Walkhighlands

I know there is a lot of variables to this but realistically how cheap could you go winter wild camping.

I have usual hiking clothes.

3 season sleeping bag not the smallest or lightest but do for now.

45l rucksack.

Obviously need a tent, mat, stove what else am I missing. Dont need nothing fancy, enough for me and dog to be comfy if I'm unlucky maybe the wife too

Said last year i wanted to some wild camps this year and just hasn't happened, so hopefully this side of xmas or in the new year. Dunno what it is the older I get the more I enjoy being outdoors and these long nights in the house is a depressing thought.

I've done numerous camps to date and prefer summits to be honest but I wouldn't take any of mine (3 Labs) as I think it's too cold for them. After one extremely cold night in Gencoe (Chrulaiste) I bought myself down slippers to wear inside my bag and I had hand warmers in there also. I just can't sleep if my feet are cold, I also carry one of those foil reflective camping mats to go on top of my sleep mat, not being able to afford Thermarest mats and such like. Sometimes you just need to get out there and see what works or doesn't for you. I prefer summit camping up in the snow, it's a challenge but in the right conditions with a very reliable forecast it can be an awesome experience. Lots of thin layers, warm outer wear, spare socks, thermals to sleep in, a silk or thermal liner for inside your bag and something nice and warm to eat and drink and of course something to cook it on. Jeez no wonder i'm always over 17kg in my pack but hey it keeps you fit right.
Happy camping, do something easy to start then sus out what you really need if your going to go wilder and colder.
And if your heading out in the snow, axe and crampons. Enjoy!

I didn't see head torch mentioned. Obviously water bottles, spork, spare lighter, maybe something to read as the nights are long. Knife if you want to make a fire.

Enjoy, can't beat winter camp. My collie and I where on Arran start of the month, it got down to -5. Dog was ok sleeping on a 6' foam mat doubled over and with one of my old fleecy jumpers on her with my jacket over her.

For me the most important thing is to be warm. So I have an (admittedly quite heavy at 600gm) Exped winter air mattress, which has the best insulation of the current crop of mats, I believe. And a 4 season bag (RAB ascent 900). In this I've slept perfectly comfortably on top of ice on nights well below zero.

Haven't taken our dogs camping....

For shelter look at 3F UL Gear's LanShan 2 on Aliexpress, you can buy them with 3 season (mesh) and 4 season (nylon) inners and you can purchase inners separately so you can change it out as the weather changes. They require trekking poles or you can buy poles separately e.g. at ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk. They are £100 or so delivered to the UK

Klymit Insulated mats are about £80 and R-Value of 4.4, to get a much higher R-Value starts costing a lot more.

Stove depends on gas, alcohol, or something else? For gas look at the BRS at £15, I use alcohol stoves but they can be fiddly to operate in bad conditions.

Lixada make some cheap titanium ultralight cooking pots, a 750ml will take your gas canister, stove, bobbins, etc, won't weight much and is about £15

Something that REALLY helps a tent is a silver foil camping mat, obviously a double for a 2-man tent like the LanShan 2. They are under a tenner. You need a sleep mat TOO, but these go on the floor (silver side up) and really make the entire floor a lot warmer.

Depending on where you are going, think about ice axe and crampons. Also, spare items of clothing in your dry bag, in case you get wet or something blows away (I've lost hats and mitts that way), and spare food.

If you are using the 3 season bag you will need to take something to increase the warmth. I use my down jacket and always use long base layers(keeps the bag clean). Spare socks for night so they are dry. Go to bed warm even if it means doing some exercise - much harder to get warm if you are cold. Even if you are very tired make a hot meal.

I've got ice axe, crampons, head torch. Will add spork and other such things as needed.

See some vango 2 man tents on ebay for a good bit under £100, thoughts on these? What would you say the minimum thickness that you could get away with for a sim?

For first few times I won't be anymore than couple of hours away from car in worst case scenario I need to bail. And as I get more experience and better kit can venture further.

rucsac cover and drysac or [thick] black rubbish bag to wrap all the stuff inside your rucsac so it doesnt get wet

I would suggest worth considering including a good thermos - both on day you set out and making a good thermos full of boiling hot team for your 2nd day [take some sugar to make it sweet if not adding milk]. Some cuppa soups or pasta in a cup sachets are good for warming you up and feel like you are having a bit more substance than tea. I wouldnt take a lot of cooking stuff for a short trip, just a stove, mini kettle and collapsible mug/bowl, and use things which dont need cooking or only need boiling water added.

Staying warm and dry is a priority....a spare pare of socks worth taking

depending where you're going, some walking poles [for balance crossing rivers] and yeti gaiters [20-30 quid on ebay] may be worth considering

dont forget maps and compass! [print off from this site for free if a route on here or scroll to where you'll be then print] - getting lost in the snow isnt fun

instead of a tent you could consider a bivy bag [army goretex 25 quid on ebay, or ones by snugpack or alpkit] if only for a night and weather was dry/you wouldnt be at altitude [prefer a tent myself]

you could try heading somewhere where there's a bothy nearby so you can cook more easily inside the bothy and/or stay there if the weather turns bad, and so you can dry stuff out more easily - i know that's not wild camping in all weather/conditions but a mix of camping and bothies might be a compromis.

take a small [or large] bottle of something alcoholic to warm you up and help you sleep if you wake cold at 3am

take a small 1st aid kit and a charged phone!

good luck!

davidm2015 wrote:
take a small [or large] bottle of something alcoholic to warm you up and help you sleep if you wake cold at 3am

good luck!

don't want to spoil your fun, but alcohol doesn't warm you up. it might make you feel warmer by dilating your peripheral blood vessels but then you cool down faster. if you wake cold at 3am, put more clothes on, have a hot drink. Always go to bed warm, eating hot food in the evening helps with this, so does doing a few star jumps before you turn in.

davidm2015 wrote:take a small [or large] bottle of something alcoholic to warm you up and help you sleep if you wake cold at 3am

That is the daftest piece of daft bad advice I've read in a while. Gonnae no dae that.
A flask is good, filled with hot water before you go to sleep to make hot drinks in the night. Hot chocolate or oxo cubes make nice hot drinks, better than tea or coffee which contain caffeine which will keep you awake, and also make you pee, which is a faff in the middle of the night. Take packets of paper tissues rather than a huge bogroll. A wee pocket radio is good company, and quite light.

Caberfeidh wrote:

davidm2015 wrote:take a small [or large] bottle of something alcoholic to warm you up and help you sleep if you wake cold at 3am

That is the daftest piece of daft bad advice I've read in a while. Gonnae no dae that.
A flask is good, filled with hot water before you go to sleep to make hot drinks in the night. Hot chocolate or oxo cubes make nice hot drinks, better than tea or coffee which contain caffeine which will keep you awake, and also make you pee, which is a faff in the middle of the night. Take packets of paper tissues rather than a huge bogroll. A wee pocket radio is good company, and quite light.

Camping at Kingshouse.jpg

good points there, what tent is that in the picture?