"Full" Winter Gear?

[DougPaul]

Doug, since the limiting factor for using a bladder during winter is not the bladder itself but the hose and nozzle which gets the brunt of cold weather exposure plus has a high surface area / volume ratio, what would it take to rig up a little electrically powered insulating tube? Right now you can buy a foam insulator for the tube and nozzle which is basically useless in the cold. However, what if this had toaster wires running through it or possible filled with oil that could be heated to keep the hose and nozzle from freezing.

Slow day at work?

The problem is bringing a long enough power cord...
(Actually since battery-operated electrically-heated socks are available for skiers, it is probably doable.)

Another idea that I had was to make an insulated hat that is also a water bottle. The hat would be heavily insulated both for the liquid inside and also your head. The hat would be filled with 1 L of liquid with a modified snorkel designed to deliver it to your mouth. Look at the drawing that I attached.

Sounds like a beer hat with a wool/fleece cap on top...

Might work if you are a hothead who doesn't mind looking like he has a swelled head. And if it leaks, you end up with a wet swelled head. You might also have trouble holding your head up...


Guess I'm old fashioned and boring--I try to adhere to the KISS (keep it simple stupid) philosophy.

Doug

 

[sardog1]

May I just say thank you to all who have responded to this thread. In less than eight hours, we've got forty replies on a "full winter" topic. I am smiling big time right now, even though I have yet to see a flake in the air this season personally. Keep it up folks, you have raised my spirits!

 

[dr_wu002]

Guess I'm old fashioned and boring--I try to adhere to the KISS (keep it simple stupid) philosophy.

Hey, me too. Most of my stuff is no-name from campmor or sierra trading post. Gotta find yer own way. Me, since I run hot I prefer wearing a thin, cheap shell which I can layer when needed. I bought camo water booties really cheap at sierra trading post and I've been real happy with them even in -20F. It takes a little while but if you don't start off with a presidential traverse or something crazy you can probably just figure out what you need.

Those ideas I had were basically free ideas if anyone wants to patent them. I'll even sell you that diagram.

-Dr. Wu

 

[bikehikeskifish]

Those ideas I had were basically free ideas if anyone wants to patent them. I'll even sell you that diagram.

-Dr. Wu

We could market it under the name "Frank-n-Stein" Come to think of it, if we fill it with beer, that would lower the temperature required to cause ice to form.

No charge,
Tim

 

[Chip]

I have an old pair of Lange Tii heated ski boots with the battery pack, charger and wiring ready to be Rube Goldberg'd if anyone wants them.

I wear a bottle cozy attached under my waist pack strap.

Me too, but you're better lookin' !

 

[Tom Rankin]

I have an old pair of Lange Tii heated ski boots with the battery pack, charger and wiring ready to be Rube Goldberg'd if anyone wants them.


Me too, but you're better lookin' !

Yeah, but yours is orange!

 

[Neil]

This is very specific for winter peakbagging in the Adirondacks and is more general than the OP's query but some may find it interesting.

http://adkforum.com/showthread.php?t=2139

 

[bikehikeskifish]

Here is a test of various water bottle / insulator / thermoses after 11:15 in a ~5 degree freezer. Kind of timely, I thought:


http://www.summitpost.org/article/346816/Cold-Weather-Test-for-Water-Bottles.html

The REI thermos didn't freeze at all. In fact the water was drinkable at 50 degrees!

Tim

 

[TEO]

Two sources of good info:

ADK's Winter Moutaineering School Student Handbook (pdf)


Chauvin Guides Equipement List (Note: snowshoes are a must for dayhikes, too.)

 

[sardog1]

Here is a test of various water bottle / insulator / thermoses after 11:15 in a ~5 degree freezer. Kind of timely, I thought:


http://www.summitpost.org/article/346816/Cold-Weather-Test-for-Water-Bottles.html

The REI thermos didn't freeze at all. In fact the water was drinkable at 50 degrees!

Tim

The test report doesn't mention preheating the vacuum bottles, which would have been doubly unfair to Nalgene. When starting from home, I use very hot tap water for the preheating, then pour boiling hot water into the bottle for the day. If I am camping, I'll heat water to boiling before sleeping, then the bottle goes into the sleeping bag. In the morning, I'll have warm water to start the day's festivities. After using that water for breakfast, I'll try to fill it with boiling water if I have time and fuel, then wrap it in a fleece jacket in the pack. Hot soup and cider are terrific midday on the trail.

They can have my Thermos™ when they pry it from my cold, dead hands (at which point I won't need it . . . ) In below zero conditions, it makes a huge difference to have it along.

 

[Kevin Rooney]

Here is a test of various water bottle / insulator / thermoses after 11:15 in a ~5 degree freezer. Kind of timely, I thought:


http://www.summitpost.org/article/346816/Cold-Weather-Test-for-Water-Bottles.html

The REI thermos didn't freeze at all. In fact the water was drinkable at 50 degrees!

Tim

Tim - thanks for this link. I have a stainless thermos which I put coffee in for the drive to/from the trailhead, but it's a bit heavy. Sometimes I do carry a .5L stainless thermos as an emergency beverage, but if the REI models only weigh 17.5 oz, then I'll have to rethink this. The combined weight of a Nalgene plus an OR/EMS water bottle isn't that much less. So, maybe it makes sense to replace 1 (or 2 on long hikes) of the liter Nalgenes kept in the pack with an REI thermos.

I wonder who makes them for REI? Nissan?

 

[bikehikeskifish]

I've had the .5L REI vacuum bottle for 15 years now. Bought it for winter fishing / ice fishing after the glass-lined one broke on an overnight codfishing trip.

This has been mentioned/discussed before:

http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?t=15538

Tim

 

[MadRiver]

I am not a huge fan of the double insulated steel walled thermoses. I much prefer the old fashioned vacuum sealed with the glass interior. They seem to stay hot longer. Wal-Mart has some in the outdoor/hunting section. The ones in the kitchen section are terrible.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

I am not a huge fan of the double insulated steel walled thermoses. I much prefer the old fashioned vacuum sealed with the glass interior. They seem to stay hot longer. Wal-Mart has some in the outdoor/hunting section. The ones in the kitchen section are terrible.

Large Impact == Shattered Glass == Cold Coffee / beverage

This is why I have the all-steel one. It gets absolutely no TLC and has served me faithfully for ~15 years. It routinely is squashed into some bag, dropped, tossed on the car floor, etc. I even used it as a fulcrum once while removing a stubborn hose on a boat engine.

I am notoriously hard on all my equipment, fishing, hiking, skiing or cycling.

YMMV,
Tim

 

[MichaelJ]

Una_dogger and I both have LL Bean all-stainless double-walled thermoses, 16oz (liquid measure; I don't know their weight offhand but it's not much), and they keep things hot for a surprisingly long time. After 4 or 5 hours of just being tossed in my pack, not wrapped up in anything, outside temp below freezing, my cocoa is still hot enough to burn my mouth.

 

[MadRiver]

I usually rap the thermos in my jacket and put it in the middle of my pack for safe keeping. If I bring tomato soup for a hike, I want it hot. Warm just doesn’t cut it. I do have two steal walled thermoses that do not keep the soup hot long enough.It might be that these particular thermoses just suck. If I know my lunch break is going to be long during my winter hike, like on the porch of a hut, I will bring my stove. If it is going to be a short lunch break, like on a summit, I will bring the thermos.

 

[John S]

I do have two steal walled thermoses that do not keep the soup hot long enough.It might be that these particular thermoses just suck.

I’ve also had mixed results with the .5L/16 oz. thermos. I’m still using one from EMS but have thrown away another from EMS and one from Bean. I suspect the seal between the double walls broke down somehow. If stuff is lukewarm after only a few hours, it’s not working as intended. I’ve found the full-size bottles to be much more effective. I have three, steel and glass, that are effective from about 12 to 18 hours.

I usually rap the thermos in my jacket and put it in the middle of my pack for safe keeping. s.

If you need an insulation boost due to very cold weather, the small bottles fit nicely in foam beer cozies. Pop out the bottom of one for the middle section and slip on two more at the ends.

 

[TomD]

Maybe I missed it earlier, but one thing I would be sure to have if I am on skis is climbing skins. Even with patterned skis, skins are way better for traction. I have used them towing a sled and even on a mild incline, skins make a huge difference.

Other than that, all the stuff everyone else mentioned, plus the usual-map and compass or GPS if you have one (I don't). Fresh batteries in whatever needs them-headlamp, GPS, etc. Small shovel, piece of a blue pad to sit on.

Snacks of some kind-energy bars, chocolate, salami, soup, hot chocolate mix, small stove and pot.

If I was with someone else, an avy beacon would be nice if the other people had one too.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

I may stick with the bladder after all and carry one Nalgene in a jacket in the pack as a backup.

I guess I should go out in the yard and try again on Saturday.

I have found an acceptable solution. Apparently the replacement backpack (the Osprey Stratus 32L failed, replaced with a Stratus 40L), which I never tried hanging a bottle and cozy off of, handles this task better. I strapped it around the shoulder strap - the low, webbing part, and it slides down to the back and side for travel, but is easily slid up the webbing for access. If I go out of my way, I can bump it with my hand or pole, but I really didn't notice it otherwise. I did a little bit more than a backyard test with it too... stay tuned for a trip report.

Tim