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Preparing for cold weather camping in the south can present quite a challenge. Southern weather can change at the drop of a hat. Temperatures in winter time can range on the High end from 30° + to 70° + on any given day and the Lows can range between 60° +/- down to 20° +/-. Therefore, I have listed several tips that I think will help you pack for and stay warm in cold weather in the southern area of the country.

Clothing;

Packing the right type of clothing is essential if you plan on enjoying the weekend out doors while staying warm at the same time. It is a good idea to place some short sleeve shirts in with your winter camping clothes. Items to pack should include; long pants, long sleeve shirts, short sleeve shirts, thermal underwear, wool or wool blend socks, the same goes for gloves, polypropylene sock liners and glove liners. 80% or more body heat in winter is lost through your head, therefore, it is important that you keep your head warm, evening when you are sleeping. A good thick stocking cap will help to prevent heat loss. A fleece neck gaiter will help to keep your ears and neck warm on a cold winter day, also a pair of well insulated boots is a must for keeping your feet warm. If your feet and hands get cold, the rest of your body will follow suit.

Layering;

The most important part of keeping warm in the winter is being properly dressed. First the clothes you have on should be completely dry, never wear clothes that are wet or even damp. This will cause you to be uncomfortably cold. You should be prepared to dress like an ONION. What do I mean by an onion? Well, you need to dress in layers. For your upper body you should start with dry thermal underwear, followed by a long sleeve shirt, light weight jacket, and wrapped up with a winter coat if the weather conditions should dictate the use of one. You should have polypropylene glove liners and wool or wool blend gloves to put on your hands as needed.

For your lower body, you need to start out with clean dry underwear, followed by a pair of thermal underwear, and then topped with a pair of long pants.

Before putting on shoes or boots, you need to prepare you feet. Make sure that your feet are completely dry before putting on your socks. I suggest wearing a pair of polypropylene sock liners and then putting on a pair of wool/ wool blend socks before putting on your shoes/boots.

Shoes/boots;

There are plenty of options when it comes to footwear. If it is warmer outside, you may choose to wear a pair of well broken in tennis shoes, so you can take off or put on socks as the heat of the day dictates, or you can find a wide variety of boots ranging from leather boots to duck boots. I recommend spraying what ever footwear you have with Camp dry™. This spray when applied in several coats will help prevent moisture from reaching your feet.

One important tip about clothing that I would like to pass along, is not to wear wind suits or other clothing made out of similar material when on a camping outing. I would venture to say that on 9 out of 10 winter campouts, the campfire will be the congregation spot of the evening, and the type of material that these clothes are made of do not burn well, they melt. Even thought everyone is taught to be careful around the fire, you just do not know when an accident will occur and someone will get burned. The wind suit material when burnt onto the skin causes more of a problem to both the doctor and patient in the removal process. Please try to avoid these types of material if possible.

Equipment and Sleeping;

There are many types of tents available for people who like to camp, and I would recommend different tents for different times of the year. In winter I like to sleep in a low profile type of tent, which restricts the amount of air space that I have around me while sleeping. When sleeping on the ground, it is important that you put several layers of padding between you and the ground. This along with a good sleeping bag will help to keep you warm. A fleece sleeping bag liner or wool blanket put inside you sleeping bag will help to provide up to another 10° worth of sleeping comfort.

I have found that if I take the jacket that I wear during the day and put it inside my sleeping bag around my feet, that my feet stay warm throughout the night. It is also a good idea to take the clothes you will be wearing the next day and put them inside your sleeping bag between your body and the sleeping bag zipper. This accomplishes two things, first it helps to keep the cold air from coming inside zipper and second the heat from your body will keep the clothes warm, and you will be able to put on dry warm clothes the next morning.

As I stated earlier, it is important to keep you head warm during the winter. This applies to when you are sleeping as well as when you are awake. I recommend that you sleep in a stocking cap of some kind. This will help hold body heat as you sleep.

The one thing to remember is to NEVER pull the sleeping bag over your head while you are sleeping. If you do, the condensation from your breathing will cause moisture to build up inside your sleeping bag, thus keeping you wet and cold during the night.

If your sleeping bag does not come up around your neck, you may wish to bring an extra fleece or wool blanket and put over your upper body and close to your neck. This will help keep your upper body warm, and help prevent cold air from getting inside your sleeping bag.

Lastly, remember to use the restroom before going to bed, this will help to eliminate any unnecessary trips outside of your tent during the night. For those that have a weak bladder, I have found that a large wide mouth bottle with a watertight lid, is a great asset to have in the tent.

Keeping yourself warm and dry in the winter will help to make your campouts pleasant and memorable.

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