Staying Warm and Cozy

Staying warm usually isn't as much of a problem when camping as keeping cool is, since we tend to go camping mostly in fair weather.  But a sudden summer storm may cause temperatures to drop and even normal night time temperatures in many areas can be quite cool. I've seen overnight temperatures in the desert in the 40's after 100+ temperatures in the afternoon. And, some people even go camping in winter!  Its usually easier for us to add warm clothing or gather 'round a campfire than it is to find ways to keep cool.  You can always put on another sweater or coat when it gets cold but there is only so much you can take off when it gets hot!  Early spring or late fall outings can often bring us into cooler weather where we may have to make adaptations to our usual dress and behavior to stay comfortable.

Staying warm in an RV is usually just a matter of setting the thermostat or turning on the furnace.  If you want to conserve battery power and propane at night you might shut off the furnace and then you'll need warm bedding. Blankets, a comforter, or warm sleeping bags are good ways to stay warm in bed. Some folks like to "over heat" their rigs a little before bedtime to keep it warmer longer when they retire, then turn the furnace off at night. Not sure that there is any real savings in propane or battery power by doing that. And, if you're like me, you may find it hard to get to sleep if it is too hot.  My preference is to set the thermostat at a comfortable level and be comfortable all night.  If I wanted to freeze at night I could sleep in a tent or outside under the stars. Keep windows and vents closed and limit opening doors to reduce heat loss.  Window coverings will also help prevent loss of heat.  Most RVs have only single pane glass, which is a pretty good conductor of heat, allowing valuable heat to escape.  Curtains and drapes or shades will help, but using a sheet of bubble foam insulation in the window gives even more protection.  You might even install "storm windows" on your RV using plastic kits designed for home use.  Stretch them over the outside of the window frame and shrink to fit using a heat gun or hair dryer.  You'll be surprised how much keeping the drapes closed and using foam inserts will contribute to retaining heat.  During the day you can wear a sweater or sweatshirt to stay warm without over taxing your furnace or propane supply.  Hard surface floors can be cold to walk on and may allow heat to escape.  A runner or throw rug will help mitigate these problems.  Of course just wearing slippers will keep your feet from getting cold, but they won't reduce heat transfer through the floor and help keep your rig warm like a rug will.  If all or at least most of the floors are carpeted, you're already covered (pun intended).

If you're camping in an RV in freezing weather you'll have to keep critical parts of the RV water systems warm in addition to keeping the people inside comfortable.  Exposed plumbing may freeze and break so it must be protected, either using antifreeze in the system or by keep it warm using heaters.  There are specially designed heating pads to keep holding tanks warm.  The better ones can operate on either 120-volt or 12-volt power sources.  If you're connected to a faucet in a campground you'll also need a heated water hose.  You can buy water hoses with built in heaters or wrap your regular potable water hose with heat tape.  Placing a 100-watt bulb inside the relevant compartments of RVs with enclosed holding tanks and dump valves will usually be enough to prevent freezing, but exposed hosed, tanks, and valves will need special attention.

Staying warm in a tent usually means having the right sleeping bag or blankets for the temperature for sleeping. If your bag isn't warm enough you can supplement it with liners, covers, blankets or comforters.  If you expect to be camping in cold weather, consider getting a 4-season tent.  A double wall tent (i.e., a tent with a rain fly) or covering your tent with a tarp may provide some additional insulation and better heat retention.  Staying warm in a tent during waking hours may require a tent heater and/or extra clothing. Tent heaters are usually some form of catalytic heater that gives off few if any toxic fumes, but they will all consume oxygen. Be sure to follow the manufacturer's instructions for proper ventilation to avoid suffocation! A Coleman lantern (white gas or propane) gives off quite a bit of heat and often is enough to warm a small tent. But these also consume oxygen so maintain adequate ventilation when using them and keep them away from flammable materials.. Body heat is sometimes enough to warm a tent in milder cool temperatures. You'd be surprised how much heat several human bodies will generate when confined in a small space like a tent. With 20 people in my living room during a cold Utah winter it got so warm we had to open the windows -- without any fire in the fire place or turning on any heat.  Each person puts out about as much heat as a 100 watt incandescent bulb.  Body heat will probably not be enough in really cold or freezing temperatures in even the warmest tent or best insulated RV.

Wood burning tent stoves are an option for some larger tents. They must be properly installed and vented. You normally need a heat resistant platform on which to set them and a fireproof way to vent the stove pipe through the roof. Using a gasoline or propane camp stove in a tent is usually a very bad idea!  Even the cute little catalytic tent heaters will consume oxygen, so be sure provide adequate ventilation in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions to avoid suffocation.  Lacking proper documentation, leave windows on opposite sides open about 1" to ensure adequate air flow.

Staying warm usually means staying dry. Heat loss through wet clothes is something like 25 times as fast as through dry clothes. If you've been caught in the rain or have melting snow on your clothes, change into dry clothes as soon as possible. You will be warmer wrapped in a dry blanket than wearing a damp heavy winter coat. If you become severely chilled (hypothermic) you may need to enlist the aid of a companion to help you get warm. Sharing a blanket or sleeping bag will help you warm up. Make sure neither of you is wearing any wet clothing.  And, yes, skin-to-skin is best, if modesty doesn't get in the way.  One very effective technique for warming a badly chilled person is fondly nicknamed "The Burritto".  Get your victim out of any wet clothing and wrap them in multiple layers of warm dry blankets, coats, or sleeping bags.  They'll usually be scrambling to get out of some of the layers within 15-20 minutes as they warm up.  For severely chilled victims, wrap them up with a warm companion.

Staying warm outside requires dressing appropriately for the weather. Dressing in layers is the best approach. It provides more efficient insulation and gives you more options for adjusting your clothing as either the outside temperature or your body temperature changes. Having a water proof or at least water resistant outer "shell" is a must for wet weather. It may be needed even in snow since melting snow can penetrate some otherwise warm coats or snow suits rather quickly.  For dirt biking, we chose "Windchill" jerseys and gloves and wore long johns under our riding pants.  It is also surprising how much protection you get from a thin nylon face mask.  I found one frustration with face masks.  If I covered my nose to keep it warm, my breath would fog my goggles so to see where I was going I often had to live with a cold nose.

Exercise is one way of warming up your body. Henry Ford allegdedly said "Cutting your own wood warms you twice." If you don't have any productive physical activities to warm you up you can do calisthenics or go for a run or walk. However, don't work up too much of a sweat as that will just make you colder! Les Stroud (Survivorman) warns against doing too much work in cold weather because sweating will cause you to lose necessary body heat.

Campfires are another way of keeping warm outdoors. You don't necessarily need a large fire to keep warm. "White man build big fire, stand way back; Indian build small fire, get up close." Another trick is to build more than one fire if you are having trouble keeping warm. Having one big fire will only keep one side of you warm at a time. You usually end up too warm on the side toward the fire and freezing on the other side.  Build two small fires and stand between them -- or build a ring of small fires and stand in the middle -- to warm you all around. Another useful tip is to build a fire where the heat will be reflected back toward you, like building it against a large rock, an embankment, a wall, a snowbank or even building your own "reflector" out of logs.  That way you can take advantage of more of the heat of the fire instead of having a lot of it escape in the wrong direction.  The reflection technique is also good for helping to heat a shelter using an outside fire. Build the fire safely outside the entrance to the shelter with a reflector on the opposite side of the fire from the entrance. I have some devices called "Back Reflectors" that attach to the back of a folding camp chair and extend down underneath toward the front.  The idea is that they reflect heat from the campfire up your back.  If nothing else, the plastic sheeting itself blocks the wind so your backside stays a little warmer.  I'm glad I bought mine when I did because I've never seen them again since.  You could probably make your own from Reflectix foam reflective insulation or even windshield sun screens.  Sometimes you can buy silver colored windshield screens at your local dollar store, making it a pretty cheap experiment if you want to try it out.

Body heat is another way of staying warm if you can keep it from escaping.  4-season tents and winter sleeping bags are one good way to preserve it.  If you have enough people you might be able to keep the inside of an RV warm too.  The human body is said to produce about the same heat as a 100 watt incandescent light bulb.   I've never measured it but I remember one cold December in Utah when we had 20 people in our living room and even without the heat on or any fire in the fireplace, it got so warm we had to open some windows -- and it was in the teens outside!

Warm up!