Choosing & Using A Snow Shovel For Winter Camping & Travel - MegaMejor

Video Choosing & Using A Snow Shovel For Winter Camping & Travel

[You can also view Choosing And Using A Snow Shovel on YouTube.]

For those who ask folks to attract up a listing of the gear they assume essential to take with them on a winter journey or on a winter tenting journey, significantly within the northern forest, they may state an axe for felling lifeless standing wooden for firewood. They could additionally state a noticed for sawing up that firewood into manageable lengths, significantly if they’re utilizing a range together with a heated tent.

They could additionally checklist an ice auger or an ice chisel for slicing by means of the ice on frozen lakes and frozen rivers, both for accessing ingesting water or for fishing.

Fewer folks, although, will say a snow shovel is excessive up on the checklist. In actual fact, a shovel might be some of the essential items of apparatus you’ll be able to take with you. But is appears to be some of the undervalued.

Within the above video I discuss this essential winter device that’s usually neglected or undervalued for winter tenting and winter journey. I additionally talk about a number of options I feel are price searching for in a very good snow shovel.

A snow shovel gives utility and security

If you end up winter tenting, you end up utilizing a snow shovel for all kinds of every day duties. If you end up establishing camp, chances are you’ll be digging out a chilly properly, chances are you’ll be placing snow on the snow valances of your tent to seal it, chances are you’ll be digging out a latrine. You could be amassing snow so that you could soften it on your water provide. All this stuff are made simpler, or potential even, with a snow shovel.

If you go right down to a river or lake for ice fishing, first you should take away snow that’s on the floor within the space that you’re going to be fishing, earlier than you begin drilling by means of the ice.

A snow shovel permits you to transfer vital quantities of snow rapidly and effectively. This skill to maneuver snow is at all times helpful. You possibly can be stopped for lunch, you would possibly need to clear an space rapidly so that you could have a fireplace and keep heat or, possibly, cook dinner a little bit of meals. That’s at all times nice, significantly within the Spring.

You could, nonetheless, face tougher circumstances. For instance, your snow scooter could have turn into caught and wish you should dig it out. In additional excessive circumstances – maybe during which you might be misplaced or stranded – you would possibly have to dig right down to the bottom for an emergency bivouac otherwise you would possibly have to pile up snow to create an emergency snow shelter. And not using a snow shovel, all of this stuff turn into extraordinarily troublesome.

A superb snow shovel is a crucial a part of your winter tenting gear. Photograph: Paul Kirtley.

So, what to search for in a very good snow shovel?

First off, an extendable deal with is essential. This offers you additional attain and permits you to transfer snow far more effectively. There’s a actual knack to transferring gentle snow rapidly and effectively – it’s extra scooping and fewer digging. As you’ll be able to see, with a protracted deal with, that scooping movement is made a lot simpler. And it’s a lot simpler in your again!

After all, you could be pondering, why not simply take a long-handled shovel? First, this is able to be more durable to pack. Additionally, if you happen to did have to dig out a quinzee or snow cave, it’s a a lot more durable job digging out the shelter with a protracted dealt with shovel, as it will likely be very awkward to work with in such a confined area.

What else do I search for in a very good shovel?

Effectively, a very good, sturdy metallic blade. That’s going to final you numerous longer. Plastic blades could also be lighter however in chilly situations, they turn into extra brittle. I’ve actually seen a good few plastic shovel blades break over time.

Subsequent, a very good sturdy deal with, a very good sturdy shaft, and a D-shaped deal with if potential. Handles of this kind have gotten more durable to seek out today. You see lots with a T-grip however the D-grip is de facto good as a result of you need to use them not simply with gloves but additionally with mittens.

One other helpful characteristic to search for in any snow shovel is a detachable head, so that you could separate the deal with and shaft from the pinnacle. That makes it a lot simpler to pack. Whether or not you might be packing it in a backpack or on prime of a pulk or a toboggan, a shovel which breaks down on this method makes it a lot simpler to stow.

The draw back after all is that it’s a must to watch out to not lose any elements, significantly the spring-clips which usually maintain the elements collectively when joined.

A remaining snow shovel tip…

As a remaining tip – and this may occasionally require a bit little bit of customisation in your half – take into consideration factors of contact between you and the shovel. Steel conducts warmth away a lot sooner than plastic or wooden.

A number of metallic shovels are produced from aluminium alloy, which may be very conductive. In chilly situations, even with gloves on, you don’t actually need to be dealing with metallic as a result of it should sap warmth away out of your extremities far more rapidly than touching one thing much less conductive.

Most fashionable shovels have a metallic shaft. Even when that is painted it should really feel very chilly. As you’ll be able to see within the video, what I’ve achieved is wrapped some tape across the shaft of the snow shovel. I used hockey tape – the kind of tape you wrap round ice hockey stick handles.

You should purchase hockey tape in lots of sports activities retailers. It’s fairly simple to pay money for. It’s fairly insulating and stops the warmth being sapped out of your fingers. So, this is a superb addition to make to your snow shovel. Once more within the video, you’ll be able to see that I’ve added all of it the way in which alongside the realm the place my fingers could be gripping the shovel.

I hope this text and video highlights why a snow shovel is likely one of the most essential instruments you’ll be able to take with you on a winter tenting journey or winter journey.

I additionally hope I’ve supplied some helpful pointers in what to search for in a very good snow shovel.

What sort of shovel do you employ and why? What do you want/dislike about it? Let me and different readers know within the feedback part under…