32 Game-Changing Tricks for Epic Winter Backpacking Adventures

It’s your first winter backpacking trip. Exhausted from a long day of trekking along a snowy ridgeline, you snuggle into your warm, cozy sleeping bag. Scents of spruce and pine waft into the tent as you cuddle with your DIY body warmer water bottle. All is good in the world, and you feel glad that you read that article on The Trek that made the trip so successful.

From keeping your water from freezing to cooking techniques, here are 32 strategies for a triumphant winter backpacking trip. 

Preparation

The first step to any winter trek is to set yourself up for success. Your actions before the trip starts are just as important as the ones you make while you’re out there. It all starts with research and packing your bag:

1. Check the weather for your journey.

If you’re traveling in a mountainous area, be sure to check the weather for the highest elevation locations. Temperature decreases an average of 3-5 degrees Fahrenheit for every 1,000 feet you climb.

2. Read recent trail reports.

AllTrails, Facebook, and regional sites like newenglandtrailconditions.com are great places to find up-to-date information about how much snow and ice you can expect to encounter and what traction you’ll likely need to utilize.

3. Find an experienced friend or guide.

They’ll be able to show you how to be safe and have fun on your trip. No guidebook or internet article is a perfect substitute for the advice and company of a seasoned human being. And while solo hiking can be rewarding, going with someone is, as always, the safer option.

4. Bring traction devices including microspikes, crampons, and snowshoes.

Microspikes will help you grip the snow, as will crampons on extremely steep terrain. Snowshoes will keep you from sinking in powder. Don’t forget snow baskets for your trekking poles either.

5. Carry multiple insulating sleeping pads.

Look for pads with a high R-value, as these will keep you warmer. R-value is additive, so carrying multiple pads functions wonderfully. Many hikers pair an inflatable with a closed-cell foam pad — layering the foam pad under the inflatable will create a stable, warm sleeping platform, and if the blow-up pad gets a hole, at least you’ll have some redundancy in the form of the foam pad.

6. Pack a warmer bag than you think you’ll need.

Many sleeping bags are not rated for comfort. The rating on most men’s and unisex sleeping bags is for survival: a 20-degree bag is designed to keep you alive and not hypothermic, not to keep you comfortable. Shoot for a bag rated 10 – 20 degrees lower than the lowest nighttime temperature expected.

7. Take a sleeping bag liner.

A liner can help keep you warmer than just a sleeping bag alone. At the same time, it will give you more flexibility when nighttime temperatures vary. Liners come in a variety of fabric weights and types — wool, fleece, silk, etc. — depending on the amount of extra warmth you want. Even in three-season conditions, liners can be nice because they protect your sleeping bag from your gross hiker body.

8. Use a liquid fuel stove.

Also known as white gas, liquid fuel functions a lot better in cold temperatures than gases, which is used in canister stoves like the JetBoil or the MSR PocketRocket. This is because gas pressure drops a lot when it’s cold out, making canister stoves burn less efficiently. If you do plan to use a canister stove, try to warm up the fuel can before using it by sleeping with it in your sleeping bag or carrying it in an inside jacket pocket while you’re hiking.

Layering

Layering is one of the most important concepts to master while hiking in the winter. It’s a simple concept, but a lot of thought goes into the perfect system:

9. Avoid sweating.

This is the golden rule of winter backpacking. Sweat is your body’s way of cooling itself down, so when you finally take a rest, you’ll become cold very quickly. Even in freezing temperatures, it’s easy to start sweating while you’re exerting yourself and wearing lots of layers. Stopping multiple times mid-hike to add or remove layers is inconvenient, but it’s crucial if you want to stay ahead of the cold weather.

10. Bring a wool or synthetic base layer.

Wearing base layers underneath your normal hiking clothes will provide extra insulation and wick sweat away from your body, keeping you warmer and drier. Opting for an effective moisture-wicking fabric, like wool or performance polyester, is key here.

11. Carry lots of warm, insulating midlayers.

Having multiple options makes it easy to customize your outfit for any given weather condition and activity level. As with all layers, avoid cotton as once it gets wet, it’s not going to dry out.

12. Take a waterproof, windproof, and breathable shell—both a jacket and pants.

This will protect you from the elements while allowing sweat to escape in the form of water vapor. While weight-conscious hikers often skip heavy rain pants in three-season conditions, you’ll want the extra warmth and protection on a winter backpacking trip.

13. Wear a hat to keep warm.

While the exact percentage of heat that is lost through your head is debated, everyone agrees that it’s substantial enough to warrant a warm hat.

Safe Travel

Getting from point A to point B is simple in the summer: all you have to do is walk. But in the winter, variable trail conditions and fierce weather make it a little more complicated.

14. Take lots of short breaks, rather than a single grand lunch.

The urge to take a long, relaxing sabbatical at a scenic vista like you would in the summer is tempting. But, when it’s frigid out, it’s hard to go from high exertion to low while maintaining a comfortable layering system. 

15. Eat a lot.

Take these short breaks at least once per hour and remember that burning calories is your body’s primary method of staying warm. During winter you will need to take in more calories than you normally do on three-season backpacking trips. A hot, fatty meal before bed is a great way to help you stay warm overnight.

16. Remember to hydrate.

It’s easy to forget in cold weather, but you’re working just as hard as you would on a hike in the summer — and, as mentioned above, you’re still going to sweat while exerting yourself. Dehydration puts you at increased risk of hypothermia, so remember to stop and drink.

17. Be aware of avalanche terrain.

Avalanche preparedness could easily be its own article. Check with the internet, maps, or local guides about where this terrain is located, and avoid these areas if you don’t have the experience or knowledge to traverse them safely.

18. Wear sunglasses or tinted ski goggles.

Snow reflects sunlight, and lack of eye protection can cause temporary vision loss and even eye damage. Sunglasses can work fine in some conditions, but goggles are necessary for windy or snowy weather.

19. Know your limits.

It’s OK to turn around or to shorten your trip. When you begin to feel exhausted or unprepared for the weather, turn around or make an alternative plan. The sun sets early, and a minor injury can become much more severe if it happens in unfavorable conditions. 

Water Management

In freezing temperatures, it’s important to take steps to keep your water from turning solid. The next few tips will help keep this from happening.

20. Use a wide-mouth, reusable water bottle.

Narrow caps are more susceptible to freezing, so leave your Smartwater bottles at home on winter treks. Nalgene-style bottles can also handle hot (not boiling) water, making them handy for use as hot water bottles in your sleeping bag overnight.

21. Carry your bottles upside down.

They’ll begin to freeze from the top, so inverting them will keep the cap liquid for longer.

22. Insulate your bottles.

You can buy a purpose-made bottle insulator, but a wool sock or two works just as well. As mentioned above, hydration is important, so take steps to keep your water bottles liquid during the day so you have something to sip on while you hike.

23. Don’t let your filter freeze.

Every popular filter is made up of tiny fibers that allow water through but keep pathogens out. If your filter is exposed to subfreezing temperatures, the residual water inside expands, making the gaps between those fibers bigger and permanently destroying the filter. It’s important to keep your filter in an inside jacket pocket where it’ll stay warm. If you think your filter may have frozen, it needs to be replaced.

24. In very cold temperatures, just leave the filter at home.

While it could be helpful on trips where the temperature barely dips below freezing, in deeper winter conditions, just use iodine tablets or boil your water. Often, your only water source in the winter will be melting snow anyway.

Night at Camp

After a long day of breaking trail through the frigid winter wonderland, you’ve made it to your campsite. You’re no longer moving, so now will be the hardest time to keep warm. The first step is to set up your tent and get dry.

25. Pack down the snow where you plan to set up your tent.

Dense snow melts a lot slower than fluffy powder. Packing down a tent-floor-shaped rectangle of snow will ensure a stable platform for your pitch. Stomping around intensely or dancing the Cotton Eye Joe are great ways to do this. 

26. Change clothes.

Even if you managed your layering system well, you still probably sweat a little while you were hiking. As night falls, that moisture will make you a lot colder. To prevent this loss of body heat, change into dry base- and midlayers at night.

27. Use a base for your stove.

The heat of your cooking setup will likely melt the snow below it, which can cause it to tip over. Many stoves come with small tripods, but a sturdy rock or log can work in a pinch.

28. Fill your water bottle with hot water before bed.

Boil some water, let it cool for just a couple minutes, then pour it into your Nalgene. Cuddle with your bottle placed in your core area, and its warmth will radiate throughout your body. It’s a great substitute for loving human connection. Just be sure that your bottle isn’t metal or disposable plastic — the former will get too hot and the latter will melt.

29. Sleep with your boots.

So much energy and pain goes into jamming your feet into frozen boots that it might as well be an Olympic sport. Instead, try placing your boots in a waterproof trash bag and bringing them into your sleeping bag at night, so they’re easy to put on in the morning.

30. Urinate frequently.

The human body spends a lot of energy keeping your bladder and its contents warm, compromising its ability to heat the rest of you. Emptying your bladder when you can will make your core and extremities instantly warmer. 

31. Make a plan for when nature calls in the middle of the night.

This can take the form of keeping shoes and layers close by for a streamlined exit. Or, swallow a bit of your dignity and keep a designated bottle inside with you. Just make sure it’s big enough, and speaking from the experiences of multiple friends: don’t forget which bottle is which.

32. Decide when to wake up based on the hourly forecast.

Crawling out of your warm sleeping bag is the hardest part of backpacking in winter. Thus, doing it at a warmer time of morning can help make it slightly less miserable. Often, the night’s temperature bottoms out around sunrise, so you can be a few degrees warmer if you begin hiking before then. 

From snow-covered forest to summits encased in ice, the solace of winter in the wilderness is beautiful. It’s also treacherous with its freezing temperatures and rough trail conditions. The combination of serenity and challenge make backpacking during this time incredibly rewarding. What are you waiting for?

Featured image: Photo by Maggie Slepian. Graphic design by Zack Goldmann.