How do we stay warm at night when camping?

[Fillyjonk]

Aside from the obvious (staying at home, sharing a sleeping bag and not camping), what are your thoughts on best ways to stay warm while camping?

We have airbeds with blankets beneath, sleeping bags and a duvet or two. And we are always cold at night! Always. and I am just fed up with it

And I cannot not camp as we home educate and camping is just a fact of HEing life.

OK thoughts please, I need to get this one sorted. My kids are quite small still and shiver easily and very pathetically.

[beanieb]

You can get fleece sleeping bag liners would they work?

[beanieb]

kids liners

I take a duvet with me sometimes.

[FrazzledFairyFay]

We've not been camping yet but are going in early summer. This is something that really worries me as well.

[Fillyjonk]

interesting, had not considered liners!

do they make a big difference then?

our sleeping bags are actually 3 season so should be ok

problem is air mattress is freezing by midnight.

should say 90% of time am camping in mid wales. brr.

[TsarChasm]

I am a bit of a wussy camper and feel cold really easily.

I don't get on with sleeping bags at all. I get twisted up in them and they are never warm enough for me.

We take our duvets now. Probably not in the spirit of camping, but I cant stand being cold at night.

[shonaspurtle]

Not experienced this, but I wonder would one of those space blanket silvery things under the airbed make a difference? It seems to be the cold from the ground that's causing the problem rather than cold air iyswim.

Or the duvet under you rather than on top?

[2madboys]

Don't allow yourself to get cold before you go to bed. Wear winter pyjamas, with a vest underneath, and socks and a fleece if you need it. We take hot water bottles too

[spicemonster]

shona - space blankets make the most godawful noise if you so much as move a finger on them so wouldn't work but you have the right idea. fillyjonk - have you tried a picnic blanket (ie one that is plastic backed) rather than a blanket?

And what kind of airbed do you have? I have found the proper big ones keep you much warmer. But like 2madboys says, trick is to not get cold in the first place - wrap up really warm and sit in the tent with the door shut once the evening starts to get chilly

[IwishIwasmorechocolatey]

Our ds's wear their usual nightwear then have an all in one fleecy suit on top. Then in a sleeping bag with a blanket on top.

I wear winter pj's with thick socks (tuck my pj's into them and a fleecy jumper. I sleep in a sleeping bad (5 season!!!)

[IwishIwasmorechocolatey]

Forgot to say DH sleeps in his boxers in his sleeping bag and doesn't see what all the fuss is about!

[Fillyjonk]

yes was wondering that too shona re the silvery things

oh yes and we do put the picnic mat under. doesn;t seem to make that much difference.

I am wondering about some thick foam camping mats plus airics?

[Fillyjonk]

airbeds we have very thick coleman ones

but are going to get summat else as they puncture so easily and we spend the night sinking slowly into the pvc flocking.

[Glitterknickaz]

I use one of those foam camping mats under the air bed to insulate the bed from the ground.... Tesco blue stripe ones about £2 a shot and very effective.

[LotsofLovelyShoes]

i found that camp beds helped then I was completely off the ground.

Other tricks include wearing a wooly/fleece hat and wearing tights. I have shivered with cold in August and since doing the hat thing have started to strip off in night as too warm.

Another friend who camps swears by taking old newspapers for the bottom layer in the tent and then old sleeping bags on top with air bed on top of that. Personally prefer the camp beds as they don't go down in the night and you can store loads underneath them.

[clam]

Definitely insulate underneath!

I got so cold on the first night last year, that I spread the newspaper out underneath my bedding roll in the end. The next night, I borrowed extra blankets etc... for underneath from one of the hardier members of the party who didn't need them.

Next year's solution is not to go.

[twoluvlykids]

A friend of mine takes a mini fan heater to warm up the tent in the evenings.

[duchesse]

The trick is plenty of layers underneath- one underneath is worth two on top iyswim.

[Fillyjonk]

I do insulate underneath though. At least a picnic mat. Should I put even more under? Newspapers idea sounds good. Am also thinking camping mats (£2 at tescos sounds pretty good)

[duchesse]

picnic blanket definitely not enough. Ive often wondered whether bubble wrap or that foil backed insulation stuff would be good (obviously not for small children though).

[earlyriser]

Hot water bottle!

[footballsgalore]

What about insulation under the airbed, then a folded blanket on top of it, then sleeping bag etc. I find the air in the bed still feels cold too close to my skin.
Agree with the hat!!

[Smithagain]

Are the airbeds the problem?

I haven't camped for years, but I don't EVER remember being cold at night when I camped as a child or teenager.

We didn't use airbeds. As far as I recall, we had a couple of really decent, ancient wool blankets, plus a foam camping mattress underneath us. Decent three season sleeping bag, warm pyjamas and an extra blanket on top.

Am interested to know whether our technique was right, or my memory is faulty. We're resuming camping this summer and I won't buy any airbeds if we don't need them!

[EachPAQUESPearMum]

fillyjonk may I ask why camping is a fact of HE life?
I am ...

Liners make a big difference ime... and we put thick wool blankets beneath our sleeping mats, then sleeping bags. Always toasty....I do have 4+ season bags though

[duchesse]

EachPeach- I imagine, because one parent is out of the labour market due to being a full time educator, spondulies are thin on the ground and cheap holidays de rigueur.

[twinsetandpearls]

I drink red wine and take a duvet for over our sleeping bags. Duvet also helps with sex which can be tricky in a sleeping bag.