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Monday, December 5, 2011
Winter Hike on the Ozark Trail
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Hunting Gear For the Winter Months
Along with the normal camping equipment you take during the summer, such as tent, hunting knife, cooking equipment, hunting flashlights, and so forth, you need to take special gear for winter. The primary issue in winter, of course, is keeping warm. This can be a challenge because how warm you feel is related not just to what you are wearing, but also your level of activity. Furthermore, a high level of activity can cause your body to sweat and if that sweat stays next to your skin, it will do what sweat does: make you cold. That can lead to hypothermia, which is dangerous.
At night, you need a good quality sleeping bag that is rated for the temperature you plan to be in (or lower). While down bags are wonderfully light, when they get wet, they lose their insulating qualities. The newer fibers can keep you warm even if the bag gets wet and that is much safer. You also will enjoy the next day a lot more if you got a good night's sleep in a warm bag rather than spending hours shivering.
During the day, you need clothing that is warm, but also wicks sweat away from your body. Layers also help you to stay comfortable from a cold morning to a warmish afternoon. Start with your underwear; this is where you especially need your clothing to have the ability to keep you dry. You can get long underwear pants and shirts made of various manmade fabrics such as polyester fleece.
Another place where cold can seep in and is your feet. Cotton socks will get wet when you sweat and make your freeze your feet when your activity level slows down. When your feet are cold, it's miserable. Wear socks designed for outdoor sports. Also, consider hiking or hunting boots that are waterproof.
If you are hunting, then you may want the type of clothing that hides your scent, which is available in many outdoors stores and online. Otherwise, you will want a sturdy pair of pants, hopefully with enough pockets to carry the stuff you want to have with you at all times-your hunting knife, cell phone, and so forth.
Over your long underwear shirt, wear a couple of layers: a sturdy shirt and a pullover. It is really important to keep your trunk warm but also you need to be able to remove a layer easily as the day warms up or your activity level increases. If it's really cold, wear a parka.
Finally, you can lose an amazing amount of heat through your head. For many situations, all you need is a toboggan, but again, one that wicks away sweat. In really cold situations, you need a face mask and that comes down around your neck to keep you really warm. Winter camping is really fun-and it is even more fun when your body is comfortable. You can keep comfortable with the right camping gear.