Coldest Temp you have camped/hunted in?

[theCaptain]

When i was 17, a friend and me decided to camp at Land Between the Lakes and never bothered checking the forecast, lady at the park office looked at us funny when we got our camping permit for 3 days. We started hiking in mid 40's, started snowing as we set camp, temps plummeted to low single digits. We were in a 3 season tent, 30 degree bags and wore every article of clothing we had with us. Park ranger even checked on us at 3 am. To say we were unprepared would be an understatement. Woke up before light because we couldn't stand to lay still anymore, boots were frozen, pillow could have been thrown through a windshield, and all of our water was frozen. Needless to say we didn't stay the 3 days as promised, we hiked out at daybreak.

 

[gelton]

4° here...first rifle CO about 6 years ago. This is right around the time we were getting "geared up" with all the right stuff. Had a 3 season North Face tent that nearly collapsed under the weight of the snow and only a 15-degree Marmot bag. Woke up with the roof of the tent about 6 inches above my face.

Leaving today for 2nd rifle and it looks like we might have that record of 4° beat. It looks like we will be forced into the wall tent for a couple of days before spiking out anywhere.

 

[SaltySailor]

Last year we rode snow-go's out to a remote camp that has insulated wall tent frames and wood stoves, thank god. We struck out at -50F thinking it wouldn't be too bad as it should only take a hour to get out there. Myself and a buddy got frost nipped, apparently wind chill whilst driving 40-50mph in those temps is legit cold.

We turned in after some beers that night and my unfortunate soul was the first to wake up and have to use the crapper the next day.... man!

 

[jp0212]

Got down to -8 on a January Archery Deer Hunt in Arizona. Camped in a tent with no heater, which was pretty damn cold. That was nothing compared to when I started out hunting. In another January Archery Deer hunt in the same area it was down in the single digits. I only had a 30 degree bag and summer sleeping pad in my Big Agnes Copper Spur 2. Hands down the coldest I have ever been in my life. Learned a lot since then

 

[Winnie]

-27 while pheasant hunting in North Dakota is probably the coldest. Lots of wind. Routinely hunt down to -10. Beyond that, eh, just wait for another day!

 

[bozeman]

2F in a tent NW Colorado.....the 20degree bag wasnt a wise choice..

4F in a wall tent with a stove in NW Colorado.....much better.

 

[Catahoula]

Arizona late November rifle elk hunt years back was at -2...

 

[mlgc20]

My daughter and I were in southwest New Mexico a couple of years ago for the youth elk hunt around Christmas. It got down to -11 the last day of the season.

 

[Dos Perros]

Have camped into the single digits in Kansas, under a Cabela's Alaskan Guide tent and Buddy Heater, so not too bad at all.

Killed my first deer at -2 and it was 0 by the time we had him dragged the mile back to the truck. That was before I knew about gutless and quartering. I was burning up even in 0 F after that drag. Dropped an icicle of a deer off at a processor days later (it never got above freezing).

 

[NoWiser]

Woke up one morning during MN deer season and couldn't get my lighter to work to start a fire in the tepee so I could eat some warm oatmeal. As I knelt there in my underwear shivering with the lighter in my armpit, I glanced at the thermometer next to my sleeping bag and it showed -10. I was toasty warm all night in my 15 degree Marmot Helium with a Kifaru woobie inside as a liner. I've hunted in colder temps but I believe that was the coldest I've slept in.

 

[Werty]

Camped -5 f without heater, -10 f with stove. Hunted elk in -35 f

 

[Nomadx2]

I have hunted and sat in an open deer ladder stand all day with temps from -2F to 4F. You pray that the wind is to your back and not in a open clear cut.

Have worked all day is -48 F (actual air temp)

As a kid in the boy scouts, we would camp out in tents overnight in 10-14 F temps.

 

[bpietila]

My family and I (wife and 3 kids age 3-9) camp out regularly through the winter in northwest alaska. When it gets really cold we don’t go, but have spent a few nights out where it -20 or colder. Good gear goes a long way. We have used a mix match of sleeping bags and tents, but one constant has been a wood stove. After a few years we have settled on wiggys bags and arctic oven tent. We also use caribou skins either on the ground or on the cots. One thing I learned when we first started winter camping was that it is a LOOOT warmer to sleep on a cot. Getting up off the ground allows the warm air from the stove to go under you.

 

[Snowcrest6]

was too you g at the time to remember it but, my dad had me along on a deer trip along the high line in montana back in the early 70’s....said he heard was sounded like gunshots, only to realize and see the pine pitch exploding in the trees.....radio report said it was -70*......we hauled ass pretty quick.

 

[GunsAreFun]

-35 temps in a slide in camper with electric. Snowed in @ that spot for more than a week. N/W Missouri.

When was this?

 

[Packin_packout]

-20 in the rattlesnake Hills Wyoming. Marmot -40 sleeping bag hilleberg 2 man tent stacked on top of two closed cell foam pads. Froze the windshield wiper fluid reservoirs solid in my truck. Door locks have frozen solid on me at this temperature. The lighters must be kept in interior pockets next to your body. You are better off with a liquid fuel stove rather than a jetboil at this temperature. Trioxane tablets are your friend for starting fires. Check that your rifle bolt doesn't get stuck. Neoprene Koozies around nalgene water bottles, no CamelBaks even with insulated tubes.

The only time I felt warm in that trip was when I was packing out my bull.

Heading up to montana this weekend and I think it's going to be worse than that. Coworker who lives up there texted me oday to indicate that the low on Sunday is supposed to be minus 17 at his house in the valley.

You get something down you have to get it quartered out all the way or it will freeze into a popsicle and you will not be able to break it down without a hatchet. Even when you do get it quartered a elk rear quarter leg will freeze solid and then you may not be able to fit it through the hole in your backpack. Just a precautionary note.

 

[*zap*]

Ten years ago, guns are fun.

 

[BuckHunter24]

Never camped below 0, but have worked full days in the -25 to - 30 range a fair amount a few years back. Its crazy how dry the air is at those temps. The skin on my hands was super dry and cracked. If I was doing it over I'd have packed a jet boil with me

 

[Nykki]

Winter hunt for moose south of Nenana one year it stayed in the 15-20 below range for the week we were out. 8x10 wall tent with two guys and no heat other than a camp fire was no fun, frozen quarters are easy to tie on to a sled tho.

 

[carter33]

Hunted caribou and camped out with temps between -30 and -40. We hunted off snowmachines and had an arctic oven with a wood stove and more guys than what comfortably fit in the tent. But that arctic oven definitely did the trick, I didn’t even fully zip my sleeping bag. It was a dry cold with very little wind and it was actually pretty easy to stay warm all day.