Cold Weather Camping

Cold weather is usually not the time of year for most camping trips, but sometimes the weather may turn bad and we get stuck in cold weather -- and, believe it or not, sometimes, people actually choose winter camping activities.  A properly equipped RV makes a good base camp for snowmobiling, snowboarding, sledding, ice skating, ice fishing, and skiing.  A good four-season tent can also be a fairly comfortable winter home away from home. Admittedly most of the intentional winter camping experiences I've done have involved Boy Scout tent camping activities rather than personal or family RV outings, but many trips have been memorable.  We've experienced unseasonably cold weather on more than one dirt bike trip in southern California, even to the point of an unusual several inches of snow in the Mojave Desert a couple of times!  Cold weather camping can be fun and even comfortable if you are properly prepared.  Keep in mind that everything takes "twice" as long in the winter (getting there and back, setting up camp, breaking camp, cooking, even going to the bathroom (remember those snow suits as a kid?), etc.) and plan accordingly.  I'm sure more than one child wet his or her pants while wrestling with the multitude of zippers, buttons, snaps, belts, and strings on multiple layers of clothing.  You can enjoy almost any cold weather if you're properly dressed for it -- neither rain nor snow nor dark of night need stay the avid camper from his appointed (or chosen) rounds.

RV Cold Weather preparations.   Most RVs do not come from the factory equipped for use in sub-freezing weather.  At least most RVs made in the United States.  Canadian models are more likely to be winter ready.  Fortunately, most unexpected cool weather during camping season isn't going to plunge you into days of sub-freezing conditions.  I have seen RVs with dual furnaces and even dual hot water heaters to enhance winter camping, but most units aren't well equipped for cold weather, at least those made in the U.S.  Many Canadian built RVs ARE, out of necessity, designed for cold weather use.  If you do plan to use your RV in sub-freezing temperatures you may have to make some modifications to prevent the water and sewer systems from freezing.  Even in milder cool weather you will want to ensure your RV is free from drafts and insulate the windows to prevent unnecessary heat loss for your own comfort and to conserve propane.  Some RVs have heavy drapes or shades but most can benefit from the installation of foam/foil window covers behind whatever window coverings are there.  Reflectix brand is an example of bubble foil/foam insulation that can be easily cut to fit any window.  Make sure you top off your propane tank before you leave, since cool/cold weather is going to put a higher demand on your furnace, water heater, and, most likely the stove as well since you'll want more hot meals and beverages and probably won't be doing a lot of campfire cooking or outdoor BBQs.   Because heat rises, roof vents can be a major source of heat loss. RV stores sell square pillows that can be stuffed into the opening and vinyl covers that snap over the vents on the inside to block heat loss. Make sure your furnace is in good condition before you leave home.  Replacing a faulty thermocouple or even a bad computer control board is a lot easier and less expensive at home than it will be in the wild, not to mention more convenient.   Make sure your batteries are in good condition and fully charged.  You'll need them to keep the furnace going through long winter nights.  Run your vehicle or on board or portable generator enough each day to recharge your batteries.   If your vehicle isn't equipped with a good multi-stage charger, get an automatic battery charger from an auto parts store and connect it to your batteries so they will be charging anytime there is 120-volt power available.  If you wake up in the middle of the night and it is cold in your RV yet the furnace fan is running, you have most likely run down your batteries to where the furnace won't operate properly -- or run out of propane.  It is ironic that a low battery condition will cause the fan to continue to run after the burner has shut off, further depleting the batteries.   If this happens, about all you can do is shut off the furnace to avoid running the batteries down even more, put an extra blanket on the bed or put on your favorite "bunny" pajamas, and recharge your batteries as soon as you can.  For future trips, make sure your batteries are in good condition and monitor your power usage to conserve them to run the furnace at night.  If it becomes a recurring problem, consider upgrading your battery system. Keep your slippers near the bed for late night ventures to the bathroom or to adjust the thermostat for the furnace, especially if you'll be walking on hard surface floors.

Your next biggest problem in sub-freezing weather, after keeping your furnace going all night, will be keeping your water and sewer systems from freezing.  You can add antifreeze to drains and holding tanks but you'll need to keep your fresh water tank and all water lines warmer than 32°F to prevent them from freezing.   A 100 watt incandescent bulb (soon to be obsolete) can be used to heat an outside compartment containing holding tanks and/or dump valves if you have access to 120 volt power.   Just keeping the inside of your RV warm and cozy won't necessarily prevent plumbing from freezing.  Some sewer and even fresh water components are in unheated compartments or even completely outside the RV.  Heating pads are available to protect holding tanks.  Some run on either 120 Volt AC or 12 Volt DC power and most are thermostatically controlled so they only turn on when temperatures approach freezing to conserve energy.  If you don't know how to protect your RV, take it to a qualified RV technician to see what, if anything, you can do to make it suitable for winter camping.  If you're tent camping you'll need to either find a place to store your water where it won't freeze, or be prepared to thaw it out when you need to use it.  I've seen people avoid freezing pipes at home by leaving a faucet open so the water keeps moving, continually bringing ground temperature water into the pipes. We used to do that on my grandfather's ranch in Idaho.   This isn't likely to be a good solution for RVs.   In the first place, if you're, connected to city water, you have several feet of hose directly exposed to the cold outside.   Second, there is no safe place for the water to go. Leaving a faucet open would only transfer the freezing problem from the fresh water line to other plumbing like drains, holding tanks, and dump valves.  Of course you wouldn't want to even think about leaving water running if you're dry camping and depending on the water you have on board.  If you are connected to city water be sure to wrap your hose and the faucet all the way to the ground with heat tape or disconnect and drain your hose.  If you leave it connected and the faucet freezes you'll be facing an expensive repair bill from the campground.  Digging out and repairing or replacing those frost-resistant faucets isn't cheap, especially if the ground is frozen!

Windows, windshields, and goggles are likely to fog or frost up in cold weather. Using a good anti-fog preparation will help minimize problems, but you may still end up having to scrape ice and/or snow off your windshield, sometimes inside as well as outside. I recommend starting the vehicle and running the defroster to loosen any ice or snow before trying to scrape if off. Then use only a plastic scraper, not a metal one like a putty knife or metal spatula. Metal can damage the glass. Also avoid pouring hot water on an icy windshield. It may crack the glass! Goggles, face shields, and OHV windscrreens will become brittle in cold weather so exercise extra caution in handling them. You may have frost on the inside of windows other than the windshield and it is a good idea to carefully scrape it off to avoid have it melt and run down the walls or damage fixtures or furniture.

Cold vehicle seats are one of the discomforts of cold weather camping. Heated seats are really nice, but not all that common except on high end luxury vehicles. Adding electric seat heaters is an appealing solution, but not usually a good job for the average do-it-yourselfer so it can be expensive. A simple, effective, inexpensive alternative is to install slip on plush or fleece seat covers.  The best are real sheep-skin, but even a plush fabric will be warmer than sitting on cold vinyl or leather seats. Fake sheep skin will put a thicker pad between you and the cold seat material and you may be able to machine wash them when needed.  Real sheepskin is the warmest and most comfortable and the most durable -- and the most expensive.   Sometimes you can find heated slip-on seat covers or a heated vibrator cushion to warm your backside.  Of course you should only use seat heaters when the engine is running to provide power.  Running them off the battery will run the battery down very quickly.  Heaters are high-resistance wire and essentially a dead short that uses a lot of current.

Tent cold weather preparations.  There is little you can do to increase the ability of a tent to hold in the heat.   Of course a heavy canvas tent will retain heat a little better than a thin nylon one, but neither gives you very much of an R-factor when it comes to insulation.  A dual-wall tent provides some additional heat retention due to the air space between the tent wall the the rain fly.  You may get some additional protection from wind and moisture as well as help trap heat by putting a tarp over your tent, but you will probably ant to focus more on sleeping comfort.  I found that rolling out one or two sleeping bags on the floor of the tent before I put in my sleeping pad and personal sleeping bag helps keep us warm when sleeping when camping on snow.  Foam/foil insulation can be used in your tent when car camping to add insulation and reflect your body heat back inside instead of letting it escape through thin tent walls.  You might also want to use it on the floor and cover it with a tarp. Foam tiles on the floor will really be appreciated in cold weather!  Tent heaters are available but always exercise caution when using them.   Even flameless, catalytic heaters get hot enough to melt or set the tent or other fabric on fire if they come in contact with it. And although properly designed interior heaters usually don't produce toxic fumes, they will consume oxygen so you MUST keep a couple of windows slightly open to avoid suffocation.   An old pioneer trick is to heat up some rocks or potatoes in the fire and put them inside your sleeping bag or bedding.  Be careful that there are no coals clinging to the items and that the items are not TOO hot or you may burn your feet or melt nylon fabrics or set your bedding on fire.  A trick used by the well-to-do in medieval times was a foot warmer. This was long-handled metal pan with a lid that was filled with coals. You might have seen one in Pirates of Caribbean when Elizabeth Swan was being kidnapped and dumped one on the pirate's head.  An old mountain man trick is to lay out your sleeping bag or bedroll over a warm fire pit.   If you try this, make sure the fire is well covered with dirt beforehand. Y ou might recall the scene in the movie Jeremiah Johnson where Robert Redford discovers he didn't have enough dirt. His seasoned companion quipped "Didn't have enough dirt.  See'd that right off."  An extra wool blanket over your sleeping bag or an extra sleeping bag laid flat over the top can also preserve heat and keep you warmer. T his technique is especially effective when covering two or more sleeping bags side by side so you can share body heat.  If your sleeping bags are the style that can be zipped together and you have a willing partner, you will sleep warmer when you share than you will alone in individual sleeping bags.  Do NOT try cooking in your tent -- unless you have a properly installed and ventilated tent stove!  The temptation may be great when the weather is bad, but it is definitely NOT worth the risk!   Both being out of the weather and the potential for warming your tent is definitely an attractive idea, but a dangerous one, unless you have the right kind of stove. Find a sheltered spot outside where you won't risk setting your abode on fire, breathing toxic fumes, or suffocating when the stove uses up all the oxygen!   Plan ahead and set up a weather-proof (or at least weather-resistant) camp kitchen BEFORE the bad weather hits.  Wind usually comes from a single direction (prevailing wind) so you can set up a permanent wind break to protect your cooking area.   If you are in an area where the wind direction shifts frequently you may want to try to rig up a movable wind break or just settle for small wind breaks right around your stove to protect the flame and prevent the wind from blowing the heat away before it cooks your food!  The lid and side panels of most Coleman-style camp stoves provide a pretty good wind break and you can usually purchase add-on wind breaks for other stoves that protect three sides, leaving the front open so you can access your pots and pans.

Make sure your wardrobe is stocked with clothing appropriate to the weather and dress in layers for maximum warmth and flexibility to adapt to changing conditions.   For the most comfort, start with thermal underwear and add layers as needed, depending on temperature and activities.   If you expect or experience wet weather you will need rain gear.  Even the warmest parkas will be of little use if they aren't water resistant and they get wet.  Hats with ear flaps are very important. I really like the furry Russian military hats known as "ushankas" (means "ear hat" in Russian).  They are very warm and protect your neck, ears, and part of your cheeks.  You can lose as much as 80% of your body heat through your head.   My grandmother always said "If your feet are cold, put on your hat!" -- and it works!   Speaking of feet, make sure you bring along plenty of dry socks.  You will NEVER get your feet warm in wet socks!  If you get your feet wet, change to dry socks and dry your shoes or boots as soon as you can.  Gloves or mittens are essential for any outdoor activity in cold weather. Wearing latex or nitrile gloves under your winter gloves will add a little insulation and prevent the inside of the gloves from getting sweaty but your hands will get sweaty.  You can use rubber gloves over your knit or other gloves for extra exterior protection against water.  Be sure to by them at least a size bigger than you would normally wear so they'll fit over your gloves.  You can get glove liners or simply wear a pair of small knit gloves inside your gloves for extra warmth.  You lose some dexterity with mittens, but they will keep your hands warmer than gloves.  Chemical hand and toe warmers can be used to provide up to 10 hours of additional heat to keep your extremities more comfortable.  Large versions are available as "body patches" to warm your chest or back if necessary. I t may seem like the special clothing available for various outdoor activities (skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling, riding OHVS, horseback riding) is extravagant, but if you've ever tried to "get by" without it, you'll appreciate the comfort and functionality the right clothing provides.  The right gear is designed to fit properly and allow appropriate movement and ventilation while retaining body heat to keep you warm.  The wrong gear, even if designed for cold weather, may retain moisture, restrict movement, or otherwise interfere with activities.  You will be far more comfortable in clothing appropriate for the activity you are involved in.  After one winter of having my feet freeze while horseback riding, I broke down and bought a pair of insulated cowboy boots.  The next year things weren't nearly so bad.   "Windchill" jersey's and gloves added a lot of comfort to winter dirt biking and I've never regretted investing in quality snowboarding clothing when we tried snowboarding, which kept me warm and comfortable in daytime temperatures around zero, although I did thoroughly enjoy the hot air hand dryers in the restrooms when we took a break.  Nothing takes the fun out of a hot activity faster than being cold!  Winter clothing should also breathe or you will get soaked in your own sweat, and then you'll freeze.  Properly designed winter clothing also allow for correct ventilation to prevent overheating and then getting chilled from excess sweat.

Cold weather health hazards. The two most obvious, serious and well known cold weather health hazards are frost bite and hypothermia. Many people are surprised to learn that dehydration is also a major concern during winter activities.  You lose body fluids through both respiration (breathing) and perspiration (sweating).  Too much physical activity can make you sweat which will then cause you to get chilled when you slow down or stop.  Think you don't lose much to respiration?  Just look at the little clouds that appear when you breath out or look what happens when you breath on your glasses or goggles to clean them.  You still need several glasses of water per day.  Eating snow or drinking water from melted snow can provide hydration but it also contributes to hypothermia because it uses core body heat to warm the snow.   Better to heat your drinks and sip warm liquids, which will hydrate you AND help keep you warm.  However, if you don't have any other source of hydration, by all means, eat snow.

Frost bite usually occurs on exposed extremities like fingers, toes, noses, and ears.  The cells of the skin and muscles near the surface literally freeze solid and rupture.  Water expands when it turns to ice and our bodies are about 70% water.   If you or one of your companions gets frost bite, do NOT rub the area with snow!  That has been a popular myth, but it is not sound medical advice.  What you want to do is to gently warm the frozen area. Be aware that severe frost bite is likely to have done irreparable damage to the tissue.  Ultimately affected areas may die and slough off or may have to be surgically amputated.  Less severe cases may benefit from gently warming to thaw the frozen parts. Sometimes just placing the frozen fingers or toes next to warm body parts (like arm pits) will do the trick.  Warm water can be helpful but do NOT use hot water.   To prevent frost bite, avoid exposing the skin to cold air.  Wear gloves, thick socks, and boots and cover your ears and nose.   A full-face ski mask may not look very fashionable, but it may keep your cheeks and nose and chin from freezing.  Even something like a nylon stocking pulled over your face will provide some protection. DO NOT warm frozen tissue if you won't be able to keep it warm.  Thawing and refreezing will cause even more damage.  Wait until you are sure you can keep it warm before you attempt to thaw it.

Dress for the weather.   If you are dressed appropriately for the weather you can stay relatively comfortable in just about anything short of severe weather conditions.  Take a lesson from skiers and mountain climbers who sometimes face fairly extreme weather conditions.  Dress in layers.  This provides both maximum insulation and greatest flexibility to deal with changing weather conditions and levels of activity.  You don't want to stay all bundled up when involved in strenuous activities that make you sweat.  Doing so may subject you to chilling that can lead to hypothermia and even death.  Dress for the type of weather you are going to experience.  Even the warmest parka or snowsuit will not keep you warm in rain if it isn't waterproof or at least water resistant.  Avoid getting wet!  You lose body heat 25 faster in wet clothing.  You can become dangerously hypothermic even in fairly mild weather when you get wet.  As water evaporates is absorbs more heat than ice melting!  It takes 539 calories to convert 1 gram of water to water vapor but only 80 calories to convert 1 gram of ice to liquid water so you will lose heat faster from evaporation in wet clothing than from melting snow or ice.

Hypothermia occurs when the core temperature in the body drops below the minimum required to sustain life. Hypothermia can occur even on warm days if you are submerged in cold water or stay in wet clothes.   A drop of only a few degrees in your core temperature can be serious, even fatal. Typically you can't survive more than about 3 hours in cold weather.  The normal body temperature is 98.6° F or 37° C.  Hypothermia occurs when the core temperature drops to only 95° F or 35° C. Your body reacts to cold by first reducing circulation to the extremities to save heat for the vital organs so extremities, like hands, feet, nose and ears, will stop being warmed by your blood as your body redirects it to protect the vital organs in your core.  That is one reason your hands and feet and face are hard to keep warm.  Feeling cold and shivering, especially uncontrolled shivering, is an early sign of hypothermia.  When shivering stops without getting warmed up, the victim has progressed from mild to moderate hypothermia. Since loss of mental function is also an initial sign of hypothermia, early signs often go unnoticed.  Initial hunger and nausea will give way to apathy as the core temperature continues to temperature drop.   Confusion, lethargy, and eventually even coma may develop.  Eventually you stop feeling cold, even though your temperature has dropped dangerously low.  At this point people often just want to go to sleep -- an extremely dangerous thing to do in such circumstances.   As hypothermia takes hold people often just lay down and die!  Victims may develop "raccoon eyes" and pale, bluish or grayish skin.   Anyone showing or experiencing signs of hypothermia should be moved to a warm location as soon as possible.  Passive rewarming with warm clothing in a warm environment may be all that is required for a conscious person who is still shivering.  Warm compresses or chemical heat packs may be applied to the chest, neck, and groin. Do NOT apply direct heat, but use warm blankets and body-to-body contact to warm the victim. Chemical hand and toe warmers may be used, but should be wrapped in a cloth to prevent direct contact which could cause injury.   An effective procedure for warming a hypothermia victim is affectionately called the "burrito", where you wrap the victim in successive layers of dry clothing and blankets.  For mild to moderate hypothermia, the victim will usually warm enough from just their own body heat to start struggling to get out of the wrappings in 15-20 minutes.   Severe cases may require wrapping a warm healthy individual in with the victim to provide enough heat to warm the victim. Always remove wet clothing and replace it with dry clothing as soon as possible and definitely before wrapping up your victim in the burrito.   Avoid shaking or rough handling of lethargic victims as this can cause heart problems.   If the victim is conscious, warm fluids may be given to help warm internal organs.  If you have a victim in moderate to severe hypothermia, notify emergency medical services (call 911 or send for help) as soon as possible. Someone in severe hypothermia may appear to be deceased. Normal vital signs (blood pressure, heartbeat, breathing) may not be detectable in a severely hypothermic patient.  An emergency medical axiom states that a person isn't dead until they are warm and dead. A person in severe hypothermia can sometimes be successfully revived through appropriate professional medical care, so don't give up too soon!  If you are in a situation where hypothermia might occur, keep an eye on each other for the "umbles":  fumbles (unusually poor coordination), grumbles (irritability), and mumbles (slurred speech).  All are symptoms of hypothermia.

Dehydration.  Believe it or not, hydration is just as important in cold weather as it is in hot.  We still lose a lot of moisture through respiration -- just look at those little clouds we breathe out in cold weather.  We can also lose quite a bit through perspiration.  Vigorous activity will cause you to sweat even in cold weather, especially if you start out comfortably wrapped in cold weather gear.  You won't need quite as much water as you would in hot weather, but you still need to maintain hydration levels.   For comfort you might want to drink hot cider or even warm up your Gatorade.  Remember, alcoholic and caffeinated beverages contribute to dehydration and should be avoided during strenuous activities.  Cold drinks, especially iced drinks, can speed lowering of your core body temperature and should be avoided.

Cold weather activities.   It is possible to still have fun in cold weather if you are properly prepared. Dirt bikes are kind of skittish on snow and ice but ATVs, especially if they have 4 wheel drive, can be a lot of fun, but you have to dress appropriately or you're going to be VERY uncomfortable, perhaps even to the point of becoming hypothermic, which can be very dangerous, even lethal.  And, of course, snowmobiles are a fantastic means of getting around on the white stuff.   Consider skiers and snowboarders.  How do THEY do handle cold weather?   First of all, they are dressed for it.  They know to dress in layers for maximum warmth retention and flexibility in adjusting clothing as activity increases.  You don't have to be involved in sub-freezing temperatures to be subject to hypothermia. A cold rain or immersion in a cold lake or stream can create fatal hypothermia even in mild weather, especially if there is a breeze.  If you expect or experience rain, use rain gear -- not just warm winter clothes.  Warm does not necessarily mean water proof. W et clothing is one of the fastest ways to become hypothermic.  If your clothing does become wet, switch to dry clothing as soon as possible. If you have no dry clothing, remove the wet clothing and wrap up in whatever you have to keep you warm while you dry your clothing -- blankets, sleeping bags, burlap bags, tarps, trash bags -- anything that will hold in the heat and keep out any additional cold and wetness.  The last thing you need is to waste your body heat trying to warm up wet clothing!  Wet clothing will suck the warmth out of you 20-25 times faster than dry clothing.  Avoid activities that may take you far from camp in the late afternoon or evening. Y ou don't want to be stuck out in the cold after dark!  And don't overlook traditional winter fun like sledding, skiing, snowboarding, ice skating, and ice fishing.  Make sure you are dressed appropriately and for added comfort and fun, bring a long some warm treats.

Fire.  Man has always had a fascination with fire.   It is certainly one of our best friends in cold weather.   Take care that you don't build your fire under trees.   Rising heat may cause accumulated snow to fall and put your fire out and possibly injure you or your companions.  Try to build your fire in a sheltered spot, out of direct wind.  Having a large boulder or fat tree behind you as you face your fire can help keep off the wind and even reflect a little of the heat onto your backside.  If your windbreak isn't big enough, it may just create eddies that are even more troublesome.  The temptation may be to build a big fire when it is cold but in many cases you'll just be wasting fuel.  Make your fire only as big as you need it to warm yourself and your companions.  That doesn't mean you have to all try to crowd around a tiny little Dakota fire pit, but it does mean you don't need a raging bonfire with flames higher than your head!   If you need more heat, it may be better to build several small fires, perhaps in a circle so you can gather in the middle of them and be warmed on all sides.  Better yet if you can build a fire in front of some kind of shelter that keeps the wind and elements off and captures some of the heat from the fire.  Sometimes you can build a short wall of logs or even snow on the "far side" of your fire to reflect some of the heat back toward where you want it.  A fire in a cave is tempting but you need to be constantly aware of maintaining adequate fresh air to avoid suffocation.  Fires in caves can also heat up the rocks, sometimes causes big chunks overhead to break off.  Fires are less likely to spread when we're in wet or snowy weather, but it is still of some concern.  Monitor the direction and extent of blowing embers and be sure to build your fire on a non-combustible surface.  Just building it on snow may not be safe, since the snow will melt and the fire may quickly sink down to where it can ignite grass or debris beneath the surface and then it will be hard to control.   Building directly on deep snow may result in a short-lived fire as melting snow may drown it. If you have to build a fire on deep snow, try to create a platform beneath it using rocks or even green logs.  Your goal is to prevent loosing your fire into a big hole in the snow as the snow melts.

Staying warm at night.  Ever try going to sleep when you are cold?   Doesn't work very well -- unless you are seriously hypothermic, then sleep will come all too easily -- and you will never wake up!  Laying there shivering is sure to keep you awake -- for a while.  To get a good night's sleep in cold weather, prepare your bed so it will keep you warm.  Start off with either a sleeping bag designed for the temperatures you'll be in or several good wool blankets.  A thick, down comforter might be a nice option in an RV.   It might be difficult to transport and to keep clean when tent camping and too bulky for backpacking, but it could add greatly to your comfort there too when car camping.  Try to make sure your body is already warm before you go to bed.  Get out of wet or damp clothes.   Dress warmly and comfortably for bed.   Don't wear your daytime clothes to bed. Y ou won't be comfortable and they probably contain moisture that will make you colder.  However, warm flannel pajamas would be a good idea. W arm them up in front of a heater or fire before putting them on for added comfort.   Remember the old-time sleeping caps?  You'll stay warmer if you wear a stocking cap to bed.  You can lose up to 80% of your body heat through your unprotected head.  I've seen folks try to sleep in exercise sweats.  I don't find this very comfortable as they tend to be bulky and restrict movement in bed and often have bulky seams that create painful pressure points, but if they are dry and you're freezing, give it a try.  Don't wear sweats you've been wearing all day to bed. They are probably damp and you will be cold all night.  Some people like to wear socks to bed to keep their feet warm.  Others find them uncomfortable or claustrophobic.  Got cold feet?  Try tucking them alternately behind the other knee.  The warm flesh of your thigh and calf will help warm those cold toes.  Do what works for you. Some warm rocks or baked potatoes in the foot of your sleeping bag or bed can help keep your feet warm and warm the entire sleeping area, just make sure they aren't hot enough to burn or scorch your bedding or burn your feet. Make sure you have adequate insulation between you and the ground or snow when you're sleeping in a tent.   If after all your preparations you are still cold when you go to bed, get up and warm yourself and your bedding at the fire and give it another try.   If you run out of blankets, open a coat over your coldest parts to help conserve heat or put on a sweater.   Usually you will need to focus on maintaining your core temperature, so protecting your torso is probably your first priority.  Anything that may mitigate the effect of any breeze and help reflect heat back on your body will be helpful.  A tarp or a large plastic trash bag, for example, or even several layers of newspaper.  Your body has its own mechanisms for combating cold.  It will automatically protect your vital organs.   In doing so it reduces blood flow to extremities so your hands and feet -- and nose and ears -- will get cold first.  Your body will willingly sacrifice fingers and toes to preserve vital organs.  Wear thick wool socks to protect your feet.   Mittens will keep your hands warmer than gloves.  Chemical hand and toe warmers (see more below) work wonders.  A good ski mask or balaclava can help protect your nose and ears.   I have a fairly thin nylon mask I can wear under my helmet when dirt-biking and it provides a surprising amount of protection for my face against the cold.  The only problem I have is, if I cover my nose and mouth, it fogs my goggles. If I don't cover my nose, my nose gets cold.  When snow camping I found it helpful to double up the ground cloth, then roll out an open sleeping bag on the tent floor to put the sleeping bags on.   We then pulled another extra open sleeping bag over the top of our individual bags and stayed warm all night, even with outside temps into the lower teens.  Remember the movie Jeremiah Johnson? He rolled out his bedding over a fire that he had somewhat covered with earth. His more experienced partner later noted, when Jeremiah jumped out of bed on fire, that he hadn't used enough dirt "see'd that right away".  Putting your bed on top of a defunct fire may be one way of staying warm, but be sure there is enough dirt to prevent catching your bedding on fire!   Some sleeping bags can be zipped together.  This doesn't work with "mummy" style bags, but it does with most rectangular bags.   By zipping two bags together you and a willing partner can share each other's warmth throughout the night.

Hand and toe warmers can provide a lot of comfort.  There are reusable hand warmers that run on lighter fluid or butane but the most popular and convenient styles are chemical packs.  You simply remove them from their air-tight packaging, shake them in the air, and slide them inside your gloves -- or stick them to your socks.  The chemicals inside react with air to produce heat.  Larger versions are available as "body warmers" and you can put these on your chest or your back.   Hand and toe warmers can be used to help warm your blood to raise your overall body temperature.   The best places to put the smaller packets for general warming are in your armpits and on your thigh near the groin where it can warm blood in large arteries close to the surface. Blood vessels are also near the surface on the inside or your wrists. Sometimes you can warm cold fingers faster with warming pads here than in your palms. Hand warmers work better in mittens than they do in gloves, just as mittens generally keep your hands warmer than gloves. On cold nights I pulled one of my hand warmers out to warm my nose too. Hand warmers can last for several hours. If they start cooling down, take them out and shake them.  This exposes more of the chemical to fresh air and restarts the heating process.  Same thing applies to toe warmers, but its a lot harder to take off your boots to shake the toe warmers than it is to refresh the ones in your gloves.  Unless you have a sheltered place to remove your boots, your feet will probably be colder than if you'd just left your boots on.  Sometimes stomping your feet or wiggling your toes will reactivate the toe warmers.  It is definitely worth a try -- and, if nothing else, the exercise may help increase blood flow and help warm those tingling toes.  Your hands will freeze in wet gloves.   Change to dry gloves as often as you can if they keep getting wet.  Store wet gloves on a broom handle or a small bottle with the fingers pointing up to allow them dry inside more quickly.  Do not put them in an oven or close to a heater or fireplace. Rapid drying will stiffen leather gloves and may cause a fire hazard.  If you have trouble getting them dry inside, try using the blunt end of a pencil to turn each finger inside out so moisture isn't trapped inside.

Staying warm in your RV.  Your RV provides several basic features to help keep you warm.   First, it keeps you out of the wind and weather.  Second, its walls provide insulation to preserve heat.  And, of course, its furnace should be able to maintain a comfortable temperature inside 24 hours a day. Sometimes, if it is cold enough, your furnace may have trouble keeping up with the demand.  Give it all the help you can by limiting opening of doors and by covering the windows with foam bubble insulation inserts and keep the blinds or curtains closed.  Check for drafts, even inside cabinets.  Many times you can seal cracks with spray foam insulation or by stuffing pieces of fiberglass insulation into the openings.  Adding styrofoam sheet insulation to exterior cabinet doors can also help. Of course, these are all things you need to do BEFORE you go camping in cold weather.   If you find drafts in camp you might get away with stuffing paper towels or tissue into the openings to reduce heat loss.   If you do a lot of cold weather camping and your furnace is not adequate to keep you comfortable, you may need to upgrade your furnace.  One option is to replace the existing unit with one with higher output.  Another alternative is to add a second furnace.  This is an especially good option for large RVs where one end stays cold.  You just have to find appropriate cabinet space you can sacrifice for the installation, run appropriate fuel and electrical lines, and provide proper ventilation.  Another option is to install a catalytic heater.  Permanently mounted catalytic heaters will require plumbing for the propane.   Portable units run off 1 lb bottles.   Catalytic heaters are usually radiant heaters and don't require any fans so they won't run your batteries down.  If you have a generator or are usually staying in campgrounds with electric hookups, an electric heater can sometimes add enough heating capacity if your existing furnace performs marginally.  The electric fireplace we use in our motorhome gives a nice ambiance and delivers 1500 watts of heat. Higher output heaters are available if you need more.  Keep ALL heaters away from curtains, drapes, upholstery, carpets, and other combustible materials.  You may be able to reduce the heat loss by parking in a sheltered area when possible.  And don't forget sweaters and long johns!  If your RV isn't warm enough, maybe just putting on a sweater will be enough to keep you comfortable during waking hours.  At night, forget the sexy silk pajamas and go for the fluffy flannel ones with bunny feet!  You may be warm enough in bed without them, but you'll appreciate them if/when you have to make a middle of the night trip to the bathroom!   If your RV has hard surface floors, add some carpet  runners.   They will help insulate the floor against the cold and be more comfortable to walk on.   Keep some warm slippers handy.  I have an old pair of snow boots I use as "desert bedroom slippers" in my RV and around the campfire.

Staying warm in your tent my be a little more challenging.  Even 4-season tents are fairly thin compared to the walls of an RV and tent heaters aren't nearly as efficient or as effective as RV furnaces.  Exercise caution whenever using a tent heater and carefully follow all of the manufactures instructions and recommendations.  Even a catalytic heater that doesn't give off toxic fumes will consume oxygen and you can suffocate without adequate ventilation.  Using an extra long rain fly or extending the original rain fly so it nearly reaches the ground will help prevent excessive heat loss from your tent.  Or cover it with a tarp.  Provide as much insulation between you and snow or cold ground as  you can.  Extra layers of ground cloth will help.  Foam tiles like those used in front of workbenches will add even more comfort and insulation.  You  may get some benefit by setting up your tent where it will receive maximum sunlight.  That won't help you a lot after dark, but it will make it more comfortable during the day and may even capture a little heat in the things inside the tent to stave off the cold as long as possible.  Try to protect your tent from direct wind whenever you can.  Wind will carry the heat away much faster than still air.  That is one reason for using a long rain fly or a tarp over your tent.  Keep the doors and windows closed as much as you can while maintaining sufficient ventilation for safety and avoid going in and out except when it is absolutely necessary.  Tents with a vestibule to protect the entrance may help minimize losing heat when going in and out.  An extra sleeping bag, extra sleeping pads, air mattress, or foam times beneath your sleeping bags help you stay warmer at night.  You may be surprised how much warmer it will be in your tent than it is outside even without a tent heater.  I recall a rather rude awakening on one boy scout outing with one of my son's.  It was cool in the tent when we woke up, but it was freezing outside (literally!).   Even though it may seem counterintuitive, snow is actually a pretty good insulator.  If your tent is strong enough to support some snow, it might actually help keep the inside warmer, essentially turning it into an igloo!  If you choose to try this, keep an eye on the weight and don't let it build up enough to bend or snap the poles.

Whenever you are caught in cold weather there is a good chance you're going to get wet.   Cold rain, sleet, snow, hail, any kind of precipitation is likely to get your clothing wet.  And once it gets wet, you're going to get cold.  You will loose body heat as much as 25 times faster in wet clothes than you will in dry ones.  Therefore, if you get wet, try to change into dry clothing as soon as possible.  If you don't have any dry clothes to change into, hang your wet clothes somewhere to dry (inside a warm vehicle or tent or near -- but not TOO near -- a fire or stove.  Wrap yourself in a blanket or crawl into your sleeping bag to get and keep warm while your clothes are drying.  If you have leather gloves that get wet, they are likely to get very stiff when they dry.  You might be able to restore some of their flexibility and suppleness by rubbing them with leather balm or even hand lotion.  A leather preparation such as Leather Balm is better, but you probably don't carry that around with you whereas you just might have some hand lotion in your RV or camp kit.  The best way to dry gloves is to put them on a stick with the fingers pointing up.   Or hang them by the finger tips.  Either way lets the damp air fall out as it cools. And don't rush the drying.  That will only increase the risk of scorching and will most likely make them stiffer than if they dry slowly.  Take care when donning clothes that have been dried near a stove or fire.  They may be very in some spots!  If there were near a fire there might be embers that have blown inside.  Zippers and the copper rivets on jeans can be especially treacherous.

Keep warm!