Winter is upon us.. what do you...

[Michael_Lambert]

Do to stop from freezing to your gear :D

Last year i was camped out in a reserve here in Ontario for about 4 hours.. hiked in 2 hours setup a small blind and made a little snow fort so to say in -20 degree weather.

Setup my camera at the time 30D and my tripod with 70-200 2.8L. Sat there waiting for about 4 hours before a family of deer came out looking for food great opertunity so i leaned in to take the shot and my fingers where damp from sweating in my pockets and my face was kind of dam from well runny nose.. grabbed my gear and relised it grabbed me back. My fingers stuck to the lens body and my cheek stuck to the back of the body... the face was tempuary let go fast however one of my fingers stuck pretty good so i had to breath on them a couple of times.

But what do most people do who shoot in this kind of weather, i guess thing gloves and a eye extender would work better but the questions are.

- what do you do
- Does this kind of cold hurt the gear?
- going from freezing gear to breathing on it the humidity does that damage anything?
- What kind of blinds do you guys use for cold weather? anyone got pictures of there winter setup?

[RikWriter]

Do to stop from freezing to your gear :D


Live in Florida. :D

[PBeeee]

I take my gear out on multi-day backcountry trips in winter and have not harmed it yet but I do take some care with it. I usually have a camera around my neck (skiing) and another body and lenses in my pack. Because skiing is pretty aerobic, I do tend to get sweaty and I can relate to the sticking to the metal parts thing. I wear thin liner gloves all the time, wicking ones so they are not transfering sweat to the gear. I've not had my face stick though, drier air here maybe. As far as the cold, if we are out for 6-8 hours, often more, I will tuck my camera inside my shell and keep it warmer there. Now, that is a breathable shell so I don't often run into condensation but I have if I get overheated. For this winter, I have a Kata cover and I think that will solve that problem. Condensation happens when the cold gear hits warm air. I have a little thermometer hanging off my pack and according to it, the temperature next to my back stays well above freezing so I think the gear inside the pack so long as it is next to my back does too. Considering that I have not had a water bottle freeze solid if its in there, and I feel pretty confident. That said though, you do have to remember that the LCD is a LIQUID crystal display. I would not subject it to extended cold. You would not, for example, just set it outside overnight in freezing temps so I do think you have to pay attention to how long it is exposed. You don't have to keep it toasty, but use your body heat to keep it warmer than freezing.
On the way home, I resist the temptation to warm the gear up. I put them in the back of the wagon and let them stay in that cooler part of the rig. Once home, if they still seem cold, they get put in the cool shop to acclimate. This is when condensation is a problem, when the cold gear hits warm air. If I do get condensation or if I have been in and out of overheated cabins at night, once I get home I will take out the battery and memory card and let the camera sit with the doors open to try and dry any internal moisture.
One last comfort tip. A foam garden kneeling pad is a great cheap insulating seat for sitting on the ground. Heck, they are cheap and light, glue two together. Hope this helps.

[gymell]

I don't worry at all about the cold. It's bringing it in from the cold that I worry about. Oh, and myself being in the cold. ;) As for the former, I make sure before I bring my gear in that I keep it closed up tight in the bag so it warms up slowly. And take the CF card from the camera before bringing it in, so I don't have to open the bag to get it out once I'm home. For the latter (keeping myself warm) I dress in layers, wear snowpants, insulated boots, etc. And use those instant heat to warmers in my boots as my toes are the first thing to go. Although, that didn't stop my eyelashes from freezing when I was out photographing eagles on a windy -20F day. ;)

[rdricks]

Live in Florida. :D

Reading your tale, I'm inclined to agree with the advice above.:lol:

[Michael_Lambert]

Oh Trust me.... Moving to Florida is on my list of things to do.. Not only for the warm weather but the CAVE's! What i would not do to be able to wake my ass up toss my gear in the truck and drive 5 mins to go cave diving.. instead of this crap of packing the truck and driving 20 hours to do it.

[gymell]

I'm a native Floridian, and yet I chose to live in Minnesota. I'll take -20F over giant flying cockroaches any day! ;)

[Karl Johnston]

I sometimes think the USA has the gun laws relaxed as it does to kill those things ^ during infestation periods.