Winter Backpacking Tips – Advice for Hiking in the Wilderness
Winter backpacking can be a fun experience if you know how to properly prepare yourself. If you are not prepared, it can be dangerous and sometimes turn out fatal. As long is you know a few outdoor skills, you should not have anything to worry about.
A skill that always helps in any wilderness situation is making a fire. A fire is especially helpful in winter backpacking since the low temperatures can really get uncomfortable over time. It’s important that you acquire the skill of making a fire in a winter setting before going out backpacking. Making a fire in the snow is more challenging than making a fire during the summer. A good thing to pack is waterproof matches. The can come in handy if you get caught in a storm and have to rely on making a fire to keep you warm.
Another great skill to know is building a shelter. Most people bring their tents, but it might get damaged or lost along the way. This would be where shelter building would come in handy. During the winter months, shelter can be built from snow. An Igloo like structure can protect you from freezing temperatures that could be fatal. Building a shelter from snow can be a tricky undertaking but with a little practice beforehand, it shouldn’t be too hard of a task.
You should also try to stay dry. Never go to sleep with wet or damp clothes on because it might lead to hypothermia, which a lot of people die from each year. Also, try not to sweat too much during the day by adjusting your clothes layers. Too much sweat will dampen your clothes and you will end up losing too much body heat as result. So try to only wear what is necessary to keep warm and try not to wet your clothes.
These are just a few outdoor tips that can help you make winter backpacking a fun experience. There are plenty more survival skills that will benefit you and the three mentioned here are just same basics.
Anja Brown loves to write and has been passionate about providing great articles to people around the world. You can also check out her latest websites on Amerelle switch plates and Amerelle wall plates.
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