Tent and/or Camper Trailer heaters.

if money no object the check out Webasto diesel furnaces

Cheers
Muddy

Hi Bear,

This all depends where you are! If you are staying in caravan parks or somewhere with access to 240volts, then use a little fan heater - heats up the camper trailer a treat. If you are in the bush then light a campfire for cooking but also to keep you warm. If you get cold before bedtime, then you will find it very hard to get warm in bed. We have a Coleman gas heater which is fantastic, but very risky in the tent, especially with kids. Lots of layers of warm clothing (thermal undies are good) and a good old fashioned standby ... a hot water bottle (recycle the water each night and you won't waste any). In really cold weather I go to bed in thermal undies, socks, a track suit and a woolley hat - its not a fashion statement, but it works. Good quality sleeping bags or doonas are important too. Last trip our coldest night was minus 6 degrees, so I think I'm reasonably qualified!!!!
Have a great time! Remember to keep the billy full, so that even if it freezes overnight, you can still put it on the heat and have a hot cup of tea in the morning!
Happy travels
Anni

Bear,
They might be warm before bedtime (around the fire) but they will freeze in bed. Sadly, a down sleeping bag can cost around $500.

G'Day Bear,

Coleman have 2 heaters which are safe to use in a tent/camper. They are called "Catalytic Heaters" and K-Mart have one for around $90, Kangaroo Tent City in NSW have a fan assisted model which was more expensive, can't remember the price.

Cheers,
Mark

This may sound a bit soft but there was discussion on here a while ago about keeping warm while sleeping and someone mentioned 240v electric blankets. Turns out they only draw about 60 or 70 watts.

So if you have a decent capacity battery system and a 150w inverter then you could use an electric blanket in the camper trailer, at least even for 30 or 40 minutes to warm the bed up before you get in.

Just a thought. Might whack one in my swag!

Cheers
Muddy

Hi Bear,

When we have access to power, the electric fan heater works a treat.

Our children also like water bottles, particularly as my wife made some nice animal type fluffy covers to put over them. This works well for bush camping. You might not be into the fluffy covers, but I was surprised by how well the old fashioned water bottle warmed up the sleeping bags. Pop 'em in 1/2 hr before sleeping and you'll go to bed comfy warm.

Hugh

hi bear, electric blankets are the go ,i have an 800 watt inverter in our van which runs straight of the vehicle battery and runs a double electric blanket allnight without any problems , no starting problems in the morning ,either cheers

The most basic remedy is to ensure that you have insulation from the ground. Put one of those silver survival mats underneath and wear a beanie (remember the old saying "if your toes are cold put a hat on" is very true. Cheers.

Used one of those coleman lpg gas heaters for 2 months last year....worked an absolute treat!!.

Cheers,
Mick.

12 V Electric blanket!!!

Hey there Bear - what sort of wimpy talk is this about warming the camper! We've been camping in the cold heaps of times, in a tent so much closer to the ground than you will be, and have never contemplated heating it. All you have to do is ensure you have the right gear and you don't have to worry about pre-warming the camper (or the bed). We use flannelette (spelling?) sheets and they are so much warmer to get into than normal cotton sheets - must be those little furry bits that limit how much cold material actually touches you. And then we have a thick doona over the top. And I wear a nice warm beanie (home made from fleecy material that isn't itchy like many of the bought ones) because I have less hair than I used too. Have slept in negative temperatures with that setup without any problems at all. No need to spend hundreds of dollars on down sleeping bags or have electric blankets that'll flatten the battery or have heaters that may just kill you (after all you're not likely to have the windows open for ventilation if it's bloody cold are you).

mate
for the adults a bottle of port or ginger wine if you are really desparate give the kids a nip also beaut for the big kids i dont notice the cold till early mornig then get up and stir the fire

lololol
steve

Three stages to keep warm [adults].
1. mulled wine.
2. good woman.
3. combine 1+2
Three stages to keep warm [kids]
1. down sleeping bag
2. baked beans
3. combine 1+2

Hi Bear,

Camping World were advertising some fleecy camp blankets recently. They were zippered on 3 sides so could be zipped up and used as a sleeping bag liner for extra warmth on those cold nights or just used open as a blanket. Unfortunately they only come in single size but I'm planning on getting the kids one each. Thing with camping in WA is you can encounter several nights around zero degrees as you head north towards 20 degree nights. A few cold nights here and there doesn't warrant investing in a down sleeping bag. Also on warmer nights the kids can lie on top of their sleeping bags and just use the blankets as a lightweight cover. Anyway, these blankets might be worth looking at.

:o) Melissa

Done a bit of backpacking, including cross-country skiing. If you're sleeping on the ground make sure you have insulation under you. In the snow I've found 2 of the those cheap foam camp mattresses ($5 each) to be enough. Invest in good quality sleeping bags. Ones with hoods are best so you can tighten them up and not let any of your warmth escape. You don't need down filled unless you're restricted for space; you can get some great synthetic bags for reasonable money, or if you already have a bag that's so-so, buy a fleece sleeping bag ($20-30) and put it inside, will improve out of sight. Thermals, socks and beanie are the go.

A trick we done in the snow was go for a quick run/jog (minute or so) before jumping into bed, then you're toasty warm when you jump in. If you then have good insulation from sleeping bag/mattress, you'll be fine for the night.

Once you have these sorted out, do the heater thing. In our Jayco camper we take a little electric when staying in parks, only takes a couple of minutes to warm camper up. When out bush I get up first in the morning and light the stove burners, this warms up camper enough for kids to get dressed and then they're off, open camper to air out. Don't do this going to bed for fear of fumes and not waking up!

Cheers,

Mark.