{"id":12284,"date":"2017-05-19T07:00:58","date_gmt":"2017-05-19T14:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=12284"},"modified":"2021-03-10T13:52:17","modified_gmt":"2021-03-10T21:52:17","slug":"ask-an-expert-warmth-without-a-fire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/camp\/ask-an-expert-warmth-without-a-fire","title":{"rendered":"How Do I Stay Warm Without a Fire?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Our question this time was submitted by Alan Davison, an REI Co-op member since 1999.<\/span><\/p>\n

Few things stir the soul like a prolonged primal stare into a roaring campfire. For some, to even suggest camping without one is sacrilege. But camping without one is also part of a new outdoor reality. Between burn bans and our quest to tread ever more lightly on the wild places we love, we need to be able to re-imagine the way we camp.<\/p>\n

For guidance on how we can keep ourselves warm and happy in a fire-free camp, we turned to REI Outdoor School Instructor Lindsay McIntosh-Tolle, who teaches a wide range of camping and backpacking skills classes in the Portland, Ore., area. \u201cThe way that I\u2019ve always approached fire is that it\u2019s lovely when it\u2019s appropriate, but that it\u2019s not always appropriate. And you can absolutely have a fabulous, awesome trip without it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"an<\/p>\n

Why <\/strong>Forgo the Fire?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

A recent study by the University of Colorado at Boulder revealed that 84 percent of all wildfires are caused by humans and that, over the past two decades, the average length of the fire season has tripled. So it shouldn\u2019t be surprising that fire bans are becoming more and more common.<\/p>\n

\u201cBe extra-aware about fire bans. They change seasonally and they can even change from week to week,\u201d says McIntosh-Tolle. \u201cAnd they can apply to both wilderness areas for backpackers and to car campgrounds.\u201d<\/p>\n

To find out if there\u2019s a fire ban in the area you plan to visit, McIntosh-Tolle recommends simply doing an internet search for \u201ccurrent fire ban\u201d for wherever you\u2019re going. \u201cWebsites for places like state and national parks will be very clear when there are bans. If you\u2019re not sure, call the nearest ranger station,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Another reason to eschew fires when camping is that it\u2019s an easier way to leave no trace. <\/b>\u201cA fire is just a whole lot of work. You have to find a safe place for it. You have to set up a fire ring. You have to gather fuel (responsibly) and you have to be absolutely certain it\u2019s out before you go to bed,\u201d says McIntosh-Tolle. \u201cAnd when you\u2019re done, you need to completely disassemble your fire ring, cover up the scarred earth and return everything to its natural state.\u201d Established campgrounds save you a few of those steps, but you\u2019re still signing up for a night of fire tending.<\/p>\nRead: Leave No Trace Principles<\/path><\/svg><\/a><\/span>\n

\"a<\/h4>\n

Tips for Keeping Warm Without a Fire <\/strong><\/h4>\n

In order to stay warm without that wood-fired heat source, it first helps to understand that our bodies lose heat for a variety of reasons. If you\u2019re starting to get cold, sleuth out which one is the culprit and fix it.<\/p>\n

Conduction<\/strong>:<\/strong> This is the transfer of heat by direct contact. \u201cI might have a bunch of good layers on,\u201d says McIntosh-Tolle, but \u201cif I\u2019m sitting on a big, cold rock, then I\u2019m losing heat that way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAny time you sit on the cold ground, you\u2019re going to lose that thermodynamic battle because [the ground is] always going to have more cold than you have warmth.\u201d The good news is you can fix that by putting something beneath you: An insulated sit pad or sleeping pad works great. Even a camp chair helps because it breaks the direct connection between you and the ground.<\/p>\n

Convection<\/strong>:<\/strong> This is the transfer of heat through the air: wind blowing your warmth away from bare skin or out through your fleece, for example. One solution is to put on your rain gear, even when it\u2019s not raining. Standard fleece is breathable, which is nice, but that also means that wind can get through it. Because rain gear has to be able to block wind-driven rain, it also excels at keeping out wind.<\/p>\n

Radiation<\/strong>:<\/strong> Our bodies naturally give off heat. \u201cThat\u2019s where layers come in. You\u2019re basically just adding insulation in order to minimize heat loss through radiation,\u201d says McIntosh-Tolle. Interestingly, the long-held notion that wearing a hat is extra valuable because we lose most of our heat through our heads isn\u2019t exactly true. We lose heat pretty equally throughout our bodies. So putting on a beanie helps because our head is often one of the last places many of us cover. Keep in mind, however, that a beanie can\u2019t compensate for inadequate insulating layers elsewhere.<\/p>\n

Evaporation<\/strong>:<\/strong> \u201cI\u2019m a big advocate of the concept of \u00a0\u2018dry equals warm,\u2019 \u201d says McIntosh-Tolle. If you\u2019re damp, that water will evaporate and make you colder, so be sure to change out of your sweaty clothing. \u201cFor sleeping, I always try to have a \u201csacred\u201d set of clothes\u2014something that I only wear for sleeping. At the very least, I\u2019ll bring a sacred set of socks. Having something that\u2019s clean and dry next to your skin makes all the difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

Respiration<\/strong>:<\/strong> This form of heat loss is one you really can\u2019t do much about because not breathing isn\u2019t an option!\u201d says McIntosh-Tolle.<\/p>\n

Gender and body type:<\/strong> Typically, women lose heat more rapidly overall than men do, which is why women\u2019s sleeping bags have more insulation overall and temperature ratings that are specifically calibrated for them. \u201cAnd our feet and our hips tend to get really cold when we\u2019re sleeping. That\u2019s part of why women-specific sleeping bags are designed the way they are. They have extra insulation in those areas,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

She suggests extending that thinking to hanging around camp as well: Thicker socks or a jacket that covers the hips can help those areas. One other option she recommends: \u201cI thought that a down skirt was the goofiest thing I\u2019d ever heard of. Then I put one on and said to myself, \u2018Oh, this is lovely.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n

\"two<\/h4>\n

A Few Other Tips for Building Heat<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Add calories<\/strong>:<\/strong> Snacks, like peanut butter or candy bars, and warm (nonalcoholic) drinks, like hot cocoa, help fuel your metabolic furnace. And hydration, even in the form of zero-calorie water, helps because fluids are used by your body to burn fat, which produces heat. \u201cAnd if nothing else,\u201d says McIntosh-Tolle, \u201cbeing well-hydrated just helps you function better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stay a little bit active:<\/strong> You want to move around. There\u2019s kind of that balance, though. \u201cIf you\u2019re cold, you don\u2019t want to do so many jumping jacks that you\u2019re sweaty,\u201d says McIntosh-Tolle.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t <\/strong>wait until you\u2019re freezing: <\/strong>\u201cBe proactive about it,\u201d says McIntosh-Tolle. Do your research so you\u2019ll know what to expect, temperature-wise on your trip, \u201cand prepare for slightly colder temperatures than the weather is predicting.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAlso, some people just run really cold. Other people are furnaces and they\u2019re always warm. \u2026 So, it\u2019s important to have that self-awareness,\u201d says McIntosh-Tolle, \u201cso you can adjust gear choices accordingly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"five<\/h4>\n

But Where Do You Gather and Cook S\u2019mores?<\/h4>\n

The campfire has long served as our outdoor entertainment hub: the setting for traditions like singing, telling stories and roasting marshmallows. \u201cA lot of folks have that kind of gut reaction to do that when there is a fire,\u201d says McIntosh-Tolle. \u201cBut you can encourage it even when there isn\u2019t a fire. It just takes a little more intention.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lanterns<\/strong>:<\/strong> \u201cYou can create that gathering place by setting your camp up around a central location, like a picnic table. Placing a couple of lanterns on that can create a lighted focal point for your camp.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople naturally gather where there\u2019s light. You can find lanterns now that have a softer glow that kind of mimics what a campfire does,\u201d says McIntosh-Tolle. \u201cGas lanterns typically give off a nice warm light. If you opt for a battery-powered LED model that gives off a slightly cooler light, you have the advantage of not worrying about kids burning themselves and of being able to take it into a tent later.\u201d<\/p>\nShop: Lanterns<\/path><\/svg><\/a><\/span>\n

Stoves<\/strong>:<\/strong> Whether it burns gas or an alternative fuel, there\u2019s nothing quite like the instant on\/off convenience of a backpacking or camping stove. And while she doesn\u2019t recommend dripping marshmallow goo into the burner of your stove, McIntosh-Tolle says that \u201ca determined camp chef can construct the whole s\u2019more, then sear it lightly in a pan.\u201d<\/p>\nShop: Stoves<\/path><\/svg><\/a><\/span>\nRead: How to Choose Backpacking Stoves<\/path><\/svg><\/a><\/span>\n

Stars<\/strong>:<\/strong> One plus about using light and heat sources that you can turn off and on is that they make it easy to stargaze. You\u2019ll just need to give your eyarees time to acclimate to the dark after you turn your lights out. Once you\u2019ve made that transition, you\u2019ll discover that few things stir the soul like gazing up at the galaxy and contemplating your place in the universe.<\/p>\n

Meet the Expert<\/h4>\n

\"Lindsay<\/p>\n

Outdoor School Instructor Lindsay McIntosh-Tolle<\/strong> (REI Portland, Ore.)\u00a0teaches a wide range of camping, backpacking and wilderness skills. She developed a healthy respect for fire safety as a young canoe guide in northern Minnesota\u2019s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, where a nearby group failed to fully extinguish a campfire and burned down half an island.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Our question this time was submitted by Alan Davison, an REI Co-op member since 1999. Few things stir the soul like a prolonged primal stare into a roaring campfire. For some, to even suggest camping without one is sacrilege. But camping without one is also part of a new outdoor reality. Between burn bans and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":12285,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[687,552],"internal-tag":[568,1672,1442],"class_list":["post-12284","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-camp","tag-ask-an-expert","tag-rei-members","internal-tag-ken-knapp","internal-tag-pre-redirect-camp","internal-tag-seo"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/camp\/ask-an-expert-warmth-without-a-fire","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"How Do I Stay Warm Without a Fire?","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/camp\/ask-an-expert-warmth-without-a-fire","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/camp\/ask-an-expert-warmth-without-a-fire"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2017\/03\/C01-2680-staying-warm-without-a-fire-e1494881635521.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2017\/03\/C01-2680-staying-warm-without-a-fire-e1494881635521.jpg?fit=4143%2C1429"},"articleSection":"Camp","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Michelle Flandreau"}],"creator":["Michelle Flandreau"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["ask an expert","rei members"],"dateCreated":"2017-05-19T14:00:58Z","datePublished":"2017-05-19T14:00:58Z","dateModified":"2021-03-10T21:52:17Z"},"rendered":"