Winter camping in Scotland — Gear List
Note - This is not a lightweight winter backpacking kit list. It’s optimised for a walk into a fairly remote location (e.g. in Scotland, c.2 hours from the road) where you’ll pitch your tent in place and have two day walks with two static wild camps overnight.
Winter tents camped on the snow at sunrise near the bealach beneath Meall nan Teanga and Sròn a’ Choire Ghairbh, two Munros above Loch Lochy in the West Highlands of Scotland
Far too early in the year (usually from October), I look forward to winter camping in Scotland. People often find this strange because I’m not talking about the deep, cold snowy winters of, say Alaska, but the bone chilling, ‘just-above-freezing and the sleet’s blowing sideways’ maritime climate that Scottish hillwalkers rejoice in.
Winter camping in Scotland can be cold and very wet. We don’t live in a big country but it’s possible to get far away from the road and relative safety (some roads in winter have no traffic) and with the wind, snow and often close-to-freezing temperature of the rain it would be easy to get hypothermia. It’s important to have the right skills, quality equipment and to be prepared.
Here is a sample winter camping kit list for coping with Scottish winter conditions, with some gear thoughts and tips from 25 years experience thrown in.
Wear
Underwear — Synthetic shorts (or merino wool, which doesn’t stink as much after a few days out). Definitely not cotton.
Trousers — Softshell trousers are popular. I’ve tried lots and prefer Powerstretch leggings (think stretchy fleece tights — not for the fashion conscious)
Socks — Thick woollen socks (e.g. from Bridgedale or Smartwool). If you wear leather boots, waterproof/breathable socks can be useful if it’s forecast to be wet underfoot — look for ones with merino wool inside.
Boots — Scarpa Mantas used to win Trail magazine’s ‘Best in Test’ award most, if not every year. I like La Sportiva’s Nepal Evo GTX model for big snow days (although they’re more suited for climbing than walking, they’re waterproof and very warm) and Salewa Crow GTX for occasions when it’s still winter but the conditions are more alpine in nature
T-shirt — Merino wool (mixed reviews — I like it) or Patagonia’s Capilene fabric
GPS watch — I use a Garmin Fenix 5, which I’ve customised to display grid reference, distance, speed and elevation
Warmth
Fleece top — A lightweight fleece pullover, 100-weight
Windshirt — Invaluable. I wear it over the t-shirt, or the t-shirt and fleece, and it keeps me warm on the move in most weather
Fleece or softshell jacket — I use a Rab Winter Guide jacket. It’s not windproof enough on its own in a cold wind and it’s overly heavy to carry, which is the case most of the time as it’s too warm for me to walk uphill in it, but under a shell it’s excellent as it offers a lot of protection when I need it (e.g. when I’m up high for a long period of time). Lighter options are available (e.g. a second fleece layer or a 60gm Primaloft top from Rab, Haglofs, Patagonia) but I’ve found the insulation in the latter compresses too much in a winter hoolie and I’ve been cold.
Insulated jacket — Mountain Equipment’s Citadel jacket is super toasty. (I’ve tried down insulation and don’t like it in Scotland in winter for camping trips, even with a water-resistant shell — it gets wet too easily and the insulation suffers). The Citadel jacket is far too warm to move for long in so I’ll occasionally replace it with a Mountain Equipment Prophet if the weather is forecast to be not too cold. (If I was buying new, I’d likely go for Mountain Equipment’s Fitzroy jacket).
Insulated trousers — Mountain Equipment Compressor Pants if I’m expecting to be outside a lot during the evening (e.g. taking photographs). A total luxury item but never a regrettable decision (and they enable me to take a lighter sleeping bag).
Hat — Powerstretch hat (thicker ones I find get too hot for walking in)
Buff — Protects your face from the cold when the wind is strong and the temperature is around or below freezing. If it’s really bad I prefer a neoprene face mask.
Balaclava — Powerstretch or merino wool. Or a windproof one if the weather if forecast to be especially wild.
Fleece gloves — Thin Powerstretch gloves I use for perhaps 80% of the time (these enable me to maintain the dexterity required to take photographs). They get wet but dry relatively quickly.
Warm gloves — For a long time I used a pair of waterproof ski or mountaineering gloves from Black Diamond. They were great for poor weather but if I wore them all day I sweated in them and they stayed wet for the duration and for days afterwards. I replaced them with a non-waterproof, soft-shell alternative, Mountain Equipment’s Randonee gloves, accepting the same outcome as my fleece gloves above - they will get wet but dry quicker.
Pile mitts — Lightweight pertex/pile mitts (e.g. Mountain Equipment Randonee or Montane Extreme mitts), which I carry as spare for emergencies
Wet
Waterproof jacket — Mountain Equipment’s Lhotse is ideal (or the Rab or Montane equivalent). I don’t choose a super lightweight option (such as Alpkit’s Gravitas model) which I’ll keep for summer or for days when it’s virtually guaranteed there will be no rain. Features-wise, I like two layers of fabric for the front zip, or else the wind/sleet/rain comes through it, plus a hood you can disappear into which has strong bungee cord at the back of your head for cinching it dow (many jacket hoods un-cinch in strong winds and any models that utilise a velcro strap for this purpose I’d propose are next to useless).
Waterproof trousers — Three-layer Goretex trousers (or Pac Plus) offer maximum protection. If you’re wearing thicker trousers, you could get away with a lighter pair of shell trousers but I’d caution lightness against robustness. I trashed two pairs of Goretex Paclite trousers each in a single season through heel rubbing before a friend gave me a tip - If your trousers don’t have a reinforced kick panel on the inside of your waterproof trousers, next to your heel, paint seam seal here. This strengthens this area dramatically.
Waterproof shell mitts — Paclite mitts from Goretex for wind/waterproof protection (worn over either my gloves or mitts)
Gaiters — Can almost guarantee dry feet, when used with waterproof boots, but I can sometimes get hot and sweaty instead. I use an old pair of Mountain Hardwear waterproof/breathable ones. Make sure the loop at the bottom is sturdy or it’ll break easily.
Safety
Map and compass — Essential, with the map protected within an Ortlieb waterproof case. Plus a spare of each if I’m on my own.
GPS — Not always carried as I have GPS technology on my watch and phone if need be (I only ever use it for a grid reference)
Mobile phone — In a dry bag, fully charged and switched off
Garmin inReach satellite messenger— My choice for emergency communications. Expensive but provides peace of mind.
Powerbank - Nitecore’s 10,000 power brick is very lightweight and ideal for camping, but it is expensive
Ice axe — Petzl’s Summit ice axe (59cm) I’ve found to provide a good balance of functionality versus weight
Crampons — Grivel G12s (10-point ones would suffice for winter walking)
Trekking poles — Collapsible aluminium poles (e.g. Black Diamond) are nice and light in weight (the carbon-fibre version even more so). For Winter, I prefer a stronger pole which offers more durability (e.g. Black Diamond’s Trail Trekking model). I’ll always choose a manufacturer whose poles tighten using a flick-lock mechanism because I’ve had two screw-tighten poles fail on me.
Goggles — Not often used but essential when you need them, to be able to see clearly and navigate in a blizzard
Headtorch — Petzl’s Nao+ model offers a lot of power and great battery life. (I do choose though to carry a spare battery, along with a Petzl Bindi model for use around the tent)
Bothy bag — An essential piece of gear for emergencies — you’ll be away from your tent all day so you can’t rely on that — but also great for lunch stops in the wet or wind. (A 2-man model fits you and a dog. A 3-man is better I’d propose for 2 adults)
Blizzard bag — I’ve never used this but if the marketing’s to be believed, it’ll be as warm as a 2-season sleeping bag…
Suncream — Sunburn is not a good look, nor good for your health
Shovel - Not always taken but used for digging into the snow, e.g. for protection from strong winds
Eating and sleeping
Tent — A 4-season dome or tunnel tent (I have a Macpac Minaret model from 2004 which I’d class as bombproof but I’m not sure how good Macpac’s fabrics or manufacturing process is today). If the weather forecast is not too bad — or I’m winter backpacking rather than a static camp — I’ll choose a Hilleberg Akto model that I use for the rest of the year, which I have used as a base camp in heavy snow but found it wasn’t optimal, despite what I read from passionate users on the internet.
Poles — There’s the option to double up on poles if you’re expecting very bad weather (I’ll do this with the Akto in winter regardless)
Pegs — Long ones plus wide snow stakes if camping on snow (Useful to take some polythene bags then too — fill them with snow and attach them to the guy lines)
T-shirt, long johns, socks — A completely dry set of clothes to put on if need be (with a focus on whatever I choose as being as light as possible)
Sleeping bag — I prefer synthetic and use an excellent Mountain Hardwear Lamina model that’s rated to 20 degrees Fahrenheit / -7 degrees Centigrade (but isn’t that warm — which is where the insulated trousers come in, above). A down bag would be ideal for one night, likely also two, but in that case I’d also take a sleeping bag cover (Mountain Equipment Ion) as down bags are prone to get damp with condensation.
Sleeping mat — Thermarest NeoAir XTherm model is great, and still light enough I find for all year round. (It’s lighter and packs smaller than an much thinner 3/4 length Thermarest model I used to use)
Stuff sack — I’ll either simply re-use a dry bag or take the stuff sack for a Rab down jacket I have (but for which I keep for dog walking). Put clothes in the stuff sack and you have a perfect pillow (the dry bag gives you a cool face which you may not appreciate. I sleep hot, and therefore I do).
Glasses case — I’ve rolled over on my glasses a few times
Kindle— It’s a long night if you’re in your bed just after it gets dark
Ear plugs — Useful for tent partners, it’s said, but also for the wind. I don’t take any as I’ve never found a pair that are any good.
Stove, fuel, windshield — I own a few, all from Mountain Safety Research (Whisperlite, Windburner and a Pocket Rocket). For Scottish Winter, the Windburner is by far my default choice as it’s super easy to use, has it’s own pot and I can use it inside my tent vestibule with little risk of anything catching fire (always prioritising lots of ventilation so I don’t die of carbon monoxide poisoning). Look for winter grade fuel which is optimised for lower temperatures.
Water bottle — A rigid 1l Nalgene with a wide mouth. Excellent as a hot water bottle (I put it between my legs, on the understanding that it’s warming up my blood as it’s travelling through my body)
Vacuum flask for hot drinks— I no longer take this (carrying the stove instead through the day if I think I would need it). A 0.5 litre flask though I’d propose would be a good combination of weight versus the amount of use.
Pot — On the rare occasions I take my multi-fuel stove (MSR Whisperlite), I’ll take a lightweight 1.6 litre pot so I can boil a big pot of water and use it for multiple things, all at the same time (to save me reboiling water). My MSR Windburner model however is much simpler to use and comes with its own pot, which although small is perfectly suitable for drinks (which is all I’ll use it for because, in Winter, my main meal is ‘just-add-water’ freeze-dried options from e.g. Summit to Eat, which I eat out of the packaging).
Spoon — Lexan or titanium
Lighter — Light my Fire fire steel
Pen knife — Small Swiss army knife or similar
Water bottles — 1.5 litre collapsible water bottle (e.g. Platypus). It’s nice to not have to walk back and forth for water
Hygiene — Toothbrush, toothpaste, toilet paper, hand-wash, trowel
First aid — E.g. strong painkillers, loperamide, zinc oxide tape for blisters, etc.
On top of this, I’ll carry a DSLR camera, a single 24–70mm lens, spare batteries and memory cards in a Lowepro Toploader Pro AW75 camera case
Camping at c.950m in the Window on Creag Meagaidh, a Munro in Scotland. It may look nice in this image but the winds were very strong so we dug into the snowpack to provide some shelter.