Winter Bikepacking in SD ends with Frost Bite
#26
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I've yet to use them, but I generally pick and choose my winter riding days and its nearly always in daylight, so I can see clearly what I'm going over.
#27
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When I was in college, in Maine, I decided to test the thermal rating on my sleeping bag by taking it out to the top of a local hill one night in February, where I slept, completely exposed. The air was so cold my nostrils stuck together, but it went ok until about 5:00 am when the wind kicked in.
I thought that was one of the stupidest things I could do, but your video has inspired me ...
Thanks for posting.
I thought that was one of the stupidest things I could do, but your video has inspired me ...
Thanks for posting.
#28
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People are free to do as they wish, but riding at night, without lights, without a tent, and seemingly without proper clothing at -5F is something I'd never do, and I love winter sports.
Hope you recover quickly though!
Hope you recover quickly though!
#29
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I always try to make camp before it gets dark too.
But I have never bike toured in winter, although I have bike toured a few times when it was below freezing in the morning. I just can't get enthusiastic about the concept of wanting to ride a bike over snow and ice in the winter on the way to a camping spot. And a winter sleeping bag takes a lot of volume. My thick down parka that I would wear in the campsite takes a lot of volume when packed. All your gear in winter gets heavier and bigger. Fortunately you can get good air matresses now, the thicker thermarest pads that were good enough for winter were thick and heavy too. Even though my winter sleeping bag was down for light weight, it weighed almost five pounds.
When I lived in Minnesota and winter camped, we never used a tent, almost always used a tarp to keep fresh snow off of us. Tent would hold the moisture in, and most tents did not have good enough ventilation to keep our stuff dried out. But a tarp did not hold the moisture in as much. We would use a space blanket as a ground sheet, but I think it only made us feel warmer, unlikely that it helped make our sleeping bags warmer.
But I have never bike toured in winter, although I have bike toured a few times when it was below freezing in the morning. I just can't get enthusiastic about the concept of wanting to ride a bike over snow and ice in the winter on the way to a camping spot. And a winter sleeping bag takes a lot of volume. My thick down parka that I would wear in the campsite takes a lot of volume when packed. All your gear in winter gets heavier and bigger. Fortunately you can get good air matresses now, the thicker thermarest pads that were good enough for winter were thick and heavy too. Even though my winter sleeping bag was down for light weight, it weighed almost five pounds.
When I lived in Minnesota and winter camped, we never used a tent, almost always used a tarp to keep fresh snow off of us. Tent would hold the moisture in, and most tents did not have good enough ventilation to keep our stuff dried out. But a tarp did not hold the moisture in as much. We would use a space blanket as a ground sheet, but I think it only made us feel warmer, unlikely that it helped make our sleeping bags warmer.
#30
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When I used to live car-free I used studded tires in the winter but now that I get to choose when I want to ride outside I find studded tires are complete overkill, especially on gravel. Patches of ice on top of a gravel road are quite easy to navigate relative 2 what happens during an ice storm when you're riding in a bike lane and cannot maneuver around the ice patches. I can't imagine how much it would suck to ride even 50 miles with a set of studded tires. I hated them 95% of the time and the other 5% they were my best friend. Haha!
#32
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This was a great adventure - now that you survived to tell. You sure now have an impressive story to tell for the rest of your life.
#33
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Wow, that's hard core. I'm not a big winter camper or cyclist, but am a life long snow sport enthusiast (downhill/XC skiing, skating, snow shoeing, and winter hiker). With constant self-induced windchill like downhill, I need full face coverage below freezing - neoprene half mask and googles. I wear eyeglasses too - just need to get the 'OTG' (over the glasses) version of goggles, and I actually just started using Uvex Stealth Anti-fog lab goggles for their clear lens and low cost (vs my ski goggles)... worked great on several trips below zero for me. I also carry my 10oz/1L tent for winter day excursions for use as a 'Bothy Bag' (full and 3/4 head-out) and a 'Palmer Furnace' for my lunch and rest stops - you might be interested in googling those terms - super easy concepts that make a huge difference in warmth (and a game changer for using bare hands) while inactive/resting for very little weight/bulk/prep, and of course would make a good shelter for you to cook/sleep in (except you'd need to find big rocks to stake it in those condition (ground frozen, snow too shallow).
#34
Senior Member
black humour aside (oh geez, theres another frostbite reference) I hope your skin is ok, most of us have had bits of skin come off ends of ears , Canadians eh, and while it might be a bit sensitive, it should be ok.
Balaclava, put one on your shopping list.
#35
Senior Member
When I used to live car-free I used studded tires in the winter but now that I get to choose when I want to ride outside I find studded tires are complete overkill, especially on gravel. Patches of ice on top of a gravel road are quite easy to navigate relative 2 what happens during an ice storm when you're riding in a bike lane and cannot maneuver around the ice patches. I can't imagine how much it would suck to ride even 50 miles with a set of studded tires. I hated them 95% of the time and the other 5% they were my best friend. Haha!
#36
Member
Thanks for your Adventure! I'm not one to enjoy the cold but currently live in SD... Bike all year and after this past winter, I'm leaving. Reading the tips and insights are very helpful though... Get back out there (plan, do, review, repeat). That Bivy looked familiar, Marine issued?
#37
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Refresh, you have a good story to tell.
no, not the chipper.
Some planks I tore from the cabin floor, and I lit the boiler fire;
Some coal I found that was lying around, and I heaped the fuel higher;
The flames just soared, and the furnace roared—such a blaze you seldom see;
And I burrowed a hole in the glowing coal, and I stuffed in Sam McGee.
Some coal I found that was lying around, and I heaped the fuel higher;
The flames just soared, and the furnace roared—such a blaze you seldom see;
And I burrowed a hole in the glowing coal, and I stuffed in Sam McGee.
Last edited by Darth Lefty; 04-06-19 at 12:48 AM.
#38
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the rock solid frozen face mask!
Last edited by rumrunn6; 04-06-19 at 06:16 AM.
#39
Widely Despised
Suggestions based upon snowboarding & bike commuting as low as windy -5F....
- Wear good ski goggles over your glasses (as others have said).
- Handlebar pogies offer more warmth & dexterity. In days of yore, I'd modify
snowmobile pogies to fit my bikes. Nowadays you can buy bike specific ones.
- I modified my balaclava with a velcroed fabric bridge from the nose to eyebrow area.
This allows adjusting how much skin is exposed, & it covers skin between my eyes.
(It took some fiddle'n around to get it to feel right.)
- I also added a breath deflector to the balaclava's nose opening so
the moist air goes downward, avoiding eyewear condensation.
- Sweaty feet? Spray antiperspirant on them.
- Chocolate & bacon. Gotta be warm & well fed to enjoy it.
- Wear good ski goggles over your glasses (as others have said).
- Handlebar pogies offer more warmth & dexterity. In days of yore, I'd modify
snowmobile pogies to fit my bikes. Nowadays you can buy bike specific ones.
- I modified my balaclava with a velcroed fabric bridge from the nose to eyebrow area.
This allows adjusting how much skin is exposed, & it covers skin between my eyes.
(It took some fiddle'n around to get it to feel right.)
- I also added a breath deflector to the balaclava's nose opening so
the moist air goes downward, avoiding eyewear condensation.
- Sweaty feet? Spray antiperspirant on them.
- Chocolate & bacon. Gotta be warm & well fed to enjoy it.
Last edited by Revoltingest; 04-06-19 at 09:24 AM.
#40
Senior Member
Best of luck with your nose.
Honestly backpacking and cycling are two different monsters in winter. Hiking, especially with a nice weight behind you, makes you work out more muscles than pedaling. So it at least feels warmer for awhile after you stop.
Honestly backpacking and cycling are two different monsters in winter. Hiking, especially with a nice weight behind you, makes you work out more muscles than pedaling. So it at least feels warmer for awhile after you stop.
#41
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Virginia rider here who finds the post rather surprising, I'd have thought staying warm while sleeping the hard part. I've biked (not camped) at 0° F & the thing that struck me was how chilly it got when I stopped for a few minutes even though I had a ton of clothes on. I have a similar balaclava that I've used while skiing, it doesn't seem to add that much warmth. I would have ditched the bike helmet & perhaps worn one of those hunting hats with the ear flaps & a long scarf for the face. Also, how about a dyno hub light?
#42
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Virginia rider here who finds the post rather surprising, I'd have thought staying warm while sleeping the hard part. I've biked (not camped) at 0° F & the thing that struck me was how chilly it got when I stopped for a few minutes even though I had a ton of clothes on. I have a similar balaclava that I've used while skiing, it doesn't seem to add that much warmth. I would have ditched the bike helmet & perhaps worn one of those hunting hats with the ear flaps & a long scarf for the face. Also, how about a dyno hub light?
The trouble I have biking or skiing or snowshoeing in winter is moisture control, parts of me will be freezing and parts of me will be sweating. Sweat built up in your gear destroys the insulation value and when it starts to evaporate it gets colder from evaporative cooling. Even biking in winter, there will be times I take my gloves and mittens off to try to shed excess heat so I do not sweat as much. If you go for a couple hour long bike ride, not much of a problem if you have moisture built up in your clothing as it can dry out inside. But winter camping, moisture buildup in your clothing is a much bigger problem as there is no convenient way to get rid of it.
#43
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Well there's that vapor barrier clothing idea though it sounds sort of like sleeping in a wetsuit. I don't have a winter tent but always assumed that for very cold temps the idea was to have all vents closed...is it better to have at least one vent open to prevent excess humidity?
& yes, I've never liked getting over-heated in winter. I see a lot of bikers that wear tights that go under the shorts...I like the ones that go over the shorts...that way one can remove the tights (in public) without any fuss. Also, the less one sweats, the less washing required. Heh, it can't be too easy to wash clothes when temp is -5° F.
& yes, I've never liked getting over-heated in winter. I see a lot of bikers that wear tights that go under the shorts...I like the ones that go over the shorts...that way one can remove the tights (in public) without any fuss. Also, the less one sweats, the less washing required. Heh, it can't be too easy to wash clothes when temp is -5° F.
#44
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Well there's that vapor barrier clothing idea though it sounds sort of like sleeping in a wetsuit. I don't have a winter tent but always assumed that for very cold temps the idea was to have all vents closed...is it better to have at least one vent open to prevent excess humidity?....
Even when you are sleeping, your skin gives off moisture. That moisture migrates in vapor phase through the sleeping bag insulation. The inner part of the bag is near your skin temperature but the outside of the bag is the air temperature surrounding the bag. Thus, in winter, some of the bag insulation is above freezing, some of the bag is below. As the moisture in vapor phase that your body gives off migrates through the bag, when that moisture gets to the part of the insulation were the insulation is below freezing, most of that moisture will turn into ice crystals and stay in the bag. WInter camping, I kept my long underwear on but I did not wear most of my other layers in the bag at night. If those layers were damp, that would be come extra moisture that migrates into the bag insulation.
Somewhere in storage I have a vapor barrier liner, but I think I only used it a few times. It has been quite a few years since i winter camped.
It has been years since I read Steger and Schurke's book from their (and a couple of others) dog sled trip to the north pole, so my memory could be off but I think that some of their sleeping bags weighed 40 pounds with ice buildup. Either they did not use vapor barrier liners or they did not work as they should have. That is why northern houses are built with a vapor barrier liner on the inside of the wall, to keep moisture from getting inside the insulation in the wall during winter.
But in my opinion you don't want to consider using a vapor barrier liner in your sleeping bag unless you are out for more than a week and a half or more. Shorter trips, I do not think it necessary as the moisture buildup will not be that bad.
Vents in a tent, I think it all depends on the wind. When the inside ceiling of your tent starts to grow lots of ice crystals, you might want to open a few vents. I never winter camped in windy areas, so on that I am quite ignorant, we always camped in forest where there was good natural wind break. And we usually camped under a tarp, so no moisture buildup.