I enjoyed reading about your weekend. Seems you did well, but I would like to share a few thoughts about some of your troubles with gear in wicked cold.<br><br>I live in NH which is about as cold as where you were. In addition I have many New Years' and what today is called Presidents Weekend trips out in the White Mountains, many of which were far below 0' F.<br><br>You started with water, so I will start there too. <br>I carry no canteens, but do carry 2 (32 oz) nalgene bottles. <br>I carry a water bag empty. This is basicly what you find wine in from the 5 liter box with a nylon cover.You can hang these bags from about anything strong enough to hold the water.<br><br> I never leave it full at night, and I always remove the cap right after use, or I would not get it off. I fill it from a spring when I want it, and pour off as much as I can for later in Nalgene WIDE mouth bottles. These also have caps that have a permanent strap, which I use to keep my self dry when filling from a spring.<br><br>When hiking only one is full. At night mostly using a stove in the Whites, I make up dinner from all frozen foods pre cooked and packaged at home. I save the water that was used for boiling the packets to make hot drinks. I always add water as needed to the cooking pot, and when ready to get night gear set, heat water enough for the bottles. In one I add powdered tang with tea, and hard chips of maple sugar (instant crank), and the other is just water. I don't waste space with the insulators, prefering to use socks to keep the bottles hot. After I am sure the ice that was frozen to the caps has melted and there is no leaks, is when I insert the bottles in the socks, and then in the sleeping bag, and there they stay all night, with my boots, and other articals of clothing I don't want to freeze like a rock. You might expect that the bottles will be slush in the AM too.<br><br>Next to thaw out a sweaty shirt, first let it freeze, then shake it so the ice comes off, turn it inside out and repeat untill the ice is gone. Let it stay in the sun if possible the next day tied to a tree by several points so that it can air well. The same goes for socks. The 2nd night sleep with them layed out flat under you.<br><br>next the sleeping bag: Your sleeping bag was frozen because you did not use a vapor barrier. It was the outter layer of nylon that was frozen, and thats ok for about 2 nights, then the bag is just a stiff heat robber.<br><br>Make or buy a VB bag to sleep in, but never ever breath inside of it. Once I noticed a frozen spot at the foot of my down bag much like you did. I found the VB seam at my feet had opened about 4", and the bag was frozen about 18" dia around that area. Your bag will be come useless in 7 to 10 days with out a VB. I do not carry a tent because I find I can do better in a bivy sack. The bivey sack is as you know the most outter layer, and mine is gortex, not that it makes much difference in winter with a vapor barrier. The sack keeps off snow, and is low to cut wind. I hate the wind, as I just can't sleep when a tent sounds like a freight train. The time I found my bag frozen at my feet the gortex was dry, and not frozen, but the stiff area under the sack caught my attention on inspection. It was day 5, with the temp never above -20' F.<br>I dried my bag the same was as above in the sun thank god! This was a 10 trip.....<br><br>Mittens: In the Whites the simple fact is you can't remove them unless your in a sleeping bag. Since I started going to the Whites pre gortex, and I wanted to use a 35mm Minolta (battle ax of all cameras with only a built in light meter for battery use) I need mittens that could handle 0' to - 60' F. It took awhile to develope, and I suffered for it. So as not to waste your time, I will skip alot and get to what works for me today.<br><br>This system works well for me. I can open any blade on a Swiss Army knife, operate a manual camera, and work zippers, velcro, and snaps when in the cold wind blown wide open.<br><br>You will need to hunt hard for the right fitting shells. I found the EMS gortex un lined shells to be about the best now for the outter layer, but these are not as good for dexterity as my very old shells that were a poly blend and thin, but the EMS shells can allow almost the same dexterity.<br><br>To my way of thinking I want to be able to pick up dimes, so to speak.<br><br>My warmth layer is way low tech. Don't laugh..... I use thick Old Wool Socks. I pick one with bad heels, and darn up the heels for my thumbs. After that I pull the sock on to my elbow, and curl back my fingers, making a loose fist. At that point I cut a slot for my fingers and darn that area. Done.<br><br>Inner layer: very thin poly pro gloves. I liked the white silver poly's like Michael Jackson wore on one hand, but I can't find them any more. So I have 2 pairs of these thinnest possible gloves, and one pair had been cut at the finger tips.<br><br>How this works: (sorry long I know, but you hit to many topics, and I hate to carry dead guys, that were trying to have a good time in the first place)<br>Assuming you sleep in long johns:<br>Upon having mother nature whisper in your ear saying that you absolutly must abandon the warm sleeping bag, put on the fingerl tips removed gloves, a heavy shirt, and then the socks mittens, and parka. The socks mitts go to the elbow under the parka! Then slide out of the bag, add fresh socks to your feet (another day if you don't have warm feet) and pants, and wind pants, and nice toasty boots. Once all that is on, yer hat and shells.....<br><br>Mother nature has been appeased. Time to start the fire. Remove the shells as they are systhetic, and any flame will kill them! You can turn and roll up the wool sock mitts to the back of your hand to light a match and or lighter.. do so, eat.<br><br>the hike: You are in full battle gear now, and you have changed to the full finger poly pro gloves in campby just pulling back the wool mitts, so your hands are free to add gloves. You head off at a good pace in snow 10" deep heading up hill. Soon you become hot, so reach down inside you gators and unzip the wind pants to over the gator tops, and open a hole at the top of the zipper to allow air to flow though you pants. Do this by moving your fingers inside the wool mitts, but leaving the shells on! Open you coat zipper a little to cool, and leave you fingers out of the wool mitts. If you are really hot grab the wool right through the shells and pull your hand free of the wool completely, but never take off the shells.<br><br>Notes of this method: I have in total white out conditions fixed over boots that have come loose on others at 125mph winds on the summit cone of Mt. Washington at -55' F How do I know that? The guy was a weatherman there, and I was invited inside after......If that ever happens have a warm drink, but refuse food...bad mannors to eat food, even when offered....<br><br>I have several hundred pretty nice 35mm slides going back to 1976-77 New Years Eve. That was my first winter trip, and the worst for me and others. 1 dead, many injured, but not in my party. Summited on the 3rd, and first party to reach it.<br><br>I would say that if you don't like my system, that you make one that gives you all the dexterity you can get, and let me know what that is..... I have a friend that argued this system was no good for years. he ran up to EMS and got these bulky gloves, and went off snow shoein in the valleys here. Yup those gloves were one piece battle gear all right! His fingers were hot all the time. He could not vent with out taking them off, and he could not do up a any zippers, or do anything at all but hold a ski pole....So he went to high cold ground, and came back to say the gloves while hot crippled his trip, and he suffered for it..... He since has made a better suited system........ I am sorry to go on so.......but this is better than carring dead guys to me....... Mac<br>