larlet-fr-david/david/stream/2018/02/15/index.md

title: Winter camping gear
lang: en

I will list only three of them.

* Baffin Apex Boots: rated -100°C (!!) I have cold extremities and at least until -35°C I was able to verify they deliver perfectly. I start to sweat when temperatures rise up to zero degrees which is a good compromise.
* Black Diamond Absolute Mittens: there is always a moment when you have to get your gloves off because you need full dexterity, when it takes too long and your fingers are getting very cold it’s good to know that there is a safe place to warm them up.
* Jetboil Joule Cooking System: bulky and heavy but you can turn 3 liters of snow into boiling water in less than 4 minutes. I made the experiment and even with already collected and split wood + a warm pit, it took me about 40 minutes to get my first cup of water in perfect weather conditions.

Nothing minimalist (yet!) given that I still lack some skills [to go lighter](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Of5zPIutfqk). When I will be more [confident in my ability](/david/blog/2018/into-the-cold/) to [maintain a fire](/david/blog/2018/into-the-snow/) I will probably drop these for lighter ones but until then I prefer to go safer, especially being alone.

Gear is always a trade-off.