Wondering how to keep warm in a tent? Do you love camping but feel like you just can’t stay warm in a tent, so you avoid winter camping altogether? You decide to just wait until the temperature rises before pitching a tent again. Well, now you don’t have to!
If you’re curious about keeping warm in a tent, then this is the blog post for you! In this guide, I reveal 14 tips for keeping warm in a tent without electricity. These cold weather camping hacks will help you extend the camping season from three seasons to four so that you can camp year-round!
14 Tips For Keeping Warm in a Tent
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1. Prep Food in Advance
The last thing anyone wants to do is prep food in the cold. Make sure to have something prepped ahead of time so that all you have to do is grab & go or reheat/add water.
Some of our go-to easy camp meals:
- Breakfast: Cereal, oatmeal, fruit, protein bars, bagel
- Lunch: PB&J, summer sausage with cheese and crackers, chicken/salmon/tuna wraps
- Dinner: Freeze-dried meals, instant mac & cheese cups
2. Drink Hot Beverages
Having a way to boil water for hot tea and coffee is a lifesaver when camping in cold weather! Warm your body with a mug of something steaming.
Since you won’t want to wait forever while the water boils – you’ll be in a hurry to warm up – I’d recommend purchasing the Jetboil Flash! This portable backpacking stove boils 2 cups of water in just 90 seconds.
3. Fill a Nalgene Bottle With Boiling Water
This is a fun cold-weather camping hack! Fill a Nalgene bottle (or any bottle that doesn’t have insulation) with boiling water. Slip it into your sleeping bag, and you’ll feel the heat radiating from the bottle as you fall asleep.
While the warmth will only last a few hours, this is easy to repeat as needed.
4. Pick the Right Location
Picking an ideal location for your tent isn’t always possible, but if you can, select a spot that gets direct sunlight in the morning. The sunshine will feel so nice on a cold morning!
Also, try to pick a spot that’s surrounded by trees. The trees will help block the wind.
5. Invest in a Good Tent
Investing in a good tent is important no matter the season. For cold-weather camping, a tent needs to be ventilated well so that moisture doesn’t build up inside and dampen your gear.
If you will be camping in the winter often, I’d invest in a high-quality 4-season tent. This tent has limited mesh to keep you warm inside, reduces condensation, and withstands snow.
6. Invest in a Good Sleeping Bag
One of the best ways to keep warm in a tent is by investing in a good sleeping bag. Having a good sleep system can make or break your night.
The best sleeping bags are insulated with down and synthetic. There are bags with a blend of down and synthetic, and there are bags with only down or only synthetic. Let me help you decide which material is right for you.
Down Vs Synthetic Sleeping Bag
Down sleeping bags are very durable, very compressible, and have a higher warmth-to-weight ratio than synthetic bags. However, down sleeping bags don’t perform well when wet, have strict cleaning instructions, are not hypoallergenic, and are more expensive than synthetic bags.
Synthetic sleeping bags are very water-resistant and continue to insulate even after getting wet, are hypoallergenic, and are less expensive than down bags. However, synthetic sleeping bags are heavier and bulkier than down, offer less warmth for their weight than down, and are less durable than down.
>>> Shop synthetic sleeping bags.
Down/synthetic blend sleeping bags are lighter weight and more compressible than synthetic alone, are more water-resistant than down alone, and are less expensive than down alone. However, down/synthetic blend sleeping bags are heavier and bulkier than down alone, are less water-resistant than synthetic alone, and are more expensive than synthetic alone.
>>> Shop down/synthetic blend sleeping bags.
This is my recommendation: If you will be camping in cold, dry conditions, I’d opt for a down bag. If you will be camping in wet conditions, I’d opt for a synthetic bag. If you want versatility, I’d opt for a down/synthetic blend bag.
Temperature Rating
Another thing to consider about sleeping bags is their temperature rating. Unfortunately, temperature ratings aren’t crystal clear; the rating system is a bit complex. Temperature ratings are estimates, so if a bag has a 20-degree rating; that doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll keep you warm at 20 degrees.
Furthermore, women’s bags are measured differently than men’s bags. Women’s bags are measured with a comfort rating – the temperature at which a cold sleeper might feel comfortable. Men’s bags are measured with a limit rating – the temperature at which a warm sleeper might still feel comfortable.
Even though the system is a little confusing, the temperature rating can still give you a ballpark number. If you buy a bag, and you end up needing a lower temperature, you can still buy a liner.
7. Use a Footprint
A footprint provides another layer of protection between you and the cold ground. It also protects the bottom of your tent and prolongs its life. Win, win!
While you can certainly use a tarp, I’d recommend getting a footprint that’s custom-fitted to your tent so that it’s sized properly. If the footprint is the wrong size, rain, moisture, and/or condensation can easily sneak inside.
NOTE: Don’t rely on a footprint alone to keep you warm. You still need a solid sleeping system!
8. Invest in a Good Sleeping Pad
Another way to stay warm in a tent is to invest in a sleeping pad with excellent insulation. If your sleeping pad isn’t warm enough, you’ll lose your body heat to the cold ground beneath you, and the pad won’t be able to prevent that heat loss.
Sleeping pads have something called an R-value. This is the pad’s ability to resist heat loss to the ground. The higher a pad’s R-value, the better it will insulate you from cold surfaces.
Sleeping pad R-values usually range from 1-8. If you are camping in the summer, an R-value rating of 1-3 will suffice. R-values of 3-5 are good for 3-season camping trips. If you will be camping in the winter, with temperatures below freezing, I’d recommend getting a pad at an R-value of 5 or more. You can also stack sleeping pads to add to the R-value.
When it comes to foam vs inflatable sleeping pads, I’d definitely recommend inflatable for cold-weather camping! Foam sleeping pads rarely have an R-value higher than 2.
I have an entire guide that dives deep into the differences between inflatable and foam sleeping pads and even the best options to buy! Check it out here.
READ NEXT: Inflatable Vs Foam Sleeping Pad: Ultimate Comparison
9. Wear Warm Layers
The only base layer I’ll wear while cold weather camping is Merino wool. Wearing a Merino wool base layer to bed will help you stay warm and cozy in your sleeping bag. If you can, try to wear the base layer that you’ll be wearing the next morning so that you don’t have to strip down in the cold.
Put any other clothes that you plan on wearing the next morning inside your sleeping bag so that your body heat will keep them warm. If you keep your clothes outside the tent, in your car, or even loose inside your tent, the clothes will turn to icicles and will be super uncomfortable to put on in the morning.
10. Bring Blankets
Blankets are always nice to have, especially on cold nights in a tent! If you’re backpacking, this might not be possible space-wise (though Rumpl has some nice packable blankets!). But if you’re car camping, I’d highly recommend packing all of the blankets that you have room for to help ensure that you stay warm at night.
My favorite blankets are Rumpls. They have a wide range of blankets from fire-resistant to a fabulous National Parks collection.
READ NEXT: 30 Excellent Gifts For Campers UNDER $30
11. Build a Campfire
Sitting by a campfire any time of year is great, but it’s especially cozy when the weather is cold. Warm your entire body up by sitting close to the fire! Bonus: cozy up to the fire with a fire-resistant blanket. You won’t have to worry about sparks ruining your blanket!
NOTE: Check the rules before lighting a fire. Never build a campfire in a fire ban zone, and always extinguish the flames before abandoning it. Also, build your campfire at least 15 feet from your tent and gear.
READ NEXT: Campfire Safety Tips for Hikers and Campers
12. Cover Your Extremities
Cover your extremities by wearing a beanie, gloves, a neck chute, and an ear wrap. I know I sound like a broken record, but Merino wool is honestly the way to go for these pieces of gear as well. You’ll be shocked how much warmer they’ll keep you than average outerwear!
You can also use hand warmers to keep your hands warm. I prefer the electric ones, but I wouldn’t recommend falling asleep with the electric ones turned on.
13. Put Extra Layers Between You and the Ground
Create as many barriers between you and the ground as possible. You should already have a footprint, a tent, a sleeping pad, and a sleeping bag, but try putting extra clothes or blankets between the ground and you. You can also stack multiple sleeping pads.
14. Pee
This may seem like a silly tip, but when your bladder is full, your body is expending energy keeping that liquid warm. If you empty it, your body expends a little less energy, and your body will stay slightly warmer.
PRO TIP: Since peeing outside in the cold in the middle of the night is not fun, use a bottle with an ultrawide mouth in your tent and empty it properly in the morning.
READY FOR SOME MORE CAMPING GUIDES!?
- 10 Tips For Beach Camping
- Inflatable Vs Foam Sleeping Pad: Ultimate Comparison
- How to Set Up a Tent in Every Terrain
- 12 Tips For Sleeping Better While Camping
- How to Practice Leave No Trace While Camping and Hiking
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Cuddle. How to keep warm.
Yep, that’s another great way to stay warm!