[Joe Biden]

I have only gone in the summer but increasingly feel the need to try the winter out. With that said I know nothing. I know I’ll need a different tent, sleeping bag, clothes, snow shoes .... but what else is needed and what suggestions do you have for a potential first timer? I would likely go on a hike I have been on in the summer... maybe something short/easy. How do you learn about avalanche/avalanche danger? Any help/suggestions would be appreciated as I’m still on the fence about it but really want to 100% educate myself before attempting.

[blendergasket]

Last year I tried testing my gear out on the sub-freezing temperatures at Dash Point in Federal Way to see if I'd stay warm while still being able to pack up and go home.

[joker]

As Jeff says, there are books written about the topic. Going with folks who have it down can help too, as you can learn the various tips/tricks they've earned over time, like how to stay warm while drying out any damp clothing as you settle into camp, etc etc. Trial and error (with the benefit of book reading and internet tips) helps, but w/o the benefit of going with a mentor, you'll doubtlessly still also be learning by trial and error, which can be rather uncomfortable. Your current sleeping pad may or may not be sufficient to keep you warm - look into that and ideally do a test since people have different levels of cold tolerance while sleeping. As for avalanche safety, read Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain and take an AIARE Level 1 workshop (see list of local providers and dates)

[RumiDude]

[the1mitch]

I agree on the read up on the topic as said above. I would add that going along with an experienced someone on your first trip is a good ease in method. As for gotta have items, I would suggest wearing dedicated sleep only clothes from head to toe. Those of us older guys have to prepare to pee during the night, so plan a pee bottle or getting into your boots in the night. It will get dark very very early and so a book to go with your headlamp can be good too.

[AlpineRose]

The Mountaineers Seattle, Tacoma and Kitsap branches all have Winter Camping classes, which include an actual winter campout. The classes can be found under Snowshoeing activities. imo, the most difficult thing about winter camping is the short days, which means spending two thirds of the day in a tent. You can always buy the gear you need. Spending 16 hours in a tent involves a certain mindset.

[Brushbuffalo]

[Randito]

Good text http://a.co/8GyASqV

[DIYSteve]

For multi-day trips, get a VB liner for your sleeping bag. While moving, learn to keep your insulating layers dry for camp and breaks. Start here: Andrew Skurka: Vapor Barrier Liners: Theory and Application. After years of experimentation with various systems, I now prefer next-to-skin semi-VBs. Pry the Gore "it must breathe or you will die" marketing/brainwashing out of your brain and start thinking while moving a single VB or semi-VB layer is warm and a bit moist and all insulating layers staying dry in your pack is better than wearing damp alleged wicking layers that will remain damp the entire trip. People sweat at different levels of exertion, thus different VB or semi-VB systems work better for individuals. There is no substitution for experimentation.

[Jim Dockery]

Like AlpineRose said those long cold nights can be difficult. Even reading is hard if it gets really cold (not typical in WA) when you have to wear gloves to hold your book. A few ideas to deal with all that: a 4 season tent, with a decent vestibule for cooking, that's big enough for two people to sit up in. If out for many nights, esp. in a basecamp situation, some kind of chair system to support your back along with cards and a light. A good warm parka in essential if you want to sit partially out of your bag for long. Two friends I met on Denali had a great system - they were listening to a book on an iPod with a headphone spliter so they could burrow down into their bags when it was really cold and pass the time.

[joker]

What Steve said about VB, especially in the bag. It's not so fun to have a bag's loft decrease each night as a bit more moisture from the night before drags it down. And IME one of the worst parts of winter camping is having to dry out your clothing at the end of the day, which VB should turn into a non-issue. That still leaves getting out of the bag in the morning (the other worst part ).

[Brushbuffalo]

One possible downside of a vapor barrier liner in the bag is that if you sleep with no socks, your feet can feel uncomfortably slimy. This happened to me on my first trip to Denali, where in May the weather was cold. A somewhat satisfactory solution is to wear socks. The OP was asking for tips on what I take to be basic intro-level winter hiking and camping, not so much multi-day more extended trips, where certainly keeping gear dry is of high importance.

[DIYSteve]

Right, wear liner socks and lightweight synthetic bottoms inside sleeping bag VB liner. As joker notes, VB liner protects the down insulation from getting fouled with moisture, and it also adds considerable warmth. After years of comfortable travel with next-to-skin semi-VBs in very cold/dry and cold/wet conditions, I cannot imagine returning to wicking layers and resultant sweat/chill cycling in those conditions -- on day trips, overnights or multi-day trips. VBs are very misunderstood, IMO mostly due to marketing re wicking layers as a requirement in all weather conditions, which is nonsense. When body moisture escapes, heat escapes along with it. Divers figured this out decades ago. Wicking layers result in your body attempting to heat up the Earth's atmosphere and getting your wiking layers damp, and they'll never dry out during the trip in most PNW winter conditions. World class climbers, e.g., Yvon Chouinard, and arctic explorers wrote about VBs back in pre-GTX days. Now VBs are usually discussed by lone wolves, e.g., Andrew Skurka (a very experienced cold weather mountain traveler). I'm sure my posts on this and other sites re semi-VBs are dismissed by most people per successful Gore, et. al. marketing. OTOH, I regularly get PMs and emails from people thanking me for introducing them to next-to-skin semi-VBs for winter travel, so the message is penetrating to some.

[Navy salad]

[DIYSteve]