Cold Weather Camping

[IndyPrepper]

A good pad to use would be a blue roll up closed cell foam pad you can buy at walmart. They are actually sold as "yoga" mats but they should work especially if you use two of them. The problem with air matresses is that air is not a good insulator, especially when it moves. Another cheap option, although not comfortable, is a silver coated windshield reflector. The ones people put in their car to reflect sunlight, these can be bought at walmart for cheap. I spent a night out a few weeks ago and used one of those silver mats and a closed cell foam pad that was a half inch thick and was fine.

I was at the Mart the other day and they had 2 styles of pad in the camping section. One was solid but shorter than my height. The other was almost the right size but it was ribbed... Had gaps on top and bottom.. I opt'd not to go with either. Will check out the selection at Gander tonight and I will also cruze by the Mart to check out the Yoga pads your mentioned.

 

[PistolBob]

My tent is a Eureka Timberline 4XT....in the winter camping months I lay down a carpet remnant on the floor before I layout any of my sleeping gear... this is not a good idea for backpacking...but the TL4XT isn't a back packing tent either. I was amazed at how much warmer I slept with that hunk of carpet under me.

 

[tom1025]

There is some good advice in this thread. But no matter what you do it seems there is a cold spot when your in your sleeping bag. For that I carry and use the 18 hour body warmers you can pick up at most retailers in packs of threes for under $2.00. It may not heat the entire tent but I guarantee you will stay warm through the night.

 

[larrylegend]

I was at the Mart the other day and they had 2 styles of pad in the camping section. One was solid but shorter than my height. The other was almost the right size but it was ribbed... Had gaps on top and bottom.. I opt'd not to go with either. Will check out the selection at Gander tonight and I will also cruze by the Mart to check out the Yoga pads your mentioned.

The one my friend uses is a blue closed cell foam mat that rolls up. It does not have any sort of ribbing or anything like that. Hope that helps.

 

[jeremy]

I was at the Mart the other day and they had 2 styles of pad in the camping section. One was solid but shorter than my height. The other was almost the right size but it was ribbed... Had gaps on top and bottom.. I opt'd not to go with either. Will check out the selection at Gander tonight and I will also cruze by the Mart to check out the Yoga pads your mentioned.

Therm-a Rest...

Therm-a-Rest Mattresses - providing lasting comfort for over 35 years.

 

[tradertator]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] I also keep a **** bottle with a lid in my tent in the winter time, that way I don't have to get clear out of my warm sleeping bag and go out side to pee.
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Not only do you not have to leave the tent, but you'll have something to snuggle up to that's 98.6°

Therm-a Rest...

Therm-a-Rest Mattresses - providing lasting comfort for over 35 years.

^ This. Bad ass pads, and packs up nicely. I love my Ridge Rest.

+1 to snuggling up to some one in your bag. One of the only benefits of camping with the wife instead of your buddies .

 

[Dss21]

Reason why I have asked is that I will be under shelter I am building myself.

Right now I have a tarp 10X12 (need to check that size again to see if I'm accurate) It is 10mil
I'm 6ft 4 so the smaller ones I was finding didnt seem up to par.

Headed to Gander this eve to track down a good pad as I haven't ever had one.

REALLY appreciate all the comments received thus far. Feeling more comfortable that I will be as warm as possible.

I would not go any smaller than the 10x12. About 3 weeks ago we hiked into the HNF and stayed over night. I had a 8x10 tarp,bag and cheap foam pad. I did not get cold at night. It did snow before we got up in the morning. The 8x10 did not leave me enough room to get my pack in out of the weather. It was covered in snow when I woke up. The 10x12 would have been much better. The low temps only got down to 28

 

[kludge]

1. Get an appropriate bag for winter camping rated 0 degrees or below. In the past I have used two good 25-30 degree bags stuffed inside each other and I've stayed warm into the 0's. A mummy bag help a bunch. I have had good luck this season with my new bag from Alps Mountaineering. Very good prices for the quality.
2. Wear a ski mask/balaclava to bed.
3. Tarp under the tent. Moisture in any amount is bad.
4. Insulate yourself from the ground. Closed cell foam pads are best.
5. Change your clothes before hitting the sack... all of them... that moisture thing again.
6. Don't be tempted to wear too many clothes to bed, circulation keeps you warm, let the bag do its job. Long johns work for me... and a loose fitting pair of thick wool socks if you have problems keeping your feet warm.

 

[Dragon]

Something my dad showed me as a kid and I've only done once since then. Pick your fire and bed placement nearby and build two fires side by side. Next to the second fire is where you'll sleep. Dig a hole that's about 6 inches deep by 12 inches wide and 4 feet long. let the second fire burn down and push the coals into the hole and cover them with the dirt you removed from the hole. Sleep right on top of that dirt and you will be warm for about 8 hours.

The trick is getting the right depth and not building a fire thats too big. Too many coals or too close to the surface and it can burn you. I'll be trying this here soon again as I haven't practiced this in years.

As far as gear goes I have a normal closed cell foam pad and also a Klymit Inertia X frame and if it were really cold i could put the foam pad down and then the x frame inside of my bag and be good to go. Ground sleeping I use a tarp with a mylar blanket lining the inside to reflect heat lost through my sleeping bag. Not sure I'll need that with my new bag though, I bought a Kelty Cosmic 0 degree synthetic bag and it's VERY warm.

 

[hooky]

Something my dad showed me as a kid and I've only done once since then. Pick your fire and bed placement nearby and build two fires side by side. Next to the second fire is where you'll sleep. Dig a hole that's about 6 inches deep by 12 inches wide and 4 feet long. let the second fire burn down and push the coals into the hole and cover them with the dirt you removed from the hole. Sleep right on top of that dirt and you will be warm for about 8 hours.

The trick is getting the right depth and not building a fire thats too big. Too many coals or too close to the surface and it can burn you. I'll be trying this here soon again as I haven't practiced this in years.

I've heard this before from people, but have never tried it. How thin is the layer of coals in the 6"trench? Or I guess a better question is, after you level the dirt, how deep are the coals buried?

 

[Dragon]

The coals are about 6 inches deep. This is definitely a skill you'll need to practice before you try to use it as a last resort or first resort technique. Bury them too deep and you won't get very warm, or too shallow and you'll get slow cooked while you sleep. lol If I remember correctly it was about 6 inches though.

By the way, this is not to be confused with a fire bed!!

 

[Bisbobble]

1. Get an appropriate bag for winter camping rated 0 degrees or below. In the past I have used two good 25-30 degree bags stuffed inside each other and I've stayed warm into the 0's. A mummy bag help a bunch. I have had good luck this season with my new bag from Alps Mountaineering. Very good prices for the quality.
2. Wear a ski mask/balaclava to bed.
3. Tarp under the tent. Moisture in any amount is bad.
4. Insulate yourself from the ground. Closed cell foam pads are best.
5. Change your clothes before hitting the sack... all of them... that moisture thing again.
6. Don't be tempted to wear too many clothes to bed, circulation keeps you warm, let the bag do its job. Long johns work for me... and a loose fitting pair of thick wool socks if you have problems keeping your feet warm.

These are all the points I would have made. I would add two more points.

7. With proper calorie intake, your body will produce enough heat to keep itself warm with proper insulation. If you can feel heat sources from outside your clothes, you probably don't have enough insulation.

8. Ventilate your tent or shelter. Keep windows open enough to exchange the moister rich air in your tent with dryer air outside. Your respiration will cause condensation in the inside of a sealed up tent then fall (snow) on you in the middle of the night.

Great conversation!

 

[Archbishop]

You don't need hot rocks in your tent or sleeping bag to keep warm. Who the hell wants to be lugging around hot rocks wrapped in anything when it is cold, windy and dark and you're just trying to go to bed?

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] There are three ways to lose body heat. Keeping them in mind will help you be much more aware of what you are or could be doing to keep your body warm. [/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
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[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]RADIATION - The emission of body, especially from the skin areas exposed to the elements. A good set of gloves, hat, and scarf can help best in keeping bare skin to a minimum.
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[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]CONDUCTION - The absorption of cold by the body when sitting or laying on cold ground, or handling cold objects such as metal cooking utensils and metal canteens. This is why a decent sleeping pad is required for cold weather camping. The same goes for wearing gloves. A camp stool is a must on a winter camping trip. Try not to sit on the ground.
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[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]CONVECTION - The loss of body heat due to wind blowing across unprotected body parts. This situation can also be reduced by keeping bare skin covered with hats, scarves, and gloves. It is important to keep exposure to a minimum, ESPECIALLY in a windy situation. Convection heat loss can reduce body heat the fastest. Wet clothing will accelerate this process, making staying dry even more important. [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Never should you sleep in the same clothes that you have worn all day. They are damp and will cause you to chill. This could cause frostbite and hypothermia. It is advised that you bring a thick pair of sweats and thermal underwear to sleep in. Keep the thermals and sweats for sleeping in only. Do not wear them during the day, this will keep them the driest. Also be sure to have a couple of layers of wool or heavy thick socks on as well. Always sleep with a stocking hat on your head.

Your sleeping bag needs to be a winter rated bag. Typically rated down to 15 degrees and stuffed with 5 pounds of Holofil, Fiberfil, or other polyester ticking. You can add about 20 degrees to your bag by simply double bagging your winter bag with a summer bag inside it. It is also a very good idea to have some kind of sleeping mat to use in the winter. The mat can be a $90 Thermal Rest or a piece of high density rubber foam at least one inch thick. In cold weather camping you never want to sleep on an air mattress or off the ground in a cot. The air under you will cool you off in no time and this would create a life threatening situation. If you don't have a sleeping mat, bring a spare wool or natural fiber blanket to use as a ground pad under your sleeping bag. The sleeping mat is worth it's weight in gold.

I've been winter camping in sub zero temperatures in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Indiana numerous times over the last 25 years, and you can have a great time but you need to prepare for it.

One other thing, if you are dead set on trying the hot rock thing, don't get your rocks from anywhere near a creek. A lot of times when you collect these types of rocks they are full of frozen moisture. I have seen them go off like little bombs when placed in the campfire for heating. I also keep a **** bottle with a lid in my tent in the winter time, that way I don't have to get clear out of my warm sleeping bag and go out side to pee.




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Couldn't have said it better myself. Howdy! From another northerner. I grew up in WI.
For those so interested, The basic science behind not sleeping directly on the ground is as follows. The denser the material touching you the faster the heat gets transfered. I remember that it's 25 times quicker through water than air, but it varies based on how dense the ground is etc. But you can easily see how you loose body heat at this rate.

 

[Archbishop]

Yes that is the other thing I forgot to mention, always change everything you wore during the day to fresh clothing. you will freeze if you go to bed with clothes you "think" are dry but are actually not.

If you get a sleeping pad make sure it is a close cell pad. Open cell pads will soak up moisture from the ground and become an icicle. NO AIR MATTRESSES!!!

You get what you pay for. I've never had this problem that you mentioned, with any of my air mattresses. Maybe the cheaper ones have this issue, but not the ones I've used.
Also to add your first paragraph absolutely true. I forget what the number is, but your body is capable of sweating out a lot of water through out the night even when you're not "sweating". (I mean that as in the classic too hot skin is wet.)