How do you keep warm while sleeping?

lots between your airbed and ground - a few travel blankets... cold rises from the ground into air bed, freezes yor arze...

Good sleeping bag and sleep in clothes.

12v electric blanket

also the realdoll to cuddle helps.

12v blanket does good job.
Make sure you have low voltage cut-off device between the blanket and your second battery.

Once had 2 blankets connected without low voltage cut-off and had to replace the battery after the trip.

When it's real cold use a hot water bottle. I never leave home without one.

Beanie....hot water bottle...-5c sleeping bag....roftop tent.....foam mattress

Rooftop tent, four inch foam mattress, two doonas and a double sleeping bag ova the lot, oh and ahhh, sleep naked! Just don't get up to pee! He he he he
Cracka
Quebec 4104

Just add one more.

When you think that you have got the swag set up for cold wether; put in another rug just encase, you will probably need it. Have made that mistake 2 times now and it is getting a little annoying.

loughma,

What ever you do don't go the air matress option in cold weather, I reckon there imposible to get warm in cold weather, I'm sure ther'll be a few on here that have "solutions" to keeping warm on them, but the amount of ground sheets woolen underlays etc required to keep your body away from the cold air is not practical.....IMO

Browny

Hello - a lot can be learnt from bushwalkers who are limited in what they can carry - while some of the gear is expensive it not only saves space/weight but keeps you warm as toast. You obviously already have a tent so aim for best sleeping bag and thermal underwear. As you will be in a car don’t compromise on mattress (if you have good sleeping bag/clothes it will make no noticeable difference with respect to warmth). If you get cold you have brought the wrong sleeping bag/thermals...or your tent has blown over and it’s raining/snowing.
Cheers
Greg

Really small tent to ensure limited loss of heat. Double skin job (fly).

6 inch foam mattress to keep your clacker off the ground and provide some insulation.

A GOOD doona over the top of you and wear your tracky dacks to bed. You'll wake up in the middle of the night hot.

If it's really cold, put a "space blanket" (one of those alfoil sheets you can get at a cheapo shop for about $2.50, called an emergency blanket) over the top of you. Then you'll really cook.

Cheers,

Jim.

All of the above....

.... and, you've got to keep your body making heat, like what I mean, your body is like a little furnace.

On average, at rest, we produce around 100 watts oh heat per second. If we've just eaten, this can go as high as 400.

Eat well, just before bed, and you'll be toasty warm.

Wolfie

Never heard so much claptrap about sleeping out before especially you Truckster.

Loughma,go to camping store, purchase hikers sleeping mat, made of very light close cell foam, you can sleep on the snow with 1 of these.About $12.
Superdown sleeping bag (good 1) on 60-70mm foam mattress on top of mat and don't load it over with extra blankets, you won't need them. Anything on top takes the loft out of the bag and you will get cold, it has to fluff up if you get my drift.
Sleep as light as possible, clothes will let your body heat out.
If you can't afford a down bag , then use a doona or similar that has a lot of loft.
Blankets are ok, but you will need really good ones, and at least 3-4, depending on how bluddy cold it's going to get.(Talk to the weather man).
I have never been cold with that setup and I'm talking minus temps.
It also helps heaps if you stand by the fire for a few minutes and slip into bed so that the heat radiates into your bag.

All you hear about airbeds being damned cold is true, however following spinal surgery they are the only thing on which I can get a goods nights sleep.

The secret is adequate insulation, I have two large pieces of that thick felt stuff used by furniture removalists, I think it's actually carpet underlay, one of those folded in half to give two layers on top of the airbed gives a very warm comfortable mattress and on below zero occasions I've used the second piece over the top of a sleeping bag. The stuff is surprisingly warm, they double for packing around gear in the back of the truck and one piece is always spread over the top of the load to hide my gear from prying eyes.

A good quality thermal beanie also makes a hell of a difference.
Invest in a set of thermal underwear for sleeping - not the cheap longjohns from Lowes or KMart but the good stuff from Mountain Designs, Katmandu, Paddy Pallin etc.

As previously mentioned hot water bottles are good, I find the boiling the water and filling bit a pain in the butt, but hey! When it gets cold enough nothing is too much trouble.

Basically it comes down to practice and what works best for you (different strokes for different folks), look around and see what others are doing and importantly how they front up the first thing the next morning, the guy who comes out of his tent stiff and aching taking twenty minutes to loosen up is not the one you wish to emulate.

Don't be turned off by the thought of cold winter camping, my wife and I camp all year round but love our winter trips. Less traffic, cheaper prices, quieter camps,
no flys, bush flys or mossies.

Thers a lot to be said in favour of winter camping - go for it!

Regards
Ian

The empirical data..

We have been sleeping on a 4" air mattress and it was colder than my 1" foam swag mattress.

Steer clear of thermals if you have a "realdoll" and want to cuddle up, thermals wick moisture to the outside and it feels like you are cuddling a cold damp sponge. Best clothes to wear are none at all, well, thats if realdoll is coming otherwise clothes are more insulation.

If you have to go with an air mattress, use an insulating layer. A reflective tarp also works too, reflective side up as heat gets reflected, not cold.

Some tech...

Heat is a measure of how quickly a molecule is vibrating, the more it vibrates, the hotter it is. This is why there is an "absolute zero" which is the temperature at which a molecule stops vibrating (-273°C). Heat transfer is the movement of energy from hot to cold, and the ways that this movement of energy can happen are radiation, conduction and convection. Radiation is what the sun does to the earth and is proportional to the 4th power of the temperature difference, so it doesn't do much unless there is a large temperature dfference (eg sun or fire making your skin feel warm). Radiation is a wave (like light) that excites a molecule and makes it vibrate more. Conduction is energy transfer through a solid, and convection is through a fluid. Conduction and convection are the same in that they transfer heat by a quickly vibrating molecule (hot) knocking about its neighbours which are vibrating less (cold) and so on. Conduction is where the molecules are held in a lattice (solid) and convection is where the molecules are free to move around (water or air).

Air itself is a reasonable insulator, but in an air mattress you get convective currents (like water boiling in a pot) that greatly increase the heat transfer. One way to not get convective currents is to rack the air off all-together and get some foam.

The reflective tarp works by reflecting radiation, but will only be usefull if there is a good temperature difference. Silver, white and mirros are the best reflectors of radiation and black and grey, especially matt black are the best absorbers of radiation.

dj

Simple.
1. Have plenty between you and the ground.
2. Air is a great insulator in conjunction with other materials, so down doonars are great (lots of air between the feathers). If you don't have one, layers of bed covers are better than 1 or 2 heavy blankets. The air between the layers acts as an insulator.
3. Wear wool close to the skin. It is a great insulator
4. Move to QLD or NT, or at least do your camping there in the winter!!!

If you going to a very cold region then the best way to stay warm at night is to make bush electric blanket.

Dig a hole 3 feet long... 10 inches deep....12 inches wide and place about 4 inches of hot coals in it and cover it over...lay down 1/2 hr later...ahhhhh ....warm as toast.

We used this method for years camping out west in winter and it worked a treat.

have fun

Hello All

The pioneering bullock drivers would wait till after sunset , boot a sleeping bullock in the ribs until it moved , and layout a swag on the warm patch . This technique should work with large scrub bulls and camels . It may also entail a brisk run , which would also be warming .

Lot's of good advice above (some rubbish too - electric blankets in the bush! you big girls blouse :) but ensure you wear a beanie hat, ideally made from wool. High heat loss from the head and especially when it's the only bit of you sticking out :)

Mike Harding

The natives have used this tried and tested solution for many generations.

2 cases of VB

your missus and her sister.

one old hz holden and 2 dogs

on really cold night make it 3 dogs and anther 6 pack.

shadow

Just a good swag, doona, self inftating mattres, if still cold let all the dogs in.

Self inflating Matress is your best option for underneath (thermarest best know brand but expensive) They insulate much better than a normal air matress which is an open chamber in contact with the ground and moves the heat away from you more quickly. Putting a couple of blankets or your foam matress on top of and/or underneath the air matress may help.

Dont sleep in the clothes you wore all day or you will spend all your energy warming up the moisture they contain as well as your body. Put on dry fresh clothes if you must but with a good sleeping bag you are best of next to naked (especially if there is someone else with you) inside a cotton liner to keep your skin off the nylon as it feels cold. The down, or whatever the sleeping bag filling is, will be crushed under your body and not of much use so move most of it to the top once you have the matress sorted.

Keep your head warm with a hood or beanie and try to rebreath some warm air from your exhaling to get warm initially. Pull te beanie right over your face and cup your hands for this.

I like to put clothes for the morning under me so they are warm to put on when I get up. They look wrinkled and crushed but it works and I am not a fashion victim!

This routine has worked for me from the Western Arthur Ranges in SW Tassie to the Tanamai in winter and everywhere in between. Good luck as there is not much worse than being cold in bed other than being wet also!

JamieMac

Any tent
Fold up camp bed(one that folds up in one or two movements)
-5 Sleeping bag(I have a -1...am a naturally warm person)
Warm clothes to sleep in
Beanie

If sleeping outside then put some newspaper on the bed.
Alternatively put nice row of glowing coals under bed
Pull poly tarp over you to stop the dew(ice) giving you a bath.

Sleep tight

AND don't forget to wear warm socks!!!

Lots of good answers - Just one thing ... Get a GOOD sleeping bag - forget the rating system for them , but mine is snow rated. ( baught it 10 years ago and still going strong )

LESS CLOTHES WHEN you GO TO SLEEP!! sounds stupid , but it does work -- i used to go to sleep all rugged up - into the sleeping bag - and would freeze - till someone suggested just undies and a shirt ( or thin jumper ) and magic - was toasty warm in about 5 min -- WHY ? wearing lots of clothes to bed Insulates you from the sleeping bag . thus not allowing the sleeping bag to warm you up ! Try it - you will be suprised -- i often find myself waking up when its about -3 -4 outside the tent and feeling like i am roasting hot

a good beanie is also a Must as 70% + body head can be lost there also, Never needed to use an electric blanket or water bottle-

I only go camping in winter time in the Lithgow and Oberon areas -

Hope this has helped

Frank

always be very wary of sleeping bags that are rated for -5 conditions because that is their maximum value. To sleep in -5 conditions you would probably consider a sleeping bag that is rated -20 or something like that.

Do not use an airbed as they bring up cold from the ground. Use a foam mattress. Also don't touch the inside of the tent because it will make the condensation leak inside the tent.

As for clothing, layer layer layer is all I can suggest. Tracksuits with undergarmets and socks!

Enjoy

Personal opinion only here but I found that when camping I tend to follow the "rules" given to me by my old unit CSM... a good warm sleeping bag,sleep in light clothes(t-shirt,trackies) put a pair of thick sox on and of course wear a nice thick woolly beanie.The main idea is your body conducts heat on its own and tends to loose it thru your head and feet first.That way when you get up in the morning you can put on "thicker layers of clothes" and be warm all thru the day.
Also I agree with everyone else...a good tawny port warms you up wonderfully!
As for the air matterise etc cant say I ever slept on one whilst camping..I mean we all slept in Hoochies and used a cam groundsheet all year round!! gotta love the Aussie army eh!!LOL
Maybe try sleeping outside at home and see how cold you feel before the trip.
And remember one extra blanket never goes astray!!
CHEERS
katrina

Never ever go to sleep camping wearing layer upon layer of your clothes ,, when you wake up at 3am to pass the port that kept you warm in bed ,you will bloody freeze as you have no more to put on ,,

You've got all the good answers already.

But when the wife comes,
We find a double swag (3 hoop type) is warmer than a tent, and it only gets out of the vehicle at bedtime.
We use a 4inch foam mattress - great insulation, and comfortable as. Its very bulky, but we have the space.
Use single sleeping bags - warmer than double.
Same as the others - beanie, trackies etc
And put your bed clothes on after dinner.

When the wife doesn't come, use the other stuff in the bottle

Cheers
phil

1) warm the sleeping bag around the fire before going to bed. Even if you don't get into it straight away, it takes the chill off.
2) Hot coals in the camp oven carefully positioned in the tent on a stand to stop heat getting through to the floor (or run the gas stove for a couple of minutes)
3)Agree with no clothes - I sleep starkers and warm up much quicker. Beanie is good though to keep the heat from the head in.
4)Good sleeping bag, don't need to spend too much. One that is down will last much longer and is much lighter and smaller, but is probably 4x the price. I like room to move too. Any of the Roman/carribee etc should be good if they have a -10 or more rating. Kmart - $130 carribee for $60 at the moment - clearance in Adelaide. They are big and roomy, but shouldn't worry you if you are not hiking.
5)when I scuba dive, they say movement creates the loss of body heat. Stay as still in your sleeping bag until it warms up.
6) done the buried coals under the swag before, good for underneath but the best bet is a self inflating mattress. Never been cold on mine, with a decent sleeping bag ontop.
7) warm up before going to bed - excercise/hot shower (if there is one)
8) joining sleeping bags together may be cosy, but it allows cold in because it is not perfectly sealed around you (gap between each of your shoulders etc)
9) hot water bottles.
10) if you know anyone who is a doctor or nurse, I have a friend who rigs up a catheter so he doesn't need to get up during the night (he gets severe back pain though which is worse in the cold and at night after lying still)
11) if you don't take advice from any of these, a plethera of port will usually suffice, but make sure it is enough that you don't wake up until morning.

D-Jack

Many good suggestions, aside from port there is Antifreeze
or labled and sold as Stoneys Green Ginger Wine

Cheers

G'Day Loughma
My Wife and I use our double swag in the tent and bring our doona from home. On mild nights the canvas is off of us. On cold nights we pull the canvas up. I've never been cold in bed. The swag is also handy as when we move on we just roll it up and throw it on the roof rack. Easy!
Also if we deciede that we dont want to put the tent up, we just roll out the swag. Easy!

Cheers

Just a point on the alcohol - if you drink enough you won't feel cold (for a while). Alcohol is a peripheral vasodilator - it opens up the blood vessels supplying the skin. So you may feel warm but you are actually lowering your core temperature.
Lying still, you are burning energy at around 60 Watts. If you want to burn a bit more and raise your core temp do some isometric exercises (tighten muscles without altering their length). Isometric because if you thrash around you disrupt the insulating layer of warmth around you.
In my personal experience airbeds are a disaster. They operate like the cooling fins on a CPU.
A down sleeping bag and a foam matteress are the go (the one in the swag is fine). I recently woke up with frost on the swag but felt warm.

I have never heard so many ways to keep warm if you are confused

remember the old rule if have 4 blankets put two under its that simple

what I was taught buy my father an experinced bushman its called a ground sheet good "thick" waterproof canvas lay on ground put what you normaly use on one side then fold the other half over the top, even if the tent blows down it wont matter, has worked for me for 50 years of camping

Frank