Winter Camping Gear Hacks! Five Favorite Low Cost, Low Weight Items for Winter Backcountry Camping

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Don’t pack your fears. Lighten up! Live ultralight.

I can appreciate the sentiment. But like anything, there is a time and a place for minimalism and a time and place for pragmatic comfort. If you are just starting your family in winter camping, this is not the time for ultralight. To really bring the minimal amount of gear, you need to have been in the environment before, know what systems work for you, and dial in and out the equipment you want to bring based on your experiences.

For many systems, you want backup options. Just as an example, you probably want two different pieces of equipment to light your stove, such as a lighter and something like this SOL Mag Striker. Even on just a short trip, an inability to light your stove is a safety hazard in winter. This is your water system - because you are melting snow to make water - and your water system has to work.

There are other considerations, too. How warm of bag do you need? If you bring a higher temperature rating than is required for the night, aren’t you adding unnecessary weight? But on the other hand, what if the weather forecast is off by five - or even ten - degrees? Again, in the warmer months, the difference between a low of fifty (Fahrenheit) and a low of forty is almost meaningless since most sleeping bags and quilts are rated below that anyway. In the winter, the difference between zero and minus-ten could be a health and safety concern.

And then there is the concerns that come with moisture. Getting your things wet, which isn’t exactly out of the realm of possibility when you are surrounded by frozen water, can escalate into a serious issue. Wet things freeze. And freezing things touching your body sap your body heat. So, you need to have the right systems and equipment in place to keep things dry. I would actually place three of the items from the video at least partially into that category.

We use the Soclim Mini Broom to keep snow from coming into the tent via the front door or via our clothing. Once that snow gets into our sleeping bags or extra clothing, you can get water saturation as soon as those items are put on or used since your body heat will melt the snow.

Like we show in our video, the Rienar Collapsible Silicon Funnel keeps our water bottles from melting the lip of the bottle, ruining the seal with the lid. That issue, again, can mean spilled liquid and moisture on your tent and gear.

And, yes, the pee bottle. And, no, not because of potential “accidents.” Not only is getting in and out of the tent all the time a hassle and a good way to wake up your tent mates, but it is also a good way to track in snow into the tent at night. It’s dark and cold, and it might be hard to brush off your equipment properly as you climb back into the tent.

The other two items are health related, and health equals safety. The hand cream is obviously health related. Keeping your hands from drying and splitting means being able to comfortably use them without have a painful reaction that could make some of your tasks difficult, at best. And some tasks can be down right hard if your hands are suffering, Anything that takes precise, fine-motor skills, like retying friction knots onto your guy lines falls into this category. If you get a stiff wind, you’ll want those guy lines taught, won’t you? That is where O’Keeffe’s Working Hands hand cream comes in. Let’s keep our hands healthy so that we don’t run into a safety issue because we can’t use them well.

And finally, the health benefits of a good night sleep, particularly when it is cold, can’t be understated. You body needs energy to keep your you warm. If you are out multiple nights, your body needs energy to fight off colds and other viruses. And a good nights sleep is - at least for many of us - a key ingredient for being in a good mood and actually enjoying your time outside. Something as simple as ear plugs can make a big difference. We use the Howard Leight “Max” plugs, meaning the maximum sound dampening. You can get softer versions that are slightly more comfortable but also allow in more sound.

In the end, are these “nice to have” items? Yeah, probably. But have we previously had winter camping experiences that have suffered from loss of sleep or saturated items? Yes. Did these items solve a significant number of those issues for us? Yep.

Do these items make for an ultralight experience? They certainly aren’t heavy, but I wouldn’t say that they fit the definition of ultralight. But on the other hand, ultralight is for moving - and staying warm is far easier when you are moving. Winter gets hard when you are stopped. That’s when you can get cold. So, having the additional items you need for stillness becomes more of a necessity.