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  1. #1
    Senior Member
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    Winter Campsite Tweaking

    So we've camped in winter before. This last weekend, against better judgement, I tried tenting again and it was a fail. Windy snow storm interfered with set up, to much gear, frozen ground thwarted tent pegs. Back to hanging I go.

    My gear: 3 season Jarbidge UQ (next upgrade probably a full length zero degree), 10F HG down TQ, Superfly, Dutch Summer Sock, SOL breathable bivvy.

    We sort of just leave the packs under hammock with their rain cover attached. We are a bit lazy with this, sometimes leaving bits and pieces out. I think during a blow like we had this last trip I want a) all gear secured in back while I'm in hammock, b) pack protected. So the question: do you guys hang your packs on a tree, keep them under hammock, put them in orange plastic bags? What works for you?

    So I want my boots handy for that midnight call of nature. Not agile enough for p-bottle strategy. Up to now I get the occasional flake in them, but have been lucky. I think orange trash bag (not white (snow) or black (darkness). So the question: where do your boots go when you winter hammock?

    The motivation for trying a tent again was to get out of weather for cooking and that time between dinner and turning in. Places we go have fire bans at times or we are backpacking and not interested in scrounging wood. So the question: Do you guys bring a secondary shelter (lightweight tipi?) for hanging and cooking in? Or just pitch the hammocks under same fly?

    Up to now I have not had trouble with tent or fly stakes in winter. If snow is deep enough I can "dead man" them. I carry extra line to extend reach to a helpful tree sometimes, I've even tied off to pack and left that out. So the question: stake suggestions for frozen ground when snow is maybe 3-4".

    Wind was a whipping. No way stove (alky) was going to maintain a flame. I may invest in the trangia wind screen system despite it's bulk. Snow not deep enough to dig a hole. So the question: without a tent/shelter how do you keep a stove going in storm conditions? I thought of a bothy shelter but that seems a bit extreme - and won't work if solo (mental image of making sitting snow man to share shelter with).

    Some (all?) of these may be answered with a fly that extends to ground?

    I do see that there is an upcoming winter hang in PA. I may have to journey down there.

    Again, we do winter camp now. Just working through tweaking some of our practices.

  2. #2
    Senior Member mbal1856's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by stryder View Post
    We sort of just leave the packs under hammock with their rain cover attached. We are a bit lazy with this, sometimes leaving bits and pieces out. I think during a blow like we had this last trip I want a) all gear secured in back while I'm in hammock, b) pack protected. So the question: do you guys hang your packs on a tree, keep them under hammock, put them in orange plastic bags? What works for you?

    So I want my boots handy for that midnight call of nature. Not agile enough for p-bottle strategy. Up to now I get the occasional flake in them, but have been lucky. I think orange trash bag (not white (snow) or black (darkness). So the question: where do your boots go when you winter hammock?

    The motivation for trying a tent again was to get out of weather for cooking and that time between dinner and turning in. Places we go have fire bans at times or we are backpacking and not interested in scrounging wood. So the question: Do you guys bring a secondary shelter (lightweight tipi?) for hanging and cooking in? Or just pitch the hammocks under same fly?

    Up to now I have not had trouble with tent or fly stakes in winter. If snow is deep enough I can "dead man" them. I carry extra line to extend reach to a helpful tree sometimes, I've even tied off to pack and left that out. So the question: stake suggestions for frozen ground when snow is maybe 3-4".
    .
    To answer a couple of your questions:
    For my pack, I do the same in the winter as I do in the summer. I just lay a piece of tyvek on the ground under my hammock and lay my pack there. Before I turn in for the night, I usually do a little housekeeping and throw everything in my pack and button it up for the night. I have a sidecar for my Chameleon hammock, so I throw my daytime clothes and jacket in that.
    For my shoes/boots, I just loosen up the laces and pull out the tongue as much as I can that way for my 5am watering of the trees, they are easy to get on. They are usually just on the ground next to my pack.
    My stakes I've never really had problems with getting them in the ground or just doing a dead man like you said.

    If you can make it next weekend to PA, I definitely recommend going. I made it to their summer hang, and it is a lot of fun and a great group of people there. Plus they said in the thread that its close to the parking lot, so if you have to bail to the cars in the middle of the night it isn't a problem. I've never had to do that, but its nice to know its there in case I can't handle the cold or something happens. I don't have anyway to test gear in my back yard so my trips are my gear test too.

  3. #3
    Senior Member OneClick's Avatar
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    Pack on a tree = always carrying an extra gram the next day due to spider(s) hitchhikers. Even in the winter sometimes. I just lie it on the ground next to me, usually no spiders

    Boots as mentioned above - open and standing to dry out some. I take the insoles out as well. Waking up to pee you don't need them anyway for that short time.

    I just cook under my tarp. Nothing major just heating water usually. Cooked up some kielbasa in a skillet last trip which was nice.

    If you can't do a deadman in shallow show, pounding stakes in a little is fine. On a 6" Y stake, 2" may be enough since it will freeze in anyway. But you can still get it out when leaving.

  4. #4
    cougarmeat's Avatar
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    stryder - excellent questions. I hang my pack at the head or foot end of my hammock with a carabiner, on the same suspension, under the tarp.

    My boots are placed at the edge of my hammock and probably in a bag. Or I might put them in a bag and at the foot of my TQ (with me) if I have additional "campwear" booties. An important point is I track/pack out a trail to my watering tree ahead of time. So the snow sets up solid along that path and I don't sink into fresh snow at night.

    I bring a snow shovel and/or saw to cut blocks of snow and can make a wind break with them, in addition to using an aluminum wind screen. I started using the screen because it greatly added heating the pot so conserved more fuel. Be sure to insulate your fuel from the cold snow. I use a little 5 x5 inch piece I cut from and old camping pad.

    Remember that the snow will set up hard if it is compressed and given some time (10 - 15 minutes). So you could put the stakes in the snow, compress the snow around them, and let it set for a short time BEFORE you put a pull on them with guy lines. That would be true if they are oriented vertically or "deadman" fashion.

    You don't need to go "deep" to protect from the wind; you can build high. Just bring something to move the snow and you can pile the snow to make natural wind block.

    Because your question brought a smile as I was picturing my pack hanging from the carabiner ... you know those photos of people hanging on the side of hills - I tried that once when I first started hammock camping. It's an added benefit; right? What the photos didn't show is though the hammock is secured to the trees, nothing else was and gravity still existed. So it seemed everything I put down, pack, water bottle, etc. would start to roll down hill. It would have made a great blooper reel as I chased down one piece of gear after another. One solution to that - and tying it back to snow camping - is to use a gear hammock. A small hammock about 5 ft long or so, with a rain or snow proof cover to hold your boots and pack off the ground. You could suspend it on your tarp line if you run it under your tarp in the winter; or you could find a close pair of trees just for it.
    In order to see what few have seen, you must go where few have gone. And DO what few have done.

  5. #5
    Chard's Avatar
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    In summer, I'm a walking gearbomb. In winter I try to be a little more careful. Here goes...

    1. Do you guys hang your packs on a tree, keep them under hammock, put them in orange plastic bags? What works for you?

    For the times I used a pack, I'd hang it from a tree. Now I use a 12' UHMWPE toboggan with duffle bags so when an item is not in use it goes back in the bag and gets zipped up at night. If were expecting snow, I'll flip the tarp over everything. Cook gear (1100 ml titanium pot, cup, utensils) ideally goes into my 20 litre pot or milk crate and stay by the fire area. For obvious reasons, I prefer paper plates in winter.


    2. Where do your boots go when you winter hammock?

    I have a DIY 12' tarp with DIY grizbeaks for when the weather gets foul. In Winter I'll often put on one the beaks on the upwind end. Rarely do I have snow issues Sorel's but putting an empty stuffsack over the tops would do the trick.


    3. Do you guys bring a secondary shelter (lightweight tipi?) for hanging and cooking in? Or just pitch the hammocks under same fly?

    Because I winter camp in groups from two to twenty, there's always a tarp or two available to rig up a windbreak, but we usually pick our campsites carefully so that we're tucked out of the wind. To be honest I can't remember ever setting up a group tarp.


    4. Stake suggestions for frozen ground when snow is maybe 3-4"?

    10" Roofing nails. No guarantee that you'll get them out though and they can make a very dangerous tripping/foot cutting hazard if left in. In a pinch, you could pull over some heavy downed wood, toboggan, or whatever and tie to that. Another option is keep looking for a different spot that has some shrubs or small trees you can tie to.


    Canadians take our winter camping seriously!


    Last edited by Chard; 01-22-2020 at 13:35.
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  6. #6
    Senior Member
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    This is some great feedback. Just the tweaking I am looking for.

    Yes, our last hammock trip we pitched in a small ravine. Excellent wind shelter, not low enough to be in the cold spot. But we did have gear go on walk-about. So the pack in a gear hammock or clipped to suspension is great.

    The break trail to the pee tree idea is genius as well. I am usually not the most oriented chap on such missions.

    This last weekend my usual boot strategy, open next to hammock, would not have gone well. Wind and snow everywhere. Maybe a second vote for gear hammock.

  7. #7
    Senior Member OneClick's Avatar
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    TMI, but I sometimes pee out while standing under the hammock. It's just going into snow anyway, so it's not "dirty" like I'm stepping in it or splashing all over. At best, just a few steps outside, so I don't worry about a pre-packed trail so much.

  8. #8
    cmc4free's Avatar
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    A little tip for using stakes in frozen ground - when you're ready to pack up, instead of simply trying to pull them out, it's usually better to first give them one more knock like you're pounding them in. That will free them up and they'll come out much more easily.

  9. #9
    Senior Member
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    My pack gets clipped to hammock suspension on either head or foot end

    For snow stakes I use deadman sticks and run.my line under them and pack them in
    Then wait an hour or so and the hookup to the tarp

    For my boots I use a gear hammock below my hammock. But in extreme winter where I have my pac boots they just stay under the hammock and I use a extra shirt or socks to lay over the top to help with blowing snow

    As for cooking i dont like to eat near my hammock, but have boiled water under my tarp for coffee



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  10. #10
    TallPaul's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by OneClick View Post
    TMI, but I sometimes pee out while standing under the hammock. It's just going into snow anyway, so it's not "dirty" like I'm stepping in it or splashing all over. At best, just a few steps outside, so I don't worry about a pre-packed trail so much.
    I mean step one is to establish a pee corner.

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