On Feb 6th, a group of Rovers will be venturing into the cold to attend the annual RoVent camp at Cambie Creek, Manning Park. It is one of the iconic winter camps held in our Pacific Coast Council. “Winter camp? What’s that, you ask. Sounds cold!”
Today, we’re going to give you our top tip to survive those long cold winter days/nights at camp.
Layering – Layers allow you to build a tiny microclimate that surrounds your body and can be adapted to moisture, wind, temperature, and exertion. The purpose of layering is to allow you to regulate how much heat from your body you trap around you or release depending how hot or cold you feel. Now, why don’t you just wear lots of clothes until you’re sweating? The key to beating the winter weather is much simpler than that:
Base layer:
The job of the base layer is to wick away moisture from your body to the next layer. Typically, base layers are made from either a wool blend, polyester blend, or some sort of hybrid fabric that incorporates both materials. The most important part about this layer, is that it cannot be cotton! As a fabric, cotton is extremely good at absorbing and retaining moisture. While this is great for making things like towels, it’s not so good when your goal is moisture elimination.
Mid layer:
The mid layer is what’s called the insulating layer. Its job is to keep the heat generated by your body close to you to keep you warm. Materials used for mid layers include fleece, wool and goose down. I personally like to have a micro-fleece jacket and a down vest as my mid layer.
Outer layer:
The outer layer is what protects you from that raging storm outside. This layer must be breathable, waterproof, and wind resistant. The outer layer protects the micro-environment around you with your base and mid layers. It doesn’t allow moisture or cold from the outside in, and must also allow your body moisture to get out.
If you can get those 3 layers down (with possibly more than one mid layer) then you’ll be ready to weather any situation. Happy Winter Camping!
The 180th Pacific Coast Scout Group believes in ‘healthy body, healthy mind’ and that’s why we created a department dedicated to introducing exciting and challenging outdoor experiences to our Rover Crew – the Integrated Outdoor Program. To find out more about this program, contact us at [email protected].