How to keep warm at night

[misdee]

I want to try and get a weekend in for one final camping trip this year. We are fairly new to camping and where we struggle is keeping warm at night.

The site I'm looking at for our last trip has free electric inc in the price. Is there any reason we can't use a small electric heater in our tent by the centre pole? It's a 5m soul pad. In the summer it's great, but just unsure what to do with a sept/oct trip. (I'll only go if its a dry weekend as don't want to try and dry the tent indoors.

You will need an ehu connector thingy. Not sure if y also need a special camping heater. Others will a advise.

I have a 5m Soulpad. Last camped a fortnight ago and felt the chill before bed even in a 1/4 inner which kept things warmer. Take hot water bottles, socks, hats and extra covers. Enjoy!

Hot water bottles, woolly hats and vests!

It's the big chill before sunrise that's get me shivering, by that point the hot water bottles are cold.

I think my parents might hav a spare electric hook up. They sell heaters at outdoor world but some I don't like the look off as dd5 is little and likely to touch. Will have a browse and see what I can find :) we have a sleeping inner for the kids (6 of them) to keep them a little warmer.

What do you sleep on? We put a tarpaulin under the tent, £1 ones from pound shop, then in the sleeping part put a waterproof picnic blanket under the inflating mat then us in the sleeping bag but when we go when it's colder I take an old duvet and sleep on that as well.

Wear leggings, long sleeved top, hoody, thick socks and hat, I put more on to sleep than I wear in the day!

DH and I have separate sleeping bags as well because I like to wrap it around me but DH likes to unzip his.

Yes, echoe that, layer what you sleep onto stop the cold coming up. Also lworth having extra covers on top at this time of year.

We use sims, cover those with a quilt, have sleeping bags and then a layer over that when its chilly.

We do all that. But we are limited on packing space though going to see if I can borrow a trailer this time. We used to hire a mini bus but have recently bought my own car

We've used a small fan heater like this before and it's worked well, heats the tent pretty quickly.

We left it on all night with the thermostat set really low so it clicked on when it got utterly freezing but was off most of the night.

A fleece blanket as well as a sleeping bag. Wooly hats.
Also double sleeping bags are warmer because of the body heat that two or more people give off, co sleep as much as poss.
I would worry about using a heater in a tent.

I have never used anything mains-powered in the tent. I have wind up and solar powered lights, stove for outside etc etc. but I don't want to freeze. been recommended some good season 3 sleeping bags so going to replace our crappy ones with those, will raid the house for every blanket possible. will take hats etc. and try and find my thermals. kids have various onesies, and the very small ones have fleecey onsies so they are toasty warm regardless. small boy who is 2, wont keep a hat on though. nor a sleeping bag. I spent most of our last holiday at night covering him back up. but he slept the best out of all of us.

and next year I might treat myself to the coir mats, that ought to help with the ground cold a bit

Primark fleece onesies!! With hoods for small people.

Flannelette pjs under and you will be toasty.

we went this weekend. I put a small il filled mains powered radiator on a table so wouldn't topple, away from the canvas and we were comfortable. I do need to get some season 3 sleeping bags for everyone as I did pack a tonne of blankets

Lovely! Lucky you.

it was. we only went a few miles away but just wanted a small break. plus it was the first time we had taken the dog with us.

already planning next trip :)

Hot water bottle - every time!