Can you help me stay warm camping?

[LillyBugg]

I have some quite serious anxiety issues which flare up at night. I've had CBT to help and the biggest hurdle for me is camping. We have a weekend booked in three weeks time. One of my biggest problems is I really feel the cold, and the cold morning this morning has set me off on a worry. How can I stay warm while camping? The anxiety triggers cold flushes which don't help but I think if I can try and stay warm, particularly before bed and then in the early hours, then I've got a better chance at staying calm. Any tips please?

As many layers under you as possible.

Electric blanket if you have an electricity hookup

I think the most important thing is not to get cold in the first place. What helps me is getting into my pyjamas early in the evening, wearing snuggly socks and a vest under my pyjamas. Hat and gloves if needed too. Tuck the vest into the trousers, that makes a big difference. If you are sitting around in the evening sit in your sleeping bag, just mind it doesn't get wet with dew. Have a thick fleece or hoody to hand that you can pop on as soon as you get up.

Get EHU get a tent heater and electric blanket.
Lots of layers.
Read.ip on insulating your bed if using airbeds.
Hot soups and drinks.
Tbh, if you don't like the cold when camping then going camping towards the end of September instead of June or July is s bit daft.
I love camping but also hate chilly nights. As a result my camping dead on is short and brief because I just don't get the same enjoyment camping when the nights are cooler.

Warm socks to sleep in and fleece joggers and top etc. Decent sleeping bag (rated-10 ideally)

Leggings and long sleeve pjs with a thick onesie on top. Then a winter tog sleeping bag

Long socks rather than short ankle socks make a big difference

There's nothing as cosy as a hot water bottle in a sleeping bag. It's lovely and toasty! Also wear thermals under your pyjamas. And big socks. Have fun! 🏕️

Light the campfire around 5 at the latest. Take “campfire” clothes..... I wear fleecy pj bottoms, socks and crocs for the damp grass, vest, jumper, fleecy hoody and two blankets on me. Change into your clothes, sit round fire, eat, drinkor whatever until bedtime. Take your shoes and socks off and put your feet in front of the fire and get them really warm. Crucially, you need to then stay in these campfire clothes (I take off the hoody but sleep in the rest), don’t get undressed for bed.

In bed you need to insulate from below as that’s where the cold comes from. Blow up mattress then a duvet on top of the mattress then your sleeping bag then duvet or blankets on top of you. If you can get those hand warmer things from the pound shop get a few of them and you can pop them under your vest when you get into bed.

Potty in the tent for night time wees.

Get organised before you sit in front of the fire. Get your stuff you need by your bed, tidy up etc so when you’ve finished your evening you do wee, teeth and in the sleeping bag.

Or go to a hotel.... I love camping but it doesn’t seem worth it if you have anxiety!

I recommend you don't go anywhere without electric hook up.
Then take electric fan heaters etc to keep the space warm.

Also, if you can help it, don't sleep on an air mattress, if it deflates in the night you'll be lying on the cold floor!

My winter camp set up (Scotland in January) is tipi, wood burner, hot water bottles, camp cots, fleece under blanket, sleeping bag, quilt, hat, gloves, socks, loose fitting boots, fisherman's bibs. This has kept me warm in -10 deg. Once the wood burner is going I strip down to my T shirt.

This time of year .. hat, gloves, buff layers - make sure they are baggy to capture layers of warm air, camp cot, under fleece, sleeping bag, quilt and a hot water bottle if it is going to be cold.

I avoid drinking too much in the evenings in order to avoid needing the loo in the night. No beer/cider/caffeine works for me, a glass of wine is ok or a hot chocolate.

What temperature rating is your sleeping bag? End of Sept you’ll need at least 3 seasinsYou also need a sleep mat of equal standard.
Wear a woolly hat and socks, and put them on a good hour before you go to bed.
Silk liner for your sleeping bag.

What we do that works really well is open up 2 sleeping bags so they're like duvets, put one over the bed, then one over the top of us then a duvet over the top! We are without fail warm all night in all temps

I really feel the cold too, @LillyBugg - especially during the night, no matter how many layers of clothing and how good a sleeping bag I used. I finally bought one of these - completely brilliant, and I've been toasty warm the last couple of times we've camped :-)

www.alpkit.com/products/dozer

Don't go camping?

Thank you, there's some really helpful replies here.
I know some people say 'it's the wrong time' and 'don't go' but that's easier said than done when you have a family who love camping and two children who desperately want you to go. It's not all about me, and I really want to try and overcome this so that we can enjoy camping together in the future.

I have a really thick fleece onesie my brother bought me for a joke Christmas present years ago which is perfect. I wear PJs underneath then that on top with thick bed socks and a hat it its really cold.

IfI am going camping in the car instead of hiking I take 2 duvets, I use a folding camp bed which is off the floor then put 1 duvet for under me and the other on top. Also I use the folding picnic blankets as a carpet in the sleeping area which stops the cold getting in / heat escaping.

If I’m hiking I rough it with minimal equipment and know I’m going to wake up sore and grumpy.

Hot water bottle. If sitting around in evening wrap a blanket round you with hwb inside and refill before getting into bed. Lots of blankets. And if you can electric hook up and a small fan heater got the evening and morning

If you are driving take duvets, use a duvet as a bottom sheet under the blow up mattress and another on top.

Also get one of those tin foil emergency blanket things and put it on the ground under your bed to stop the cold coming up. Or those foam play mats. Or both?

I'm your opposite in every way! I'm currently worried about going away and being too hot.

However, my tip for when trying to sleep in the cold is to sleep with a cheap fleece balaclava backwards over your face - that gives the back of your head a bit of a window to let some heat out - but you just breathe in warm air. And it doubles as a sleep mask.

Be careful of any heaters running overnight in a tent.

If you are taking a heater buy some remote control plugs. That way you can turn the heater on before you venture out of bed to take the chill off the main tent. We also used them to control the main light. About £15 for a three pack.

Blanket between the groundsheet and air bed, blanket under sleeping bag and another in or on.

If you are using an air mat, a foam one underneath will be warmer.
I like to use a sleeping bag liner and would also take a wool blanket if you can. Layers, long socks, wear thermals as PJ's, hot water bottle all excellent tactics! Being cold is miserable when camping.

If you have a thin foam mat, put it on top of your air mattress rather than underneath. You're protected from the cool air in your mattress then.

Also, electric hookup so tent can be heated.

Don't wear too many thick layers in sleeping bag as it stops the sleeping bag doing its job. Underwear plus pyjamas + socks and hat if really cold is better. Fleece blanket to put over sleeping bag..

I use a self inflating mattress on top of a camp bed. I have pyjamas, a fleece onesie, an extra fleece blanket and a down sleeping bag. I also have a cheap camping toilet which I pretend is for the children but is actually for me. I have used hor water bottles before but it wasn't cold enough this August.