Cold Weather Camping

Cold weather camping is considered anything below 50 degrees. Chicagoland is well know for its extreme temperatures-60 degrees and sunny one day, 20 degrees and snowing the next. Sometimes, we experience the excitement of all four seasons in one day!

Except in conditions deemed unsafe, scouts will camp in all kinds of weather, including cold, wet weather. A few of the Troop 37 leaders have taken the Pathway to Adventure Council Okpik Cold Weather Camping course.

Some of the information they learned in that course is listed here to help scouts (and parents!) prepare for the weather.

Clothing

When dressing for the cold weather, scouts should dress in layers.

The bottom layer should be a polyester wicking layer that will dry quickly. The mid layer is insulation. A nice fleece jacket is ideal. On top of that is the outer layer, such as a winter coat or heavy jacket. Finally, if the outer layer is not waterproof, a shell made of waterproof/breathable fabric.

Cotton should not be worn during cold weather outings. It absorbs moisture quickly, which will make for an uncomfortable scout. The rule of thumb is no more than 20% cotton in any item, including socks.

Scouts should also have a change of boots and an extra set of clothing in case they do get wet.

Sleep System

The items below are necessary to insulate the scout from the ground, which can draw body heat away and make it very difficult to sleep.

1. Troop supplied ground cloth and tent
2. Scouts should place something under their closed cell camp pad, whether it's layers of newspaper, a wool blanket or two or even brown yard bags. Many scouts will buy the Styrofoam housing insulation and make a bed out of that (see picture below).
3. Closed cell camp pad (that is a solid pad - not the egg carton type pad).

The items below continue the cold weather sleep system:

1. Zero to 20 degree sleeping bag is recommended (Bags with 40 degree temperature ratings can be used with several fleece blankets as liners, but truly are not recommended. Some people will use two 40 degree bags, one inside the other, and a fleece liner.)
2. Fleece blanket(s) or summer weight bag used as sleeping bag liner for a zero or 20 degree bag
3. Complete changes of clothing including underwear for each night. Even though it's cold to take clothes off, the boys need to COMPLETELY change all clothing - especially underwear and socks. Any moisture in socks and underwear WILL make you cold.
4. Lightweight sleeping clothes - it may seem counter-intuitive, but sleeping bags and layers are designed to trap air and insulate the body. Overdressing in a bag can cause the body to sweat and that can be very dangerous. Of course, if someone is cold, they can always add clothing.
5. A fresh hat, fresh mittens and fresh wool socks to sleep in. The hats, gloves and mittens and socks worn during the day should absolutely not be used at night. They will be sweaty and dirty and that will make you cold.

Food is Fuel!

Food is what fuels, and warms, our bodies, so it is important to eat the right foods when camping in colder weather. Scouts should avoid eating and drinking cold items as this may reduce the body temperature. Scouts should always have a high protein-high fat snack before going to bed. Burning those calories during the night will help them feel warmer.

The Buddy System

Scouts should always have a buddy on an outing, but during cold weather camping we emphasize it more than ever. Buddies will be the first ones to notice the affects of the cold weather--the scout who is suffering will not. We educate scouts on signs to look for if they think their scout is starting to have problems, and we coach them on how to handle the situation.

Trained Leadership

Finally,, adults have been trained to identify health risks associated with cold weather camping and will ensure the safety of the scouts. Safety is our number one priority.