Camping is all about getting back to nature and feeling a little bit of peace and relief from your busy daily lives. The last thing you need is to have a bad night’s sleep because you end up shivering all night in your tent. Being cold doesn’t just lead to lack of sleep, it can also be dangerous for your health and you can risk hypothermia if you’re not careful.
Not to worry. We are going to take you through all kinds of ways to make sure you stay warm in your in a tent so you can forget those sleepless nights and snuggle up warm to wake up excited for the day of adventuring.
This may sound pretty obvious, but what we mean here is don’t let the cold get in and make sure you layer up before your temperature starts to drop. It’s much easier for your body to maintain heat than have to create it because you’re cold. As soon as you feel the temperature start to drop or notice cold weather coming in, put some more clothes on.
Thermals are light and easy to pack and you should always carry a thermal base layer for both your legs and upper body, especially when camping outside of the summer months and most certainly in winter. By wearing thermal pants and a long-sleeved thermal t-shirt, you’re giving yourself the best chance of staying warm no matter the weather. Plus you’ll be able to use fewer layers to stay warm.
One of the worst things you can do is go to bed cold. Your body has to work hard to keep you warm and if you get into your sleeping bag cold, you’ll most likely remain cold for a while. If you are cold when you want to go to bed then do something to warm up. Whether it’s drinking something hot, doing some start jumps, or even doing some situps while in your sleeping bag, get your core body temperature up will help keep you warm all night.
Sleeping bag liners are designed to add a season to your sleeping bag rating. They come in all shapes and sizes but the warmest are most likely fleece sleeping bag liners. They are light, packable, and make a huge difference when you’re camping in cold weather or winter.
There is nothing better than using a high-quality sleeping bag to stay warm throughout the night. Down insulation is the best in terms of keeping you warm. But down sleeping bags can be expensive. There are some great less expensive sleeping bags that use synthetic insulation if you’re not willing to spend the extra cash for down. Just make sure to buy a 3-season sleeping bag unless you’re camping in winter, in which case you’ll want a 4-season sleeping bag.
A hot water bottle is pretty much a portable sleeping bag heater and you should always pack one if you’re going camping in winter or if there is any risk of cold weather. All you need is to boil some water, fill it up and you can go to bed with a warm companion that’ll keep you toasty most of the night.
One way the cold will get to you in your tent is through the floor. As the night rolls in, the ground gets colder and colder and will act as a heat sink, stealing all your hard-earned warmth. Usually, a single camping mattress will do, but when it’s really cold, you’re going to need some additional ground layers to protect you.
Consider getting an extra sleeping mat for times like this and ensure it has a high R-value. The higher the R-value the better the sleeping mat mat will be at preventing heat loss. By using a mat like this, plus your normal sleeping mat, you’re giving all your gear the best chance of keeping you warm.
The smaller your tent, the quicker your body heat is going to warm it up. A large tent, with a high roof and not many people init will struggle to warm up. Make sure to pick a tent that fits you all comfortably but isn’t too big so that you’ll get cold.
In this day and age, you can buy a tent heater to take along with you. They are either electric or run on gas, note if you choose an electric one you’ll have to have access to a power hook up. You can use them to heat up your tent before you go to bed, but you shouldn’t ever use them while you’re sleeping for a long time as they are a dangerous fire risk.
If you do plan on investing in a tent heater, make sure it comes with all the safety features like an automatic kill switch that turns it off if it falls over. This way you can minimize the risks a little bit.
Roger is a little obsessed with travel. He has been to over 40 countries, broken 3 suitcases and owned over 10 backpacks in 12 months. What he doesn't know about travel, ain't worth knowing!