14 Camping in Cold Weather Tips to Help You Not Freeze to Death

Hi adventure lovers! The leaves are turning red, and the days are getting colder, but that can’t prevent you from enjoying camping activities. Read on to find 14 amazing camping in cold weather tips to help you stay comfortable no matter how low the temperature drops. Let’s check it out!

How to camp in cold weather to be safe and warm?

Always Check Weather Conditions

The golden rule for any outdoor activity is to check the weather conditions. 

Imagine you’re well prepared for next Sunday’s camping trip, but on the departure day, it is raining with extremely low temperatures. How terrible! Will you cancel your trip? 

To avoid this situation, it is crucial to check the weather forecast. This helps you stay on top of approaching weather conditions and weather changes for the season and region to make the best preparations.  

Check weather conditions

There are many sites and apps that offer free weather checking. You can access goweatherforecast.com to get hourly, daily weather conditions, an accurate 7-day weather forecast, or even a 14-day weather forecast. 

Knowing what will happen in the future can help you make appropriate plans and avoid unexpected hazards.

Besides, it lets you establish a trip plan and inform your relatives or friends about your whereabouts and predicted return. Checking weather conditions before departure day is one of the key tips for camping in cold weather.

Use a Four-season Camping Tent

It is important to choose a tent that is specially designed for cold weather camping. A four-season camping tent highly resistant to stubborn cold weather elements will be a great option.

The tent body is made of polyester or nylon, which better blocks out the elements, and the frame and poles are more durable. 

Use a four-season camping tent

Choose a Campsite & Flatten Your Sleeping Surface

Don’t set up your tent until you find a reasonably dry, flat location that is protected from the elements. Flatten the site with your tools and smooth out the ground area with your knees. 

This prevents snow from manipulating. We also recommend creating a shallow trough to avoid rolling around and reduce ambient space and potential heat loss from cold exposure. 

Among the tips for camping in cold weather, picking a proper campsite is of great importance.

Choose a proper campsite

Protect Your Electronics From the Cold

Batteries can quickly drain in cold weather, permanently damaging electronics. So, stuff your gear in your sleeping bag to prolong their life before you hit the sack, and check these out before heading to the wilderness. 

This is worth considering if you are looking for the best good camping weather tip.

Don’t Use Air Mattresses

Sleeping on air mattresses is not a good idea when it’s cold outside. The air inside the mattress can cause you to get cold. 

Instead, you had better use an insulated ground pad. It traps your body heat and adds an insulating layer between you and the freezing ground.

► Read next: Benefits of exercising in winter

Stake your tent 

Stake your camping tent

Another practical tip for camping in cold temperatures is to stake your tent. 

Driving a tent stake into the ground on the coldest days can be challenging. Instead of using a stake, consider looping your tent’s guy lines with rocks. They will act as above-ground stakes to secure your tent in many conditions.

Choose Proper Clothes

Some believe that sleeping naked in a sleeping bag can keep you warmer, but this is not true. 

If temperatures drop below 30°F, make sure to equip yourself with appropriate cold weather outfits. Wear synthetic fabrics or wool that can retain heat and dry quickly. Pack warm socks, fingered gloves, and a cap. 

Avoid cotton clothing as it dries slowly when wet. All of your clothing should keep you warm in freezing cold conditions.

Wear proper clothes for winter camping

Open Tent Vents

Well, once you breathe, the warmth produced at night can create condensation in your tent, making the inside of your tent wet. To avoid this, open the vents even on the coldest nights. 

Don't Hold Your Pee in at Night

Well, you might think this is one of the most ridiculous camping in cold tips, but don’t take it lightly. 

Holding your pee at night can make you colder in the long run as your body needs to burn calories to warm up urine. So, when nature calls, just go ahead.

Use a Small Tent

Using a small tent is one of the key camping in cold weather tips

While it’s great to have a spacious tent to stand up in, the smaller tent seems to be better in cold weather. Does it make sense?

The tight space makes it quicker to heat up and keeps you and the others in the tent warmer overnight.

Sleep with a Warm Water Bottle

Regarding tips for camping in the cold, we can’t overlook using a warm water bottle. Place it in your bag for about 20 minutes before going to sleep.

That water bottle can then be closed tightly and placed in your sleeping bag twenty minutes before going to sleep. This will keep you warm all night long.

Remove Morning Frost From Your Tent

Remove morning frost from your tent

It is easy for water vapor to condense on a tent's inner in cold weather. The ice melting can soak your gear. Therefore, tow your gear inside bags and sweep ice crystal piles before they melt. It would be nice if you could dry out your gear daily.

Burn Calories

How can you burn calories when sleeping? Simply give your body something to digest. It needs to burn calories, and this warms up your body. 

So, have a fat-rich snack at midnight, such as chocolate, cheese, or nuts, because this takes the body longer to process. 

Another way to burn calories is to do push-ups or run around your camp. Our blog has more tips for exercising in cold weather!

Camping in cold weather tips that should not be ignored

Chuck Hand Warmers Inside Your Sleeping Bag

Another tip for camping in cold weather is to put hand warmers inside your sleeping bag before hitting the hay. They are more practical than an actual water bottle. 

Conclusion

These helpful camping in cold weather tips will help you thrive and survive. What’s the coldest or worst camping experience you’ve ever had? Are there any useful tips that we have missed? We would love to hear your stories, so drop a comment below!