First time winter camping

First time winter camping with my brother. Cold tenting. Couldn't do ice fishing as the ice condition wasn't optimal at the time. Hopefully next time. Was a great experience. I hope you will enjoy the video.

[YOUTUBE]https://youtube.com/watch?v=QxhJ7T6a2io[/YOUTUBE]

Great video, sure brought back the memories of when I would just take off with my pack on my back and go where ever. It looked like you and your brother enjoyed your adventure. You had a lot of gear there on your sled, always good to be prepared. So many people go out into the forest and forget what to bring depending how long they will be out. Even if someone is just going for a hike, there some essentials you should take. Looked like you two had everything you would need. Good job, it is not as easy to trail camp, winter or summer as some people think. Next time you go winter camping, when you build a fire put small rocks around the fire. When you go to sleep, wrap the rocks in a towel and put them in the bottom of your sleeping bag. This will keep you warm, the more rocks you use the warmer you will be. Also if there is enough snow it does not take long to build a shelter for your tent to go in. It is too bad you could not ice fish with the ice not safe there yet. I know you probably know this but keep the smell of food away from you as much as possible. Especially when sleeping, string food up on a tree branch minimum 20 feet away from your tent. Many people think there are no animals out at night in the winter, there is. Even bears go for a walk out of their hibernation dens sometimes. Mother nature and her friends never take a day off. Stay safe out there. Look forward to your next video.

Thanks crappeeeman! We had a great time. LOL, yes, we had a lot of gear. We weren't sure what we were up against so packed extra clothes and sleeping bags. Turned out to be useful. As for hanging food, we did hang them far from our camp but did a very sloppy job. It was high up but we couldn't keep it far enogh from the tree trunk. You would laugh at us if you saw the clip of us hanging the food. The rock idea is pretty cool. I will try that next time.

The coldest nights I ever spent out in the forest was -19C that was a lot of work. I only slept four hours at a time at night by setting the alarm on my watch. I kept my fire going all night and switched out my hot rocks when they got cold. If someone wants to go camping and ice fishing in these conditions, they have to spend the money on the proper gear. You also have to carry all that gear if you are on foot, which would be quite a load in your pack. I prefer the old school ways of doing it, but do not recommend this to anyone. I just do not like to carry all that stuff. Also checking in with the local O.P.P. and showing them on a map where you will be, and when you will be back. Leaving your cell number is also a good idea. That way they can send help if you do not return on time. When I started doing this there was no cell phones, and even now reception could be a problem. Going in pairs or a group is also a great idea like you and your brother. I did not have this option when I was younger, everyone thought I was crazy. LOL Those days are gone for me now, that is why I enjoyed your video so much. When you said good morning you looked cold so it reminded me of all the times I did those crazy things. STAY SAFE out there, mother nature can get mean sometimes. I think of all those people who have climbed Mt. Everest and that is cold weather I would never attempt. Forget about the climbing that is just too much cold.

Very cool video. Thanks for sharing.

Wow, camping in -19C must've been quite an experience. There's lot to learn from you. Now that I gained some experience, I hope to camp without a tent by a siberian log fire someday. Hopefully, I live to share that video.

I'm glad you liked the video

I have gone without a tent, but only in the spring and fall. And only if I know the weather will be dry. I am not familiar with a siberian log fire. But you can make a fire last all night. I would only do this in the extreme cold. You build a fire and before you go to sleep you put a few 4 foot long logs with just the ends in the fire. The fire will travel down the logs lasting hours. When you wake up the fire will still be hot enough to get going right away again. I also surround the fire with snow. Forest fires can happen in the winter as well as any other time of the year. Here is a drawing of what I said about the fire.

I am not an artist LOL

Your drawing is pretty much the same concept as a Siberian log fire. The ends of couple of logs rest on a single burning log. These ends eventually catch fire but because they are resting on a log, the opposite ends point downwards. This causes very slow burn as the fire tend to move down in a slower pace.

very nice vid, really too bad there were no fish in the pans. but didn't look like you starved.

Thank you! Yes, we took a lot of food. Kinda overate lol. Definitely looking forward to cooking some freshly caught fish next time.

Talking about heating rocks....I once found a nice flat rock and put it on the hot coals and used it for my steak as a natural hotplate....worked like a charm and the steak was delicious.

Arnie

That's pretty smart!

Now that picture is much better than my artistic talents, thank you. Only difference would be my fire is meant to burn faster and with more heat because the logs would be directly in the fire. Depending on the wood used my fire lasts 6 to 8 hours, but would still be very hot because of an approximate 4 feet of coals. Stir the coals once add some wood instant fire again. No need to be cold when it's freezing outside, just build good fires. Other ways to keep warm is keep the body moving, always be munching on something, and drinking soup or your pine teas. People should stay away from coffee and alcohol in the cold. Not only does it not help you, it in fact will make you lose body heat if you are out for an extended period of time.