Ravin Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 DS's cub scout pack has their winter campout this coming weekend, and we're going. Of course, a cold snap is going to roll in, and it will drop near freezing at night (the last couple weeks have been 15-20 degrees warmer than normal for this time of year). Fortunately, it's only one night, and daytime high should get up around 65. The real challenge will be if they actually keep DS (and DD, and, let's be real, me) busy enough that they don't whine they are bored and miss their electronic devices. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanin Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 Oh gosh, I hate regular camping so winter camping is my nightmare! I bet your son has a blast, though :-) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 We've done Scout camping at 20 degree nighttime temperatures. Not a problem for us as we used two sleeping bags each and extra sleeping pads. If you have tent platforms, no worries about wet ground under your tents. I love Scout camping, when you can load up your car -- as opposed to backpacking when what you carry is very limited. Have a great time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherry in OH Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 Are your scouts trying to earn their Polar Bear Camping Award? We earned ours a few years ago at an October campout. (Our pack seems to have the worst luck with campout weather. ) My advise is if using an air mattress, put a wool or fleece blanket between it and your sleeping bag. Air mattresses are cold in the winter. The children are usually busy enough not to miss screens. It is the adults who have trouble staying off their devices. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2scouts Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 DH and DS are having their Boy Scout Klondike this weekend. They camp out and have a cold weather skills competition against other troops. They had Klondike one year where the weather was in the *negative* teens all weekend, so having single digits and teens this weekend shouldn't bother them much. Our council doesn't even give a Polar Bear Award! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elizabeth86 Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 omg my boys would die. They hate being cold Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2_girls_mommy Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 Our girl scout ends up with temps like that in our Nov. fall camp most years. I agree with the mattress with something under you. A cheap fleece throw works well too. Then we just pile up the quilts. I have a really heavy denim quilt that my grandmother made that is so heavy. I love it for cold camping. I put it on top of a sleeping bag and a couple of other quilts and we are good. The kids usually get in sleeping bags on cots with lots of extra blankets. We don't do backpacking either, so I load up tubs of extra blankets in the back of the van and put in the tent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raifta Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 (edited) DS has his cub scout winter camp last weekend and it was minus 30 or worse with the windchill. They were certainly all entertained though! He came home with multiple stories about Klondike and hunting the snipe and Snowmonkeys and he loved the food and had a great time (Although the ice fishing on the giant lake with no shelter from the wind was not his favourite). He didn't miss his multiple varieties of screens at all. He was pretty tired though and fell asleep on the two hour drive back to the city and then passed out cold mid-afternoon the next day following his return for about 3 hours. Good luck! Hope yours is as well organized as his was. Edited January 17, 2018 by Raifta 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 (edited) I hope everyone has a great time! My least favourite thing when winter camping is having to go pee in the middle of the night. It's the most annoying thing of all time. :cursing: The worst part is the you must go pee, otherwise you're just keeping extra fluid in your body warm, while other parts of the body freeze. Edited January 17, 2018 by wintermom 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 WE were told that Cub Scouts aren't supposed to camp with temps below 35. I wonder if that is changed, we've been misinformed, or if it varies by council. Dh is going camping this weekend but he is doing cold weather camping training, their Boy Scout group is supposed to go next weekend but it looks like someone dropped the ball planning that so I'm not sure it is happening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 I’m supposed to camp this weekend too. I may bow out, it’s supposed to be 19 overnight. I’ve slept comfortably down to 27, but I don’t really want to test to see how low my sleeping bag will go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiguirre Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 DS's cub scout pack has their winter campout this coming weekend, and we're going. Of course, a cold snap is going to roll in, and it will drop near freezing at night (the last couple weeks have been 15-20 degrees warmer than normal for this time of year). Fortunately, it's only one night, and daytime high should get up around 65. The real challenge will be if they actually keep DS (and DD, and, let's be real, me) busy enough that they don't whine they are bored and miss their electronic devices. If you have cold rated sleeping bags, you'll be fine. If you don't and you don't want to buy them for one trip (BTDT), a fleece footed jammie with a 40 degree bag works okay IME. The cubs will be busy and if they let the sibs tag along, they'll be busy too. The adults can sneak their phones when the kids aren't looking. Or go for a hike if they aren't needed for meal prep or two deep leadership. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 You should do fine if you are a hardier soul than many. The Boy Scouts should do fine too. My dh and son camped with Boy Scouts in the winter at Chaco Canyon NM and it was much colder and they survived fine and it was probably both my son;s and husband's most memorable trip in Scout outdoor camping. The stars were unbelievable, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Marmalade Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 omg my boys would die. They hate being cold Omg I would die. For real. And I love camping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 (edited) One of my favorite backpacking trips was winter camping in the Boundary Waters in northern Minnesota. The snow was too deep for our dog (we had snowshoes) so we hiked over the frozen lakes instead. We followed wolf tracks that were following moose tracks...so cool. At night we heard a pack of wolves singing near our campsite. It was the most peaceful, otherworldly sound I've ever heard. Whenever they would howl, our dog (a black lab) would cease breathing, as if to listen closer. He wasn't concerned--though very aware--so we knew we didn't have to be either. It was cold though, and we had the right gear. Our poor pup snuggled in between us under a wool blanket to keep warm. Edited January 17, 2018 by MEmama 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.