Any ideas on how to stay warm in a tent at night?

Money Burner · Nov 1, 2015

Its time for our C.A.O.S. fall Ultimate Adventure trip. The forecast is for rain and cold nights. Any ideas on how to stay warm in a tent at night? How do you guys get ready for winter wheeling/camping?

al1tonyota · Nov 1, 2015

Burn it in the campfire and go to the motel!

Seriously I've tried camping at Morris Mtn a couple of times it always gets way to cold I have a 8x12 warm weather tent I put a little buddy heater in it on high tank runs out a couple times in 6 hours it wakes me up when it goes out flame starts surging on and off, it was 28* last time and that made me not want to try anymore! Some things that would help are a tarp over the tent to help hold in heat but also will hold in co2 and I'm not a fan of waking up dead? A small cold weather tent and a sub zero mummy bag would make it bearable but getting up in the morning is hard to do!

tonybolton · Nov 1, 2015

Re: Re: Any ideas on how to stay warm in a tent at night?

al1tonyota said:
Burn it in the campfire and go to the motel!

You've just stated the best idea ever.

I have no ****ing clue with peoples fascination with sleepinz on dirt.

I'm prolly the cheapest ****er on here an I'm motel/hotel or nothing.

mckeddie · Nov 1, 2015

I've always used a sub zero sleeping bag and lots of layers. I love sleeping in the cold though. I remember waking up at slide 1time and the tent was covered in about a half inch of ice. That was the coldest/best sleep I think I've ever gotten.

al1tonyota · Nov 1, 2015

Re: Re: Any ideas on how to stay warm in a tent at night?

tonybolton said:
You've just stated the best idea ever.

I have no ****ing clue with peoples fascination with sleepinz on dirt.

I'm prolly the cheapest ****er on here an I'm motel/hotel or nothing.

I do it as comfortable as possible set the tent up on the trailer so I won't get ran over queen air matress, blanket under me and sheets and blanket on top. Also tried zipped up in my sleeping bag rated for 30ish degrees better but still cold! The absolute worst part for me is going to bed drunk and waking up before daylight about to piss on my self and having to get out a damn zipper door!

TBItoy · Nov 1, 2015

A good fluffy sleeping bag rated for the temps you are expecting and a tent that doesn't leak and you should be good.

Get some heavy plastic sheet to put under your tent as a moisture barrier.

A pack of "hot hands" and the stick on "hot feet" make a big difference if you are gonna be in single digit temps.

Putting on a fresh pair of dry fluffy socks before zipping up in the bag helps too.

Ive only hammock camped now for several years, we do a hiking trip in Big South Fork on New Years and Super Bowl weekend the past couple years and the temps have always been single digits. I get inside a light weight bag in the hammock, and put a thicker bag on the outside of the hammock. Basically being suspended in the air in an insulated cocoon, you can stay warm. I stick some "hot feet" on before I climb in for the night.

Mylar sheet can be used pretty creatively to reflect heat and block wind/rain also.

Basically you want to find a way to insulate yourself all the way around.

al1tonyota · Nov 1, 2015

Oh this reminded me of another miserable camping experience the only time I've ever been to Harlan the roads were covered in snow on the way in it never got above 32* and we camped in a gravel parking lot! Best part about it is it rained and snowed most of the time too! Thank god I had my air matress the tent leaked and had 2-3" of water standing in the floor! No heater! I disowned the tent and air matress! Only reason I made it through all that was the 58 beers I went threw in two days!

TBItoy · Nov 1, 2015

Hammock + rain fly (tarp strung over head) is the best for camping! Doesn't matter if there is water on the ground.

You can even string up between rigs if you don't like where the trees are!

85toyo · Nov 1, 2015

I haven't tent camped since I was in the scouts. We always did a trip to skyline in February when it would get down in the teens at night. Put on a pair of sweat pants and wool socks, wrap up in a blanket then get inside a 0 degree mummy bag. I never cared for air mattresses. A good bed mat will keep you off the ground and mostly comfortable.

TBItoy · Nov 2, 2015

85toyo said:
I haven't tent camped since I was in the scouts. We always did a trip to skyline in February when it would get down in the teens at night. Put on a pair of sweat pants and wool socks, wrap up in a blanket then get inside a 0 degree mummy bag. I never cared for air mattresses. A good bed mat will keep you off the ground and mostly comfortable.

In a tent,
A thin self inflating mat, or just making a pallet with a couple extra blankets or sleeping bag will keep you warmer than a big inflatable air mattress. When you lay in your sleeping bag it smashes the material you are laying on, making it a lot less effective. And if you are up on a big air mattress, there is a lot of cold air underneath you. With a thin air mat, your body heat has a better chance of warming the air space.

I use a small "kid size" air mat in my hammock if its under about 45 degrees at night. It basically fits under my butt to about my shoulders and keeps me insulated from the bottom side where my sleeping bag is mashed. If it's going to be much below freezing, I'll use an "over bag" and put a big square sleeping bag on the outside of the hammock, or I'll rig it up as an "under quilt" and just hang the big bag up against the hammock from the bottom side.

5BrothersFabrication · Nov 2, 2015

You can always spoon. That awkward boner and subsequent "IT doesn't know you're a dude!" will put an abrupt end to it though... :gtfo:

85toyo · Nov 2, 2015

TBItoy said:
In a tent,
A thin self inflating mat, or just making a pallet with a couple extra blankets or sleeping bag will keep you warmer than a big inflatable air mattress. When you lay in your sleeping bag it smashes the material you are laying on, making it a lot less effective. And if you are up on a big air mattress, there is a lot of cold air underneath you. With a thin air mat, your body heat has a better chance of warming the air space.

I use one of the self inflating mats and really like it. On top of the air mattress being colder, I also wake up like a taco every morning. Don't think I ever slept on one that didn't leak.

MoparMan · Nov 2, 2015

5BrothersFabrication said:
You can always spoon. That awkward boner and subsequent "IT doesn't know you're a dude!" will put an abrupt end to it though...

To hell with that....I was thinking more like take a fat girl with you and let her keep you warm!

BPINAZ · Nov 2, 2015

Subzero sleeping bags.......However, most people wear too much clothing in an effort to stay warm while they're in a sleeping bag. Subzero bags are designed to trap your radiant body heat, so just sleep in lightweight clothing. It sucks when you gotta get out of it and take a piss, but what else can you do? Also, cover your head with a fleece cap to trap body heat. Most of the body heat lost during sleep is through the cranium. Place padding on the bottom of the tent, like bankets or even another sleeping, and if you're using an air mattress, place something between it and the ground.

kushKrawlin · Nov 2, 2015

Little buddy heater, no wind through tent and zip a nice sleeping bag up and your warm.

Beerj · Nov 2, 2015

Any opiate will do the trick.

86chevota · Nov 2, 2015

kushKrawlin said:
Little buddy heater, no wind through tent and zip a nice sleeping bag up and your warm.

This is what I do and works very well.

mac5005 · Nov 2, 2015

Re: Any ideas on how to stay warm in a tent at night?

Propane catalytic heater.

I put a furniture quilt under my air mattress on floor of tent to collect dust and dirt. It also partially insulates air mattress from ground.

I put another one on top of air mattress under my sleeping bag.

Good sleeping bags and if you get cold in your sleeping bag, pile all your clothes, towels, jackets on top of the bag.

Don't wear thick heavy clothes to sleep.

creepycrawly · Nov 2, 2015

Y'all are crazy for sleeping with a damn heater in the tent. I move around too much for that. I am also a hammock camper whenever possible and I have a goose down under-quilt that is stupid warm. Tent camping, as others have mentioned, the big thing is getting off the ground. Air mattress, sleeping pad, cot...pretty much anything. If you are cheap, stop by Walmart and get a bunch of cardboard boxes and put them under the tent. Not the most comfortable, but they will work.

Or...go hammock and don't look back!