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Exped MegaMat 10
Exped
R 8.1 and 3.9 in thick. The line on this list worth spending on, because ground conduction is what makes winter nights fail.
Winter Camping Checklist, Grouped by What Each Item Is Solving
A winter list is a summer list plus about fifteen items, and four of them are the ones that decide whether the trip works.
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The four that matter most
The short answer
An insulated pad at R-value 5 or more. A bag whose ISO comfort rating is below the forecast. A dry sleep set that is never worn during the day. And propane rather than butane, because butane loses canister pressure near freezing. Get those four right and the rest of the list is comfort. Get any of them wrong and no amount of the rest compensates.
This list assumes a car camping trip at or a little below freezing, at a developed site, which is the right first winter trip. The reasoning behind each choice is in winter camping for beginners.
Sleep system
| Item | Why | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Insulated pad, R 5 or more | Ground conduction is the main heat loss | MegaMat 10 publishes R 8.1; MondoKing 3D publishes R 7.0 |
| Closed-cell foam pad | R-values add when stacked; nothing to puncture | Z Lite Sol publishes R 2.0 at 14 oz |
| Sleeping bag rated below the forecast | Plan on ISO comfort, not the name on the bag | Cosmic Down 20 publishes ISO comfort 31 F |
| Sleeping bag liner | A few degrees at the margin, and keeps the bag clean | Reactor Extreme publishes 364 g |
| Camping blanket | Goes over the bag, never inside it | Argo publishes 78 x 72 in at 1 lb 10 oz |
| Pillow | Sleep quality collapses without one | Foam is warmer against the head than inflatable |
Clothing, in layers
- Base layer, 200 gsm or heavier — Minus33 publishes 235 g/m2 for the Chocorua crew; Icebreaker's 200 Oasis is the other standard weight.
- A second base layer set for sleeping only. Never worn during the day. This is the free item on the list.
- Mid layer — fleece or synthetic insulation, something you can remove without stopping.
- Insulated jacket for standing around, which is most of a winter evening.
- Waterproof shell — a Marmot PreCip Eco publishes 10.1 oz at 10,000 mm.
- Two or three pairs of wool socks, one of which never leaves the tent.
- Hat, gloves, and a spare pair of gloves. Wet gloves are the most common cold-weather failure and they cannot be dried at camp.
- Insulated boots and camp shoes, so the boots can dry overnight.
The layering logic is in how to layer for camping, and the fabric weights in best base layers for camping.
Two spares that are not optional in winter
Spare gloves and spare socks. Both get wet doing ordinary camp tasks, neither dries at a winter campsite, and cold hands make everything else — pitching, cooking, packing — slower and worse. Keep both in a dry bag with the sleep clothes, not loose in a duffel.
Shelter
- Tent with a full fly and good venting. Frost forms on the inside of the fly overnight; ventilation reduces it and cannot eliminate it.
- Groundsheet or footprint. Frozen ground is hard on floors.
- Stakes suited to frozen or soft ground, plus a mallet for hard ground.
- Extra guy line. Winter wind and snow load both go through the guy points.
- A brush or small broom to clear snow off the fly before it consolidates.
Kitchen and water
| Item | Why it changes in winter |
|---|---|
| Propane stove and more fuel than usual | Butane loses pressure near freezing; cold water takes longer to boil |
| Insulated mugs and a vacuum flask | A hot drink made once in the morning lasts hours |
| Water containers stored inside the tent or vehicle | Anything outside freezes solid overnight |
| Filter kept in your sleeping bag | A frozen filter is invisibly destroyed and cannot be tested |
| Simple one-pot food | Cooking with cold hands in the dark should be as short as possible |
Light and power
- A headlamp per person, plus spares. Darkness arrives at four and lasts sixteen hours.
- Disposable lithium primary AA or AAA cells. The best cold performers available, and unaffected by the capacity loss that hits lithium-ion.
- A power bank, kept in your sleeping bag overnight. BioLite publishes an operating range of -4 F to 104 F for the Charge 80 PD.
- A lantern for the tent or the shelter, battery-powered only — nothing that burns fuel goes inside, per carbon monoxide and stove safety when camping.
Safety and admin
- First aid kit, with blister treatment and anything personal.
- A thermometer, so you learn what the numbers feel like.
- Map, compass, and a phone that is being kept warm.
- A filed plan with somebody at home, and a return time.
- Sunglasses and sunscreen — snow reflects a great deal of light.
- A vehicle you have checked: fuel, tires, scraper, and a blanket in the boot.
What to leave at home
Cotton, in every form. A low-R summer pad, which is worse than no pad in the sense that it gives false confidence. Anything that only works if the weather cooperates. And an ambitious itinerary: the first winter trip is one night close to home, and its purpose is to find out what is missing from this list for you specifically.
The full reasoning, including how the four key systems change, is in winter camping for beginners. For the three-season version of this list, see the car camping checklist.
The gear this page points to
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Therm-a-Rest Z Lite Sol
Therm-a-Rest
R 2.0 at 14 oz. Stack it under an inflatable and the R-values add, which is the cheap route to a winter-capable setup.
No photo
Sea to Summit Reactor Extreme Sleeping Bag Liner
Sea to Summit
364 g of Thermolite Pro, recommended to 198 cm of user height. A few degrees at the margin, and it keeps the bag clean.
No photo
Therm-a-Rest Argo Blanket
Therm-a-Rest
78 x 72 in at 1 lb 10 oz with snap loops. Over the bag, never inside it, where it would compress the fill.
Questions people actually ask
QWhat R-value do I need for winter camping?
R 5 or more on frozen ground. R-values are measured under ASTM F3340 and are additive, so a closed-cell foam pad stacked under an inflatable sums the two. The pad matters more than the bag, because body weight crushes the bag's fill flat underneath you.
QWhat extra clothing do you need for winter camping?
A 200 gsm or heavier base layer, a mid layer, an insulated jacket for standing around, a waterproof shell, and two spares that are not optional: spare gloves and spare socks. Neither dries at a winter campsite and both get wet doing ordinary camp tasks.
QDoes a camping stove work in freezing weather?
Propane does. Butane canisters lose pressure near freezing and output falls off with it, which is why propane is the default for cold-weather US camping. Bring more fuel than summer, because very cold water takes considerably longer to boil.
QWhere do you keep water and a filter in winter?
Inside the tent or the vehicle. Anything left outside freezes solid overnight, and a frozen water filter is permanently destroyed - ice crystals crack the hollow fibers invisibly and there is no field test. Sleep with the filter.
Sources
Every figure on this page comes from a published source. We have not tested this gear, so the numbers are the manufacturer's or the standard body's, not ours. How we research.