Keeping warm...

[mirrorpants]

...I know this topic has been done to death, but I need more tips please! DS and I are going away this weekend and after my trip a few weeks ago I'm really worried about the cold. I want to cancel

It was so cold at night I thought I might die. I was snug as a bug under my duvet/bag/blanket combo with hot water bottle but the air in the tent was freezing and my head was frozen despite hat and hoodie up! My face was numb with the cold.

Coldness aside I love camping and this is DS's first trip. He's almost 3 and so excited he could explode. But all I feel is terror at the thought of the night time. I would take a heater but the site doesn't have EHU.

You could take a gas heater but, for safety reasons, you need to turn those off before going to sleep so it will only have temporary effect. Maybe a balaclava under your hat?

Also, how big is your tent? Maybe consider taking a small 2 man for just the two of you - that way you should warm up the air inside the tent with your joint body heat. If you need a big tent for all your stuff then pitch a 2 man pop up inside the big tent for sleeping in only.

I agree, that the size of the tent makes a huge difference. Smaller tents or tents with small, lower height sleeping pods are much warmer. Family tents are essentially one season, summer tents.

It's awful when the air temperature inside the tent drops. One morning, after a freezing night in August, we all woke up with chapped lips and rattly chests, due to the air temperature inside our Bear Lake 6 tent. I think this was partly due to the high ceiling height within the tent. Since switching to a bell tent with an inner sleeping pod (comparatively lower height), or for overnights, a quechua seconds 4, the air temperature inside the tent at night feels much warmer.

I have been freezing on a cool summer night in the UK, using the same sleeping bag and mat that kept me toasty warm in a tent at high altitude, with sub zero temperatures, on Killimanjaro, or on the high Inca trail in Peru. The difference was that in the Uk I was in a large family tent, which wasn't equipped to provide any sort of insulation, for cold temperatures. It's all about the tents. Such a shame that they make most expedition tents in bright yellow or orange (gives the game away). I would love to inconspicuously camp in spring or autumn in a 4 man exped tent. Sadly, I fear I would be laughed off of most campsites.

Given that I have never used electric hook ups, I am now a confirmed fairweather camper.

Make sure you keep warm before going to bed, put extra layers on at sunset or just before and keep the tent (or bedrooms) zipped up. Take spare socks so you have some thick warm dry ones to wear to bed if needs be. Silk sleeping bag liners help.

Thanks everyone. I've got a fairly small tent with nice compact little sleeping pods... A base seconds 4.2! Making note of these tips!

I wrap jumpers around my head and tie them with the arms.

And then I drink a decent amount of whiskey.

Cardboard under your mat is excellent. In fact cardboard insoles are also good in your shoes.

A down jacket is your friend. On cold nights I wear one in my sleeping bag. Or just the detachable hood. Makes a huge difference.

The children also have then - great for ensuring a bit of warmth.

Get ready for bed early and then pile the layers on top. Ensure you have enough layers under you. (Sleeping bag on top of cold sleeping mat sucks!) Wrap blanket under as well as over (covering zips!). Lots of socks! Red wine and sleeping face down!
Hoping for warmer weather soon!

Although I'm also a fan of whisky!

I dress myself and children in jogging bottoms and tunics with jumpers just before dinner. They then is our pjs.

Always strip off before bed and put fresh clean PJs on. Don't be tempted to wear too many clothes. A few layers beneath you, a sleeping bag and then a blanket are lovely. How good is your sleeping bag? I also have a fleecy sleeping bag liner- easier to wash and snuggly warm. If you think you'll be cold a hot water bottle or a hand warmer is great to warm up your bag. Also sleep oftener as much as possible for body warmth.

I went camping last weekend and was frozen for the first few minutes in bed and then roasting afterwards. But then it was May and I had:

Thermarest
5 season sleeping bag
Fleece line
2 warm friends
Blanket
Socks
PJs
Light jumper
Hat

Toasty!!

OK this is my killer idea. I am always going on about my SIM and 3 season sleeping bag but I was perishing on Saturday night. A proper, wool blanket, heavy, like an oldfashioned bed or army blanket, is warmer than poly fleece. By 3am I struggled out of the tent to the car and got the mega-blanket out, put it over me plus another jumper, and I was then fine. My cold nose and head warmed up when the rest of me did.

I think my sleeping bag (getting on 20 yrs old) is just not what it used to be, I'm going to look out for a 4 season one.

DH and the kids were in the identical sleeping bags and sleeping like babies so I'm obviously just underheated!

It has been exceptionally cold recently, hopefully later in the year will be better.

If you go to bed cold you will be cold, run around the field to get warm then off to bed with a warm drink.
Hot water bottles are very good.
Wear a hat in bed, sleep on an insulating mat, cheap polystyrene tiles are good if you are skint
Never use anything with a flame in a tent you run the risk of crabon monoxide poisioning
www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/helpandadvice/camping-safety/carbon-monoxide-poisoning/
Older cotten tents tend to be warmer than the modern nylon ones too.

Just read the cardboard above thats very good get the corrugated stuff.
Fleece sleeping bag liners are good too.

i have found that the foil blankets for runners (two for a pound in pound shop) are great underneath a carpet. we have a quechua as well, found a coleman carpet for 35 quid, and on top of the foil blanket alone we were toasty last weekend. (mind you, the overnight temp was a balmy 5degrees)