camping in the snow (in nice weather)

Introduction

camping in the snow in good weather can be a fantastic experience if you are prepared, and you can minimise risks if you are not experienced by camping near your car

if poor weather conditions are forecast you probably should not go camping!

Gear to consider

a warm sleeping bag or quilt rated for at least 5-10degC BELOW the coldest temperatures you are expecting
an insulated sleeping pad / mattress (NOT an air bed!) with an R value above 6 (or as a minimum, above R4.0)
a shelter such as :
- 3 season double wall tent if weather is great - has less condensation than most 4 season tents
- 4 season double wall tent if you want more protection
- you can even just do tarp camping under the stars
clothing to suit the conditions and use layers to avoid getting sweaty
- boots should have removable inners so you can dry them out and they don't freeze overnight
- beanies of different thicknesses
- gloves of different thicknesses
a stove to boil water and bring extra fuel than what you think you will need
water (you can use snow but it will use up a LOT of gas to get it to melt and boil! - doing this may need 2-3x more gas than usual)
snow shoes if you will have thick snow and you plan to do some walking
a wide shovel to shovel snow to create a tent site or sleeping site, etc
- if no shovel, stomp down the snow where you are going to pitch the tent
a Nalgene bottle which you can fill with hot water to help keep you warm at night or use it to dry out wet socks placed on top of it
the usual personal beacons etc in case things go wrong
consider a stool - it's not fun sitting on freezing rocks or ground!
some may consider trying out a hot tent but this is not really necessary, although if the weight is not an issue, it is a gamechanger in winter!
- taking a wood stove for a hot tent, you may need a sled to get it to the site!

aim to select a site with minimal wind and with access to the morning sun
ensure you open up the fly vents to reduce condensation
if condensation wets the inner of your sleeping bag, open it out or reverse it and dry it out in the morning sun
a camp fire should be set up with a cross-wind orientation
- don't have the wind coming from behind as it will tumble over your tent and blow smoke back into your tent