Food

• You should include plenty of lightweight, nutritious food in your winter pack to sustain your body for at least the amount of days of your packing trip. During the colder temperatures of winter, your body burns extra calories to maintain your core body temperature. Walking in snow also requires more effort, raising your caloric needs. Food ideas include freeze-dried hiking products, granola bars, dried nuts, jerky and vacuum sealed meals such as military issue MREs.
  
  

Extra Clothing

• An extra change of warm clothing is essential while backpacking in the winter in case your first sets gets wet. Wet clothing makes the body lose heat quickly and hypothermia can set in. Choose lightweight materials such as fleece and cotton to cut down on pack weight. Ski gear is ideal for winter backpacking due to its lightweight design and waterproof shell. At least one extra pair of socks, gloves and a hat are necessary because they cover areas that lose heat the quickest.
  
  

Emergency Supplies

• Emergency supplies for a winter backpack should include a first aid kit, emergency solar blanket and skin care products to prevent chapping. The cold temperatures, dry air and winds of winter are harsh on exposed skin, and it can become chapped, cracked or infected if not treated. A lightweight tarp or tent will make a shelter from the wind in case you need to spend the night outside.
  
  

Weather Radio

• A weather radio will alert you to severe weather and give you a chance to get to safety. Winter storms can mean freezing temperatures, white-out conditions and high winds that can easily cause hypothermia quickly and make a backpacker become disoriented.
  
  

Water

• Water is an essential item for backpacking in any season. In winter is it especially hard to obtain clean water due to the cold temperatures. A small, portable camp stove and metal cup are an ideal solution to melt snow for drinking water and can be used to boil water from an unfrozen stream or river. Keep water bottles close to your body to prevent freezing.