How do you stop the cold night air getting in your bed?

Try using a rubber backed picnic blanket underneath - rubber side down - we always used one on top of the bed in our camper trailer ant it worked, so maybe it would do underneath as well. Worth a try.

Gday Dave
I use a piece of 3mm rubber under myself and sleep on the ground in a sleeping bag. Sometimes i use my sons self inflating mattress when he is not there. But the 3mm rubber stops the moisture coming through. I use 3mm because it is readily available.
Murray
I am in the 3195 area. If that is close come and have a look.

Before I upgraded to the swag, the old stretcher was my home away from home too. I still remember using using a few blankets plus my dog on top, but yeah still got cold, was a bit slow to realise at first that it was coming from under me. On that trip I had no extra blankets, so used the one blanket folded double underneath me, and with my sleeping bag, drizza-bone coat and dog on me was a heap warmer!

I think the mattress makes a huge difference- a high density foam one (like a 4WD mattress or 60mm swag high density mattress) really helps to keeps the cold from the ground out. I know they are a bit bigger to roll up but they keep you so much warmer. The higher density the foam, the better insulation it provides- a good one is well worth the money.

As you've been doing, put something under the mattress (we're outside in a swag so we use tarp or shadecloth), and then something on top of it to provide an extra barrier (we use a queen size polarfleece blanket, double it over for extra warmth). Then put your sleeping bag, and something over the top of that (ie your old sleeping bag or an old quilt). Then put your beanie on to keep your head warm.

Is a swag an option? If you get one of the flat ones without bendy poles, you can put the swag in the tent for an extra layer of canvas on top as well and you don't need to carry the bottom ground cover. You can roll up the bedding inside the swag so you're not carrying around heaps of blankets etc. We actually omit the sleeping bag and make up our swag like a bed- mattress, under blanket (polarfleece), bottom sheet, top sheet, top blanket (wool- two if it's going to be freezing temps), polyester-filled old quilt- it is so warm (we wear summer pyjamas) and doesn't actually roll up much bigger than with nothing in it- we use the same straps. In single form I don't imagine it would be any bigger than carrying a stretcher, two sleeping bags, a tarp and a blanket.

Anyway, just some ideas from someone who can't often stay warm :) Good luck with whatever you decide!

Gday,
Get a swag?
Problem solved.....


Cheers

Went camping with a mate once who recons the only solution to avoiding the cold night air from getting into your bed was to stay up all night drinking by the camp fire.

Personally, I used to take away a cheap ($40) spare sleeping bag and stuff all my clothes, towels, etc into it and use that directly on my roll out rubber mattress. Worked a treat and clothes were pre-warmed in the morning. Cheap, and easy to carry.

Now with wife and three kids in tow, I am regretabley forced to stay in cabins.

My advice...try it on the back lawn and see what you think. It worked for me and I HATE the cold with a passion. Anything less than 18 degrees drives me into hibernation. And wear a beanie.

my vote is more blankets underneath than above and a beanie - cold feet means cold head...

mate.
a good swag,with 3" foam base, and a quality sleeping bag, inside the tent if needed that is all you will need. cheers bill.

Gaday David. Your problem is the cold will always come up from the below because your bedding is being compressed by your weight. Upgrading to a better sleeping bag wont change much as again the loft will be flattened. Silver ground sheets too make almost no difference. If you are going to sleep on a raised mattress the best option is to lie on a sheet of closed cell foam. Available from Clark Rubber they are cheap & roll up fairly compact. 10mm should be thick enough to do the job. We use them when snow camping so they do work well.
Cheers Craig.............

Grew up in cold country and bed was a straw filled matress on a wire base on a partially enclosed verandah. There is only one answer. Newspaper. The old Courier Mail (Broardsheet) opened out provided several layers of insulation between the body and the air. Was also how we 'ironed' our school uniform pants. Spread the trousers on top of the paper underlay and then cover with a couple of extra pages. Did a great job.

In our van we use a sheet of cardboard under the innerspring mattress - I've got old and need my comfort - as well as putting carpet on the floor of the storage area under the bed.

All the old swaggies carried their newspaper eiderdown as they travelled the Downs in winter.

Kevin J

Know what you mean - if you can't stay warm, nothing else matters much ! Coupla lessons I've learned first hand, re the cold - synthetic thermal long johns and long sleeved T's work very well - the one's I have are very thin and light - they add nothing to one's 'bulk' (just as well for me). About $50 the pair at most - end of winter sales are a good time to buy them - teamed up with warm outer clobber they can make a huge difference. The other one was sleeping bags - we started to get cold in our 'favourite old zip together sleeping bags" at one stage - bloke in a camping store convinced us that despite being well looked after, they do lose their effectiveness - the fill collapses and won't restore itself. We bought two new bags for a very reasonable price and he was dead right - a huge difference. Out with the wallet Dave - let those moths go free ! :-o)

I use a Thermarest to stop the rising cold but as someone else mentioned, they are expensive. A silk sleeping bag liner ($60) will retain body heat more effectively than a cotton one; a good -5C or even -10C sleeping bag is not that expensive ($150?) and well worth it for those cold desert nights. Nothing worse than being cold in bed. - Peter

One of these should help keep you warm and supply the beverages at the same time.

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G'day David

As mention before - Get a swag.

We use a swag with a -10deg sleeping bag on a camp stretcher and not a problems

David

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me and the wife use, a removalist blanket tent floor, tarp , selfinflating materess, sleeping bag and then on top, two doonas and a blanket, but if we get really cold we always take a second removalist blanket for extra warmth.

Thanks everyone for your thoughts, I will purchase a better quality sleeping bag and a swag and I think that this will help with the cold night air. The swag will also help keep my bag dry from the condensation on those really cold nights.

Happy travels
Cheers Dave