Dogsledding

This is a little site I made for dogsledders. Other dogsledding sites tend to focus on dogs, equipment, and sledding techniques. Here I've tried to cover some things you need to know for when things go wrong. And what to do if you get stuck overnight when you planned to go just for the day.

The winter scenery you encounter as a dogsledder is stunning but there are dangers lurking in this beautiful landscape.

Below you will find a list of items that you absolutely need to bring with you anytime you dogsled out into the frozen wilderness.

Winter can be very dangerous and cruel, it can kill you or cripple you for life. But if you are prepared for what can (and will happen sooner or later) to any dogsledder you will get through it with no problem.

If you bring all the items on the list you will get through a cold winter night in the woods not just alive but also in pretty good shape. If you decide to skip some items you could very well die out there and they won't find your body until the spring thaw.

WINTER SURVIVAL ITEMS:

MULTI PURPOSE TOOL

Such as a swiss army knife or a Leatherman tool. You will need this to fix broken equipment, cut branches for a shelter, cut wood for a fire. This item will always be used and if you don't have at least a knife you might not make it.


STEEL WIRE


You will need this to suspend firewood in the air to have a fire to keep you warm. If the snow is deep you cannot make a fire directly on the snow. Bring at least 10 ft (or 3 meters) of wire, preferably stainless but regular will do fine too. If you are dogsledding in an area that never has very deep snow you can skip this item.
Make a screen with the wire and make sure it's anchored well on the snow or to nearby vegetation or rocks and make you fire on top of it.


DUCT TAPE
Perfect for fixing broken gear or to fix supports around a broken leg. Even if you don't break your legs or your gear duct tape will still come in handy for fixing pretty much anything.


RICE Perfect emergency food. Very light weight and full of energy. In an emergency you just need lots of energy, don't worry so much about vitamins. Bring about 3 cups of rice per person per day you think you will spend in worst case.


SMALL COOKING POT WITH LID    To boil water to keep you warm and to cook rice to eat. If your pot has a lid it will heat water more efficiently.


WOOD POWERED CAMP STOVE
   You need to bring a stove, no question about it, your best source of heat will be drinking plenty of hot water and you need a stove to boil all that water, without a stove you're dead for sure. What ever you do, don't bring a propane stove or any type of stove that runs on gas or liquid fuel. Gas and liquid stoves work fast and efficiently but they have a number of problems that only show up in cold temperatures, propane stoves sometimes simply don't ignite if it gets too cold, they also have moving parts and complex nozzles that can get jammed or clogged by ice. Relying on a propane or liquid fuel stove in the winter is suicide. You need a very simple wood stove with absolutely no moving parts such as the Trailstove (click for website). These types of stoves are slower to cook on than propane stoves but they ALWAYS work.


LIGHTERS AND MATCHES
   Bring plenty of lighters and matches. Lighters are very small and light so bringing extra ones in case one doesn't work is a very good idea. Without means to make fire you will freeze to death. You can try to make fire like a caveman by spinning a stick against a piece of wood but that is a skill that takes practice to learn and if you don't already have that skill you'll freeze to death before you have it figured out.

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MULTI PURPOSE TOOL	Such as a swiss army knife or a Leatherman tool. You will need this to fix broken equipment, cut branches for a shelter, cut wood for a fire. This item will always be used and if you don't have at least a knife you might not make it.
STEEL WIRE	You will need this to suspend firewood in the air to have a fire to keep you warm. If the snow is deep you cannot make a fire directly on the snow. Bring at least 10 ft (or 3 meters) of wire, preferably stainless but regular will do fine too. If you are dogsledding in an area that never has very deep snow you can skip this item. Make a screen with the wire and make sure it's anchored well on the snow or to nearby vegetation or rocks and make you fire on top of it.
DUCT TAPE	Perfect for fixing broken gear or to fix supports around a broken leg. Even if you don't break your legs or your gear duct tape will still come in handy for fixing pretty much anything.
RICE	Perfect emergency food. Very light weight and full of energy. In an emergency you just need lots of energy, don't worry so much about vitamins. Bring about 3 cups of rice per person per day you think you will spend in worst case.
SMALL COOKING POT WITH LID	To boil water to keep you warm and to cook rice to eat. If your pot has a lid it will heat water more efficiently.
WOOD POWERED CAMP STOVE	You need to bring a stove, no question about it, your best source of heat will be drinking plenty of hot water and you need a stove to boil all that water, without a stove you're dead for sure. What ever you do, don't bring a propane stove or any type of stove that runs on gas or liquid fuel. Gas and liquid stoves work fast and efficiently but they have a number of problems that only show up in cold temperatures, propane stoves sometimes simply don't ignite if it gets too cold, they also have moving parts and complex nozzles that can get jammed or clogged by ice. Relying on a propane or liquid fuel stove in the winter is suicide. You need a very simple wood stove with absolutely no moving parts such as the Trailstove (click for website). These types of stoves are slower to cook on than propane stoves but they ALWAYS work.
LIGHTERS AND MATCHES	Bring plenty of lighters and matches. Lighters are very small and light so bringing extra ones in case one doesn't work is a very good idea. Without means to make fire you will freeze to death. You can try to make fire like a caveman by spinning a stick against a piece of wood but that is a skill that takes practice to learn and if you don't already have that skill you'll freeze to death before you have it figured out.