Winter Camping: A Cold Weather Camping Guide
If you’re wanting to brave that 4th season and do some winter camping, or just want to camp at elevation where cold weather camping is the only option - you’ve come to the right place. In this post we’ll cover the five best ways to stay warm while camping in winter weather.
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1. Using Heaters While Cold Weather Camping
Propane Heaters
Let’s just get this out of the way - we get asked about this A LOT and generally speaking, unless you’re planning on doing long-term cold weather camping, propane heaters are not worth the trouble or risk while truck camping, car camping, or even tent camping for a variety of reasons:
It can be difficult to get the manufacturer’s recommended safety clearances in these small spaces
Propane creates moisture as it’s burned, and without sufficient ventilation will exacerbate the already troublesome condensation issues of cold weather camping in smaller spaces, and in winter weather your gear will take that much longer to dry out the following day.
The ceramic propane heaters (the popular Mr Buddy variety) we initially experimented with for cold weather camping were prone to a number of issues:
The low-oxygen shut off and tip-over safety shut off systems (though we very much appreciate these necessary features) seem to be finicky and would result in frequent and sporadic shut-offs especially at higher elevations
Once lit, the heat output was difficult to regulate to an appropriate comfort level for the small space of a standard truck topper because of the limited adjustment settings
At the end of the day, these are just not designed for the confined space of a truck camper shell, car, or standard smaller tents
With that said, if you’re cold weather camping in a slightly larger space like a large tent, camper van, converted bus, or even a wedge-style truck camper or other small truck camper, then a catalytic ceramic propane heater like the Mr Buddy may be worth considering.
The Camco Olympian Wave 3* propane heater is one of the best propane heaters for winter camping in these slightly larger spaces as it utilizes a platinum-based catalytic heating element that’s drastically more efficient than other popular models. A gallon of propane contains approximately 92,000 btus, so with our 6lb (1.4gal) propane tank we get about 43hours on high (3000btu) and 80 hours on the low setting (1600btu).
Diesel Heaters
A Diesel Heater is a great alternative to using a traditional propane heater because it provides a dry heat that does not cause the same condensation issues as propane heaters. The fixed-installation models (below left) can be permanently installed in your camper van build, wedge camper, or truck camper build, or you can use a self-contained portable diesel heater (below right) that sits outside of your camper or tent and the heat can then be plumbed into your space as needed.
Whether you’re utilizing a propane or diesel heater for winter camping in cold weather, you should always have a carbon monoxide detector* installed as well.
Check out our in-depth guide to Truck Camping Heaters for more details and options for camping heaters.
Heated 12v Electric Blankets
While full-blown electric heaters are not practical for cold weather camping due to the amount of power they consume, a 12v electric blanket can offer some additional warmth and comfort while winter camping. These 12v electric blankets plug into your vehicle’s 12v outlet and typically draw around 50 watts per hour, so you’ll want to make sure your camping power supply is up to these demands.
We recommend this 12v electric blanket*, because it has three heat settings and utilizes a timed auto-shut-off feature so you don’t forget to turn it off and accidentally drain your car’s battery.
2. Layer Up When Cold Weather Camping
The best way to enjoy cold weather camping is to wear high-quality cold weather clothing, and layer appropriately. For a deeper dive into how we do this, check out our Super Simple Guide for What to Wear When Camping that will cover layering strategies in more detail, as well as provide some packing tips and specific clothing recommendations.
Base layer (high-quality merino wool or synthetic)
Shirt
Long Underwear
Socks
Beanie
Gloves (if necessary)
Mid layer
Wool or fleece-synthetic sweater or hoodie
Pants
Outer layer:
Down-fill (or high quality synthetic) Insulated Coat
Gore-tex Rain Jacket
By layering in this way you can simply add/remove layers to adjust comfort level throughout the day.
And then wear your layers to bed, removing layers as you settle in to find the perfect comfort level. This, combined with a quality sleeping bag, will drastically improve your cold weather camping experience. Which brings us to our third tip.
3. Invest in a High-quality Sleeping Bag for Cold Weather Camping
A quality sleeping bag and camping mattress is the easiest way to improve your overall camping experience, especially when braving winter trips or higher elevation adventures. Plus, the great thing about truck camping is, unlike backpacking, you have significantly more room to work with and weight is nowhere near as critical of an issue.
This means that your overall cost will be less, because the two biggest factors that impact the price of sleeping bags and camping mattresses/sleeping pads are:
Weight (lighter = more expensive)
Volume (more compact = more expensive).
What To Look For In A Cold Weather Camping Sleeping Bag:
Temperature Rating
For adults, a 15℉ rated bag will generally provide the most versatility, and when combined with layering can be comfortable in temps down to 0℉
For children in their own separate sleeping bag, it is generally recommended that they use a bag rated 15℉ lower than whatever adults are using in a given climate. So if you wake up and know you are warm, you can rest assured (literally) that your kiddo is comfortable too. So a 0℉ bag is what we’d recommend for cold weather camping - nevertheless, you should actively monitor your child's comfort level when cold weather camping to ensure they're neither too hot nor too cold.
Insulation / Fill
We recommend only using high-quality synthetic sleeping bags when truck camping in cold weather because 1) synthetic bags are less expensive and 2) they will not lose their insulating ability when wet - unlike most down-fill insulated bags. This is important because of the condensation issues that can occur when camping in cold weather (more on this below).
However, don’t completely rule out down fill bags - which are great far more compact and great for saving space if needed. There are down bags that utilize Nikwax Hydrophobic down which absorbs 90% less water than typical down sleeping bags and also dry 3 times faster!
Features
Zipper - you’ll want two-way zippers that can be opened from both inside or outside of the sleeping bag - this will allow you to more easily adjust the bag’s ventilation and get settled in at night.
Sleeping pad holder - this is effectively a sleeve on the bottom side of the sleeping bag that you can slide a sleeping pad or mattress into. This is an especially nice feature if you’re considering using an inflatable camping pad or mattress because it will help prevent you and your sleeping bag from sliding off in the middle of the night - which is no bueno.
Speaking of truck camping mattresses and sleeping pads, this is another very important part of enjoying cold weather truck camping (and camping in general). So much so that we have an entire post dedicated to helping you select the right one.
However, the take-away from that post as it pertains to cold weather camping is that we recommend using a high-density memory foam truck camping mattress instead of an inflatable air mattress, because it will retain your body heat far better.
If you’re curious about the 4-season camping sleep system we currently use and recommend - here it is:
Sleeping Bags:
The Big Agnes Dream Island 15* (2-person bag) is an excellent 15 degree synthetic fill bag. Though it is a bit cumbersome, we always felt snug an comfortable while cold weather camping in it.
The Thermarest Vela 2-person Down Quilt* comes in either 20 degree or 32 degree options, and utilizes hydrophobic down that provides better moisture resistance and faster drying. Our 20-degree model has been great for our wedge camper setup because it compresses to less than a third of the Big Agnes Dream Island’s size, while offering very comparable comfort while cold weather camping.
Truck Camping Mattress: the Milliard Tri-fold Memory Foam Mattress* was a great budget-friendly mattress (and here’s a post that tells exactly why we love this tri-fold mattress for truck camping). We recently upgraded to the Hest Foamy Mattresses* and they’ve been awesome for cold weather camping too.
4. Use Body Heat (Find a Cold Weather Camping Companion)
The human body generates between 250-400 BTUs of heat on average. So if you want to sleep warmer while cold weather camping, here are some tips to make the most of it:
Eat a Hearty Meal
Before hitting the sack eat a hearty meal to help kick your metabolism into gear and maximize your body heat - then stash a high-calorie midnight snack (granola/protein bar/fig newtons/snickers) nearby in case you burn through those calories and wake up cold.
Bring Someone Along
Sharing a tent or sleeping space can make a significant difference when camping in cold weather. And preferably someone you’d be comfortable cuddling with, to share their direct body heat! Pups count too!
We find that while cold weather camping in our truck, our combined body heat alone makes the interior 10 to 20℉ warmer than the ambient outside air temperature!
5. Minimize Condensation, Ventilate While Cold Weather Camping!
The more bodies, the more breathing, and the more breathing, the more condensation - especially if you’re camping in winter. And if everything is soaked when you get out of bed, you’re not going to be a happy camper.
So, though it may seem counter intuitive, you need to crack a window and ventilate your sleeping space to limit condensation build up. We’ve used our MaxxFan Deluxe vent fan* on its lowest exhaust setting to help circulate air into and out of our truck camper and this works great for mitigating condensation build up when cold weather camping! However, if you’re not up to installing a vent fan in your truck camper, you can crack two windows in your tent, car, or SUV to allow cross-ventilation.
Having a truck shell liner will also help to prevent any condensation build up that may occur from dripping down from the ceiling while truck camping. If your camper shell doesn’t have a felt or carpeted liner you can install one yourself like we did - just check out our guide to installing a DIY Camper Shell Liner!
We hope these five cold weather camping tips help you extend your camping adventures into all 4 seasons and enjoy camping in winter with a little more comfort!
If you have any cold weather camping tips or tricks, we’d love to hear them - just drop a comment below! And please SUBSCRIBE for more truck camping and overland travel content!
As always, thanks for reading!
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