How To Stay Warm Camping In The Cold

“Don’t wait until later to do this,” says polar explorer and all-around cold expert Eric Larsen. “Once the snow melts and refreezes, it’s hard to manipulate. Camping in cold temperatures requires thorough planning from packing the right gear to insulating your tent. However, one of the most important elements of cold camping is planning meals.

By attaching a mylar blanket to the ceiling of your tent with a little bit of duct tape, you’ll drastically reduce the amount of heat lost through your tent. The first and most important thing is to have a good tent to keep yourself away from the cold, we recommend one of the four seasons that are ready to withstand low temperatures. The best way to enjoy temperature extremes is to buy a 4-season unit that is designed for it.

Prevent Spills On Your Dry Gear

Fill in your email address below to receive fabulous monthly updates about camping, competitions and general outdoors related loveliness. Sleeping on a double-height air bed is great in terms of comfort for those with mobility issues as they are so easy to get on and off, but boy are they cold! I persevered with one for well over a year and was always cold no matter how many sheepskin rugs I laid on top of it.

You will be surprised how little water you will use. Toilet has been winterized with antifreeze if you use for a weekend it won’t freeze can be dumped on the way home or better yet use a honey can and dump daily at bathroom road stops. Wear insulated chest-high bib ski pants around your RV camper in extreme cold; they work like a charm. You can ever sleep in them and wear them everywhere around camp. Paired with a down parka, and all suggestions above, you should stay toasty warm all winter-long with a tiny bit of propane, etc.

Hack #11: Bring A Thermal Blanket

To stay warm, avoid silk and cellulose fibers like cotton, layer strategically, and opt for synthetic fabrics. Then use some everyday experiences to figure this out. Do you sleep with your down comforter on your bed through May? Are you the type of person that wears a long sleeved fleece zipped up while hiking in 70 degree F temperatures while all your friends are hiking in shorts and tank tops? You need to keep this in consideration when figuring out what you need extra to keep warm – and no one is going to know this better than you.

Here is an article about if it is safe to use a heater in a tent, and here is an article about if it is safe to use something called a catalytic heater . I’ve done an article about how to use rocks to heat up your shoes and socks when they get wet , but you can also do this to heat up your car! This is an extremely easy and effective way of heating up your car in a pinch. I learned this trick from a website called “WeeksOutdoors” . This map from NASA represents the changes in “Land Surface Temperature” in the North American continent from January 2018. This map helps us to understand that places that are cold are getting colder, and places that are hot are getting hotter.

But this does not take into consideration your own intolerance to cold. A space heater is an effective tool to control the warmth within your camp, but it would be hard to fit inside a small tent or awning. Unless you are 100% prepared and ready to face the winter weather of the place you are camping, staying in your car is the best bet.

Don’t sleep in the clothes you’ve been wearing all day, because they will be damp. If snow is in the forecast, a 4-season tent is your best option. These tents are designed to protect against snow and ice buildup, high winds, and even hail. If your campsite is cold but not freezing, you might get by with a 3-season tent depending on its level of mesh and ventilation. It should offer you basic protection from rain and wind.

Wear A Balaclava To Bed

These tents will be more aerodynamic against strong winter winds, and the smaller size will heat more quickly and be more likely to keep the heat inside. In addition, always thoroughly check your gear for holes, tears, or punctures. Even the slightest slit or pinprick hole can make a huge difference in the temperature inside your tent, keeping wind, cold air, snow, and rain outside where they belong. The leaves are changing and the days are growing cooler, but that doesn’t mean that camping season needs to come to an end. Even during the bitter cold, camping can still be enjoyable.

Then I quickly got in the tent, took off the boots, and climbed into my mummy bag and zipped up. Within minutes I was all nice and toasty and easily fell asleep. When it comes to sleeping bags, for years I was freezing at night when camping even with loads of extra layers and a duvet on top. But then I discovered the Robens Crevasse II sleeping bag. It’s a high-quality 3 season sleeping bag which is hands down the best I’ve ever used, and often keeps me so warm that I need to take layers off even when camping when it’s very cold . Hot water bottles are a great investment for any camper looking to brave colder temperatures.

If you plan to stoke your fire all night long, place your tent as close to the fire as possible for added warmth (but not so close that you risk catching your tent on fire!). Cold weather can damage phones and tablets, so wrap them up in your clothes or put them at the bottom of your sleeping bag. However, heat can also damage them, so don’t put them right next to a hot water bottle. This aluminized, coated pad is highly durable and has a lightweight build—we’re talking under 19 oz—and its R-3.5 rating is sure to keep you insulated.

Fear The Cold

Your body will naturally circulate that warmth all over your body – right down to your cold little toes. Combine that with the best insulating tent to help keep that warm air inside, and you’ve got all the good beginnings to a toasty night. There’s nothing worse than putting out your fire, unzipping your tent, and being met with a rush of icy cold air. A foam pad’s R-value is the pad’s ability to resist heat transfer. If you’ve got no better option, make sure to fill your mattress with an air pump or go with a thin, self inflating mat to optimize insulation and minimize heat loss.

While solo trips are great for experienced cold-weather backpackers, having a partner adds a layer of comfort and safety. Find a great person or group willing to brave the cold on your next backcountry adventure. It is also a good idea to be mindful of how much you are sweating. If you notice yourself getting a bit warm, remove a few layers of clothing to cool back down.

Keep Your Head And Feet Covered And Dry

We started in August when the weather was quite pleasant. We just had some strong winds every now and then, but our tent protected us from that. Usually, Halloween is my cut-off time to put the tent away. Spring Equinox is my startup time, but, as we found out in 2016, temperatures can really fluctuate right up until the end of April, so it’s worth packing to be prepared for anything. Sleeping bag liner – a thin cotton liner can add another level of warmth without adding too much weight to your pack.

Drinking a warm beverage or eating a snack before bed can also help warm you up, as the process of digestion literally warms you up from the inside. The Mr. Heater Buddy I mentioned earlier has all of these features. Specifically, it shuts off if it tips over or notices the oxygen level in the tent is too low, or if the pilot light goes out. Plus it’s good sense to bring spare gear anyway, as you never know what can happen. However, don’t burrow right down into your bag, as you’ll end up breathing in it and creating condensation, which can freeze.

Your outermost layer of clothing needs to protect you from wind, rain, and snow. I’ve camped in the UK in November before and it was seriously cold. So cold in fact that I put the kettle on to make a coffee in the desperate hope of warming myself up. After 10 minutes I realised I was still waiting for the kettle to boil.

Check to make sure that your hats, gloves and socks are also synthetic. All of your clothing and accessories should keep you warm in harsh conditions. While it’s nice to have a roomy tent to stand up in, when it comes to cold weather camping, the smaller the tent the better. That’s because the tight space will heat up much quicker with body heat and keep you and the others in the tent warmer overnight.

Winter camping offers a whole new experience for those up to the challenge. It can even save you a lot on fees as the demand at parks dies down. 2 10 keys to not getting cold when you go camping. If you want to know how to warm your tent and sleep as comfortably as possible, keep reading and note down some of the keys we give you to get it.