10 tips for camping in the cold

Pull out the tent in your luggage at any time and spend the night where you like it: what a romantic idea! -If the weather cooperates … Residing in the pouring rain on a muddy meadow is something very few have in the back of their minds when planning their camping holiday. In addition, it is not nice and warm everywhere. Yes, even in summer the temperatures in this country can drop to a very low level. Without the right sleeping bag, it is difficult to fall asleep and wake up refreshed the next morning.

In spring and autumn in particular, the weather can be unpredictable, especially at higher altitudes. One day it is pleasantly warm, the next the weather changes and suddenly the wind whistles ice cold around your ears.

No, camping is not for wimps. However, if you approach the matter carefully and have the right gadgets in your luggage, your vacation will be nice in all weather conditions. Especially if you are traveling with children, it is even more important to think about a variety of activities such as group games or even a children’s pool for warm days.

Getting through cold nights in a tent: this is how it works

Due to the drastic temperature fluctuations that can occur all year round, your camping equipment must contain a variety of things:

1. Use a small tent

While it’s nice to have a spacious tent that you can even stand upright in, when it comes to camping in cold weather, a smaller tent is better. This is because the tight space heats up much faster due to body heat. This not only makes it warmer in the tent, but also makes the occupants more cozy.

2. Use the correct sleeping bag

When it comes to sleeping bags, you should pay attention to quality, so don’t choose the cheapest discount model. At best, you reach a little deeper in your pocket and buy a 3-season sleeping bag (even if you only want to camp in summer).

Also, keep in mind that a tight-fitting mummy sleeping bag is the best choice for keeping you warm. Furthermore, down sleeping bags do not store heat when they are wet. It is therefore a must to use a sleeping bag made of synthetic materials or water-repellent down when camping in the cold. This stays dry even when it is wet and keeps you warm.

3. Avoid cotton clothing

Cotton clothing becomes heavy and slow to dry when wet. Therefore, you shouldn’t wear cotton clothing when camping. Instead, use synthetic materials that retain heat and dry quickly. All of your clothing and other equipment should keep you warm even in harsh conditions. Therefore: hats, gloves and socks should also be made of synthetic. A synthetic fiber that retains body heat just as well as wool is called polypropylene. In addition, it absorbs almost no sweat, so it hardly ever gets wet and dries very quickly.

4. Keep clothes warm

Nobody likes to wake up after a night in a tent and slip into ice-cold or clammy clothes. To avoid this, stuff the clothes you plan to wear the next morning deep into your sleeping bag. There they are warmed up by your body heat, so that changing clothes in the morning should hardly cost any effort.

5. Sleep with a hot water bottle

A classic cold weather camping trick is to boil water over a campfire or gas stove and then pour it into a reusable hot water bottle. This is put into the sleeping bag about twenty minutes before going to bed, which warms up and becomes much more inviting.

6. Use an electric blanket

To get the sleeping bag up to temperature, the camper can of course also use an electric blanket. However, this requires electricity, which leads to the next tip:

7. Batteries discharge faster in cold weather

The colder it is, the faster a battery runs out. To extend the life of your battery-powered equipment, pack it in your sleeping bag before you go to bed. Not only do you know where to find them when you need them at night, but your body heat also prevents the batteries from discharging.

8. Don’t go to bed cold

If you are cold before crawling into your sleeping bag, it will take you a long time to warm up. Here, too, one can easily find a remedy. Just have something warm before you lie down. Alternatively, you can take a brisk walk, run to the bathroom, or hop around to raise your body temperature a little. After that, you will find it much easier to fall asleep.

9. Don’t wait until you’re cold

As soon as the temperature starts to drop in the evening, you should get an extra layer of clothing. Don’t wait until you’re cold because then it will be too late and it will take you much longer to warm up again.

10. Make lighter yourself

Campfires make for a moody atmosphere all year round, but on cold evenings they are really necessary to stay warm. If it has rained, however, the firewood can be wet. In order to start a fire despite the weather, soak cotton balls in alcohol (or similar) before your trip. These can then be used as a fire lighter if necessary.

LG Anne !!!