My family and I have been snowmobiling, as a hobby, since the late 60's. Since that time, the de-facto rule we've stuck with is to always travel in at least pairs when out in the sticks. Why? Because, it significantly decreases your chances of being stuck out there. One sled can tow the other back, or, at least carry both riders back.

Using the "buddy system," the only time we've had to spend a night outdoors is when we got lost and both sleds ended up running out of gas. Since the advent of GPS systems and better trail maps, we haven't suffered that problem again.

To also help prevent that problem we started running unequal displacement sleds. Usually, when it comes to snowmobiling for fun everyone wants to run the most powerful sled, which means you often end up with a group comprised entirely of 750/800/900cc big block sleds. That's all well and good for fun, but those bigger sleds drink fuel much faster than a 600/550/340/ect. So, we always try to run at least one smaller displacement sled, so that sled might have enough fuel to make it back to civilization, even when the rest of the group is down to fumes. My old little 340 fan cooled was great for this, I would still have half a tank of fuel when everyone else was nearly on reserve (now I ride a 600 liquid cooled though, as the 340 just didn't have enough power for anything but casual trail riding)

Also, keep in mind, it's best to stop and get ready to spend the night before you're completely out of fuel. Having that little bit of fuel can come in handy during the night for starting/keeping a fire going, for getting away from the area quickly if you need to, and for warming up the engine during the night (why might you want to do that? keep reading).

So, now after all that, if you do end up spending a night outdoors, what do you do?

First, don't forget that your snowmobiling suit and your snowmobile are your greatest assets. With a good suit and helmet, my body rarely ever gets super cold. It's like sleeping in a form fitting sleeping bag. What does get cold, regardless of what gear I use, tends to be my hands and feet. That's when a nice warm snowmobile engine comes in handy; stick your gloves and outer socks somewhere under the hood (where they won't melt) and you'll have good toasty warm extremities. This is also a great place to stick your water bottle to help melt snow. We do, however, also carry plenty of little glove/toe warmer hot packs just in case the engine can't be utilized or if you need a bit more localized warmth.

When sleeping, I feel sleeping on the snowmobile is the best option if you can do it (some of the newer sled designs make it nearly impossible unfortunately). It keeps you well raised off the cold ground. Not to mention the seat, made mostly of foam, helps to add more insulation. Try to park the sled somewhere that allows for you to build a fire, while blocking you and the sled from the wind. You might also want to make sure you've got something to cover your body with, not for warmth, but because it always seems to snow in the early morning hours when I'm outside and you want to keep that snow from getting you wet.

As far as food goes, for snowmobiling I like carrying basic trail type snacks (gorp, jerky, ect) and a few canned selections (pork 'n bean, chunky stew, ect). Why cans? Because they're durable and easy to warm up over a fire. Often times we've also warmed up cans of food by taking the labels off and sticking them under the hood (by the engine) while riding. You just have to be careful with this as warming them up, in a sealed can, for too long will build up pressure in the can.

Typically, we would do this when we were planning on having a "trail-side lunch." We would heat up the canned food on the way to a good open spot off the trails, then, once there, we would build a fire, take out the steaks and grill-top we brought along, and have a nice meal.

When it comes down to it, food actually tends to be towards the bottom of my list of stuff to bring. Tools/spares to keep the sleds moving, navigation gear, communication gear, fire starting stuff, water containers, wood cutting tools, and first aid equipment tend to take precedence. The idea, for a casual trip, is to try not to spend extended nights out in the woods if you can help it. I like camping, but I'm not a huge fan of doing it in places where it can often reach -20*F at night. That's darn cold even when you've got a proper shelter.