We're getting a polar vortex that is bringing the coldest temperatures we've had in decades here in Pennsylvania. I'm headed to the mountains to construct a snow shelter, which is where I'll sleep during the coldest night of the year. I'm also testing my new North Face Inferno -40° sleeping bag to see how it performs. The lowest temperature I observed on my thermometer was -18°F. It stayed around 25 to 30 degrees warmer in my shelter than it was outside
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00:00So we have a polar vortex on its way, and we're supposed to get the coldest temperatures that we've seen in decades.
00:07They're calling for a low of negative 14 Fahrenheit tonight with wind chills in the negative 20s higher up in the ridges,
00:13which is exactly where I'm headed.
00:17I'm gonna hike into the woods a bit and build a survival snow shelter out there, and that's where I'll be sleeping tonight.
00:23We're gonna see just how good the shelter can protect me from the elements. I also have a new sleeping bag
00:29I want to test out.
00:31It's gonna be fun.
00:34It's gonna be brutal, that's what it's gonna be. Right now it is a brisk seven degrees.
00:39I really don't feel like getting out of this truck right now.
00:42It's a nice warm truck.
00:47It's a beautiful day, but it is cold out here.
00:59A lot of snow this year.
01:04It's about two feet deep.
01:10All right.
01:12So I just came across this right here.
01:14There's big logs buried underneath of the snow.
01:18You can see how it's raised like a shape of a horseshoe, but these buried logs will help me out.
01:23I'm gonna leave my jacket off because I'm gonna be getting sweaty. Got my little snow shovel.
01:29Let's get to digging.
01:32A snow trench is one of the quickest and easiest survival snow shelters
01:37you can make, but it requires deep snow, deeper than what we have here.
01:40If you don't have at least three or four feet of snow on the ground, it's gonna be pretty crammed inside.
01:45You're not gonna have much headroom.
01:46So I kind of have to improvise with what I have. The logs buried under the snow will give the walls some extra height.
01:52So right now, you can even sleep in there as it is if you just put a tarp or an emergency blanket
01:58over top of you as a roof with some logs underneath of it.
02:01But we're gonna keep digging, build something a little better.
02:06I'll go get this fallen tree over here.
02:13To give myself even more space and headroom inside the shelter, instead of laying the branches flat across like a normal snow trench,
02:20I'll make an A-frame for the tarp to sit on top of.
02:24This is just kind of an experimental snow shelter I've been working on.
02:30I've also built quinzies, which is similar to an igloo, but instead of being made with blocks,
02:35it's made by shoveling a huge pile of snow, then hollowing it out.
02:38And you don't need a special kind of snow like you do for an igloo, which we rarely get here.
02:43The problem with them though, is they're very labor-intensive and they take several hours to build.
02:48So they're not really practical for a short-term campout or a survival situation.
02:53But they do stay relatively warm.
02:55Even if it's in the negatives outside, a quinzy will stay around freezing on the inside.
03:01I'm trying to build something similar that takes a lot less time and effort.
03:06The most time-consuming part is searching for sturdy dead branches.
03:19Water's freezing up already.
03:21If you want to keep your water from freezing out in the cold, just bury it in the snow.
03:26Just don't forget where you put it.
03:27There.
03:38So I'm going to go ahead and build a tarp.
03:40I'm going to build a tarp on top of the tarp.
03:42I'm going to build a tarp on top of the tarp.
03:44I'm going to build a tarp on top of the tarp.
03:47So that's all trimmed up.
03:49Now I'm going to start piling snow at the base of each branch.
03:52So that when I pile snow on top, the weight of it doesn't flatten everything out.
03:56It'd be a lot better of a shelter if I could use live trees.
03:59Probably cut my time in half looking for materials.
04:02There's only so much I have to choose from.
04:16Those are pretty solid.
04:42Whoo, it's getting cold.
04:45Let me get a fire going.
04:46Warm up.
05:02Gloves are a little iced over.
05:04I did bring extras.
05:06Time to get the tarp.
05:10I have extra clothes wrapped up in here too.
05:15So
05:37these big blocks are pretty lightweight.
05:39So I'll stack these on top and fill in the gaps later.
05:44You might not think it, but snow is a great insulator.
05:47Due to all the air pockets that are trapped in between the ice crystals.
05:55I'll just block this up the rest of the way and we'll be good.
05:58I'm almost done.
06:00My phone battery's dying pretty quickly, so I'm gonna have to use the GoPro for a little bit.
06:05It's hard to keep everything charged when it's this cold.
06:15So
06:27now I'm going to work on the entrance.
06:29They're not the most solid blocks, so I'm just stacking them around the front the best I can.
06:34Trying to leave an opening underneath for me to get in and get out.
06:38Kind of like a sloppy igloo, but it works.
06:44So
06:46now I'm just going to start throwing fresh powder all over the top of it,
06:50filling the gaps in between the blocks.
06:53I may or may not leave all that snow on the top.
06:56I'm kind of just curious right now to see if it can handle all this weight.
07:00So I'm just going to clear this entrance out and then shovel some snow in there.
07:04I'm going to make a raised bed.
07:14You can already tell it's a lot warmer in there than it is out here.
07:17Sun's going down.
07:19Temperature's dropping.
07:30So my pad's up on a little shelf, this low spot here,
07:34coming all the way out to the entrance.
07:35It'll be a little warmer up higher.
07:38So I brought this thing.
07:40This way I can measure the outside temperature and the inside of the shelter.
07:44So right now it is 6 degrees Fahrenheit, negative 15 Celsius.
07:52Let's see what the temperature inside there is.
07:56One problem with building snow shelters is you get sweaty from all the work
08:01and your clothes get covered in snow.
08:10It's pretty calm right now.
08:11Hopefully it doesn't get too windy.
08:14So
08:18time to get more firewood.
08:40This fire feels good.
08:44We haven't had a winter like this in, it's been at least 10 years,
08:51and that winter wasn't even as bad as this one, I don't think.
08:59I just got a sleeping bag the other day.
09:01It's rated down to negative 40 degrees.
09:03Now the comfort level is probably a lot higher than that.
09:06It's probably around negative 20, but it won't be that cold in there.
09:10So it's 15 degrees inside the shelter.
09:14This bottom one must not go any lower than 32, which I guess would make sense.
09:18These are made for your home.
09:19If it's lower than 32 in your home, you got problems.
09:21Time's also wrong.
09:22It's 640, not 740.
09:24Just haven't figured out how to change that yet.
09:26Let's get the meat thermometer.
09:28All right, there we go.
09:29That's more accurate.
09:33That's the temperature inside the shelter.
09:35That, I don't know what that is.
09:37That's the temperature out here.
09:39Once I'm in there, my body heat will warm it up some.
09:43We're going to heat up some water.
09:44I didn't bring much food with me this time.
09:47Just a bag of Mountain House scrambled eggs and bacon.
09:50We'll have that in the morning.
09:52Just need some hot water for my water bottle.
10:09A sleeping pad.
10:18Sleeping bag.
10:20It was expensive.
10:21I cried a little when I bought it.
10:23These aren't cheap either, but if you're spending the night out in the cold like this,
10:26you need a really warm, good quality sleep system because your life does depend on it.
10:31Just so I don't get my jacket all snowy, I'm gonna put this shell over top of me.
10:36Yeah, maybe I have to make that opening just a little bigger.
10:44Welcome to my humble abode.
10:47You can definitely tell it's warmer in here.
10:49That's for sure.
10:54It's reading 20 degrees in here.
10:57Not bad.
10:57Not bad at all.
10:59It's just as important to have insulation under you as it is over you.
11:05I have a foam pad and then this inflatable pad on top.
11:08If the inflatable pad were to fail for some reason and deflate in the middle of the night,
11:12then I have the foam pad as a backup.
11:15It's not a whole lot of var value in this, but there is some.
11:22All right, that's inflated.
11:25So I did end up shoveling a good bit of snow off the top.
11:28It seemed to be holding up fine.
11:29I just don't want to risk it collapsing on me because I'm not sure how much more snow
11:33we're going to get tonight.
11:36I'm just going to poke a little vent hole in here.
11:41Getting a little bit of snow.
11:43Wind's picking up a little bit too.
11:49My water boiling.
11:53I'm going to pour it in my bottle.
12:01It's going to go in the sleeping bag with me.
12:03Keep me nice and warm.
12:05If you do this, you just want to make absolute sure that the lid is on tight.
12:12Well, this should be a fun night.
12:14A couple candles going in here.
12:16It's warming it up a little bit.
12:18I'm going to bed.
12:20I'll see you guys in the morning.
12:24Woo!
12:25It's cold!
12:26It's quarter after four in the morning right now.
12:29It was pretty windy for a while.
12:30Kind of died down though.
12:32I don't hear much going on out there.
12:33Except the trees are popping every now and then.
12:36Even the trees are frozen.
12:39Trying to keep my phone charged in this temperature.
12:42I have a battery pack and the cord in my sleeping bag.
12:48Because if not, it charges very slowly.
12:51It's supposed to be the coldest towards around eight o'clock.
12:56I can't find my outdoor thermometer.
12:58Tight space in here.
12:59It's buried under my clothes somewhere.
13:01I'll find it later.
13:02Anyway, my phone is saying it's negative 10 degrees out there.
13:06In here, it's in the teens.
13:08I'm staying nice and warm in this sleeping bag.
13:10This hot water bottle is heating it up nicely.
13:13It's almost too warm sometimes.
13:15Hey, I found it!
13:16So I have my backpack blocking the entrance.
13:19Or at least most of the entrance.
13:20Not too much.
13:21So you can get some ventilation in here.
13:24I really don't feel like going out there.
13:25So I'm just going to give this a throw.
13:32It is negative 13 degrees out.
13:53Negative 25 Celsius.
13:58So in here, it's about 12 degrees.
14:00Outside, it is negative 16.
14:05Pretty big temperature difference.
14:07Not warm in here by any means.
14:08But it's a lot better than it is out there.
14:11And it just keeps dropping.
14:14That's the coldest it's been in Pennsylvania for a long time.
14:21It's morning.
14:30It's another sunny day today.
14:38It looks a lot warmer than it is.
14:40That sun does feel good though.
14:42So it wasn't a bad night.
14:44The only bad part was getting in and out of this shelter.
14:48Because I didn't want to get all snow covered and then climb back into my sleeping bag.
14:52My sleeping bag kept me really warm.
14:54So I can't complain.
14:55It would have been a lot warmer if I had all of it covered in snow.
14:59Right now, it's a balmy 5 degrees.
15:15I'm just going to get a big enough fire going to boil a little water.
15:19Warm up my hands a little bit.
15:24It was so cold this morning, I didn't feel like getting up.
15:26So I just stayed in there for a while.
15:28When the sun was coming up, it was negative 17 degrees.
15:32I'm going to use some of this for firewood.
15:54And we are going to have scrambled eggs with bacon.
15:58Because I am hungry.
16:29Yes, this is a K-cup.
16:31I like regular grounds better than instant.
16:33Plus these are just easy to use when you're camping.
16:36Put the grounds in there.
16:37Once it cools down, they'll settle to the bottom eventually.
16:40Or to speed up the process, drop a little piece of snow in there.
16:47Oh, those look good.
16:49I'm starving.
16:51Unbelievably good.
16:54You could give me a piece of cardboard with some ketchup on it,
16:56and it would taste good right now.
16:59Now I'm going to get everything packed up and get out of here.
17:02Not without some coffee first.
17:11Even with all my weight on it, they don't collapse.
17:14I probably could have used a little bit more coffee.
17:15But I'm going to have to go back and get some.
17:17Even with all my weight on it, they don't collapse.
17:20I probably could have left all that snow on top of there.
17:22Maybe next time I'll add a center ridge pole.
17:25Just for some extra stability.
17:26So I can pile more snow on top.
17:32Another beautiful day.
17:41Now hopefully it starts.
17:43Or else I might be making another survival video.
17:47We're good.
17:56Well, that was fun.
17:57Hope you guys enjoyed the video.
17:58And if you're new to my channel, go check out my other ones.