Winter Backpacking: Your Guide to Safe and Warm Winter Camping and Day Trips - Softcover

Shillington, Ben; Sandiford, Rebecca

Softcover

ISBN 10: 156523636X ISBN 13: 9781565236363

Publisher: Fox Chapel Publishing, 2011

Synopsis

Backpacking in the winter months can be exhilarating, refreshing, and-with the help of this book-remarkably safe and comfortable too! All it takes is some good planning and learning some tricks to keep warm, dry and happy. Whether you're new to backpacking in the winter months and looking to make your first experience as warm and enjoyable as possible, or a practiced winter backpacker interested in making day trips and camping trips more comfortable, this easy-to-read guide was written for you. You'll learn all about staying warm and comfortable throughout the day and night, how to fit a backpack and pack it properly, winter travel, navigation, menu planning, cooking and nutrition, how to set up camp, winter hazards, first aid, winter survival, how to ensure a fun winter backpacking experience for kids and dogs, and much more.

About this title

About the Author:

Ben Shillington is an experienced outdoor recreation instructor and guide who has led multiple mountaineering, mountain biking, whitewater and flat water canoe expeditions. In 2003, Ben was invited to be a mountain climber for the Discovery Channel's Mount Everest Expedition, where he spent two months climbing and filming the western crown of Mount Everest up to Base Camp II (21,325 feet; 6,500 meters). Ben has summited a 21,000-foot (6,400-meter) peak in the Himalayas, trekked independently to Everest's Base Camp, and guided on Mount Kilimanjaro.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.:

How You Lose Heat If you understand how your body loses heat, you can be prepared to manage heat loss and stay at a comfortable temperature. Conduction - Conduction heat loss is caused by direct contact with something else that is colder than you. For example, you'll lose heat through conduction by lying on snow without an insulating barrier like a foam pad, or by holding onto a metal fuel bottle with bare hands. Convection - Convection heat loss is caused by air or water moving around your body. Think of how a warm day feels cooler when a breeze blows. Convection heat loss will also be at work if you have cold, damp clothing next to your skin. Convection heat loss is minimized by wearing proper clothing. Radiation - Radiation heat loss is the loss of heat through the infrared wavelengths given off by any object; the warmer the object, the more it gives off. Heat rises off your body the same way that heat radiates from a wood stove. Radiation heat loss is also minimized with proper clothing. Evaporation - Evaporation heat loss is caused by perspiring-your sweat evaporates as hot vapor in cold dry air, taking your body heat with it. Respiration - Respiration heat loss is simply the loss of heat through breathing. With every exhalation your body loses the warmth of the air from your lungs, and with every inhalation takes in colder air that needs to be warmed. Of course, you can't stop breathing, but if you are feeling cold, you can try covering your mouth and nose with a breathable layer like a scarf, balaclava or neck warmer. Urination (or lack thereof) - If you let your bladder stay full, your body has to work harder to keep the urine warm. This robs heat from your body starting with your extremities (hands and feet), making them more susceptible to frost nip or frostbite. Relieve yourself regularly and you'll stay warmer. While it's important to be aware of all of the above, convection-specifically in the form of being exposed to wind and wetness-are two of the fastest ways you'll lose heat doing any outdoors activity because they draw heat away from your body faster than it can be produced. The good news is that with a little preparation (meaning, proper clothing, and enough of it), you can minimize convection heat loss and stay warm.

About this edition

• Publisher: Fox Chapel Publishing
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 156523636X
• ISBN 13: 9781565236363
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 160