Winter night in the forest. Overnight stay in the winter forest

About where to stay for the night you need to take care in advance. It is very important to choose the right place, at dusk and at night it will be much more difficult to do. What the neglect of such a recommendation can lead to is the following case.

At the end of the eighties, tourism was still incredibly popular in the USSR, schoolchildren and students constantly traveled around the country. Our school was no exception. Usually, immediately after the exams, in early June, we went on a week-long hike around our native land. We were very well prepared, we covered about 200 km in a week, the daily route was 25-30 km. This time our goal was a rock complex on the Nemda River (Kirov region), somewhere in the middle of our trip we were unlucky - we lost our way, as a result of which we had to make a decent detour before returning to the right road. It was impossible to lag behind the planned schedule of movement, so we stopped for the night when it was already completely dark. We quickly set up our tents and cooked dinner. In the morning, unpleasant news awaited, in the reservoir where they took water at night, which we used for cooking and tea, a dead rat swam. The fact that it was boiled reassured few people.
If we had stopped for the night in the evening, this would not have happened.

Site selection and preparation

So, as already mentioned, it is advisable to look for a place during daylight hours. This is necessary in order for it to meet a number of requirements.

1. The place of overnight stay should be on a hill, no hollows, ravines, dry riverbeds, the weather is changeable, it can rain at any moment and the water will quickly flood the parking lot.

It is also forbidden to be located under coastal canopies and large trees, in the first case, a collapse is possible, in the second, a strong wind or lightning can drop a tree.
In a strong wind, it is better to sit surrounded by bushes or curtains of young trees, when there is no wind - on the contrary, in an open place, there will be a little less midges and mosquitoes.

2. There must be a source of water nearby, preferably a flowing one.

3. Availability of firewood.

Having decided on the location of the camp, we set aside a place for a fire. It is best to breed it in small, moist hollows or pits. If there are none, we take additional measures to arrange it: we remove the top layer of turf on an area slightly larger than the fire will be, we put the bricks of the earth along the perimeter of the site with grass down.

In addition, it is necessary to remove dry grass and leaves at a distance of 1-2 m, it is especially recommended to do this in spring and autumn.

It is up to you to decide which type of fire it is better to kindle, there are plenty of varieties of them, you can get acquainted with them in detail in the article “. We only note the following: for cooking, first they make an ordinary fire in the form of a hut or a well, and then they prepare a night one, for heating and lighting for a long time - various types of nodia.
In the evening, a supply of firewood should always be prepared.

Preparing a place to sleep

While food is being prepared, clothes are being dried, it is necessary to take care of the lodging for the night. To do this, in a suitable place, we clear the ground of flammable materials and build a fire. His task is to warm the earth. After 2-3 hours, we remove the coals from the burning fire, we additionally clear the place.

In cases where there is little time to prepare for an overnight stay or this creates additional noise, for example, while spending the night at a capercaillie current, you can do the following. Two or three thick poles are placed on the ground across, thinner poles are laid out tightly to each other. The resulting couch can be additionally equipped with branches, spruce branches or a rug.

The forest bed is placed at such a distance from the fire that sparks do not reach the hunter, you need to sleep with your head to the leeward side. To reflect heat and protect from the wind, you can arrange a wall and a canopy of poles and branches.

Few people can imagine how you can arrange an overnight stay in the forest in winter. The temperature is below freezing, there is snow, and you sleep under the Christmas tree. One of my friends was shocked by the verses of the ensign, who wrote: "I saw death, spent the night in a tent in the winter." But I assure you, spending the night under the starry sky, next to fluffy spruce paws covered with snow, is very romantic! March is the most favorable time to try yourself in the role of a "snowman": there are no more severe frosts, but the spring thaw is still far away. The important thing is fees. First: you need to buy a "thick foam" (tourist rug). For winter, do not take a folding one, it is better to roll it (it pulls through the folds with a chill). The second thing is a sleeping bag. Of course, you can say: "Buy yourself a good winter one, designed for low temperatures." The advice is impeccable, but such a sleeping bag is expensive. You can do the usual and take a warm blanket with you. In winter, it is especially pleasant to sleep in a double (two sleeping bags connected together by a zipper, which can fit two).

As for the equipment. It is necessary to have thermal underwear or an additional set of underwear. Thermal underwear is better - it dries the skin, which means you feel cozier. Without it, you will definitely sweat, and I categorically forbid you to go to bed wet! Next, we put warm socks, a hat (knitted or polartec), knitted gloves. In addition, you must have warm harem pants, a polartec jacket or a wool sweater. Also, prepare something to organize a fire: a saw (required), an ax (preferably), a hanger for pots, as well as matches and ... a compass. What is the compass for? Well, firstly, it will help you navigate the terrain, and secondly, it will fit for ... a fire. This device is made of plexiglass, which burns perfectly (if firewood is not taken in a different way). Matches choose those that are sold in a huge box with an inscription - each match burns for 7 minutes. Now add to the list the things you need on any trip: spoons, bowls, bowlers, and more. And go! It is very important to choose the "right" place. No fields, edges are good. The right place for winter parking is a dense and dense forest, where there is no wind. But do not rush to put up a tent. First, prepare firewood (in the summer we do the opposite). There is an opinion that it should be placed on a bonfire or on a “patch” cleared of snow and littered with spruce branches. It made some sense when there were no foams, but not now. I do this: I trample down the platform a little and that's it. Important: do not compact the snow to a solid state, it is better to do it from the inside of the tent with your own weight. It turns out a kind of "anatomical bed".

Now about the fire. We rake a hole, put a row of logs close to each other on the bottom and make a fire from above. There is also such a device: a grid. It is stretched between two trees, and on it, right on weight, a fire is arranged. The key to a warm overnight stay is a hearty dinner. If you don’t eat at home after 7 p.m., then in the forest you need to give yourself “freedom”. Also, take a chocolate candy with you to the tent. The body warms up surprisingly quickly if it is given something sweet, even just a piece of sugar, when it is frozen. What should not be done at dinner is to be zealous in absorbing national drinks. One glass will probably warm you up, but more will harm you. Yes, alcohol instantly warms you up, but over the course of several hours it has the opposite effect, improving the heat transfer of the body and the environment. And this is exactly what we should avoid. It is much more effective to pour boiling water into a thermos in the evening - in the morning this will help you quickly bring yourself to life. Finally, the last thing: we put on dry clothes, and put warm clothes under our heads. This is an important "trick"! If you lay down and you are hot, you will definitely sweat and the moisture will cool you all night. Do not overdo it in the desire to warm up - it is better to do this when you feel that you are freezing. That's all, pleasant dreams!

Necessary equipment for spending the night in tents in the winter in the forest

The time when people go to the forest to spend the night is not some kind of wildness for a long time. Spending the night in the forest in winter in a tent on the snow also implies the presence of certain theoretical skills applied in practice more than once. Many fishermen and hunters know that experience will help keep you warm.

To spend the night in a tent in the winter in the forest, on the snow, you will need a certain amount of equipment. In general, a tent in the winter in the forest can be attributed to extreme sports tourism. The main thing is a sleeping bag, a rug and of course a tent.

Initially, I would like to debunk a certain myth. Insulated tents themselves do not exist. In general, the fabric initially does not breathe well, as a result, tents are often made of two layers. Today, modern tents are most often made of very thin materials, the main task of which is to keep water out.

One of the main tasks is how to keep warm in a tent in winter and protect yourself from water. For this often using underfloor heating, we already wrote about it earlier.

The second task is to protect yourself from the winds, as a result of which it always seems as if it is always warmer in tents.

There is a category of people heating the air inside the tent with a gas burner. Judging objectively, this is not only very dangerous, but relatively useless, since the air cools quickly, but you don’t want to set fire to your own portable house, imprudently dropping a burner on a sleeping bag.

We turn to the burning issues of many tourists - this is a sleeping bag. If you are not going to heat the tent, then for overnight stay in tents in winter you need a three-layer sleeping bag. You can only find out if you have a two- or three-layer sleeping bag from the seller. There is still a difference, it will be a little colder and more uncomfortable. In shape, the sleeping bag resembles an unbuttoned blanket to the end, it is very good if it has a headrest. This envelope is an almost insurmountable barrier to the cold.

What kind of tent to take with you in the winter in the forest for an overnight stay

Tents vary in weight, capacity and water resistance that the awning can withstand.

The optimal capacity of the tent is three people. Tents of large sizes are not often bought. It is clear that in reality 2 times more people can easily fit in such a tent. Of course, this is not on folding beds already.

When your tent stays out in the rain all night, sooner or later it will get wet. In order to spend the night and live in a tent in winter, it must withstand the necessary pressure of the water column. This water resistance is indicated by the letters PU and should not be less than 1500 mm. An overnight tent must have the necessary, sufficient water resistance. For example, many self-folding tents, I will not name their brands (in their characteristic round case) do not have a lot of weight, but they get wet instantly.

A tent in the winter in the forest is often exposed to strong winds and frosts, when it comes to choosing a product, pay attention to the presence of a vestibule. Tambour will protect important things from getting wet in the rain. This is a place where they store things, shoes, their backpack, hang clothes and even drive a snowmobile.

Overnight stay in a tent UP 2 video review

Well, the tents seem to be sorted out. Carpets are also taken with them, everything is not important here. By the way, instead of a rug, rolled foil insulation of the foam type is perfect. In general, they are all the same, their properties do not differ significantly.

Having dealt with the necessary tourist equipment, we move on. Let's move on to the necessary knowledge.

Tips on what you need to know to spend the night in tents in the cold in winter

So, you sit by the fire realizing that it's time to go to bed. Perhaps after drinking a sip of something “warming”, having eaten in advance, climb into the tent. Naturally, it is cold there, as we are discussing lodging for the night without a stove in the winter frost.

Cover the floor in the tent with rugs completely, then the cold will not pass from the floor into the scarf. More precisely, the cold will be, but not so sharply felt. It is likely that two rugs are not enough for the floor area. When there is nothing to cover the floor with, take things and clothes out of the bag and lay them out in an even layer along the entire diameter of the tent. This will plug the uncovered areas of the floor, This will protect you from blowing wind under the awning. Thus, you can transform the tent, saddle it warmer and more comfortable.

There is a golden rule in winter - you can’t spend the night alone in a tent, not much. Another tourist tradition says that men are on the edge, the girl is given a place in the middle. Most often, people discuss in advance who will spend the night where and with whom. When three people sleep in a tent (gender doesn't matter here), all three are relatively warm.

Sleepover clothes in winter

It is not advisable to spend the night in a tent in winter in trousers. Stock up on pants and wool socks (this is an important condition in your case) for an overnight stay. They say simple pants go well with warmer clothes. To spend the night, it would not be superfluous to wear a sweater that is hot to wear during the day. Under the sweater, you can pry off a flannelette shirt. We recommend that you take care of your chest and throat, so take care of yourself and take care of your clothes.

Be sure to wear clean and dry clothes. I will say right away that wet laundry is a great way to get high quality and fast. That is why the first thing you should always do when climbing into a tent is to put on dry clothes.

Putting on a hat at night will not be superfluous, the head can freeze terribly at night, then you will have to treat. I think you don’t want to wake up with a headache, or you don’t want to freeze from the cold.

Wear more clothes in a tent in the winter in the forest, this is definitely not superfluous. Let you get a little hot, not too hot. The very coldness is always felt in the morning and at dawn, when the mobilized forces of the organism come to an end. During sleep, your heat loss should be minimal. Why do you need to get up from your own trembling - take care of yourself in the evening, otherwise you will have to regret it.

All these tips, without heating in a tent, are suitable up to -20 degrees, and even then not for everyone.

Well, the last thing I would like to note is that in the morning you will not wake up cold at all, if you use tents with a stove, minimize the discomfort from frost. Large tent umbrella UP 5 suitable for big companies for 5-6 people, in this form, the severe cold is taken out with ease.

The basis of a normal overnight stay is the right place, shelter from the wind and warmth from the fire.

That's just the fire must be right. And the right fire is node.

Nodia- a long and strong burning fire made of logs.

A node can be built from two logs, three, or more logs.

AT middle lane there is no problem with the tree. It is best to fell a couple of dry pine trees 40 - 50 cm thick, and disassemble them into logs 1.5 - 2 meters long with a saw. If everything is very sad and there is no ax / saw, you will have to make a fire from rotten fallen damp trees.

They also burn normally when dry. Of course, the heat is much less than from dry pine.

Especially for the "urban" - dry pine is determined by the absence of needles :) and by the characteristic sonorous sound if you knock on it with an ax.

Especially for the brain-dead "Greenpeace" people, their tripartite godmatrix - by felling and burning dry and rotten trees, we bring immeasurable benefits to the forest.

So let's get started:

1. Shelter:

If there is an awning or oilcloth, we will save a lot of effort.

We clear the snow to the ground at the place where we will sleep, and the snow at the campfire. We build walls from snow. (by morning, from the heat, they will be covered with an ice crust and become monolithic). We put spruce branches on the ground (i.e. spruce branches) the thicker the layer, the softer and warmer it is to sleep.

We make a roof - we stretch an awning.

This is what our temporary home looks like.

If there is no awning or oilcloth, long poles are placed on the walls and covered with a thick layer of spruce branches. When it snows, you will get an excellent warm roof.

2. Bonfire:

The fire is kindled at a distance of 1.5 - 2 meters from the shelter. You can't get any closer - the equipment will burn with sparks. Further it is impossible - it is inefficient. Not enough heat will get into the shelter, you will freeze.

Stages of lighting a fire:

1. We prepared a lot of firewood :) and a few logs.

2. They laid the first log, lit a fire. (The process of lighting a fire in difficult conditions such as rain, dampness, etc. is worthy of a separate article with photos). We support it, warm up, cook food, drink alcohol (only in microdoses, it will debilitate after a hard day)

3. The fire flared up, put the next log on top and add branches to the hand with a thickness.

After half an hour, we have 3 logs burning almost without fire, but with heat and coals (this is not brushwood for you)! You can lay wet logs.

As it burns, the top logs move up. The attendant oversees this process.

Also, the duty officer makes sure that the logs do not begin to burn along the entire length, increasing the efficiency of our mega-fire (there is no need to heat the atmosphere)!

If you are alone, there is no duty officer, then it is better to prefer a vertical node of 2 logs, burning along the entire length. And position yourself next to the fire. one log is placed on top of another and fastened with 4 stakes driven into the ground. Or another option, but very laborious - a hollow is cut out in the lower log and the upper log is placed. I haven't tested since. it is very labor intensive. with a vertical node, sleep for 3-4 hours in the heat and warmth (if the log is 40-50 cm thick), then you have to wake up and make a fire again.

Experience in building a snow shelter and spending the night in it.

With all the advantages of spending the night with a node, this method has a minus - it is highly desirable to have a shift attendant. Moreover, of course, such a method does not provide sufficient secrecy, should the need arise.

It was decided to spend the night in a classic "snow trench" shelter.

The experiment was carried out at the beginning of March 2010.

The air temperature is about -5 during the day, up to -12 at night.

The snow in the forest is deep and loose.

1. Digging a hole

To begin with, with the help of a small infantry shovel, an approximately square hole was dug out in such a way that the entire partisan detachment would fit in it - three people.

(the pit is already in the morning in the photo, but the meaning is clear):

More spruce branches were thrown at the bottom, for additional thermal insulation.

2. Making the roof

In the most classic version, skis or poles are placed on top, branches, spruce branches and a layer of snow are placed on top. In our case, due to the lack of skis, as well as the desire to cut live trees, we limited ourselves to an awning. The awning was simply stretched over a hole between the nearest trees, just above the snow level. The holes on the sides were plugged up with blocks of snow cut from the crust and sealed with the same snow as far as possible.

By the way, the awning was not enough, I had to add the available foam with a metallized heat-reflecting layer to it. Of course, this layer down.

Thus, only the entrance hole remained, as well as a small ventilation hole, which was partially covered with dry branches, snow and a sleeping bag cover.

Of course, it was impossible to throw snow on the awning - due to the lack of a rigid frame, it would have been forced to the ground.

It turned out to be a pretty good-looking shelter.

That's all! We put foam, sleeping bags inside, climb in and sleep :)

The last climber plugs the entrance with a backpack, leaving a small gap for air.

3. We spend the night

We turn into a sleeping bag. Before going to bed, I prudently stuffed a one and a half liter plastic bottle of hot water into my sleeping bag. The first half of the night was even hot for me :)

In total - the personnel survived and even managed to get enough sleep :)

4. Conclusions

• The described technology is much less comfortable than the option with a node, but allows you to spend the night normally. But more secrecy. The laboriousness of building such a shelter is much less than the preparation of firewood for the whole night.
• At night it was about 12 degrees below zero, but the temperature even in such a shelter (with a thin roof of one tent) was still around zero. The first photo shows how the walls melted.
• A good sleeping bag is very important - in the morning the legs began to freeze slightly
• Humidity rises greatly in the morning - drizzle hangs in the lair, which condenses on the ceiling and turns into frost.
• Recklessly left near the entrance (inside), wet and not really dried shoes in the morning froze to such an extent that in the morning it took considerable effort to defrost. The leg simply did not fit into these ice fossils :)
• Conclusion: dry shoes thoroughly, if not possible, put them somewhere in the headboard, where the temperature is higher.
• If the snow were sticky, and not dry and crumbly, it would be possible to roll up a lot of snowballs a la a snowman, and build a noble lair where one could sit, and not just lie.

Goodnight! Your old Manstopper.

Having some experience winter hikes, I concluded that with a decent sleeping bag, a tent is not needed in winter.))) No, seriously. After all, a tent is not a hut and it will not work to heat it. The air temperature in a tent without a heater is only a few degrees different from the "outboard" one. And at -15 C, is it all the same?

The tent also protects from wind and rain. The problem of precipitation in winter is not so acute, and you can close yourself from the wind with a simple shelter. Here I will describe it. Polyethylene shelter that I make. The advantage of polyethylene is that the same piece can be used at different times for a tent near a fire from snow, as a shelter for the night and as a bedding on which to lay out things to collect a backpack. Plus, polyethylene takes up less space, weighs less and costs less. I take a sleeve of 3 meters of medium density polyethylene.

First, between two trees, we impose a rope with a ring on which a sleeve is put on. (photo 1)

Maybe not a ring, but then the walls will be less vertical and less convenient to hang something on the ceiling. We select the height approximately and do not tie tightly. Later we will regulate it. Next, put the foam inside. On the foam for the weight of the sleeping bag and some things. Now you can see the approximate height of the shelter and you can adjust and tighten the rope. From the side of the head, we collect a certain amount of polyethylene from below in a bundle. Thus, the lower edge of the sleeve rises and the air currents, with a possible wind blowing, will pass by the head. In addition, it turns out a canopy from snow. Now we stretch the polyethylene in length for the two upper points to the trees. (Photo 2 head).

(Photo 3 legs). Ready.

(Photo 4 appearance in the morning).

After I go inside, under my feet, I put a backpack to remove air currents. I use skis as a back wall. In photo 5, an internal view without me.