Keeping warm in tent???

[kabs996]

Ok everyone don't laugh. I am not a primitive tent camper, more of a glamour camper. I need electricity in my tent. So, with that said, I am going camping this weekend in my Coleman Montana 8 person tent and the night temps will be getting down to the 40's. I have a small ceramic heater I plan to use in my tent. I also plan to drape a blanket over the top of my tent to cover the mesh so the heat doesn't escape out the top. Does anyone else have tips on how to stay warm in a tent on cool nights? Yes I know sleeping bags are good too but I just despise being cold and need a warm environment to sleep in. This will be my last camping trip of the year due to this reason. Hoping to stay toasty warm this weekend

[hwc1954]

Re: Keeping warm in tent???

If you put the rainfly on your tent, you probably won't need to cover up the mesh. If anything, it's better to let some moisture escape so you don't end up with dew on the inside tent walls making everything feel cold and clammy.

Wear a fleece cap to cover your head. That makes a big difference, especially if you don't want to bury your head in the sleeping bag. If you are really cold, long underwear or lightweight fleece top/tights will help.

If you are sleeping on an air mattress, you need everything you can get between you and the air mattress. Like both layers of a sleeping bag as a mattress topper. A foam mattress topper sheet. A camping pad. You have to insulate yourself from the air mattress (or the the cot or the ground).

[ppine]

Re: Keeping warm in tent???

I agree with hwc. Except you need ventilation for your ceramic heater.
To stay warm with temps in the 40s all you need is a good pad, a tent and blankets from home. A heater is extreme overkill but if it makes you happy go ahead. Just be careful of fire danger and ventilation. People routinely camp for long periods in snow and winter conditions without heaters. They have good clothes and good sleeping bags. I like feathers.

[Bigdog57]

Re: Keeping warm in tent???

I once used an electric blanket in my 3-man dome tent - but a sudden rain made that not so great an idea! I worried about the plug getting wet and causing me grief.
Putting a couple of the larger 'body warmer' packets down inside the sleeping bag helps. They'll last longer than the 12 hours or so advertised.
For a larger cabin tent, the Mr. Heater Buddy Jr. propane heater is excellent. Modern tents have plenty of ventilation, so no safety issues - it has an O2 sensor and a tip-over cutoff. Three hour runtime on a 1lb canister at High, all night on Low.

[hwc1954]

Re: Keeping warm in tent???

It was down in the 40s the last time I was out. With a 40 degree sleeping bag, I woke up sweating. I was wearing Polartec Power Stretch fleece pullover top, tights, and cap. That stuff is pretty amazing. Perfect for getting up and walking around the campsite at those temps. Too hot inside the sleeping bag. The only think I did was close off the floor-level vent right at my head. Left the one at my feet open. The tent is basically all mesh on the top half with four vents in the top of the fly.

The only thing that was cold was my nose.

[GlitterHiker]

Re: Keeping warm in tent???

Dressed in fleece, in a sleeping bag, you will be fine without a heater. A tip is to generate body heat before going to bed - be active (take a 10 min walk before bedtime) and eat a good hearty dinner. The digestive process will generate body heat during the night.
Will there be others in the tent with you? Usually your own body heat will be sufficient to warm a 1 or 2 person tent throughout the night. But not enough for the big tent you have. But if there are others in there with you, you'll be toasty!

[Oldcoyote]

Re: Keeping warm in tent???

If you use Buddy heater, please get a CO alarm. Just in case.

[Moss]

Re: Keeping warm in tent???

Do yourself a favor go to Walmart, Cabela's, Bass Pro or even a good Army Navy store and by some thermal underwear, not the waffle cotton Hanes brand, the 100% polyester brand, I always buy the military surplus brand or the Bass Pro house brand, tops and bottoms both full length. Hunters wear these in tree stands, where you are exposed to the cold and can't move to generate heat, they are great. Matched with a good pair of wool socks, (Redhead from Bass Pro my fav) and a fleece hat you will contain alot of your body heat. :cool:

[dave wyath]

Re: Keeping warm in tent???

sorry if this was already mentioned but you'll want to have plenty of blankets or a pad of some sort under your sleeping bag. it can be just as cold from the ground as from the air.

[tplife]

Re: Keeping warm in tent???

If properly designed, the mesh on your inner tent shouldn't make the tent colder. That is, if your rainfly is full coverage, which it's not on the Coleman. Experimentation will help you decide if the blanket is helpful. We also use a ceramic heater when our campsite has electric, but we turn it off at night. A cot or air mattress presents a different problem - no matter the barrier between you and it, in cold weather it will always get colder until it's the same temp as the outside air, sucking the warmth right out of you. Maybe double up on your sleeping gear if this is the case. If you're not comfortable sleeping with a cap at night, "don't sweat it", it's a myth that you lose a lot of body heat through your head. You don't, unless the rest of your body is exposed to the same cold. Consider purchasing some MegaMat, REI, ThermaRest or other brand name open-cell self-insulating sleeping pad in the off-season. You'll need a lot less insulation as a result, and possibly extend your camping season by another month. +2 on OldCoyote's suggestion for those using Buddy or other fuel-heaters overnight.

[ppine]

Re: Keeping warm in tent???

Some ventilation is required and important to keep bedding dry. In the Arctic bedding gains moisture and weight until it is dried out or becomes unserviceable. Insulation from the ground or an air mattress is really important. Pads are best. A Sunday newspaper would work in a pinch. Bedding compresses too much. Wearing a hat at night makes a big difference in comfort. I do not beleive that it is a myth that the head radiates a lot of heat.

[tplife]

Re: Keeping warm in tent???

... Wearing a hat at night makes a big difference in comfort. I do not beleive that it is a myth that the head radiates a lot of heat...

This myth is based on a US Army manual from the '60s with the manual stating a person “can lose 40 to 45 percent of body heat from an unprotected head”. In the study upon which that manual is basing its advice, the subjects wore survival suits with exposed heads, so of course they lost a lot of heat through their heads. But when the study was repeated in 2006 (using 30 minutes in 63-degree F. water as a control) with subjects wearing only swimsuits, heat loss was measured as being the same across all body parts - measured at 10% loss from the head, about the same as the amount of surface area of the body that the head accounts for. A hat may make you feel warmer in the cold, but it doesn't help any more than insulating other parts of your body. Clothing and exposure determine how much heat you lose through your head. The percentage of heat you lose depends on how much you bundle up the rest of your body, not on whether or not your head is covered. So rest easy in your tent, snug in your sleeping bag without a hat. It won't account for that much heat loss - and we all know that scientists never lie!

[hwc1954]

Re: Keeping warm in tent???

I recommended a fleece cap, not because of an Army study, but because my bare head was cold in the tent.

[Mike]

Re: Keeping warm in tent???

Ppine was right about two things for sure.

1). You need to wear a hat sleeping while winter camping. This based on my own experience. I bring a full face balaclava because some nights get real cold and your face freezes. Plus it is nice to warm up the air through the mask before you breathe it

2). Condensation is a real problem. Moisture condenses and freezes on your sleeping bag and inside your sleeping bag. After a few days, your bag can become an icicle pop. It isn't easy to dry them out in winter especially if it is snowing during the day. I ventilate the tent and use a tealight candle to keep moisture out but ventilation means out with the warm air and in with the cold air

[ppine]

Re: Keeping warm in tent???

tp,
You can cite studies if you wish. All I know is when my head is exposed to the elements and the rest of my body is warm and toasty it makes a big difference to wear a hat. That goes for the day time and night time in cold temperatures.

Some people hate the cold and complain about it. Most of them don't know how to dress for it. Notice how many people that complain about the cold never wear hats. They often wear gloves.