Winter Tent Camping.

[Mysterian]

I've been thinking of giving it a go but have always chickened out. Then I realised I had just done it accidentally. "How the heck can you accidentally winter camp?" I hear you ask. I was camping in the Cairngorms in the site by Loch Morlich above Aviemore when the temperature dipped to about zero, and snow fell overnight on the mountains all around. In June. JUNE!

I'm going to go for a long weekend at some point over this winter. I'm waiting for a dry spell. I plan on getting a little gas heater, carbon monoxide alarm, and extra lights/batteries. I have a mini tipi style poly-cotton tent that's warmer and more breathable than regular nylon ones.

Any general advice and tips?

And I have the right bedding to stay warm enough in zero degrees already.

Sounds amazing.

Check out KentSurvival and Simon, a bloke in the woods on YouTube. They do both normal and wild camping and have camped in that sort of weather, so should have plenty of tips.

I would love to but dh won't... We camped in hailstones in Scotland one August Bank Holiday weekend!!. That's the beauty of Scotland.. Always a surprise lurking!!

"Check out KentSurvival and Simon, a bloke in the woods on YouTube."

Already do. They put out a video of them camping together the other day and it eventually became obvious they had been testing a bit too much beer. Very funny.

Sharp knife next to you in bed to cut yourself out the tent if needed.

Stay dry, get into your pj's before you get cold at bedtime.

Hot water bottle
Hat and gloves and thick socks
Double up on roll mats etc... a lot of cold comes from the ground

Camp in your back garden. Then you can pop indoors if it gets too cold.

I suppose I could double up and get a storm lantern which gives off both light and heat.

Don't forget a hot water bottle

I camped in a very cold weekend last Feb. Below zero - my tent was covered in frost!
I had 2 sleeping bags, grid fleece liner, a blanket, thermal mat under my SIM and clothes on over my PJ's. It was flippin cold.
Layers, lots of layers! Lots of cold radiating from underneath so thermal layers or sheepskin fleece if you have one.
Hot water bottle was nice and bring your clothes for the next day in to bed with you so they're warmed through.

Ooo don't do it it is awful being cold in the night!

Tips:
It's much colder with only one person in the tent so get someone to come with you
Bring a foil blanket to put under you, on your sleeping mat
Another foil blanket for over you really
Wear a woolly hat in bed
Make sure your tent won't cave in with snow on if that's a possibility

Did I mention don't do it, been flipping freezing and snowed in on a trek in July 20 years ago, even now I sometimes spontaneously think about how glad I am to be warm enough to in bed

I've got a camp bed to get me off the floor. Then I'll have a thin blanket, but could also use the foil backed picnic blanket I was going to keep on the floor as a carpet. My winter sleeping bag is down filled with a "comfort rating" of -3. I'll also have my old 3 season one to put over the top.

I use a 30 year old campingaz lamp, it gives off enough heat to warm the tent before bed but not suitable for hiking only camping near your car. I've a few different stoves and again the best for heat isn't suitable for hiking. I'd upgrade the sleeping bag, -3 isn't great for a winter night, definitely wooly hat and good gloves. Warm food before bed and if you need to pee during the night don't hold it in, it makes you cold, better to go out and empty your bladder. I was out last November but very much sheltered by a spruce forest, when I walked out of the trees in the morning it was wonderful to see everywhere covered in frost.

This is my idea of heaven, camping winter with kids and a car don't quite the same thing but solo proper winter camping? Bliss.
Good luck and come back and tell us what you did and where you went!

You can uprate your sleeping bag a bit by getting a fleece liner - far cheaper than buying another. Keep your socks on! I tend to wear my merino wool base layers at home over the winter - leggings as well as long sleeved vest top - probably too hot to sleep in - I’ve never had to try but if I was very cold or I was worried about the cold I’d give it a go- they’re expensive but will worth it imho.

Too tired to read the whole thread, so apologies if I'm posting inappropriately.

An old friend who was an experienced camper, made a bonfire, and heated up bricks, then put the hot bricks under the turf... sounded mad to me, he could've even been winding me up !!!

Personally I wouldn’t have a gas heater in a small tent.

We used to camp when we went ice climbing when I was a student. With the right clothing and gear you won’t need a heater.

I would camp into winter now if I had somewhere to dry my tent.

Drying is something I hadn't thought of. I do have a small conservatory I could dry it in. My tent is poly-cotton so takes a bit more than other tents. Not a huge thing luckily. I can also point a dehumidifier at it.

The hot bricks thing would work...but I'm certain I'll be fine and warm at night.

We do it, but in a folding camper with insulated walls and roof. We also have heating.

My husband used to be a bit more hard core when he was younger. Think sleeping in plastic bivi bags on top of mountains in winter with ice on the outside of his sleeping bag. He recommends a double skin tent and a four season sleeping bag. He also used to use a fleece sleeping bag liner like somebody else suggested. Insulation underneath is also key to a good nights sleep. He said that just a candle provided a surprising amount of heat in a small tent. Apart from the potential CO problem, gas heaters and lanterns create a lot of condensation, particularly when it is very cold outside. He has a story of removing the poles from his tent and it still stood up because it was frozen solid. Some gas stoves don’t work very well in sub zero temperatures. He used a petrol stove if he wasn’t having to carry it.

Good point about the gas in cold conditions. That's the cheap butane ones out.

I've done it once.

Besides all the other good advice I had a wolly hat on, gloves and one of those snood thingys - yep, I did feel the cold!

I camp with at a sub-zero camp in January every year, love it!

Not double sleeping bags - one compresses the other and reduces the insulation; a sleeping bag and quilt is much better.
I use my Nalgene bottle as a hot water bottle, and one of DH’s socks as a cover - clean I may add!

We've just been camping this weekend. It was quite mild so not too bad. We're complete newbies and only got the tent in Sept so wanted to get another trip in before next year. We only go with EHU and have an electric heater. Just got some winter sleeping bags and fleece pj's and we were all cosy and warm.

Went to Go Outdoors yesterday and bought some fairy lights. Fully prepared now.

But just to be on the safe side I have been thinking about this heater from Amazon.

I’d say yay! Go for it.

Decent down bag, mat and a good hat and you’ll be reet. Always something I’ve wanted to do.

Stove in the porch of a small tent should be fine as long as you’re careful.