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Don’t let small tent parts ruin winter camping adventures
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Don't let small tent parts, or specifically a lack of small tent parts, ruin your winter camping adventures. In fair weather, a snapped tent pole or a leaky tent fly might be a minor annoyance. But when faced with extreme or changeable winter weather conditions, such "little" things can turn into emergencies.
An important rule of thumb for any winter camping is to plan ahead and plan even more carefully for equipment stress or equipment breakdown than you would during the spring, summer, or fall. A simple, one-word application of that rule would be this: more.
1. Take along more tent poles and other small parts. If you have extra shock cord, bungee cord, tent fasteners, etc., for your fair weather camping -- throw in an extra of each tent part, if at all possible, for your winter camping trips.
2. Take along more food and water. A wise camper always carries extra food and water when camping, even if you're just going on a short day trip. A truly wise camper always carries EXTRA extra food and water when doing winter camping trips. Assuming you'll be in cooler, or even downright cold, weather, your body (and every body of every camper along on the trip) will normally require extra calories and extra water to maintain proper strength and hydration. Be sure to allow for that when making your plans for winter hiking or camping.
3. Take more emergency medical precautions. You would be foolhardy to hike or camp any time of the year without a good emergency medical kit, as well as communications and tracking equipment. If you're doing a winter trip, throw in an extra emergency kit. With the price of cell phones and GPS devices falling constantly, make sure you have extra devices like that -- as well as a good portable weather radio -- and alert friends and family of your trip plans.
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