Staying Warm When Tent Camping

[havetentwilltravel]

Greetings, Fellow Campateers!

We have had a camping trip on the books for several months now, and don't want to cancel, but the forecast keeps dropping steadily. We've gone from days with highs in the mid to upper 80s to a forecast that is now calling for upper 30s at night. We're three season campers to some extent, but don't really camp when it's that chilly normally.

I'd love your hints & tips on how to keep warm at night. We're taking a tent heater, but beyond that, I'd love to hear what else you advise. Also tips on how to effectively use a tent heater safely are welcome. Thanks!

[renodesertfox]

Re: Staying Warm When Tent Camping

Dress in layers, and when using the tent heater, leave a window open 1/2 way so the carbon monoxide can escape. Turn off the heater before sleeping then zip up that window. Take a wool blanket or two. Donot wear your days clothes to bed, change into a set of night garmets. Change your socks often. Take a few 100% cotton bathroom rugs(not the vinyl on the back side) with you to place around the floor of your tent so toes & feet stay warmer when inside. Hogsnapper has really fine advice too! Car floor mats also work well as tent rugs too.

[Jopopsy]

Re: Staying Warm When Tent Camping

Dress in layers, and when using the tent heater, leave a window open 1/2 way so the carbon monoxide can escape. Turn off the heater before sleeping then zip up that window. Take a wool blanket or two. Donot wear your days clothes to bed, change into a set of night garmets. Change your socks often. Take a few 100% cotton bathroom rugs(not the vinyl on the back side) with you to place around the floor of your tent so toes & feet stay warmer when inside. Hogsnapper has really fine advice too! Car floor mats also work well as tent rugs too.

I'm assuming those of us w/ mesh vents all over the tent can skip ppening the windows on the doors?

[terasec]

Re: Staying Warm When Tent Camping

hog mentioned pee bottle,
just like to mention to go to the bathroom before going to bed,
dont hold it because you dont want to get out from under the blankets,
body uses alot of heat/energy to hold the urine, that energy takes away from keeping the rest of the body warm.

[renodesertfox]

Re: Staying Warm When Tent Camping

Jop, the reason I suggest to keep a window opened is for safety's sake. Yes, most family style 3-season tents have a full mesh ceiling. The rain fly that fits over that ceiling usually has it's own frame which attaches to the frame of the tent, sometimes not but there is sufficient space 2-3" to allow for ventilation of moisture condensation to that moisture from collecting and in raining on the individuals inside. For me, it's better to be extra safe if your heating source releases carbon dioxide. Better to be alive than dead, putting it bluntly! If your inside source is like any of Mr. Heater's Products and you're using propane, the propane canister is left outside and a regulated rubber tube attaches to the propane tank and is taken in through the door or an opened port on some tents. It is better to have good ventilation always.


In addition to a carbon monoxide hazard, propane has another characteristic that warrants caution. Since propane is heavier than air, if there's a leak, propane will sink to floor level and pool there. If there happens to be an ignition source, such as the pilot light to a water heater, there is a serious risk of a fire or explosion.

Burning propane---or other combustible materials for that matter---in small enclosed spaces can present a carbon monoxide hazard. Carbon monoxide is a product of incomplete combustion. It is odorless and it competes with oxygen in the blood, depriving the brain and other parts of the body of oxygen. Some propane heaters are approved for use inside a dwelling and some are not.

More info below, please read. Not to be funny but when I wake up after sleeping I'd rather see my wife than my maker. It isn't called the silent killer for nothing.

http://www.silentshadow.org/the-dang...-monoxide.html

[Jopopsy]

Re: Staying Warm When Tent Camping

Eh ... might just be I'll stay home after early October !!!

[terasec]

Re: Staying Warm When Tent Camping

Eh ... might just be I'll stay home after early October !!!

i wouldnt let the cold keep you home,

cold nights are worth it when the sun comes up and you enjoy that warmth.

[renodesertfox]

Re: Staying Warm When Tent Camping

Most organized campgrounds shut gates by the middle of October anyway along the east coast, it's the same here in Utah. The fourth season is a different nut to crack, planning, specialized gear, even if you're not a licensed hunter each family member has much more personal responsibility for them selves/toward each other and more planning. It isn't something to just jump into! There are plenty Campateers that only camp between Memorial Day & Labor Day! No worries!

[havetentwilltravel]

Re: Staying Warm When Tent Camping

Wow, this is some incredible info & exactly what I needed here, folks. Thanks so very much!

Now for another question: our sleeping bags are rated to 40 degrees, and it's supposed to be a low of 39 one night. Is that doable, perhaps with a comforter thrown on top, or are we really better off trying to snag some new sleeping bags last minute & hoping to get decent quality/price?

[NYCgrrl]

Re: Staying Warm When Tent Camping

Eh ... might just be I'll stay home after early October !!!

In recent times, the latest I've ever camped, was mid October, in CT., in fact, the last weekend they were open.
As far as the weather....that year it was an "Indian summer" and prolly the evening temperatures didn't go much past 40 degrees. We slept on an air mattress on a stand. In deference to the cooler weather, I placed a light weight down quilt directly atop the mattress, followed by cotton flannel fitted and top sheets and a duvet encased winter grade down quilt to finish it off. PJs were all long sleeved and made of natural material; SO opted for a hoodie as well. We had a restful night yet knew it was colder than normal. I will also note that racoons and skunks wandered around with impunity as 3/4 s of the campground had been closed down. The experience was a tad surreal since we'd been there 6 odd weeks prior.

Someday I'll get a heater....

[ceomom703]

Re: Staying Warm When Tent Camping

We camp where they have electricity...I bring my heater

[markkee]

Re: Staying Warm When Tent Camping

Don't trust the ratings on sleeping bags. The ratings are a guideline. I have used the same Western Mountaineering down bag for nearly 25 years. It's rated at 25 degrees. Even when it was brand new, I know that I would never sleep comfortable at 25 degrees.

Recently, I purchased a new Sea To Summit Trek II down bag that uses a standardized European rating system. It's comfort rate down to 18 degrees. If I ever sleep in 18 degrees, I will have good insulation under my sleeping bag as well as a down comforter over my sleeping bag.

If you are sleeping in a tent, you need insulation between you and the ground. Look a the R factor for the mat. The higher the number, the warmer you will sleep. Air mattress will keep you off the ground and allow you to sleep comfortable. However, they have a low R value and will suck the heat right off your body.

What type of sleeping pad/mat are you using?

[05Kingquad700]

Re: Staying Warm When Tent Camping

I am of the Mr Buddy club. I only run mine at night, when I am awake and the family is settling in, I shut it down when I go to sleep. I turn it on in the morning to kill the chill. I just bought new zero degree bags, and I think they are to warm for me. When I sleep in cooler weather (down to 35) I will put on insulated underwear, sweat pants and shirt, a couple pairs of socks and a full face ski mask. I usually end up taking things off. I also use self inflating pad for insulation from the ground.
This weekend is supposed to be between 45-50, so it will just be a pair of sleep pants and a shirt.

[tplife]

Re: Staying Warm When Tent Camping

Use a bag rated at least 20-degrees colder than what you expect to encounter. You can wear anything or nothing, whatever you're comfortable in, as long as it's dry. A closed tent gets you a 10-degree warmer environment because it stops air movement, which can convect a lot of heat away from your insulator (sleeping bag). Skip the knit cap unless you like one, it's a common myth that you lose a lot of heat through your scalp - you don't. There are compressible pillows in different sizes that are VERY comfortable and take up very little room when compressed. Sleep on top of a self-inflating sleeping pad. A ThermaRest CampRest, for example, has a 5.0 R-value and it's 2" thick, you can get thicker pads if your like. Don't sleep on a cot or air mattress if you want comfort - they have no R-Value as they work opposite of an insulater, the term is called a "heat sink": they absorb heat from you while trying to achieving equilibrium with the ground, outside cold air, and any liquid they touch as well.

[Bigdog57]

Re: Staying Warm When Tent Camping

Here in north Florida the winter can reach the high teens. When I tent camp in that weather, I lay down a closed cell foam pad, then my air mattress, then a GI Issue wool blanket. Then my 0-degree sleeping bag opened up into a blanket. I tend to move around a lot - 'restless legs' and all that crap. There are times I actually have to open the blanket a bit and let out excess heat. An air mattress does NOT 'suck the heat out' if you do some proper prep.
One rule I go by is to prepare for nightime temps at least twenty degrees cooler than expected - I learned that the hard way up on "Cold Mountain" in NC one fine October weekend. That danged mountain (of the book and movie of the same name!) lived up to it's name! I was motorcycle camping and was ill-prepared. That was back in 2006. I have not slept cold since.