Keeping warm while camping?

Mitchell Knives

Mitchell Knives

Knifemaker
Moderator
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
May 21, 2000
Messages
6,250
Hi. I went camping/diving in Virginia this weekend and was literally freezing during the night. It was probably 25 degrees farenheight. One of my fellow campers suggested that you should only have bare skin between you and the sleeping bag, and that would help you keep warm. Is this true? I was wearing a t-shirt, a long sleeve t-shirt, a sweater, a jacket, jeans and two pairs of socks and still got cold. I had a sleeping bad and a large blanket as well. Does sleeping on an air mattress have anything to do with this? I was totally miserable during the night, and have probably become sick as a result. Any tips?
 
......clothes or nekkid?

I have heard it both ways. I am a very cold sleeper.

But, I have slept better when I just have my boxers on when it is cold out. Just keep your clothes at the foot inside the bag. Try also to stay on an insulated pad of some sort too. The ground will suck heat right outta ya.

Go to WWW.WIGGYS.COM too for some good bag info.
 
It sounds like you were VERY overdressed. Here's what I do:

Get a quality bag. I have an old Army extreme cold artic bag, and also some new thinsulate ones from Cabelas. Usually, I strip down to underwear and (maybe) socks inside the bag. Clothes go down by my feet inside the bag, so I don't have cold clothes to get into in the morning. If it's really cold, I also wear long underwear. A cocker spaniel is also good for keeping you warm.... :)

Air mattresses are great, but make sure in cold weather that you put a wool blanket between your air mattress and your sleeping bag to absorb the moisture your body will generate while sleeping. Otherwise, your sleeping bag will be dripping wet.

I also wear a knit hat in very cold weather. They say not to breath inside your bag (too much moisture), but I do.

That's about it. I have slept comfortably all the way down to -14 degrees fahrenheit with these tips. Good luck!
 
I was out in the tent last weekend. It got down to the low 40's (my buddy's guess) to the high 30's (my guess)...
I had a summer mummy bag, longjon top and fleece pants with wool socks. Was toasty warm.
The idea is not to isolate your body parts with layers of clothes. The best way to explain it is mittens...mittens don't isloate your fingers and therefore your fingers keep each other warm ;)
The same goes for your arms and legs in the sleeping bag.
We did a trip that surprised us with mid twenties at night. My wife wouldn't believe me, put on her clothes and mine...and froze while I slept peacefully zipped in next to her...boy was she mad :eek:
The next night, I made sure she ate good (fuel) and took a 10 minute walk before gettin into the sleeping bag with just long johns on. The walk got her body burning the fuel and it warmed up the bag real quick and she was fine.
The hat is a good idea as is drying out your bag in the am.
Not ready for winter,
I remain,
Ebbtide
 
I've found for me in cold weather a warm bag,therma rest pad,and a hat near by get me through the night,I sleep in my long underwear.The ground can work both ways.The ground holds heat longer than air does.I have tried a cot in below freezing temps and was much colder than when sleeping on the ground.The air temps drop fast and you have that cold air all around you,where as the ground will hold its temp.

Heading to the mtns.in a couple weeks myself,one nice thing is you don't need ice to keep the beer cold;).
 
This is all good advice, I would also recomend wearing a hat while asleep in the bag. It is amazing how much heat you loose through your head that makes the rest of you feel cold.

Regards,

Ed
Usual Suspect
 
The fuel (food) and exercise suggestion is a great one. I read an article by an Iditarod racer on sleeping warm and he said that he eats something within an hour of stopping. When he thinks he's within 10 minutes of camping, he jogs behind the sled to get the internal fire burning hot. If he goes to bed warm, he stays that way.
 
Well, I went out and got a new bag today...a Coleman rated to 20 degrees farenheight. It seems like a much nicer bag that the one I had. I'm sure this will be plenty warm. Next time I'll also pack some thermal underwear just incase...hopefully I won't need them, and can just sleep in my boxers. Thanks for all the tip guys!
 
Seems like you had an awful lot of cotton on....first thing I would do is ditch that stuff and wear polypro or pile - there has been much discussion in the past regarding material types. In my area, the general concensus is that "cotton kills".

Second thing I'd do is wear a toque (knitted hat).

Stay warm,
D
 
in preparing for a backpacking trip into the mountains of western north carolina a few year's back (nantahala and pisgah national forest), one of the major concerns was the unpredictable weather. over the course of a 10 day trip during march, we came across everything from what felt like 70 degree days without a cloud in the sky to a miserable afternoon and evening of freezing rain. it regularly dropped into the 30's (and 20's on a couple nights) at night.
not to denigrate any other brands of sleeping bag, but while several of my crewmates were shivering and generally kind of hating life at night, i found myself to be positively toasty in my wiggy's bag with just a lightweight wicking layer (polypro) and a knit cap made by mom. also had the pleasure of camping in pisgah in the middle of october. again, while my mates who owned other name brand (read: crazy expensive and commercially well known) bags teeth were chattering, i was almost sweating in my wiggy's ftrss. the underbag (i have the ultralight) is rated to +20 degrees. with the overbag, i think it's rated to -20 degrees: more protection than most people will ever need. in both cases, i used a sleeping pad: a no-frills foam sleeping pad on my march trip, a regular thermarest in october.

couldn't agree with diligence more: cotton will only make you wet, which is the LAST thing you want to have happen while cold weather camping. and the tips on fueling up and getting the blood moving before sacking out are also great..

happy camping, and stay dry out there!

steve
 
Forget the air mattress ! THAT IS WHY YOU COLD! The cold ground is much bigger than you and sucked the heat right out of you via the air mattress. You need something to hold your body warmth under you, in cold weather I find 2 closed cell sleeping pads with a sportsman blanket( shiny one side color on the other ) under them does the trick.

Your sleeping bag may have been too light but you will only make that mistake once.

Consider a vapour barrier liner for the sleeping bag as it will add several degrees to the bag - in below freezing temps only.

A good sleep is worth a lot to me so I don't mind carrying an extra sleeping pad in colder temps. ;)
 
I would disagree w/ the above statement re: air matress. The reason closed cell foam works is trapped air. The reason they are popular w/ backpackers is low cost/lightwieght/durable. Look at the better mattress - open-celled foam in a nylon shell (thermrest, etc...). A good quality air mattress will adequately insulate you from the ground - much better than a closed cell will. The problem is durability/weight - the nicer vinyl mattresses are heavy, Cheap "pool raft" inflatables are too easily damaged. A standard thermarest is an excellent compromise. I also sleep warmer w/ only minimal clothes on & a hat. I also like to keep my ponch liner at the foot of my bag - can always pull it up if you need a little extra. Another tip is to fill a 1 qt canteen/water bottle w/ _hot_ (almost boiling) water, wrap in a fleece vest/jacket & place it by your feet - it will give off heat for quite a while - when it cools, just pull it out & you have water if you get thirsty later that night.

Sam
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top