How To Stay Warm In A Tent

There is nothing worse than trying to get some shut-eye inside a freezing cold tent. Low temperatures can affect your sleep, causing you to feel groggy and miserable the next day.

In this article, we will provide you with 6 essential tips that will help you keep your tent as insulated as possible.

So, let’s get into it.

Check For Weather Updates Beforehand

No matter where you are sleeping for the night, the temperature will always drop once nightfall hits.

Even if it is boiling hot outside throughout the day, you can expect it to get a lot cooler once the sun disappears. That’s just how it works!

So, while you cannot change the temperature, you can still check weather updates for further factors that may affect just how cold your tent will get throughout your stay.

One of the biggest factors that will influence your ability to keep warm in a tent is the weather itself. More specifically, any form of precipitation is something that you will want to avoid. This includes:

• Rain
• Snow
• Hail
• Sleet

If your tent gets wet, it will be much harder to remain warm and comfortable throughout the night.

So, if you want to make life easier for yourself, you would be much better off choosing to camp out when the sky is clear so that your surroundings – and your tent – remain dry.

This leads us nicely into our next piece of advice…

Stay Dry

It is common knowledge that it is harder to keep warm if you are even slightly damp.

This is because water vaporization – e.g., when your wet body/clothes dry naturally over time – requires heat. So, in order to vaporize, the water extracts heat from your skin.

When heat leaves your body at a rapid rate, you will, as a result, feel a lot colder.

If you have been swimming, or gotten caught in the rain, etc, during your camping trip, you will need to change into fresh, dry clothes before you get into bed.

If you are not completely dry, you will remain cold throughout the night until the water vaporizes on its own.

Even if you leave your tent in the middle of the night to go outside, whether you need to use the bathroom or have a smoke, the moisture from the air will cling to your clothes. This will make it harder to warm up when you return to your tent.

We suggest you change into new clothes, or wear a big coat, before leaving your tent during the night to ensure that you remain warm when you return.

Eat Warm Foods And Drink Warm Drinks

This may seem like an obvious point to make, but you would be better off avoiding eating ice cream or drinking a cold bottle of juice before bedtime.

You need to be consuming warm food and drinks while camping. This will help to raise your body’s temperature, warming up your insides as well as your outsides.

While it may be tempting to take a bottle of water to bed with you, so that you have something to sip throughout the night, you would be much better off filling a hydro flask with some hot tea instead.

A water bottle will become colder throughout the night, whereas a hydro flask filled with hot liquid will remain scorching right up until sunrise. Maybe longer!

Also, skip the sandwiches, and make yourself a hot bowl of soup instead. This will keep you warmer, and it is also a lot more comforting to eat.

Set Up A Campfire Outside The Tent

Making a campfire is always a good idea while camping, providing that it has been done safely.

When the night hits, stay close to the fire until you’re ready for bed so that you have warmed up enough as you can before retreating to your tent.

This is more of a tip of how to keep warm before going back to your tent, but it will still help raise your temperature beforehand.

You are much more likely to feel warm and comfy after spending a couple of hours around a fire compared to sitting in the cold.

It is very important to remember to put the fire out before you go to sleep, or before the last person leaves the campfire. If you leave it unattended, it could cause some serious problems.

Use A Hot Water Bottle

Hot water bottles are lifesavers on a camping trip, and most people forget to pack one! Make sure you have a hot water bottle with you for the night, along with supplies to boil some water.

You can boil water by pouring fresh water into a heatproof bowl or container, and placing it over a fire until it begins to boil.

Once it is boiling, carefully pour the hot water into your hot water bottle. Make sure that you have tightened the top properly before using it.

The best way to use a hot water bottle while sleeping is to place it at the bottom of your sleeping bag, near your feet.

Not only will the heat rise, but it will also fill the sleeping bag up from the area the furthest away from the opening, trapping the heat in.

Wrap Up Warm For The Night

Last, but not least, you should pack enough suitable clothes to keep you warm throughout the night.

The best way to keep warm using clothes is to wear double layers. If not, find some thick pajamas to wear.

You will want to cover your hands and feet, as these will get colder faster than other parts of your body. We recommend wearing two pairs of socks, and some gloves.

Additionally, you may want to wear a warm hat or a beanie to bed, too. A lot of heat escapes from the top of the head, so covering it up will help keep you insulated for longer.

Final Thoughts

So, overall, the most important things to remember while staying in a tent is to keep dry, and keep covered up.

Try not to leave the tent in the middle of the night if you can help it, and always remember to prepare a hot water bottle an hour or two before you retreat to your sleeping bag!

We hope you found this article helpful.