Cold Weather Camping is Different

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Saturday, September 8th, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed

Never forget this: cold weather camping is different from warm weather camping. No matter how comfortable you feel in the great outdoors, you will not feel comfortable wearing a t-shirt to bed in 20 degree weather. To make things worse, you will be sleeping on the ground, which, if you’re not aware, can get quite cold during the night.

Now, with this said, if you plan properly, you can have a delightful time cold weather camping. All you need to do is dress properly and bring the right gear. Here’s what I suggest:

Make Sure You Wear Many Layers

While many stores will advertise warm winter coats as the perfect solution for staying warm while camping in cold weather, what will really help you to keep warm is by dressing in multiple layers of clothing. By wearing multiple layers of clothing, you provide alternating layers of cloth which trap air between them, warmed by your body, providing great insulation. And believe or not, some people “overheat” camping in cold weather. If you wear layers, you can simply take some of them off, allowing you to adjust to the right temperature.

Always Try to Keep Dry

If you’re camping and it’s snowy out, it’s a given that your clothes will end up getting wet. But even if there’s merely cold and there’s no snow on the ground, your clothes can trap sweat inside them and grow damp, which can often reduce their ability to insulate. Be sure to bring changes of clothes if need be so you can always keep in dry outfits, and pay attention to the materials you wear. Cotton, when it gets wet, insulates worse than it does when dry, while wool will keep you just as warm if it’s wet as it does when dry.

Make Sure You Bundle Up At Bedtime

Before you go to bed, make sure you are warm enough to endure the cold temperatures. Your sleeping bag may not be enough coverage. Rather, you may find yourself waking up multiple times throughout the night to add more layers. Instead, make sure you are not just comfortable—but warm—when you go to bed.

Your best choice for sleeping bags for cold weather camping are the mummy bags, which fit close and cover your head, but if you just have a warm-weather bag on you, try to stuff the opening with blankets or clothing to better trap warm air. While it’s tempting to duck your head under the covers where it’s warmer, don’t do this, since your breath will add to the humidity in the bag and make it insulate worse. But if you dress right, whether outside your tent or in your sleeping bag, you should stay nice and toasty while camping in cold weather.

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