What kind of tent to take with you in the winter in the forest for an overnight stay
Tents vary in weight, capacity and water resistance that the awning can withstand.
The optimal capacity of the tent is three people. Tents of large sizes are not often bought. It is clear that in reality 2 times more people can easily fit in such a tent. Of course, this is not on folding beds already.
Would you like to winter camping with two or three friends? You will need to consider the space offered by your winter tent. Test the tent in the store as everyone has different needs in terms of size and space.
Most transport tents are made from tightly woven nylon or polyester fibers. Each fiber has its own advantages and disadvantages. Nylon is more resistant to abrasion, but polyester absorbs less water and reacts less to UV rays.
First you must find the resistance index, which is calculated in denier. Choose a 70 denier tent if you want to camp this winter and always be safe from the weather. If your tent is not waterproofed, you can buy your plaster separately and treat your tent yourself.
When your tent stays out in the rain all night, sooner or later it will get wet. In order to spend the night and live in a tent in winter, it must withstand the necessary pressure of the water column. This water resistance is indicated by the letters PU and should not be less than 1500 mm. An overnight tent must have the necessary, sufficient water resistance. For example, many self-folding tents, I will not name their brands (in their characteristic round case) do not have a lot of weight, but they get wet instantly.
With a stronger structure to withstand wind squalls, snow, ice and showers, a winter camping tent is heavier than a summer tent, but also more stable. It has more hoops to support and stabilize its structure, which will be a loot for the elements during your winter camping sessions. Usually made of aluminium, these hoops are designed to withstand changes in frost and temperature.
Double roof or single wall tent
If you want to go outside, no matter where you are, camping or in the mountains, you can choose between a double roof tent or a single wall tent. Those who make multiple expeditions throughout the year will tend to choose a single-walled tent, which has the advantage of being lighter than one with a double roof, so it is easier to carry over long distances.
A tent in the winter in the forest is often exposed to strong winds and frosts, when it comes to choosing a product, pay attention to the presence of a vestibule. Tambour will protect important things from getting wet in the rain
This is a place where they store things, shoes, their backpack, hang clothes and even drive a snowmobile.
Overnight stay in a tent UP 2 video review
Have a transitional space between the inside and outside of the tent. Many winter camping tents have a vestibule that provides ample space for storing your backpack and preparing meals. There are also poles designed to make your winter camping easier. Thanks to these two technologies, you can set up your tent in less than 5 minutes without freezing your fingers.
Tested by the most fearless professional adventurers, they can accompany you to the end of the world and to the highest peaks.Now you are ready to enjoy the great outdoors in the comfort of your winter tent! Winter isn't always the best time for hiking - because in some areas the weather isn't necessarily very conciliatory with outdoor walks.
Well, the tents seem to be sorted out. Carpets are also taken with them, everything is not important here. By the way, instead of a rug, rolled foil insulation of the foam type is perfect. In general, they are all the same, their properties do not differ significantly.
For some people, winter or non-winter, it doesn't change much. For others, winter heralds the end of the season and a break of several months. For others, winter is an opportunity to enjoy the snow and make beautiful snowshoes. Regardless of which category you fall into, you probably suspect that hiking in winter is a bit more dangerous than summer.
Of course, hiking in winter will not include the same things depending on regions, countries and territories. In some places conditions, for example, are much stronger in winter in summer than in other places in winter. In the mountains, some summer hiking routes are not feasible in winter due to snow or are practiced in the form of climbing races.
Having dealt with the necessary tourist equipment, we move on. Let's move on to the necessary knowledge.
Necessary equipment for spending the night in tents in the winter in the forest
The time when people go to the forest to spend the night is not some kind of wildness for a long time. Spending the night in the forest in winter in a tent on the snow also implies the presence of certain theoretical skills applied in practice more than once. Many fishermen and hunters know that experience will help keep you warm.
To spend the night in a tent in the winter in the forest, on the snow, you will need a certain amount of equipment. In general, a tent in the winter in the forest can be attributed to extreme types of tourism. The main thing is a sleeping bag, a rug and of course a tent.
Initially, I would like to debunk a certain myth. Insulated tents themselves do not exist. In general, the fabric initially does not breathe well, as a result, tents are often made of two layers. Today, modern tents are most often made of very thin materials, the main task of which is to keep water out.
One of the main tasks is how to keep warm in a tent in winter and protect yourself from water. To do this, they often use a warm floor, we already wrote about this earlier.
The second task is to protect yourself from the winds, as a result of which it always seems as if it is always warmer in tents.
There is a category of people heating the air inside the tent with a gas burner. Judging objectively, this is not only very dangerous, but relatively useless, since the air cools quickly, but you don’t want to set fire to your own portable house, imprudently dropping a burner on a sleeping bag.
We turn to the burning issues of many tourists - this is a sleeping bag. If you are not going to heat the tent, then for overnight stay in tents in winter you need a three-layer sleeping bag. You can only find out if you have a two- or three-layer sleeping bag from the seller. There is still a difference, it will be a little colder and more uncomfortable. In shape, the sleeping bag resembles an unbuttoned blanket to the end, it is very good if it has a headrest. This envelope is an almost insurmountable barrier to the cold.
Tips on what you need to know to spend the night in tents in the cold in winter
So, you sit by the fire realizing that it's time to go to bed. Perhaps after drinking a sip of something "warming", after eating in advance, climb into the tent. Naturally, it is cold there, as we are discussing lodging for the night without a stove in the winter frost.
However, with good preparation and adherence to some safety rules, it is quite possible to safely and enjoy wintering in the winter. In addition, it allows you to enjoy nature in a different way, with landscapes and colors this season and with fewer people on the slopes.
Tip #1: Be careful, the days are shorter in winter
The purpose of this article is not to make you a mountaineer or polar adventurer, but rather to give you some winter hiking tips. This is something to consider when planning your hikes. We have less time in the day, so think about it if you don't want it to end at night.
Cover the floor in the tent with rugs completely, then the cold will not pass from the floor into the scarf. More precisely, the cold will be, but not so sharply felt. It is likely that two rugs are not enough for the floor area. When there is nothing to cover the floor with, take things and clothes out of the bag and lay them out in an even layer along the entire diameter of the tent. This will plug the uncovered areas of the floor, This will protect you from blowing wind under the awning. Thus, you can transform the tent, saddle it warmer and more comfortable.
Tip #2: Managing Clothes
In the summer it is easy to plan a good supply until the night. For example: for goals scheduled at 16, he leaves 5-6 hours. This is not a scoop, the temperature is colder in winter. Also, the sun is not so intense that it is not as high in the sky in the summer and temperatures can drop quickly as darkness falls.
So be sure to cover yourself and carry enough clothing with you, especially if you don't have experience trekking in the cold. Always think about safety margin. Don't forget the usefulness of this in this case. The blog already has quite a few resources about clothing. Don't forget that the 3-layer system can fit anywhere other than the upper body. For the bottom, this can be, for example, synthetic tights, fleece trousers and waterproof and breathable trousers. In extreme cold, a second layer can also be propagated, but be careful not to be too tight in your clothing, in which case you may be cold.
There is a golden rule in winter - you can’t spend the night alone in a tent, not much. Another tourist tradition says that the men are on the edge, the girl is given a place in the middle. Most often, people discuss in advance who will spend the night where and with whom. When three people sleep in a tent (gender doesn't matter here), all three are relatively warm.
snow hut
50 cm long and 50-90 cm long. These snow "bricks" must be strong enough to support their own weight during carrying and laying on edge.
It is recommended to build a hut on a flat snowdrift with a depth of at least 1 m. With the help of 2 ski poles tied to the ends of the twine, a circle is drawn in the snow. The diameter of the circle depends on the number of inhabitants of the future hut and is established in each specific case by simple calculations. The first block is laid on edge, slightly trimming its inner edge with a knife so that the block leans inward (if a large snow hut is being built, the angle of inclination should be small, for a small hut a rather significant slope is required).
To the first block, close to one another, the rest of the blocks are laid along the line of the circle. Once the first tier has been laid, the second can be started in several ways.
The simplest of them is that from the upper edge of one of the blocks of the first tier, a cut is made diagonally to the lower edge of the same. a block or a second or third block of snow (fig. building a hut a1)
The first block of the second tier is placed in the resulting recess so that its end is adjacent to the block of the lower tier. Then, close to the first block of the second tier, the second block of the same tier is laid, etc., continuing the construction, as it were, in a spiral. The blocks of each subsequent tier should be tilted inward at a large angle, i.e., a more or less regular dome should be obtained. When the dome is ready, a tunnel is dug through the snowdrift leading to the hut and ending with a kind of hatch in the floor of the latter. With this design of the entrance, the warm air accumulating in the hut (people's breath, primus) does not allow cold air to enter the hut from the tunnel hatch (Fig. hut construction-e).
Drawing "building a hut"
I think that building a hut in the middle lane is a very laborious business.
If a snow hut is being built by 4 people, then usually one cuts the blocks, the 2nd carries and serves them, the 3rd builds the hut from the inside, and the 4th follows the builder from the outside and fills the gaps between the blocks with snow.
After the construction of the hut, it is recommended to dilute the primus inside, heat the air to + 20-21 ° and, having made a hole in the dome, freeze the hut for several minutes. After such an operation, the walls of the hut are covered inside with a shiny crust of ice, as a result of which, in case of accidental contact with the walls, snow does not fall on the floor of the hut. The hole in the dome is covered with snow (leaving only a small hole for ventilation).
Williamur Stefanson and his two comrades built their first hut within 3 hours. After some training on the construction of a snow hut for 3-4 people. (hut diameter 3 m, height 2 m) took 45 minutes.
In the snow hut, you can sleep in a sleeping bag without waking up from the cold at very low outside temperatures. If you light a primus stove or a fat lamp inside the "needle", then it becomes quite warm here, and you can sleep covered only with a blanket. Such a hut is indispensable when setting up a long bivouac (especially in treeless areas and in the mountains). If it is planned to build a snow hut at each bivouac on a winter trip, then the group should practice building it long before the trip.
You can make a snow hut of a simple design, but it will be colder than an igloo. Snow "bricks" for this hut are prepared in the same way as for the "igloo"; then a square-shaped structure is formed from them, which is covered on top with a piece of tarpaulin or blankets (see building a hut). You can also put skis on top and pile snow bricks on them. All cracks between the blocks are covered with snow. It is warmer to sleep in such a hut than in a tent.
When sleeping in the snow, in all cases it is very important to thoroughly dry the equipment (socks, ski suit, boots) before going to bed. At night, shoes should be removed and hidden in a sleeping bag, warm (fur) sleeping socks should be put on your feet, which each member of the group should have on a long-distance ski trip in winter
If you have to spend the night without sleeping bags and it is impossible to make a fire due to lack of fuel, it is necessary, after building a snow hut or digging a snow hole, cave, etc., take off your frozen boots, put on dry woolen socks or fur socks and put your feet in a backpack. You can't sleep in this position.
To set up a winter bivouac, you should have a snow shovel
DIY tent
In the absence of the necessary material resources, a tent can be made independently. For the base of the tent, a regular fishing box, which can be purchased at the store, is suitable. You will also need:
- two pairs of children's skis: one is the smallest, the other is 160 cm;
- tubes of ski poles;
- cot;
- tarpaulin.
At first glance, such a device seems not entirely clear, but it is very effective and easy to use. The result is a box that can be transported on skis and a lightweight small tent structure that can also be moved across the ice with skis. The only disadvantage of the resulting product is its small size, but the size of the frame can always be adjusted. A tent frame is being prepared from aluminum tubes from ski poles.
The upper nodes, which must connect the ribs of the tent, are supplied with cylinders that match the diameter of the tubes in thickness. The bottom of the vertical tubes is attached to the skis. The frame of the tent is connected to the box with the help of two tubes from the folding bed and round eyes. Now it remains to stretch the awning. To do this, metal plates are installed on the lower edge of the fabric, through the holes of which staples are passed.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=mkyYXXrFfDI
Purpose and types
All models of tents for fishing in winter differ from each other in size and appearance. Products are single, double and triple. A fishing tent is a specialized equipment for winter fishing, which differs from a tourist one:
- Necessary height for fishing in a sitting position on a fishing box.
- Special loops designed for fastening on ice.
- Drop-down floor for catching fish from holes.
- The presence of thermal insulation.
Winter fishing tents differ in the geometry of the frame, that is, in shape: cube, umbrella, automatic, carp. The winter tent "cube" is distinguished by outwardly convex walls, due to which the internal space becomes larger. In favor of this model is a high ceiling that allows a person to stand up to his full height. The design unfolds and assembles automatically, and when folded, it is convenient for transportation.
The canvas is treated with a special fireproof impregnation, which makes it possible to conduct lighting and install a stove inside. The product has disadvantages:
- poor resistance to strong winds due to the height of the walls;
- a small doorway, making it difficult for a fisherman in clothes to get inside.
Winter tent "umbrella" has the shape of a tent. It is called so because of the similarity with an umbrella. The main advantage is quick disassembly and assembly. The frame is made of aluminum, so the product is light in weight. The top of the tent is tarpaulin, and the walls are made of Oxford fabric, which allows air to pass through well. The design is more reliable than the "cube". And although the height is relatively small, a large company can fit in a four-seater.
"Carp" tent has reliability and increased stability. This type of equipment is suitable for long-term fishing and is designed for one or two people. There are all conditions for overnight stay, good resistance to weather changes. It has a rigid frame. The dense fabric of the walls is able to withstand a water column of up to 3 m. The model contains natural ventilation, a mosquito net. There are options for harsh environments with a detachable bottom.
Insulation methods and materials for insulation
The tent must be insulated all around - inside and out. Materials are available and do not require large expenditures. Now there are winter options for tents on the market, but if you already have one, why buy a new one if you can insulate it yourself.
Insulation of the top of the tent
The tent is insulated from above to further protect against precipitation and blowing. The easiest way is to use plastic wrap. It should be tight. Cover the tent with the material and fix it with stationery clips. From below, you need to press down the polyethylene with snow or pieces of ice. The film cover makes the tent 3-4 times warmer.
The second popular material is the fabric of an old Soviet tent. It is breathable and dense. It is better to sew a cover from it and put it on top of the dome. A tarpaulin or oxford will protect well from the wind. With such a heater, the tent will not blow through and it will not get wet. Both of these methods increase the thermal insulation properties of the shelter by 4-6 times.
Film cover makes the tent 3-4 times warmer
It is not difficult to insulate with an awning, the main thing is that it covers a single-layer tent by at least 70%. It is preferable to make a cover that is simply put on the structure.
Internal heaters
Warming a winter tent from the inside is essential for a harsh climate. This prevents condensation from accumulating and turning into ice. You can purchase special material or make a coating for warming the tent with your own hands.
The easiest method is to insulate the walls with an old blanket. For a long time, this option is not enough, but for a slight frost, along with external insulation, it is quite enough.
A budget way is to take a synthetic winterizer or batting and fix the foil on it with a stapler. It is necessary to quilt the material in this way as often as possible so that the foil fits securely to the base.Get a fabric with heat-reflecting properties. It is fixed on the frame with the help of clerical clips. The foil layer should be located facing inside the tent so that the heat from the person and the heater does not go anywhere.
To achieve the maximum warming effect in winter, it is better to take a ready-made specialized material - Izolon. The minimum thickness is 2mm. It is plastic, durable, does not rot, which guarantees its reusable use as a winter tent insulation. The material is made of foamed polymer coated with foil. The analogue is Penofol, which also has reflective properties. They have one drawback - the high price.
Izolon - internal insulation of the tent
Internal insulation of the tent will save 6-8 times more heat.
The choice of material depends on the planned time of winter fishing. If it is planned for several days, then you need to buy professional thermal insulation.
Floor insulation
Thermal insulation for the floor of the tent can be chosen from the following materials: tourist rugs, isolon or thick felt. They are easy to transport in the car rolled up. The insulation is simply laid in one or more layers. Rugs and isolon are based on a foamed polymer that holds heat well. Felt warms at the expense of wool.
You can insulate the floor with thick felt
It should be taken into account that from long-term operation, snow and ice under the heat insulator will melt and a puddle will form. Therefore, the bottom layer must be put polyethylene.
The nuances of forced heating
When the tent is insulated inside and out, you need to think about heating. Device options:
- Alcohol burner. It is light and economical, but gives little heat.
- Paraffin candle. It will help in a small single tent in mild frost. The flame is directed upwards, and all the heat is concentrated there. For normal heating, 10 candles are required. Minus the high fire hazard. You will have to watch the candles all the time so that they do not fall and set fire to the tent.
- Dry fuel. There are so-called "dry alcohol tablets". They can be used, but you will have to be distracted every 15 minutes by lighting a new tablet. Pluses - in the absence of smell and soot.
- Gas lamp. Recharges with propane. It gives little heat, suitable only for small frosts.
- Gas heater. There are many different modifications. The simplest is Pathfinder with a power of up to 2 kW and a flow rate of up to 110 g/h. It weighs only 370 grams and can heat a room up to 20 sq.m.
- Gas burner with infrared radiation. It is connected to a gas cylinder with a capacity of 5-50 liters. Power from 1.45 kW, consumption from 100 g/h. You can cook food on this device.
- Catalytic heater for individual heating. Placed on clothing. Portable device charged with highly refined gasoline. Safe device with a minimum flow rate of 20 ml/hour. Battery life -16 hours.
- Gas infrared heater "Solarogaz". Budget device with good power. Quickly heats up a small area of the tent.
- Gasoline primus tourist. Allows you to cook food and heat water, while heating the tent. Separately, it is not applicable for heating.
- Mini - solid fuel oven. Runs on coal or wood. The pipe must be taken out of the tent. Use for a short period of winter fishing is not justified. You need to carry fuel with you, build an outlet for the pipe.
When using any type of heater, there is a prerequisite - the tent must have an air vent. Otherwise, there is a risk of poisoning by combustion products.
Gas appliances have a big minus - in severe frost, the gas freezes, so the tent must be well-insulated. In addition, you need to take a gas bottle with you.
In addition to modern ones, there are old ways that fishermen have used since ancient times:
- Scorched stone. A large stone is heated on a fire, wrapped in several layers of foil and placed on a board in a tent. The generated heat is sufficient for approximately 6 hours. Difficulties - you need to make a fire and look for a stone.
- Boiling water. A bucket of water is heated, tightly closed and placed on a stand. Heating is enough for 4 hours. The main thing is not to forget about a dangerous object and not get burned.
Of course, improvised heaters are not enough for the whole frosty night. For a short time, you can get by with these improvised means.
How to insulate a tent
In general, if you plan to go to a place where the temperature can drop below zero Celsius, then it is better to choose an insulated tent in advance, which is made of a material that allows air to pass through, otherwise condensation will form on the walls, and this affects your well-being. And if you are traveling alone or in a small company, then it is better to choose smaller tents - these keep heat better.
- The first thing to remember before setting up camp is to determine which side the wind is blowing from and position the tent with the entrance and all the vents in the opposite direction. Thus, your temporary home will be protected from gusts of cold wind, and such an arrangement will make it a little more stable.
- And one more thing - arrange an overnight stay away from dry trees, otherwise the tent may catch fire when making a fire.
Well, now the insulation itself.
The most common method is heating, but it does not have a lasting effect. That is why the heat source must always be in working condition. These include:
- Candles. Ordinary wax or paraffin candles are the cheapest heater, but they can only help in warm weather.
- Gas stove. Small gas stoves are a reliable source of heat for several hours, and you can also make tea or hot soup on them. But for such tiles you will have to stock up on gas cylinders.
- Dry fuel. A tablet that can be put in an ordinary tin can, where several holes are made with a knife. But for a long time such a heater cannot be used due to the evaporation of gases.
In order for the tent to keep warm, there are various ways to warm it:
- Infrared film. Quite an expensive pleasure, besides, this requires electricity, so this option is not in great demand among tourists. But it works like a real heater.
- Foil insulation. The foil retains heat well, so you can lay the insulation on the floor of the tent and cover the walls with it, then the cold will not penetrate from the outside, and the heat from heating will last longer.
- Moss. If you do not have a heater or any special devices, then you can get by with improvised means. Collect the moss during the day (a necessary condition, since the moss is wet in the morning) and lay it in layers on the floor of the tent. Right to the bottom. You can cover it with a blanket or carpet, but in the absence of such, feel free to lay sleeping bags and mattresses on top.
- Soviet tent. If you scrape through the bottom of the barrel, then, probably, many people will find in their attic or in the pantry an old Soviet tent from the Soviet period. It can cover your tent from above, and the thickness of the material will provide insulation by 4-6 times.
These are the basic methods of how to insulate a tent, which you can use if you are planning to go camping or fishing with a company.
open shelter
1.Snow trench
Such a shelter is dug out of snow at least 1.5 meters deep. As a shovel, you can use skis, a bowl, a piece of plywood.
A very good shelter is obtained in ravines and hollows. In fact, it is just a slit-like pit one and a half or 2 meters deep and covered with cloth or polyethylene on top. The roof is made of tree trunks and branches or skis and sticks (if you are in a treeless zone). The roof can be sprinkled with snow on top (additional thermal insulation).
In the taiga, you can build a similar cave near the trunk of a fluffy spruce, cedar. Paws if they are a kind of roof. Clean the place of snow near the trunk in a circle. In such an impromptu hut, you can even build a small fire
2.Snow pit
These structures are very reminiscent of a hole. As a rule, it consists of a pit tunnel and the hole itself. The minimum thickness of the ceiling should be 20-30 cm. Otherwise, it may collapse. If the snow is loose, then a snow pit is almost impossible to build.
Closed shelters
1.Snow Cave
Snow cave digs on the slope. Remove excess clothing so that it does not get wet, fasten all cuffs, buttons, locks.
Classic snow cave
Algorithm for building a cave
- First a hole is made
- Breaking through a narrow tunnel
- The end of the tunnel is expanded up to the size you need
Recommendations
- The entrance should be no more than 60 cm (so that the cold does not pass)
- The horizontal manhole should go to a depth of one and a half meters
- The ceiling of the cave must be vaulted
- Caves can be classical option 1 and non-classical. Non-classical caves may not have a front wall and be closed with polyethylene or snow blocks.
- if you make a fire in a cave, then provide ventilation (required) this also applies to snow trenches
Non-classical snow cave type 1
Non-classical snow cave type 2
2. Snow lair
A snow lair digs near windbreaks and blockages in the taiga, there are very large accumulations of snow. A snow lair is being dug, just like a cave.
Single snow hole
In cases of extreme necessity, the night can also be waited out in a single hole of small thickness. It is necessary to dig a hole in such a way that the dead end side is raised. In such a nome it will be less comfortable than in an ordinary hole, but warmer than on the street. The point is that the person who spends the night in it is above the entrance level and is in an air cushion, the bottom is lined with a layer spruce branches or sticks.
If your feet are frostbitten or your shoes are lost, then you can spend the night in such a hole with your feet inside and cover your head with polyethylene or wrap it in a cloth.
solitary burrow
