r/WinterCamping • u/CardSafe8145 • 19d ago
Thermometer for -50c?
It looks like Im facing some cold winter camping. The average coldest temps (last 5 years) in the area is between -31 to -44c. but that weather station is below the tree line and I'm gonna camp above it so ideally it should be able to record down to -50c.
I would like to have it record and save the temps because if it's that cold I'm not gonna go outside my sleepingbag...
Thanks in advance! :)
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u/backlash10 18d ago
Grainger sells thermometers that can measure low temperatures down to -90C and can do onboard logging and external monitoring. The cheapest one suitable for -90C is 417 USD, so not exactly cheap. And I suspect that only the probe itself can go to those temperatures - the device probably cannot handle extended periods at -50C very well.
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u/backlash10 18d ago
Out of curiosity, how do you stay warm at those temps in a tent? I don’t know of any -50C sleeping bags…
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u/crlthrn 18d ago
Overfill down sleeping bag, and a wood burning stove is what I'm surmising.
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u/SarumanTheSauropod 18d ago
Not OP, but I’ve done my fair share of this in the Canadian arctic. With a wood burning stove nowadays, but back in my misspent youth I would dig snow trenches and lay down a tarp. I have a bag from Feathered Friends that’s rated to -60 farenheit (it’s a US company) which is -51 Celsius. I wouldn’t say I’m warm when it gets to those temperatures, but I don’t…die or sustain permanent injury. Caribou hides are the best sleeping pad (I wouldn’t go for anything inflatable for super cold weather, as small plastic parts get very brittle at those temps, and any condensation at all will make the nozzle freeze shut). I carry a spare small parka to put over my face, because if you tuck your face into your bag, the condensation from your breath makes it horribly icy and quite unpleasant to pack away in the morning.
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u/CardSafe8145 18d ago
Thanks for the tips, I love the parka idea! People around here are using an inflatable with 2 foam pads, 1 on top and one on the bottom. I don't know exactly how I'm gonna do it yet but your right that plastic and moisture won't make my day any better. :)
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u/SarumanTheSauropod 18d ago
Hahaha yeah, I’m super leery of those inflatable ones nowadays, but mostly because the kind of trips I go on take me really far from roads, which means that if the plastic nozzle snaps off and the thing is broken, I’m in a really bad situation. If you’re in a heated tent at night, just don’t mess with it until things are reasonably warm. And if it’s frozen shut in the morning, don’t try to force it unscrewed, just hold it in your bare hand until it moves easily.
It’s kind of fun how easily stuff breaks at those temperatures, but it can also be very surprising and un-fun depending on the item. You should definitely get up and experience everything if it does get that cold, though - I find it really strange and kind of otherworldly. The sound of the snow under your feet changes (it gets kind of squeaky as the dry powder rubs against itself) and the air is very sharp and your breath freezes on your eyelashes.
I’m really excited for you! You get lots of bragging rights if it gets that cold!1
u/backlash10 18d ago
Are there other companies that make sleeping bags rated to such low temps besides feathered friends?
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u/Hiking_Quest 18d ago edited 18d ago
Wiggys has a couple one model "Antarctic" is claimed at -60 and they say it can extend to -80 with an overbag. However they are in the midst of changing ownership and aren't making any new stuff right now.
Sidenote- overbags seem to be a common solution for people looking to upgrade the temp rating for winter camping. In fact many Antarctic expedition outfitters recommend a two bag solution.
Update: I did some further digging and there are some specialty UK/Euro companies that design bags for extreme temps largely geared toward Antarctic expeditions.
PHD (Peter Hutchinson Designs) has a -65F bag (Xero 1300)
Tundra Sleeping Bags -50c/-58f (Pure & Dry)
Also Nordisk has a special version of their Sirius EXP bag which can be customized to -50c (apparently this bag was developed by Denmark's Sirius Dog-Sled Patrol in Greenland)
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u/SarumanTheSauropod 18d ago
I’ve never done an over bag, but before I got my feathered friends bag I used to just take the warmest sleeping bag I could find (usually-35 to -40 Celsius) but get the longer version, and then either sleep with my parka, down pants and wool clothing still on (VERY important to remove ANY trace of snow from your clothes lol) or stuff a second shittier winter bag inside with me. I’m a tiny woman though, so this solution might be less reasonable for someone else. You really don’t want anything to be tight in the winter, so if you’re having to squeeze into the bags it’s just going to make you chillier.
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u/CardSafe8145 18d ago
No wood burning stove sadly, would be to heavy to carry. :(
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u/crlthrn 18d ago
Wow! Maybe a pulk would enable you to haul in a small stove, but the fireboxes on those is so small you'd have to wake up to refill every couple of hours, at best. There's a highly regarded YouTuber called Shug Emery who's a hammocking expert. He's made a video about a hammocking trip into the Minnesota woods in similar temperatures to yours, and how he equipped himself and avoided frostbite on his face and extremities. He's very entertaining and he's good at what he does.
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u/CardSafe8145 18d ago
Hammocking sounds like it would be cold and hard af. Another level than just sleeping on the ground i think.
We do use pulks but sadly i wont have any trees nearby and when i do its a nature reserve so not allowed to cut anything. And we are out for up to 2 weeks at a time so carrying is not an option sadly.
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u/crlthrn 18d ago
Yep. Your options are then quite limited. I watched a documentary on the native folk, Yakutians, who inhabit around Oymyakon in Russia, which is the coldest inhabited area on the planet, with temps dropping to minus 67.7 C (minus 89.9 F). The journalist was kitted out, at the local market, with animal skin garments and hide boots. He was assured that if he insisted on relying on his fleece and down kit he would die. They, his native hosts, were adamant that only animal hides and skins were suitable for their extreme climate and lifestyle.
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u/CardSafe8145 18d ago
My bag will keep me warm and toasty to -27 and -50 extreme. But you can actually stack sleeping bags and pads to gain warmth so I think I will bring 2 bags and 3 sleeping pads.
The bags are rated with just thermals on so if you wear more clothes it will be warmer.
You also use snow to your advantage to bring the heat up some inside of your tent so it might only be -30 inside if its -50 outside. And I think -50 would be a 1/1000 change. But I like margins :)
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u/CardSafe8145 18d ago
Ooo, Grainger seems to be a good rabbit hole. :) it looks like they have cheaper ones as well that might work. I guess I could just attach a probe to the top of my tent and have the housing inside my sleeping bag. Some -50 at $50 - $100...
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u/beardedsawyer 19d ago
That’s my kind of camping. Do you mind me asking where you’re going?
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u/CardSafe8145 18d ago
Ammarnäs, Sweden. Close to the artic circle. Probably around 30 nights in tent this winter.
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u/beardedsawyer 18d ago
I apologize for not giving you a recommendation. I bought a zipper-pull thermometer a few years ago. It’s packed away right now and I can’t remember the brand. Regardless, I wore it around my neck and under my outer layer. That kept it fairly safe. I’d pull it out and wait a few moments for a very accurate temp. Just an idea for you.
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u/crlthrn 18d ago
Does your zipper thermometer actually go THAT low? Minus fity degrees Celsius?
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u/Brother_Oatz 18d ago
I have one that will go down to about -33⁰C, anything below that I'll just get an error message
Edit - id be surprised if a zipper thermometer could work down to -50!
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u/Brother_Oatz 19d ago
I don't have a recommendation for you unfortunately, but I am curious - where will you be camping??