It’s impossible to avoid the cold while camping in the winter. However, don’t allow the prospect of freezing fingers and toes to deter you from going on that overnight ski excursion or snowshoe adventure. When winter camping, you can keep warm and get the rest you need to tackle the following day’s goal with the correct tips and methods.

Camping Equipment Keeps You Safe While You’re Out in The Woods

Any self-respecting camper would never set up a tent without a well-stocked first-aid kit. It takes up very little space and prevents you from having that devastating ‘if only’ moment when you’re in a bind. You should also bring a whistle and a survival blanket with you.

Here is a list of recommended items by Christian Conference Center Pennsylvania;

Layer Your Outfit

First and foremost, for cold-weather camping, dress to impress. Wearing various layers, such as base layers, mid-layers, puffies, and shell jackets, allows you to maintain your body temperature better. You’ll build up body heat while you go about your daily tasks. It’s vital to avoid sweating since perspiration cools as it dries, encasing you in a frigid cocoon. Managing your body heat by adding and removing clothes regularly helps you avoid sweating as much as possible, which is essential for keeping comfortable on winter trips.

Remove Your Sweaty Clothes (Pack An Extra Base layer)

Remove your sweaty clothing as soon as camp is set up, and you’re ready to relax for the evening. While it may be difficult to strip down in extreme weather, you’ll be glad. Putting on dry garments restores your body’s warmth (including your socks). Then, as many pieces as you need to feel comfortable, layer up. Finish them out with a parka-worthy puffy.

According to Christian Retreat Center Pennsylvania, tossing on a hard-shell jacket over your large puffy on the coldest nights might be smart since shell coats retain heat remarkably effectively. There’s no shame in sleeping in a hard shell if it means a nice night’s sleep.

It Is Better to Use Two Sleeping Pads Than One.

Your camping mattress insulates the chilly ground and snow, and two pads provide more insulation and warmth than one. The R-value of a pad determines its warmth (technically, its thermal resistance), and the good news is that the R-values of two pads add together to provide combined insulating power.

A winter-grade air sleeping pad with reflective fabric is put on top of a closed-cell foam pad with reflective fabric in the tried-and-true two-pad combo. It isn’t easy to get warmer than this configuration in a portable, packable sleep system.

A Sleeping Bag + Quilt Layer

It may not be easy to find clothing that provides winter warmth while being light and compact in your overnight pack. Layering your winter sleeping bag with a featherweight quilt may be a game-changer in this situation. Modern materials have made sleeping bags and blankets lighter and more efficient than ever. A featherweight quilt gives protection against the coldest of nights for very little weight penalty, offering that additional layer of lightweight warmth that may make all the difference.

Put A Hot Water Bottle In Your Central Nervous System (Not At Your Toes)

Instead of filling a Nalgene bottle with hot water and putting it between your toes, as is recommended, position it between your groins. It will heat the blood throughout your body, reaching all of your extremities and warming your whole body up quicker from that core position. The change is evident, which is likely to be the first tip you share with the next camper. Remember to take care while dealing with hot water since it’s possible to burn yourself and close the lid tightly to avoid leaks.

To Go To Bed, Wear A Balaclava

Christian Camp Pennsylvania recommends that you lose a large quantity of heat through your head. One of the quickest methods to raise your body heat is to cover your dome, but beanies and jacket hoods tend to fall off throughout the night. On the other hand, a balaclava remains in place and traps the heat you’ve worked so hard for. It also has a breathing hole to allow for ventilation. As you go off to sleep, layer it beneath a beanie or hood for optimum warmth.

Your Tent Must Be Vented

Airflow in your tent is vital throughout the winter, although it may seem paradoxical. Inside the tent, you exhale heated vapor when you breathe. When the water droplets touch the chilly tent fabric, they condense and freeze as condensation. Even partly opening the vents in your tent will help you avoid waking up encased in an icebox of frost that will later melt, leaving you damp and unhappy.

A Lot Of Food And Drink

The body consumes calories to keep your body warm, so nibbling often keeps your internal furnace running. High-fat and high-protein meals burn slower at night than high-carb meals, allowing you to stay maintained (and warmer) for longer.

Hydration is also crucial when it comes to how effectively your body performs in the cold. Allowing oneself to get dehydrated will only make it more difficult for you to keep warm. Drinking enough water might help you feel less tired. If all that water makes you feel like you need to go in the middle of the night, go. The walk outdoors is worthwhile because your body expends energy to heat the liquid in your bladder. Turn an old WIDEMOUTH water bottle into a pee bottle that you may use without going outdoors if you’re hardcore (or just lazy). While it may sound disgusting, sleeping with a bottle of urine (with a very tight-fitting cap!) is a fantastic method to recycle that heat. Save that small tidbit for a rainy day.

Hand Warmers, Heated Gloves, Heated Boots

A little additional aid from technology may go a long way toward overcoming fear of the cold. While you won’t be able to carry a space heater, you will be able to bring little solutions to keep your fingers and toes toasty, functional, and ready to take on the chores ahead of you.