intensity somewhat by playing with parameters like fill ratio of fuel bottle and number of "pumps" used to pressurize the fuel but these only do so much. I'm at least 50% Neanderthal (thanks dad!) and while I noticed that the food tasted "a little funny" I figured it was part of the experience.
In Summer 2018 I took my sister and her son car camping and again I brought this stove. I made the oatmeal and then divided it into three bowls. As I took the first bite I thought "oh Utah. That's a nice flashback". Moments later, my sister took her first bite and started moaning and wiggling like she'd been bit by a snake and ran off into the grass to spit it out.
"That's disgusting Travis!"
"Ummm...I've noticed that the oatmeal I make when car camping has a special flavor." I then continued to eat the rest of my caveman concoction...
The best way to define this special flavor is a charred log from a campfire and mixed it into the food. I suspect that despite my attempt to keep the flame temperature "low", it remained high enough to burn the oatmeal and create a sooty taste.
The few times I've actually used this stove for cooking (as opposed to just melting snow), it has charred my food every single time. The first experience was on my Utah Road Trip back in winter 2017. This stove really only has two modes of operation, "OFF" and "afterburner". You can fine tune the flame intensity somewhat by playing with parameters like fill ratio of fuel bottle and number of "pumps" used to pressurize the fuel but these only do so much. I'm at least 50% Neanderthal (thanks dad!) and while I noticed that the food tasted "a little funny" I figured it was part of the experience.
In Summer 2018 I took my sister and her son car camping and again I brought this stove. I made the oatmeal and then divided it into three bowls. As I took the first bite I thought "oh Utah. That's a nice flashback". Moments later, my sister took her first bite and started moaning and wiggling like she'd been bit by a snake and ran off into the grass to spit it out.
"That's disgusting Travis!"
"Ummm...I've noticed that the oatmeal I make when car camping has a special flavor." I then continued to eat the rest of my caveman concoction...
The best way to define this special flavor is a charred log from a campfire and mixed it into the food. I suspect that despite my attempt to keep the flame temperature "low", it remained high enough to burn the oatmeal and create a sooty taste.
Some good links on various stove information
- Hikin Jim: adventuresinstoving.blogspot.com/
- Paul Magnanti: pmags.com/stove-comparison-real-world-use
- Andrew Skurka: andrewskurka.com/2015/gear-list-winter-backpacking-stove-system/
- Gas Canister Usage Calculator: mercatorgear.com/index.php/canister-calculator#calc
Stove Tests
During a recent snowfall in Boulder I did a quick test of the snow melting capabilities of my two primary stove types. Outdoor temperature were about 30F, which is significantly warmer than where the Whisperlite stove earns its true merits.
MSR Whisperlite: Used the standard thick aluminum foil baseplate and windscreen. Dumped in full pots worth of snow 4-5 times. Melt time for 1 liter of liquid water: 9 minutes. Fuel consumption was approx 44 mL (1.5 fl. oz) -> 56g (2 oz).
Trail Designs Kojin: This stove burns denatured alcohol and has become my standard summer stove. I used the caldera cone titanium wind-screen. I've heard mixed things about it's usefulness in very cold weather so I put it to the test. The melt time for 1 liter of water was 15 minutes. Fuel consumption was about 29.5 mL (1 fl. oz) -> 23 g (0.82 oz).
Trail Designs Kojin: This stove burns denatured alcohol and has become my standard summer stove. I used the caldera cone titanium wind-screen. I've heard mixed things about it's usefulness in very cold weather so I put it to the test. The melt time for 1 liter of water was 15 minutes. Fuel consumption was about 29.5 mL (1 fl. oz) -> 23 g (0.82 oz).
In many ways this is not really a fair test. The pots and windscreens were different and even though there was snow on the ground it wasn't really cold enough for the Whisperlight to really trounce the alcohol stove. The next time it gets down to around 5-10F in Boulder, I'll do a more thorough test. Of course it makes the most sense to test these up in the mountains in real conditions but I'd rather not bring all the extra stuff along.
Larger DIY Alcohol Stove for snow melting?
The Trail Designs Kojin will work for melting snow the small fuel capacity means you have to constantly refill it. I wanted to make a larger version of it so that I don't have to add alcohol as often.
Some features of the stove I wanted to replicate:
I haven't been able to find the exact wick material that the Kojin uses but this ceramic blanket material works ok. It's more cotton-like than the Kojin material which is more stiff. As a result the material I have absorbs the fuel quite a bit and shrinks. For the next iteration I'll cut the material larger than the nominal diameter of the tin. This material can be cut with scissors but I recommend using your bad scissors because the ceramic is really hard on the blades.
My stove burns with a blue flame compared to a yellow flame from the Kojin.
Some features of the stove I wanted to replicate:
- Spill-proof: This is really important for preventing forest fires in summer conditions but obviously it's hard to start of forest fire in the snow. Since I sometimes cook in the vestibule in crappy weather, I don't want to set my gear on fire.
- Sealing Lid: This eliminates wasted fuel and lets you carry some of your fuel in the stove itself.
I haven't been able to find the exact wick material that the Kojin uses but this ceramic blanket material works ok. It's more cotton-like than the Kojin material which is more stiff. As a result the material I have absorbs the fuel quite a bit and shrinks. For the next iteration I'll cut the material larger than the nominal diameter of the tin. This material can be cut with scissors but I recommend using your bad scissors because the ceramic is really hard on the blades.
My stove burns with a blue flame compared to a yellow flame from the Kojin.
Cosmetic tin and lid forming the stove body, ceramic blanket forming the stove wick. In the next iteration I'll cut the wick about 1 cm larger than the nominal tin diameter. The tin dimensions are DxH = 76 x 22 mm. The bold markings on the ruler are in increments of 10 mm = 1 cm.
I recently also tested the Kovea Spider remote canister stove. This stove offers a number of compelling features. It is extremely light (5.9 oz) and compact. The stove, standard 110g canister, MSR windscreen and baseplate (borrowed from the whisperlite), lighters etc easily fit in the Snow Peak 1.4 L pot.
Zen Stoves: zenstoves.net/
Another DIY Alcohol Stove Design: whiteburnswanderings.wordpress.com/2016/04/13/another-myo-stove/
Titanium Foil for DIY windscreens: www.titaniumgoat.com/windscreens.html
Another DIY Alcohol Stove Design: whiteburnswanderings.wordpress.com/2016/04/13/another-myo-stove/
Titanium Foil for DIY windscreens: www.titaniumgoat.com/windscreens.html
Rethinking winter trips (Jan 2019)
Over the fall/winter 2018, I made several changes to my setup for winter backpacking. Even from the beginning my approach to winter backpacking was fairly minimal. One area that I have not been willing to apply minimalist principles to was the shelter/sleeping bag. I sing the praises of my mountaineering tent on the top of this page: excellent snow-loading capabilities, strong in very high winds, and easy to setup. Basically it's a deployable fortress for winter mountain environments as demonstrated in this video produced the manufacturer. Towards the end of the video Alexander Barber describes two different events where his tent got buried under several feet of snow. Thinking surely it would be destroyed, he was shocked after digging the tent out that it was completely fine.
But let's be honest, I'm not planning on using this tent on K2. On only a couple occasions has the "fortress" really come in handy...
Types of Winter Travel
Waterproof shoes aren't a bad idea in winter. This is actually the only time I wear them. Andrew Skurka has a pretty good article on this topic.
Good info on MSR snowshoes: sectionhiker.com/msr-snowshoe-guide-snowshoeing/
Good info on MSR snowshoes: sectionhiker.com/msr-snowshoe-guide-snowshoeing/
Gaiters
If you are breaking trail on untracked, deep snow, gaiters will be essential. The keep snow out of your pants and off the laces of your shoes (it's really annoying when the laces are frozen together). I've used three different kinds. I'm listing them below in order of decreasing durability, weight and price.
Outdoor Research Crocodile Gaiters: https://www.outdoorresearch.com/us/mens-crocodile-gaiters-243118?cat=25,6
Outdoor Research Verglas Gaiters: https://www.outdoorresearch.com/us/mens-verglas-gaiters-243119?cat=25,6
Mountain Laurel Designs Light Snow Gaiters: https://mountainlaureldesigns.com/product/lightsnow-gaiters/
I started with the Crocodile Gaiters but soon realized they were really heavy. I was also skeptical of whether Gore-Tex was really necessary. They were very durable though the 1000D foot panel seemed like overkill. Then I moved to the Verglas gaiters which were 25% lighter. The 500D foot panel feels about right. The two OR gaiters have a durable but non-water proof fabric (heavy duty nylon) on the bottom half of the gaiter and a DWR fabric on the upper portion. They opening velcro closure on the front allows them both to be put on while you are already wearing your boots.
I still wanted something lighter so I tried MLD's Light Snow Gaiter. They achieve this low weight by using lightweight (fragile) fabrics and a simple tube construction that eliminates a bunch of velcro. This means you have to put them before putting on your boots. The fabric on the MLD gaiters is not very durable and I've sliced them open several times now on my snowshoes.
It seems that the ideal gaiter combines the tube construction and the more durable fabrics of the OR gaiter. Maybe 420D Cordura on the bottom and 100D ripstop nylon on the
Outdoor Research Crocodile Gaiters: https://www.outdoorresearch.com/us/mens-crocodile-gaiters-243118?cat=25,6
- 10.2 oz/pair
- GORE-TEX® 3L, 100% nylon, 70D plain weave leg panel, Cordura® 2L, 100% nylon, 1000D woven foot panel
Outdoor Research Verglas Gaiters: https://www.outdoorresearch.com/us/mens-verglas-gaiters-243119?cat=25,6
- 7.4 oz/pair
- Pertex® Shield 3L, 100% nylon, 70D ripstop leg panel, Cordura®, 100% nylon, 500D woven foot panel
Mountain Laurel Designs Light Snow Gaiters: https://mountainlaureldesigns.com/product/lightsnow-gaiters/
- 2.4 oz/pair
- 15D x 15D eVENT Waterproof Breathable
I started with the Crocodile Gaiters but soon realized they were really heavy. I was also skeptical of whether Gore-Tex was really necessary. They were very durable though the 1000D foot panel seemed like overkill. Then I moved to the Verglas gaiters which were 25% lighter. The 500D foot panel feels about right. The two OR gaiters have a durable but non-water proof fabric (heavy duty nylon) on the bottom half of the gaiter and a DWR fabric on the upper portion. They opening velcro closure on the front allows them both to be put on while you are already wearing your boots.
I still wanted something lighter so I tried MLD's Light Snow Gaiter. They achieve this low weight by using lightweight (fragile) fabrics and a simple tube construction that eliminates a bunch of velcro. This means you have to put them before putting on your boots. The fabric on the MLD gaiters is not very durable and I've sliced them open several times now on my snowshoes.
It seems that the ideal gaiter combines the tube construction and the more durable fabrics of the OR gaiter. Maybe 420D Cordura on the bottom and 100D ripstop nylon on the
Shell Mittens
Outdoor Research Revel Shell Mitt: https://www.outdoorresearch.com/us/revel-shell-mitts-271551?cat=68,15,4
- Pertex® Shield 2.5L, liner
- 100% nylon, double, mini-grid ripstop shell
- Water Resistant Synthetic Grip Palm 30% nylon, 70% polyurethane
- 3.7 oz/pair
Types of Heat Loss
- Conduction: heat transfer associated with direct physical contact. This includes grabbing a cold piece of metal, falling into an ice lake, sleeping on snow etc.
- Convection: heat transfer associated by movement of a liquid or gas. The most relevant example of this is a cold wind flowing past exposed skin removing air warmed by your body.
- Radiation: All mater (living or dead) will radiate electromagnetic radiation based on it's temperature. Hotter objects radiate more and at shorter wavelengths than colder objects. Radiative heat loss is mostly relevant for compsite selection: An open meadows under clear skies will be cold because of the high rate of heat being radiatively lost to space.
Backpacks for Winter
Before I picked up the Burn and Simple Pack, my overnight pack was the Osprey EXOS 48. It's overkill for summer conditions but I still think it's reasonable for overnight winter trips in the mountains. The structure provided by the frame makes clipping snowshoes to the sides much easier than with a frameless pack.
There were some features of the Exos that I didn't like:
More recently (October 2018) I got a customized ULA Circuit for winter use. This is a framed pack with a delrin/carbon suspension hoop and an aluminum stay that runs down the center. Both are removable. I've never actually used it with the aluminum stay installed. I had it made with a more waterproof X-Pac fabric and had extra compression straps with buckles for attaching snowshoes. The additional price for the customization seemed very reasonable: for the pack body and hip pockets in X-PAC, as well as a custom modification to the compression straps, the total add-on price was $60.
Compared to the ULA Ohm 2.0 the Circuit has:
This last feature is the only one I have some quibbles with for winter use. The slick, waterproof X-Pac fabric is good for snow but this benefit is somewhat defeated by the mesh fabric on the back panel: this picks up snow like crazy and it's hard to remove. On other parts of the pack, snow could just be brushed off but this fails on the back panel. Inevitably you'll have to take your pack off at some point and set it down on snow. This was especially annoying since I like to use my pack as a pillow but I don't like to bring it inside my shelter if it's covered in snow. If the padding was on the interior of the pack and the back panel was slick like on the Ohm, it would be perfect.
.............
As an aside, I was blown away by the speed and quality of ULA's customer service. Rodney, who sews the packs, was extremely nice and helpful over the phone. The total time from talking to Rodney, placing the order, sewing the custom pack and receiving it at my door was 5 days. I was absolutely shocked.
There were some features of the Exos that I didn't like:
- Elastic shoulder pockets were too small.
- Hip belt pockets were almost uselessly small. They won't fit a phone, GPS or camera. It's even hard to fit more than two bars in them. It's just stupid design.
- The compression straps on the sides were very impractical for attaching snowshoes. The webbing was narrow and had to be fed through many loops and small tension locks. This was very difficult when the temperature is about 10 degrees F and you have to wear gloves. On the upside the snowshoes were very secure.
- The trampoline suspension of the back panel and the arch on the inside of the pack (between trampoline and your gear) made packing awkward. A lot of the inner volume was wasted because only gear of a certain shape would fit there. The space between the trampoline and the pack pushed the pack weight away from your center of gravity which can lead to fatigue.
More recently (October 2018) I got a customized ULA Circuit for winter use. This is a framed pack with a delrin/carbon suspension hoop and an aluminum stay that runs down the center. Both are removable. I've never actually used it with the aluminum stay installed. I had it made with a more waterproof X-Pac fabric and had extra compression straps with buckles for attaching snowshoes. The additional price for the customization seemed very reasonable: for the pack body and hip pockets in X-PAC, as well as a custom modification to the compression straps, the total add-on price was $60.
Compared to the ULA Ohm 2.0 the Circuit has:
- more total capacity (68 L for the circuit vs 63 L for the Ohm)
- beefier compression straps
- the center aluminum stay
- additional exterior padding on the back panel.
This last feature is the only one I have some quibbles with for winter use. The slick, waterproof X-Pac fabric is good for snow but this benefit is somewhat defeated by the mesh fabric on the back panel: this picks up snow like crazy and it's hard to remove. On other parts of the pack, snow could just be brushed off but this fails on the back panel. Inevitably you'll have to take your pack off at some point and set it down on snow. This was especially annoying since I like to use my pack as a pillow but I don't like to bring it inside my shelter if it's covered in snow. If the padding was on the interior of the pack and the back panel was slick like on the Ohm, it would be perfect.
.............
As an aside, I was blown away by the speed and quality of ULA's customer service. Rodney, who sews the packs, was extremely nice and helpful over the phone. The total time from talking to Rodney, placing the order, sewing the custom pack and receiving it at my door was 5 days. I was absolutely shocked.
ULA Circuit Weight Breakdown (XPAC)
- Aluminum Stay: 1.58 oz
- (more later when I remember to weigh them)
DIY/MYOG Winter Pack
I've recently jumped into the MYOG pond with the aim of making a new winter backpack that's lighter than the ULA Circuit.
I'm thinking of three different fabrics for the main body:
Liteskin LS21
I'll make protypes out of tyvek.
I'm thinking of three different fabrics for the main body:
Liteskin LS21
- Dimension Polyant
- 4.8 oz/yd^2
- $22.5/ yard
- DSM
- 5.0 oz/ yd^2
- $47/yard
- Dymension Polyant
- 4.8 oz/yd^2
- $24/ yard
- (I'm avoiding the "X" variety because the raised grids increase abrasion)
I'll make protypes out of tyvek.
External Sources/Further Reading
- r/ultralight: The winter section of the wiki is useful
- wintercampers.com: Guide to Winter Camping
- Backpacking Light: Winter Backpacking
Ultralight Winter Travel by Justin Lichter and Shawn Forry
- This book is a relatively new discovery for me, and I have to say I'm very impressed. From what I've read so far, the parts I'm most familiar with seem spot on, and the parts that are new to me have lots of good ideas I'm eager to try.
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