The Best Winter Camping Gear of 2013
Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.
Western Mountaineering Flight Pants
These toasty, 13.6-ounce, 850-fill goose-down trousers are made from Gore Windstopper fabric and feature full-length side zips and DWR coating. They left us wondering how we’d ever camped without insulated pants. Our only gripe: no fly.
Jetboil Sumo TI Stove
Canister stoves may suffer from low flow in cold temperatures, but the effect, we found, was marginal. Even with temps in the teens, the 12-ounce Sumo boiled water faster than the competition.
Sierra Designs Zissou 0 Sleeping Bag
Each feather in the roomy Zissou 0 is treated with a water-resistant coating, so it takes up to 10 times longer for water to soak in—and dries much faster when it does. This might be the ultimate winter camping bag.
Mountain Equipment Co. Expedition 2 Booties
Knee-high, cinchable gaiters and semi-rigid soles allow you to tromp around camp and in powdery woods without a worry.
Backcountry Access Dozer D-2 EXT Hoe Shovel
A quick adjustment to the Dozer’s handle transforms it from a basic avalanche tool into a backhoe-like device that moves snow like a rake. At 1.9 pounds, it’s heavier than most pack shovels, but it’s more efficient, too.
Mountain Hardwear Nilas Jacket
If there’s one item to splurge on, it’s a highly packable, superwarm puffy like the 850-fill down Nilas.
Nao Headlamp
Who says you have to take off your gloves to adjust your headlamp? Sensors in the Nao automatically adjust the amount of light to what you’re looking at.
Vaude Norrsken Sleeping Pad
Conventional wisdom holds that in winter you need two pads: a closed-cell one layered beneath a self-inflating one. Another option is to simply get yourself a fancy pad like the 1.4-pound Norrsken. The baffles of PrimaLoft Infinity insulation kept us toasty on a Teton night in the twenties.