If you're interested in winter camping, particularly travelling in the northern forest under winter conditions, included below are my five top equipment selections. This apparatus in addition to adequate shelter, sleeping equipment and cooking clobber.
Axe: Whether or not you are fuelling a wood-burning stove or making a long-log fire, the ability to use an axe to process dead, standing timber into firewood is very important. A good axe is an indispensable tool, more important than a knife in this environment. If you have got your clothes, an axe and a means of making fire, then you can survive. An axe nonetheless , is a perilous tool. More so in an environment where you'll be wearing gloves, standing on soft snow and quite possibly wearing snowshoes or skis beneath your feet. The boreal forest in winter is not an environment for an amateur to come to grips with an axe. It is better to learn to use your axe confidently and safely in the simpler, hotter summer months then carefully transfer your skills to a winter environment, keeping in mind the additional difficulties and associated risk indicators.
Saw: As well as an axe, a full size buck-saw or bow-saw makes the task of preparing wood for the fire both less risky and better. The mixing of axe and saw creates an exceedingly potent combo. For little jobs each member of the party should also carry with them a sheath knife and a folding saw on their body.
Snow Shovel: A much under-rated tool of the north is a snow-shovel. There are several times when the ability to move snow quickly and efficiently is desirable. A top quality snow shovel makes a big difference. Moving powder-like or granular snow needs more of a sweeping motion than a digging action. An extendable handle helps achieve this motion while avoiding back strain. A D-shaped handle enables you to grip it even when wearing mittens. When working in confined spaces such as hollowing-out a quinzee, the handle can be reduced to its minimum length. A metal blade that's formed to chop into hard snow will make comparatively simple work or carving away compressed snow when hollowing-out a shelter. Ultimately, customise your trowel by adding hockey-tape to the metal shaft to cut back the conductive heat loss from your hands when using the spade.
Ice Auger: This piece of clobber, while rather awkward and difficult to pack with the remainder of your kit, makes cutting thru ice on lakes and streams a relative breeze. Much easier to use than an ice-chisel and a whole world away from cutting a bowl in the ice with your axe, this specific tool lets you cut clean cylindrical holes straight down through the ice. Shaped slightly like a cork-screw, there are two razor-sharp blades at the head of the gizmo that cut into the ice. The screw then lifts the ice out of the hole as it descends. It could be a small stiff to get thru the bottom surface of the ice and once driven thru, the hole quickly fills with water. You then need to use the auger to flush the hole a few times to clear it of ice. While a full size auger is ungainly, there are smaller versions with folding handles that are relatively lightweight, actually portable enough to pack onto a toboggan.
Brush: To finish is an everyday piece of clobber that makes a significant difference. A small stiff-bristled brush is helpful for removing snow from clothing and clobber. The removal of snow is crucial because otherwise as you enter the warm environment of a heated tent or cabin, the snow starts to melt and moisture is introduced to your clothing, boots, etc alongside the warm, dry space itself. Much better to brush all the snow off your boots, including the undersides, before you hang them up to dry than to have them dripping on you and your kit in the tent. A wooden-handled potato-scrubbing brush can be acquired for less than a buck. It is just a little larger than a nail brush and I keep it in a pocket of my jacket.
Axe: Whether or not you are fuelling a wood-burning stove or making a long-log fire, the ability to use an axe to process dead, standing timber into firewood is very important. A good axe is an indispensable tool, more important than a knife in this environment. If you have got your clothes, an axe and a means of making fire, then you can survive. An axe nonetheless , is a perilous tool. More so in an environment where you'll be wearing gloves, standing on soft snow and quite possibly wearing snowshoes or skis beneath your feet. The boreal forest in winter is not an environment for an amateur to come to grips with an axe. It is better to learn to use your axe confidently and safely in the simpler, hotter summer months then carefully transfer your skills to a winter environment, keeping in mind the additional difficulties and associated risk indicators.
Saw: As well as an axe, a full size buck-saw or bow-saw makes the task of preparing wood for the fire both less risky and better. The mixing of axe and saw creates an exceedingly potent combo. For little jobs each member of the party should also carry with them a sheath knife and a folding saw on their body.
Snow Shovel: A much under-rated tool of the north is a snow-shovel. There are several times when the ability to move snow quickly and efficiently is desirable. A top quality snow shovel makes a big difference. Moving powder-like or granular snow needs more of a sweeping motion than a digging action. An extendable handle helps achieve this motion while avoiding back strain. A D-shaped handle enables you to grip it even when wearing mittens. When working in confined spaces such as hollowing-out a quinzee, the handle can be reduced to its minimum length. A metal blade that's formed to chop into hard snow will make comparatively simple work or carving away compressed snow when hollowing-out a shelter. Ultimately, customise your trowel by adding hockey-tape to the metal shaft to cut back the conductive heat loss from your hands when using the spade.
Ice Auger: This piece of clobber, while rather awkward and difficult to pack with the remainder of your kit, makes cutting thru ice on lakes and streams a relative breeze. Much easier to use than an ice-chisel and a whole world away from cutting a bowl in the ice with your axe, this specific tool lets you cut clean cylindrical holes straight down through the ice. Shaped slightly like a cork-screw, there are two razor-sharp blades at the head of the gizmo that cut into the ice. The screw then lifts the ice out of the hole as it descends. It could be a small stiff to get thru the bottom surface of the ice and once driven thru, the hole quickly fills with water. You then need to use the auger to flush the hole a few times to clear it of ice. While a full size auger is ungainly, there are smaller versions with folding handles that are relatively lightweight, actually portable enough to pack onto a toboggan.
Brush: To finish is an everyday piece of clobber that makes a significant difference. A small stiff-bristled brush is helpful for removing snow from clothing and clobber. The removal of snow is crucial because otherwise as you enter the warm environment of a heated tent or cabin, the snow starts to melt and moisture is introduced to your clothing, boots, etc alongside the warm, dry space itself. Much better to brush all the snow off your boots, including the undersides, before you hang them up to dry than to have them dripping on you and your kit in the tent. A wooden-handled potato-scrubbing brush can be acquired for less than a buck. It is just a little larger than a nail brush and I keep it in a pocket of my jacket.
About the Author:
Paul Kirtley is owner and chief instructor of Frontier Bushcraft, a leading bushcraft company. He also writes a highly-regarded bushcraft blog.
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