Snow is falling in massive flakes, big enough to blur out sections on the camera lens. In the distance, a dog is enjoying the winter storm as he romps through the deep powder. He’s excitable and prances around his person, Adam Stew, while he pulls a sled weighed down with supplies through the blizzard, navigating the trees, finally to end up at a tent tucked deep in the forest. It’s clear from the opening scene that this is not going to be a routine camping trip. When Adam arrives at his tent, it appears he might be staying in a teepee, but it’s actually the case that the snow has collapsed the front support of his canvas tent. Snow has piled up on every side, on the roof, and Adam appears to have quite a task in front of him.
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The wind is whipping through the trees, wafting up snow from the ground as it meets the flakes falling from the sky. The conditions are absolutely brutal and a full shot of the tent shows it is buried under multiple feet of snow. While the outside of the tent looks like a massive struggle, due to the durable fabric of the Regatta Bell Tent, a great choice from White Duck Outdoors, the inside of the tent is dry, and the zipper isn’t frozen. Good quality camping gear can be a literal lifesaver in the rugged backcountry. All in all, there is some work to be done, but look on the bright side. Chester the dog is having a great time!
Insulation vs. Interior Space
Adam makes a great point about the outside conditions of his tent. It is a fact that snow will provide great insulation through, well, more snow and cold. This is why igloos and snow caves are such incredible sleeping spaces in inclement weather. The fact is that snow is made up of 95% trapped air. While the apparent flakes around this airspace are cold, the air itself slows down the transfer of heat. Thus, when heat builds up inside the tent or structure, it is slower to dissipate, meaning snow is an awesome thermal insulator.
The problem in Adam’s situation is that there is too much snow. The same effect of the undulating snow can be achieved with just a couple of inches. Right now, it’s safe to say that Adam is inundated. With that amount of snow, the bell tent is still holding up, due to the solid frame, but it is sagging and limiting the amount of interior space. Banking on the fact that more snow is on the horizon, Adam decides to knock the snow off the roof and give himself some space.
Outside, he has a handy shovel to help remove some of the dense snow on the roof. Perhaps more importantly, the front guyline that anchors the door of the bell tent to the ground, providing the structural shape, has slipped from its pin. It’s now buried under three feet of snow. Luckily, Adam can drive a long stake through the packed frozen snow and anchor the guyline, securing the shape of the bell tent.
Bring the Heat
In this kind of cold, the best thing to do is get a fire going as soon as possible. Provided Adam had to haul his gear in on a sled, through a blizzard, when he unpacks his wood camping stove, it is covered with snowpack. No bother, though, it’s a sturdy piece of equipment. Outside, Adam affixes the stovepipe through the stove jack and in no time is ready to get a hot tent going.
Inside, Adam has decided to lay some padded flooring down under his cot. This isn’t for the softness of the flooring; rather, it will act as insulation from the frigid ground outside. Even the lightest flooring will be an immense benefit. On top of the cot, Adam is also using a foam sleeping pad and an inflatable pad under his sub-zero sleeping bag. Clearly, he’s done this before. Getting cold from below is one of the more common occurrences when sleeping in a cot in the winter. The circulated air under the sleeping space is a great benefit, but it can get drafty. For now, Chester is loving it.
Here Comes the Cold
Adam seems a bit anxious about the amount of snow the region has received, but more so the impending cold. While he notes that this has been a relatively mild Canadian winter in terms of temperature, the forecast is projecting -30 degrees C. This will be the coldest camping trip he’s ever taken. New experiences, although exciting, often come with the companion of worry and fear.
Outside the clouds are parting after the storm. This means any of the warmth in the air, trapped by the clouds, will blow out, leaving this bitter cold behind as the sun recedes behind the western slopes. Chester, indifferent, romps in a field.
Adam is finally ready to make his fire. Wisely, he’s using a canvas log carrier, another brilliant White Duck Outdoors design. These log carriers are perfect to minimize time outside in the cold, reduce trips for wood, and keep your logs and kindling neatly packed in a corner of your tent.
Silly Jokes and Supper
It may not be everyone’s ideal, but sometimes a freeze-dried dinner is the way to go after a difficult approach and camp setup. He doesn’t seem too enthusiastic, but Adam is trying out a Creamy Pasta Chicken meal from Readywise. Just a couple of cups of water added to the bag itself, wait 12 minutes, and he’ll have himself a tasty dinner (or so he hopes). Chester is eager and hungry, already chowing away at his carefully portioned kibble.
For a little entertainment, Readywise includes a riddle and a joke in the packet of food. Hopefully, the food is tastier than the jokes. It looks like Adam added a little too much water and ended up with a soupy concoction. No worries, after the requisite time, Adam is ready to dig in.
The tent is warming up, and the snow is sliding from the roof. The temperature continues to drop outside, but Adam isn’t worried about the extreme cold temperature warning. Good thing he’s hunkered down in a canvas bell tent.
Bedding Down in the Cold
The temps continue to drop, and outside, the moon is massive. Shrouded in clouds, the celestial orb lights the way for Chester to empty his bladder one last time before tucking in. Inside, Adam checks the coals in the wood stove. When setting the fire for a record-cold night, it’s not a bad idea to set an alarm every couple of hours to add wood. This is, of course, if there is genuine worry about staying warm, and if there is plenty of fuel. Otherwise, sleeping in a sub-zero bag and maintaining a good fire should be enough to make it through the night. To make a good sleeping fire, it’s best to light the fire at least a couple of hours before bed. This way, coals amass in the stove and produce heat for multiple hours. Coals also produce radiant heat, which emanates through the wood stove and all throughout the tent, making a comfortable heat.
As I mentioned, sometimes it’s easier to just set an alarm. Adam ends up waking at 4:00 am to stoke the fire. It’s -33 degrees C outside, and just reading that number is enough to make a person shudder. Adam has pre-split his wood so he can easily re-stoke the fire, even in a blurry, tired haze. He notes that he had to wake up at midnight and again at 4:00. Clearly, it was extremely cold last night. The reason I suggest an alarm is that if it’s possible to wake before the tent gets cold, before the chill wakes you, it’s easier to stay warm than it is to get warm. Once a person gets cold, it can bring them wide awake, making it difficult to fall back asleep and resulting in restless and poor sleep. To avoid this, keep chopped wood next to the wood stove, ready to load, and set an alarm every 2 hours. You’ll sleep warmer and thus deeper.
Morning Tea in the Early Chill
For reasons other than the cold, Adam didn’t have a restful sleep. It would seem that the freeze-dried meal did not agree with his system, so he had to let that meal go the hard way. Instead of his usual morning coffee, Adam opts for some mint tea to calm his nerves and his gut. You’ll notice that as he handles his tea kettle on the wood stove, he’s using oven gloves or fire gloves. This is a must-do for anyone with a wood stove in a canvas tent. The fingers provide dexterity, and it’s a glove. This ensures that it won’t drop on the ground or get easily lost as he transitions from surface to surface. There are myriad brands of high-quality, fireproof leather gloves. This is a must-have for tent camping.
The air is still brisk in the morning, ticking -28 degrees C, but it’s time to hike out on an empty stomach. It was a test for sure, to see if Adam and Chester could handle the brutal Canadian cold. Thanks to their Regatta Bell Tent and a quality wood camping stove, they stayed warm throughout the night. Now, if only he can hold his dinner down, Adam will be in good shape.
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