Winter Camp 2024 – Packing Guide

Good Evening Scouts and Parents,

Looking forward to this weekend’s Winter Camp 2024 at Camp Brady Saunders. As of right now it is predicted to be a fairly nice weekend, with daytime temperatures hovering near the 60ºF mark. Night time temperatures; however, are going to be a little on the cool side, temperatures are expected to be around 28ºF. At this time Friday night is being watched carefully, so stay tuned for that. Here is some information for you and your scout to help you and him better prepare for this weekends conditions.

Please ensure that your scout packs appropriate night time gear to stay warm. This includes extra layers of clothing, an appropriate temperature sleeping bag, and a sleeping pad.

If you do not have an appropriate rated sleeping bag or sleeping pad you can double up on these items. For example you can add a closed foam cell pad under an air mattress to give a higher temperature rating. You can also combine a wool blanket or a lighter weight sleeping bag to your sleeping bag to increase the cold weather rating. Adding a stocking cap can also increase your cold weather sleeping comfort.

BSA recommends the following:

Basic Cold-Weather Clothing List

• Long-sleeved shirt (wool or synthetic blend)
• Long pants (nylon or other synthetic fabric)
• Sweater (fleece or wool)
• Long underwear (synthetic blend)
• Socks (synthetic blend)
• Insulated parka or jacket (synthetic shell and synthetic or down insulation)
• Stocking hat (fleece or wool)
• Mittens or gloves (fleece or wool) with water-resistant shells
• Bandanas
  

Here is some further reading from the BSA Fieldbook:

Clothing for the Outdoors

Clothing is your first line of defense against the elements. It keeps you warm in the winter, cool in the summer, dry in storms, and sheltered from insects, sun, and wind. To decide what to wear and what to carry, learn about the materials from which clothing is made.

Cotton

Cotton is cool and comfortable for hot-weather shirts and shorts. However, if it becomes wet, cotton loses any ability it had to keep you warm. That can be a real danger on cool and cold days when wind, mist, and rain carry with them the threat of hypothermia.

Wool

Shirts, sweaters, and pants made of wool have been favored by generations of backcountry travelers. Wool is durable and water-resistant, and can help you keep warm even when the fabric is wet. Wool also is an excellent choice for hiking socks, hats, and mittens. (If wool is scratchy against your skin, you might be able to find wool blends that are comfortable, or you could wear woolen layers over clothing made of other fabrics.)

Layering is a key part of staying comfortable in the outdoors.

Layering System

Versatility in your clothing choices is a key to staying comfortable and safe outdoors. Carrying a sweater, a jacket, and a warm shirt will allow you to adjust your clothing in more ways than if you have just a heavy coat. The kinds of layers matter, too.

Wicking layers: Blends of synthetic fibers designed to draw moisture away from the skin are used to make T-shirts, long underwear, and inner socks.

Warmth layers: Intermediate layers with effective insulating properties trap warmth that the body generates. Rely on shirts made of wool or synthetics and look for vests and jackets made of fleece or filled with synthetic insulation or goose down.

Windproof layers: A parka, rain gear, or other outer layer prevents wind from blowing away heat trapped inside the warmth layers of your clothing.

How the Layering System Works

On a chilly autumn day, you might set off on a hike wearing long pants, a wool shirt, a fleece sweater, mittens, and a stocking hat. The exertion of walking causes your body to generate heat, so you peel off your sweater and stuff it into your pack. Still too warm? Loosen a few buttons on your shirt and slip off your mittens and hat.

Convertible pants have lower leggings that can be unzipped and removed to transform long pants into shorts. That saves the weight of carrying both shorts and long pants.

Wool gloves with water-repellent shells are ideal for cold weather.

When you stop for lunch or reach your campsite, pull on enough layers of clothing to stay comfortable. You might want to add an insulated parka, long underwear, and fleece pants.

Layering works in hot climates, too. Hiking shorts, a T-shirt, and a brimmed hat might be just right for the middle of the day. Lightweight long pants and a long-sleeved shirt will shield you from insects, brush, and the sun. As the cool of evening approaches, add a fleece vest or jacket and perhaps a stocking hat and lightweight gloves.