How to Stay Warm While Camping

Any experienced seasonal camper will have many stories to share about their time wild camping. Off season camping offers a new world of snowy days and nuanced decision making opportunities. Although it may seem that the biggest difference between off season camping and seasonal camping is gear, it is equally different in the level of exercising good judgement. Every decision ought to be determined on the basis of whether you will conserve heat because it is much harder to generate heat during cold weather. Further it will be important to understand how to protect your body from the elements, ultimately choosing to respect the weather and go home in dangerous conditions.

Sometimes heavy snowfall causes a whiteout, where visibility is reduced to three feet in front of you and you need to take shelter in place to avoid getting lost. The best advice we can offer is to bring at least one experienced companion. You should also bring the right gear and know how to use it. Staying warm while camping will be a learning experience. By the end of this article we will have addressed expending energy, having shelter, using your clothing as a tool to stay warm, proper winter shelter, and staying warm while sleeping.

Expending energy during off season camping

During off season camping every action you take will expend energy, sometimes in unforeseen ways. Staying warm while camping will be the biggest goal, especially because you will expend so much more energy during the off season. For instance the contents of your backpack will weigh more burdened by more clothing, two sleeping pads, and a heavy sleeping bag. Since each of these items consumes more space than usual you may also find you have a larger backpack equipped. Carrying these items will cost more physical energy as the weight will test your physical fitness, increasing the amount of time it takes to reach the destination.

One way to conserve energy will be to constantly snack on food. Calories are the fuel for the body. Bringing extra food packed with protein such as trail mix will give your body the salt needed to retain water and the calories needed to regain strength. Clothing will only guard your body heat for so long before fatigue will take over, which is why food is the key for success. A second way to conserve energy is through drinking plenty of water, but not holding your bladder after. By drinking three liters of water per day your body will replenish moisture lost through respiration. However by holding your bladder you will lose body heat because your body will expend energy heating it.

Unfortunately, sometimes your water bottle lid will freeze shut. One trick for avoiding this is to pack your water bottle upside down in the side pockets of your backpack. Water freezes from the top to the bottom. Dehydration is your enemy more than ever during off season camping so any encouragement to drink more water is good.

One thing to remember about water is that we discourage you from melting snow. Some wild camping areas have high levels of water acidity. When it rains or snows the contents will be highly acidic, unhealthy for drinking. Second, melting snow consumes far more fuel than collecting flowing water to boil. Extra stove fuel means extra food for vital calories. Further, that precious fuel can be used to stay warm while camping because you can boil water for hot beverages.

Clothing

Thermal regulation will depend heavily on how you wear clothing. To stay warm while camping you will need to pack multiple layers that are added or removed as needed. Cues from your body will tell you when to remove a layer versus when to put one on. You need to remove layers when they get sweaty because it will cause you to lose warmth very quickly. The body will lose 85% of its heat through evaporation, also known as sweating. After you remove a layer take an inventory on how your body is reacting. Being uncomfortable and chilly is okay. If you notice your body begin to shake or feel very cold these are each signs you need to add another layer to warm up. By learning these cues you get from your body you will be able to stay warm while camping much easier.

Three basic levels of layering will help you to get started. The first or base layer is a thin layer that rests against your skin. For instance a long sleeve shirt and long underwear will suffice. Second, the mid layer will be a sweater that insulates your body on top of the base layer. The third layer will be an outer shell jacket such as a ski jacket. It is the heaviest layer and will protect you from the elements. We also recommend an extra layer that is extremely bulky such as a heavy wool sweater or large down jacket. This extra layer will be a life saver while standing or sitting still at camp.

Although your body may get cold it is really your head, hands, and feet that are the most delicate. You may have heard the myth that you lose 80% of body heat through your head. In reality, most body heat will escape from your head if the rest of your body is clothed since it is the only exposed area left. By wearing a warm hat which covers your ears you will save lots of remaining heat. This is why wearing a hat while sleeping can help you stay warm camping. Another layer for your head would be the hood of your coat. The only downside of wearing a hat and hood simultaneously is it makes it very hard to hear what others are saying.

There are also multiple layer combinations for gloves. We use our hands all the time especially while cooking at camp. By getting a pair of glove liners you will be able to use your hands and maintain some dexterity at the same time. The second layer for your hands should be a pair of nice heavy mittens. In wet weather there are also mitten outer shells that go over the rest of the hand layers. One tip that may save your hands from extreme discomfort is always stowing gloves against your chest when you are airing them out. By unzipping the front of your coat slightly and stuffing the mittens against your chest you will keep them warm for future use. Last, it is super important to cater to your feet. The ideal socks will be cruelty-free wool socks. Wool is the best material for socks because it stays warm while wet. If you have especially sweaty feet then these socks will be your friend.

The best clothing fabrics will wick moisture and dry quickly, unlike cotton which stays absolutely soaked when wet for a while. Eco-friendly fabrics include bamboo, hemp, and cruelty-free wool. There is also other athletic wear such as polyester and polypropylene, which will do their job to wick moisture as you sweat. The downside is they retain body odor after getting a lot of use.

Shelter

When you choose a shelter there are some differences between seasonal camping and off season. The first lesson is observing the ground to see if there is a layer of snow blanketing the area for your shelter. While off season camping the cold weather sometimes offers snow, which will be key to pitching a tent, teepee, or tarp.

To use snow to your advantage follow these simple steps. Mark the border of your shelter, then stomp the snow down in that square or rectangle area. Pitch your tent, tarp, or teepee. Use sticks to loop through the guylines that are stemming from your shelter walls. Instead of using stakes which are flimsy, use the sticks to bury the lines under the snow. Stomp on the snow to pack it down, adding extra snow as needed. Looking at your shelter, see that it is relatively tight but not so tight as to damage the fabric.

A tent will offer the most support if it can be staked down from multiple angles using multiple lines of rope. A tarp will work best if it is set up close to the ground in an A-frame. The teepee is a group camping favorite because it has only one pole in the middle, maximizing space.

No matter what shelter you bring, build snow walls up around the edges. The snow will help reflect your body heat, helping you to stay warm while off season camping. Make sure to bring a ground tarp for all three systems to prevent moisture from soaking the bottom of your sleeping gear. Leave the vents of your tent open to minimize condensation buildup. Condensation buildup is less common in teepees and tarps because they get natural air circulation.

Sleeping

Staying warm while sleeping may be the most challenging aspect of off season camping. To stay warm while sleeping you need to understand the concept of conduction. Conduction happens when your body is drained of heat while sleeping on the ground. The ground maintains its temperature of extreme cold which overcomes your body temperature. We have a saying that says “the ground will always win”. Your body can never maintain heat longer than the ground maintains cold. Knowing this, you will never maintain your heat without proper insulation between you and the ground.

Although it is uncomfortable bringing more gear that will weigh heavily in your backpack, having a sleepless night is much worse. We recommend packing an inflatable sleeping pad that has high ratings for the cold. In addition we recommend packing a foam sleeping pad which is about one inch thick to act as another barrier.

Sleeping pads and bags have “ratings”. For sleeping pads it is the “R” rating. This rating can be found on the sleeping pad tag itself. Higher numbers mean the sleeping pad can be used during colder weather. Some are advertised as having additional insulation on the inside which is helpful. What we recommend is choosing the most comfortable sleeping pad for you and pairing it with the foam pad to stay warm while off season camping. If the foam pad is too heavy for you, some campers will cut the foam pad in half. They put the one half underneath the upper body so their torso stays warmer.

The sleeping bag has its own rating, also known as “loft”. Rated according to physical temperature the sleeping bag will have a higher degree grade for higher temperatures. Most seasonal sleeping bags are about 40℉, 4.5℃. A winter sleeping bag will be 0℉, -17℃. Anything lower than that is for extreme cold climates and shouldn’t be bought unless specifically necessary. For instance most mountaineers will buy a sleeping bag that is -40℉, -40℃. They are super expensive and made for extreme winter climates. With the proper sleeping pad setup there is no need to buy such a specialty sleeping bag.

Two common fillings for sleeping bags are synthetic and down. Down sleeping bags are very light and comfortable but will not offer any heat if they get soaked. Synthetic sleeping bags weigh more but will maintain some “loft” while wet. The key to taking care of your sleeping bag is to always hang it up when you store it. If it is stored in a compression sack then it will lose it’s “loft”, making you much less likely to stay warm while camping.

Conclusion

Staying warm while camping can save your life in a tight spot. Most times however you just need to know how to stay warm in the off season because otherwise it will be a very uncomfortable experience. If you know how to stay warm then you may find off season camping to be superior to seasonal, offering less crowds, more quiet, and overall crisp lovely mornings.