Felt cold while camping

No Pants

Evening all, just looking for some advice here.
Was camping near Ballycastle over the weekend with the missus. I was in a Vango Halo 300, sleeping in a Vango Ultralite 200 bag. We have some Vango inflatable comfort mats, but she thought that we didn't need them.
Easy for her to say. I felt quite cold on both nights. I think it was mostly heat loss through the groundsheet that did it from what I was feeling. I'll definitely bring the mat next time and maybe try a sleeping bag with a higher rating, but is there anything else that I should be doing?

FrostyJack

Sleep with in dry base layer gear. Eat something warm before bed. Grow lots of body hair The higher rating sleeping bag and thermal mat are the obvious ones to change. It is still to early for a summer bag imo. The location of the tent is another variable the top of a peak being colder than lower down. Cold damp ground versus dry ground with forest debris. A few jumping jacks before getting into the bag (or some other exercise ). The bag doesn't create heat it only keeps it in, it is your body that is the furnace. If you are losing it though the ground or through your head, the bag is useless.

Pat Mustard

The comfort rating on that bag seems to be 8 degrees, which is the approximate temperature these nights. However, if you take into account the exaggeration that these companies nearly always have, it would be understandable that you could be cold.

Also:

What many campers don't realize is that by not using a sleeping pad, or one that is not thick enough, is a recipe for a very long, cold night. You see, no matter how great your sleeping bag is, when you sleep in it the BOTTOM of the bag loses virtually all insulating abilities since the insulation is crushed beneath the weight of the camper.
Because of this, if you do not have a sleeping pad, a camper is essentially sleeping on the cold ground.
A sleeping pad prevents this problem by providing a insulating barrier between the cold ground and the camper. The thicker the pad, the more insulation it provides.

You could also bring a sleeping bag liner for some additional warmth.

Balaclava keeps the head and face warm.

You could also bring a hot water bottle. Not exactly Ray Mears style, but if it works, who cares?

thehippychippy

No Pants wrote: »

Evening all, just looking for some advice here.
Was camping near Ballycastle over the weekend with the missus. I was in a Vango Halo 300, sleeping in a Vango Ultralite 200 bag. We have some Vango inflatable comfort mats, but she thought that we didn't need them.
Easy for her to say. I felt quite cold on both nights. I think it was mostly heat loss through the groundsheet that did it from what I was feeling. I'll definitely bring the mat next time and maybe try a sleeping bag with a higher rating, but is there anything else that I should be doing?

My better half got me some hand warmers last year, I think their about €3-€4, if I think it's going to be a bit cold, I open one up, and throw it in the sleeping bag 10 mind before I get in, like a water bottle only smaller and no water needed. Though that being said, a good mat and some thermals do the job too. Also, I bought the usmc military sleep system last year and have had no need for thermals or hand warmers since. Bulky but brilliant for a good night's kip!

No Pants

All good tips here folks. Thanks very much. The next time the missus tells me that we don't need the mats, I'll be sure to let her know.

BarryD

She must be a tough cookie When camping, my better half would insist not only on a decent mat or maybe two for comfort but also a pillow!

Edited to add: if it's really chilly, socks help - half pulled down and of course a woolly hat too!

BeardySi

Roll mats/thermarests aren't really for comfort, they're more about the insulation, comfiness is a bonus

Always bring some variety of sleeping mat. If the ground is likely to be soggy underneath the tent, take even more (thermarest and a foam mat for instance) as it leeches out the heat from your body.

A hat is also a must if the air temp is going to be low, don't rely on the hood of your sleeping bad to keep the heat in.