Camping in the winter.

Need some tips or tricks. This will be my first time camping in the winter. I'm planning to camp in the Sierra national forest because its the nearest dispersed area to Yosemite. I will be ground tent camping. we'll be taking one vehicle But i'm trying to convince my other buddy to come with his rig.
Also what animals should i worried about in the winter?

 

Squirrels and raccoons. Keep your site clean and stuff secured and there’s no problems.

Get a good insulated sleeping mat and sleeping bag, warm clothes and keep dry.

 

https://www.backpacker.com/skills/beginner/winter-camping

 

Sleeping bag should be full synthetic with synthetic fill. Trust me, if a natural fill bag gets wet, it ruins the rest of the trip. Carry a dry sack for clean clothes or keep them in the cab of the truck. (also it helps to stuff tomorrow's change of clothes into the bottom of your sleeping bag.) If you are expecting mid 30's go for a zero degree bag. If you're in snow or below 10 degrees, get yourself a -20 rated or better.

 

I appreciate everyone advice!!!!

 

I have been camping in the winter for years now, and the best advice I can give you is warm clothes and a warmer sleeping bag.

 

This is a stupid question.... Do you set your tent on top of the snow? or try to clear up a ground spot til you hit dirt?

 

I normally set a tarp down to avoid digging. A sleeping pad is also very useful at retaining heat. I use the inflatable variety for backpacking and camping.

 

If you use an insulated sleeping pad, you really don't need to over rate you sleeping bag. The cost/weight penalty of the sleeping pad is worth the savings on the bag. I use my 15° bag down to about 0° in the snow without any problem. The key really is having a good pad so you aren't sleeping directly on the ground.

 

Good thing I already own an insulated pad. Sadly my buddies don't LOL.... Have anyone use a heater buddy inside the tent?

 

Yea. They give me a headache so I don't anymore. Other people seem to have good luck with them. I think the burned propane smell just messes with me.

 

Yes. I have, and I survived. If it's working perfectly it doesn't produce CO. But that's a big if. If I did it again I'd probably bring a battery powered carbon monox detector as well.

 

Headache is the first symptom of CO exposure. That kinda underscores my point of bringing a detector if you use one.

 

Yea. I get a headache even around them in open spaces. Idk if I'm just more sensitive to CO than other people, but I don't have problems with kerosene heaters (which I would think are likely to create a high CO environment).

 

Tamp the snow down as much as you can into a flat pad, usually done with snowshoes, or snow shovel, let it freeze backup then throw your tent down.

 

For a number of years I've been using this ,cut into 8 foot lengths, great because it is dual purpose,
Put it in the bottom of your tent as a base then your other sleeping pads on top , because it is fairly rigid when new we use it as our own personal refector oven when you are sitting near this fire . Because it only weighs 1.5 lb per 8 ft I even take on autumn canoe trips .lt make those cool evening sitting by the fire when your front is warm and your back freezes it's so nice.If it's not in my truck my wife won't go.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Reflect...-Reflective-Insulation-Roll-BP48025/100052556

 

Pretty awesome idea man!! Love that its super lightweight

 

Don't know if you've already gone, but another fun fact I learned the hard way a few times... my iPhone will lose about 75% if its charge overnight if I leave it out in pretty cold weather (20's/30's). Now I always put it in the bottom of my bag with me.

 

The kerosene heaters definitely give off CO, I've run several DOAs and more CO poisonings from them- usually poor folks and often trailer dwellers using them when the temps get colder than normal. Even the kerosene that's not supposed to smell as much stinks to me and apparently a lot of other folks.

I'm not watching all of those Backpacker videos, but several suggestions I'll toss out, in no particular order.
Use a decent tent. Put a ground cloth under your tent. Tramp the snow down flat (while you're doing this make sure there aren't sticks or rocks in it. Use a good sleeping pad- do not use a non-insulated inflatable, insulated inflatables are good to go. A cot that keeps you off the ground can be warmer than sleeping on the ground provided you still use your insulated pad. I like down bags but you do have to keep them dry, there are treated, water resistant versions out there. Mummy bags are warmer than rectangular but don't allow as much wiggle room if you move around a lot in your sleep. A hooded bag and draft collars significantly improve heat retention. I always buy the long version of sleeping bags so I have room in the foot to toss my clothes (and water bottle) for the next day. If you're not sure about the expected temps and haven't tried your bag in cold weather bring extra layers, you're truck camping so you can afford the weight of a nice wool blanket (which is also great for wrapping around yourself next to the campfire). I usually toss an old wool army blanket down before I put my pad and sleeping bag down. Toss a Nalgene bottle of hot water down in the foot of your bed before going to sleep, it'll warm the bag up and stay warm for a while and you'll have water ready to use in the morning instead of having to waste fuel thawing ice (make sure the bottle doesn't leak before you use it, alternately you could use one of those heating packs). Wear thermals, socks, gloves and a hat if you need to but don't wear constricting clothes. Alcohol doesn't actually warm you. Drink and eat enough before going to bed. Have a pee bottle so you don't have to get out of your bag in the middle of the night (make it noticeably different from your drinking bottles- I use a Gatorade bottle since I don't drink Gatorade I know the bottle feels different from my smooth Nalgenes). Thermacare heating pads last up to sixteen hours (according to their literature, I don't find they last quite that long but still a good while), putting one on your back near your kidneys will warm your blood up and help keep you warm (I do this when deer hunting since I'm not moving much and I keep a couple in the truck during the winter). If you plan to have a fire in the morning, get it prepped so it's easier and faster to get lit. Do small food prep at home if possible, ex. it sucks taking off your glove to chop peppers and onions for omelets when you could have done it at home and just put them in a Ziploc.

Have fun knowing far fewer folks are willing to get out when it's cold!

Yeah I know, Holy wall of text.

 

A lot of people forget this. Being elevated is good, but then cold air will be under you. You'll still need an insulated pad, because the insulating in your sleeping bag gets compressed from laying on it. This goes for regular air mattresses too. You end up sleeping on a bag of cold air.

Also, memory foam isn't a good insulator. It turns into a hard cold block when the temperature drops. Feels like you are sleeping on an ice cube.