One reason for emphasis on the bow saw, is that it does twice the work with half the energy. Wood fills with frost in winter and axes bounce instead of cut, no matter how sharp they may be.
In winter look for just the opposite type of campsite you would select in summer. Instead of a shaded open knoll, seek low lands, if they are frozen, where trees are thick and provide good windbreak. Places you never visit in summer suddenly come into their own for winter camping.
A small roll of copper wire will come in handy for many things. One fellow always carries about four wire pothooks of varying sizes. Oh yes, he can make a wood pothook, but that takes time, and often when we have made camp a little late because of a long trip or late start, his pothooks come in mighty handy. He also added pot bags to our list. Strange as it may seem, we don’t have one Scout who likes to wash the black off pots; thus, if we are making only one camp, we just crush the #10 cans and bury them. When we use a regular pot, we just wash the inside, pack it full of other food and equipment, and slip on the pot bag, which prevents it from dirtying up our pack.
by Remington Schuyler
Tents
Tentage is a story in itself. We use the Tab tent (Scouting, December, 1947), which is a rectangular, suspended tent. It has thirty-seven tabs which give us a chance to pitch it in many different ways, each providing twenty-inch walls, which make for more room and efficient use of the tent’s interior. For winter camping we pitch it with an open front in either winter baker, forester, or explorer style, using forty-penny nails or logs to anchor it on frozen ground, or logs or sticks buried in deep snow. We like logs best; the same logs can be used for bed logs with the Tab tent. We bank the tent well with grass, leaves, or snow—for that wind can whistle under an open edge too easily.
We have a favorite tripod fire crane which works perfectly under any conditions—frozen ground, in snow, or mud. It eliminates cutting crotched sticks and pounding them into hard or frozen ground. The three uprights may be dead or live wood fastened at the top with a small piece of rope, wire, or even a neckerchief. The lug pole is green wood about an inch in diameter. This rig can be easily moved as your fire changes, and works well with any type of fire lay.
Don’t forget a small food cloth for keeping food and cooking equipment off the ground. Keep one pot on the fire for a constant hot water supply; it will come in handy in a dozen ways and is an excellent first aid precaution. It is easier to melt snow in water than in a bare pot where it must be stirred to keep from burning. Let each individual prepare his own beverage with boiling water and the beverage powder he prefers. This saves tying up another pot.
A good ground cloth is essential. Make it large enough to go under and over your bedroll. Build your bed of dried leaves, grass, or boughs. Don’t rely on that summer sleeping bag alone—extra blankets are necessary. Newspapers are good insulation. Sleep with your head to the highest part of the tent so that your breath won’t freeze and form a hoarfrost on the tent and fall off onto your blankets.