Your Winter “TEN ESSENTIALS” List?

My 'ten essentials' list is really no different than my three season list with a couple of exceptions.

1. Shovel.

2. Butane lighter instead of mini-bic

3. Space blanket (this is brought anytime night temps are low enough to cause problems)

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It's been my experience that once you get below say 25 to 30 degrees (F) the bic's have a very hard time lighting even when you keep them warm. Once it gets below say 10 to 15 degrees (F) it seems like the bic's simply won't light. Now I'm not sure how much altitude effects this so keep in mind I'm sitting at around a measly 1,500 ft above sea level.

In addition bic's perform very poor in winter winds as such I like to use a pressurized butane lighter. You still have keep the butane lighter warm (I wear mine around my neck) but it lights easily and isn't affected by wind.

Of course you could simply forgo the lighter all together and go with some wind proof matches in the winter but I'm bit of a plan for the worst so I take both. ;)

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Bic lighters are butane lighters, aren't they? If not what do they burn?

Sorry, pressurized butane lighter.

Windproof lighters use the same fuel (butane) as standard lighters, and therefore develop the same vapour pressure. The difference is that windproof lighters mix the fuel with air, and may also pass the butane/air mixture through a catalytic coil.

See my additions to original post.

For dayhikes, stove, small pot, soup mix, tea. Otherwise, the same as I would take in spring/fall with the addition of a couple more layers. In other words, enough to keep myself dry and relatively warm should I be stuck out overnight. I also take my Kahtoola Microspikes. Right now a lot of Columbia River Gorge trails are quite icy. We've had two weeks of days just above freezing and below-freezing nights, with no precipitation. December drought!

I haven't noticed problems with my Mini-Bic (warmed in my armpit), but I do take extra REI emergency matches during our Pacific NW "monsoon" season! It normally doesn't get that cold on the west slopes of the Cascades for a Mini-Bic not to work. If I were going to the east side, where it's colder, I'd check out one of those pressurized lighters or more likely bring yet more matches.

Hey Chad – Do you recall which brand/model of lighter you use?

a typical snowshoe day hike

shelter- AMK thermolite bivy, AMK heat sheet, 30' Spectra line, shovel, 1/8" ccf pad, two 6 hour candles, pakc liner does double duty as a "door" when packed w/ snow; shelter would most likely be a debris shelter or trench shelter depending on snow depth, the heat sheet would be used over the shelter (w/ debris/snow over the top of it), the small candles put out decent heat in a small shelter

fire- firesteel, lighter, UCO storm mtaches; tinder- tinder tabs, fire straws, wetfire cubes

knife

first aid kit

clothing carried- windshirt w/ hood, down parka, mid layer top, bavaclava, fleece mittens, gore over mitts, spare socks, goggles

small esbit/wood stove, 600 ml mug w/ lid, spork- like to bring soup for lunch (along w/ normal lunch fare), also carry a single freezedried dinner w/ a couple of extra high cal bars just in case; can melt snow in a pinch

navigation/signaling/comm map, compass, gps/whistle, signal mirror, headlamp/sat phone

handwarmers

sunscreen

water-widemouth bottle w/ micropur tabs

small repair kit