How I Stay Warm Hiking and Backpacking in Cold Weather!

One of the biggest struggles backpackers have is staying warm. Even outside the winter months it can get COLD in the backcountry. In this video I'll show you a few simple, easy, and relatively cheap pieces of gear that I add to my core 3-season backpacking kit to make it warm enough for comfortable winter backpacking! These tips won't help you with mountaineering or extreme cold weather situations where the temperature drops well below the teens (or under -9 celsius), but they will help transform your spring, summer and fall backpacking kit into a winter backpacking kit without breaking the bank or adding much weight to your pack! And hey, if you're like me and you basically feel cold all the time, use these tips to level up the warmth of your kit in all seasons! Have fun out there, stay warm and be safe. LOVE Y'ALL!

Intro: 00:00
Gear I use to stay warm backpacking in cold weather: 00:26
Outro: 11:22
Cat Hole and Pit Toilet Tier Patron Wall of THANKS: 12:04

Gear in this video -

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The Miranda Goes Outside crew:

Director and Producer: Rainer Golden
Videographer and Editor: Abby Hagan
Videographer and Editor: Chelsea Newton
Videographer and Editor: Kyle Roof
Dog: Tucker

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#cold #winter #backpacking #hiking #camping #naturelovers #mirandagoesoutside #mirandainthewild

[kturrent]

As Canadian Army vet, I got few more tips for the winter!

Water: Wrap your Nalgene with an extra socks! While not as effective as a thermos, it will definitely help keep it warmer longer when you put hot water into it. Also that's another tip, fill it with hot/water when you can. Also bring along a little teaser bottle of Everclear if you need to defrost your bottles (Either my old Sgt was genius, alcoholic or both)

Gloves/Mittens: Wearing thin liner or magic gloves under your mittens are key, especially if take off your main gloves to do something that needs fingers (like do up buckles or use a gun). Also having your mittens on a short loop of cord, so this way you can have the loop attached to your velcro jacket cuff as you can dangle your mitten when your hands need to be free.

Chapstick/lighter: Tape these together on a loop of cord and wear it like necklace in your shirt, this way your bic is always warm and ready and you can't loose your chapstick in a pocket!

[RainerGolden]

That’s my synthetic vest in this video. I love that thing! Let’s blow this video up and make my vest famous.

[RainerGolden]

My tip to stay warm is like Miranda said: layer up and add a vest between your mid layer and insulation layer, buy your winter boots a half size or size up for more room to trap more hot air inside (and also fit those thick socks or toe warmers), and think of yourself as the warmth and your clothing about keeping that warmth in rather than the cold air out! Eat lots of food so your body has the energy to warm itself. HUZZAH!

[Cervateus]

I think my tip will be "Stay dry!", which might seem like an obvious tip, but hear me out. I think one common mistake people make when they're about to head out in the morning is to put on too much clothing. You'll then get warmer as you move, and have to stop within 5 minutes or so. If you don't, you're soon both wet and cold. Instead, choose to be a tiny bit chilly when you start your hike, and within minutes you'll be at the perfect temperature. :)

Perhaps my tip should be: "Stay warm, but not too warm!"?

[WMartinWelch]

Adding a foam pad beneath my sleep pad and inserting a liner into my sleeping bag has definitely helped me be warmer in colder temps.

[davidbayard]

Miranda is such a great Backpacking and hiking personality

[Trumkin]

I love that we are able to speak more about the practical aspects of backpacking already 😀

[ethical.roamer]

I have tried a sleeping bag liner, but since I move around a lot while sleeping, I get tangled up in it and strangle myself. I have found that a lightweight bivy sack works much better for me. It provides a breathable, insulating, windproof and waterproof layer over the sleeping bag and depending on the size, you can even fit your sleeping pad in it. In an emergency, you can also just pull it over your clothes for a little protection from the elements.

[meganv]

Blowing the water back in to the reservoir is also a good tip when hiking in high heat. So gross to get that initial taste of hot water then most of the time spitting it out. Great cold weather tips!

[ulrichminky]

For those moments where you absolutely need the dexterity you loosen your jacket and reach in and leave your right mitten under your left armpit and the left under your right armpit. You can easily retrieve your still warm mittens and continue on once you have wound your watch or whatever task that needed doing. Cheers from the wilds of Canada. ~ulrich

[Lea]

Investing in a sleeping bag liner was such a game changer for me! Living in Iceland, summer backpacking and camping is like winter backpacking elsewhere, so a fleece liner really helped to add additional warmth to my sleep system without needing to buy a new sleeping bag :D

[erikd]

Want to throw two more ideas building on the stuff here.
1. For the foam pad/air pad combo put the foam pad on top of the air pad (and hold it on with some cordarge or shock cord straps). The nylon material used in most inflatable pads goes through some odd changes when it gets cold and as a result feels way colder than the insulation it provides. If you've ever touched the side of a tent in the cold weather you know that the material feels like cold metal. The closed cell rubber does not have this issue and you will generally feel warmer with foam on top of air pad even though in theory the R-value is the same. Shout out to Aaron Linsdau for that one.

2. In regards to the water bladder and tube you mentioned the reflectix hack. That also works great for basically everything else. I made a koozie for my nalgenes out of it. I also have a koozie for my cook pot so when I take it off the stove I can put it in there and it helps keep the liquid warm and allows me to handle the pot without burning myself (big deal since I use it for coffee/tea). To eat out if you are using the dehyrdated meal pouches make a little sleeve of reflecix to put the meal in. It will stay warmer longer and rehydrate faster in the cold. If you rehydrate in a separate vessel (pasta side, instant mash, rice, other classics) you can do the same thing to keep the heat in longer.

3. For your mittens. You can usually find a thin liner glove made of neoprene, merino, etc. to wear underneath. In addition to another layer of warmth this also means you have something with more dexterity underneath that you can use without putting bare skin on snow or metal. For the mittens themselves, a lot of people attach a length of cordage to them so they can have the hooked into their pack or around their neck. Miranda's right, don't chuck those things on the ground. They get cold and worse they get lost.

[caveatemptor]

I just used this one - a Nalgene can double as a hot water bottle for your sleeping bag! Just be sure the Nalgene you’re using is rated for hot liquid, and that it is REALLY well sealed. It made a big difference for me.

[charliemcdowell]

winter is my favorite time to camp! I don't believe I have that condition that you mentioned, as I've looked it up and my hands and toes don't discolor like I saw under the symptoms, but they do get cold easily, ESPECIALLY my feet. it's been a struggle to keep them warm. if they get cold before breaking camp it's an hour of hard hiking (where the rest of my body is steaming in just a baselayer below 20F before my feet start to feel somewhat normal. My biggest tips are: 1.) a medium thickness wool sock and a thin dress sock are warmer and more comfortable than just a thick wool sock 2.) find a good size waterbottle for fitting your socks over it. when you tuck in for the night, boil some water to put in the bottle. make sure it's secure. put your damp socks over it, one from the bottom and one from the top, then wear dry socks to bed. the heat from the bottle will force the dampness out of them and out of your sleep system, or at least to the edge of the system. 3.) in cold weather below 20F especially if the air is humid, your down quilt or bag can accumulate moisture in its outer layer quickly, even on a 2 night trip, worsening its insulation, and it will be hard to dry. Take a layer other than down to lay over top of your sleeping bag to grab this moisture to save the warmth of your bag. A synthetic jungle blanket is an option that isn't too heavy, or if you want a multiuse object, replace your outer insulation clothing layer with a wool blanket fashioned into a ruana cloak. at night this will do it's secondary job as a sleep system outer layer, making its weight easier to stomach as you're leaving behind a jacket. 4.) even if you rarely find occasion to make a fire, or simply don't love making them (responsibly) like I do, please practice the skills of making one. nothing hardcore, use a lighter and quality fire starters. On one trip after an hour of hiking in the morning in wet frozen boots I still couldn't feel my feet and I felt surely I'd get frost bitten soon if I didn't do something. I noticed quality firewood sticking above the snow nice and dry, and I swear that's the fastest I ever got a fire going in my life. This doesn't apply to being above tree line but if there's wood around and you're freezing, a quick fire can be a foot saver. 5.) know when to bail. if conditions are beyond you and you have the option, swallow your pride. better to cut a trip short and come back stronger next time with better skills and equipment.

[alannabeaulieu]

I am undiagnosed Raynauds, and grabbed some of those neoprene toe cover things for my first ever winter hike (🙌🏻) after you recommended them recently. I don’t even have insulated winter hiking boots yet and those toe covers keep my foot digits SO WARM 😭 Low key thinking about wearing them daily. NH life is brutal 😅 Thank youuuu ❤

[andrewb]

Don't forget the sleeping with hot water in your Nalgene trick.

Also random thing... That Nemo Switchback closed cell foam pad makes for a great sit pad. I realized it was actually cheaper (at the time) to get 1 Nemo Switchback pad and cut it into 3 sit pads instead of buying individual sit pads. So now my wife and I both have sit pads and we gave the extra one to a friend. They're also wider than a standard sit pad.

[seanoconnell]

Boiling water into a Nalgene bottle in an insulated sleeve right before the bottom of your sleeping bag. Also a rigorous walk/hike right before that body fire burning before you get into bed. Hydration is your most excellent always, always keep hydrated as it makes a huge impact on keeping things in check in so many ways.

[Swearengen]

I get the mittens point, but I really like to use my fingers. One of my favorite items is something I picked up at a rendezvous (I do pre-1840s Rendezvous, primarily mountain man and Colonial). They were period correct and I've found myself using them when not at Rendezvous; which are wool fingerless gloves with an attached mitten top. The top covers down past your mid knuckles. So you essentially have a mitten until you need to use your fingers, just pull the top off to expose the finger to just the first knuckle and strap it back (or modern version, velcro). I've used these quite comfortably in the 20s.

[d.]

The foam on top of your mattress or even inside the sleeping bag is even warmer. helped me to survive. It can curl around your feet too that way. You might have to cut to shape a bit.

[matthagge]

Big secret to staying warm is loose fitting shoes/clothing. Circulation is the key to staying warm, this is why saunas are popular in northern countries, and why your little exercise tricks work. Boots should be a half to a full size up from standard, and your layers should be loose fitting. Sweating is also a big no-no. Take your time and take breaks often and try not to break out a sweat. Sweat laden clothing will suck heat away from your body quickly. Your clothing should facilitate wicking away sweat while keeping heat in. Merino wool is the holy grail here in my opinion. On top of that, keep the heat down in your vehicle before you head out, you want to acclimatize a bit and you want to prevent any sweating while wearing your warm clothing and boots during your drive to the trail. It's really common for people to crank the heat and start sweating in their boots on the drive out, and then end up with cold toes 15 minutes into the hike. Your car/truck should be just warm enough to not be uncomfortable.