It's nearly autumn and I've always wanted to go fall camping, but never had the proper gear or knowledge for it.

It's nearly autumn and I've always wanted to go fall camping, but never had the proper gear or knowledge for it. How do I keep warm at night without spending millions of dollars on a second set of high tech winter gear, or carrying massive bulky quilts? I have a 3 season tent that has no way to cover 3 of the 4 mesh windows letting a breeze in and heat out, and I have a sleeping bag rated for 5C (41F) comfort (it's actually closer to 8-9 for me since I'm a skeletor with no body fat).

I'll be camping in Northern Ontario which starts to drop below 0C (32F) at night in mid-October. I already have a full body merino base layer, which helps a lot, but won't be enough if it goes below freezing. On my latest camping trip it dipped to about 6C in early morning and I was uncomfortably cold even wearing my hoodie in bed.

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  1. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    I was fine in 0F with just a puffy, a thermal, an inflatable pad and a 10F down quilt (enlightened equipment).

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      You don't go outside.

  2. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    Get a better sleeping bag, for starters. No avoiding that, get one that’s real down not synthetic. I’ve got a synthetic good for -5C or so but it’s huge and I regret not going for down every time. Other than that, get a foam Z pad and get a cheap inflatable pad off Amazon. Also get a Mylar blanket and some 3M pro grade spray on contact cement. Unpack the inflatable pad, douse that shit with contact cement, and apply the Mylar for a dirt cheap insulated inflatable pad (shiny side towards the pad). You’ll be sleeping on both of those atop each other.

    Then get a new tent that you can actually close up and you’ll be Gucci.

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      That is, apply the Mylar and cement to one side of the inflatable pad. I guess you could apply it to both if you felt like it and it should still work fine but it’s not what I did with mine.

      • 2 years ago
        Anonymous

        moronic plan

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      Cold weather gear is actually some of the cheaper stuff to get imho, the military Extreme Cold Weather Clothing System (ECWCS) is very affordable and performs pretty great- sometimes too great as you’d want to not sweat as much.
      Things like a Bivy will increase the warmth of your sleeping bag at the cost of some weight, marginal if its something thin like Tyvek but the military Goretex ones have been alright. The tradeoff is condensation.

      Mylar is great but it works weirdly, different than a normal blanket almost as its very thin and works by reflecting body heat- neat stuff. The Z-lite this guy recommended is also phenomenal, I like the folding pads much more than rolls/inflatables as the inflatables almost always spring a leak and with the Z you can tailor it to your body size- remove segments for maybe camp use as sitting pad.
      Something else that I like is using a woobie (poncho liner) as another layer of insulation in the cold, all these things combined work great but be careful not to bring too much stuff as it’s heavy- experiment with caution.

  3. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    A warm light sleeping bag is very expensive. A warm heavy sleeping bag suitable for car camping is like $50.

  4. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    It’s okay in moderation. I like mine with a dash of Splenda and some heavy cream.
    Favorite though is a breve though, really hard to get a decent foam with your average counter top unit though.

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      10/10

  5. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    I'm sure you can find similar products if you don't want milsurp but I have slept in these down to 0 F and never been cold. We didn't even have tents. Your tent is not a thermal device it's really just there to keep you dry.
    Literally just put a sleeping bag inside another sleeping bag. That's all this is, a warm weather one and cold weather one but the cold is meant to be used with the warm as a duo.
    Bivy optional, it's for staying dry but if you have a tent then isn't necessary. It has no warming properties

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      I mean, $300 Euros is like $400 CAD which is more than my entire current sleeping setup including the tent. And that thing is massive to boot so I couldn't fit it in my pack. Wouldn't it make more sense to just bring a huge quilt in a stuff sack at that point?

      A warm light sleeping bag is very expensive. A warm heavy sleeping bag suitable for car camping is like $50.

      Yeah, I have a big warm sleeping bag for the cottage but there's no way I'm taking that thing on a bushwhack hike or canoeing.

      • 2 years ago
        Anonymous

        Canoeing is practically car camping unless you have to portage.

        • 2 years ago
          Anonymous

          >unless you have to portage
          which you almost always will unless you're doing some granny trip on a single lake straight from the boat launch.

          • 2 years ago
            Anonymous

            >rivers don't exist

            ok

            • 2 years ago
              Anonymous

              Most rivers have unpassable sections at some point. You can't really avoid portages on a multi-day canoe trip, at least here in Ontario

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      Can we stop shilling the MSS? It was only good when it was 80 bucks used. The system is mostly useless to average person.

      [...]
      These seem like pretty good protips, especially the one about putting your feet in your bag. Thanks anon. I just picked up a sleeping bag liner yesterday, and I forgot that I have a foam pad I can use along with my sleeping pad (which has an R value of 4.4 or so, should be enough for the fall). I'm also thinking of just bringing a rolled up blanket, folding it in half and covering my sleeping bag with it. I can probably fit it in my pack if I try.

      Alt take, put the foam on top of your inflatable. The foam material doesn't feel icy like the inflatable plastic does. I think something to do with glass transition temp? Weird but confirmed it for myself several times.

      Second or third on going to sleep warm. You are your heat source, your shit is just insulation to keep the hot thing hot. Get a buff to cover your face as much as you can as well, don't breath into your bag.

  6. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    Bring your wife and keep eachother warm. It's the best.

  7. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    SEXO

  8. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    Imagine the smell

  9. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    I will share every trick I know of in order to stay warmer.
    Get a sleeping bag liner like thermalite reactor
    Do something about those mesh windows, wind/moving air will cool you down. If it's a double wall tent condensation will stick to the outer wall anyway.
    Sleep with a beanie, warm socks, and thin gloves.
    What keeps you warm when you sleep is trapped air between layers of insulation:
    Wear you merino base layer. Sleep in the liner, in the bag. Put a puffy jacket, or just a jacket, on top of the sleeping bag (warning: not so heavy you kill the loft in the sleeping bag - remember, trapped air).
    Empty out your backpack and put the foot end of your sleeping bag in it (seriously - this trick has helped me a ton)
    Warm up before you go to bed - some jumping jacks, for example. VERY IMPORTANT: don't break a sweat, or be so warm that you soak yourself yourself in sweat in the sleeping bag. You will wake up cold later on when the sweat cools off your body as it evaporates. You should be comfortably warm but never sweat.
    Eat something energy rich before going to bed - metabolism keeps you warm (grease and proteins, or a chocolate bar). If you wake up cold, eat. Metabolism warms you up.

    Some people put hot water bottles in the sleeping bag, I don't - if they leak during the night you go from being hot to having a potential hypothermic emergency on your hand.

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      Oh shit yeah I forgot, check your sleeping pad's R value, and if needed, get a warmer one or a foam pad to put underneath. R values add to each other, and when the ground is at 0° anything in contact with it will leech heat fast.

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      Oh shit yeah I forgot, check your sleeping pad's R value, and if needed, get a warmer one or a foam pad to put underneath. R values add to each other, and when the ground is at 0° anything in contact with it will leech heat fast.

      These seem like pretty good protips, especially the one about putting your feet in your bag. Thanks anon. I just picked up a sleeping bag liner yesterday, and I forgot that I have a foam pad I can use along with my sleeping pad (which has an R value of 4.4 or so, should be enough for the fall). I'm also thinking of just bringing a rolled up blanket, folding it in half and covering my sleeping bag with it. I can probably fit it in my pack if I try.

      • 2 years ago
        Anonymous

        In the off-chance that you also have the insulated klymit inflatable, (originally they advertise 4.4r-value) they recently put it throught the ASTM and it turns out it's real r-value is like 1.9

        • 2 years ago
          Anonymous

          nah it's a mec vecair. Canadian companies with reputations to uphold can't get away with lying about R-value.

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      Good ones.
      More PRO TIPS:
      >Merino 'warm when wet' meme
      A great solution for sleeping systems or climates with condensation issues! "Warm when wet" doesn't actually work when the wool is saturated. But when it does work excellently is when the wool is slightly damp. Which is exactly what happens if you get condensation or a wet toebox when you sleep etc.
      >Sleep with a beanie, warm socks, and thin gloves.
      EXTREME EDITION: double socks, or down booties, and a balaclava.
      >Foam sit pad (example: z seat)
      Put it underneath your torso to raise the R value of the most important part of your sleep pad.
      >Reflectix sit pad (oversized)
      It will offer barely any insulation if slept on, but TONS if you put it into a U shape around your feet or head and let it radiate your breath or body heat. If you're a back sleeper and can tolerate breathing into it you can get stupidly toasty from a 60 gram multi purpose piece of kit.
      >Empty out your backpack and put the foot end of your sleeping bag in it
      Echoing this one because its such a good tip.
      This also works with large ziplocs, drybags, even a rain jacket and some cordage, whatever you have that is most water-proof.
      >Eat something energy rich before going to bed
      My version: keep a little plastic vape juice bottle full of olive oil on you at all times. Nutritional density booster for your meals. or chug it before bed to stay warm.
      >I'm going to get hypothermia help i fricked up
      Stay awake all night and hike through the night or do pushups and you won't get hypothermia. Don't fall asleep or you'll die.
      >Vestibule-chads
      You don't want your gear exposed to the elements and you also don't want to sleep with it if its wet. Consider that when picking shelters or pitching your tarp.
      >Campsite selection
      is the most important but i can tell you nothing useful online you need experience with your region and backpacking in general

      • 2 years ago
        Anonymous

        Hey,

        I will share every trick I know of in order to stay warmer.
        Get a sleeping bag liner like thermalite reactor
        Do something about those mesh windows, wind/moving air will cool you down. If it's a double wall tent condensation will stick to the outer wall anyway.
        Sleep with a beanie, warm socks, and thin gloves.
        What keeps you warm when you sleep is trapped air between layers of insulation:
        Wear you merino base layer. Sleep in the liner, in the bag. Put a puffy jacket, or just a jacket, on top of the sleeping bag (warning: not so heavy you kill the loft in the sleeping bag - remember, trapped air).
        Empty out your backpack and put the foot end of your sleeping bag in it (seriously - this trick has helped me a ton)
        Warm up before you go to bed - some jumping jacks, for example. VERY IMPORTANT: don't break a sweat, or be so warm that you soak yourself yourself in sweat in the sleeping bag. You will wake up cold later on when the sweat cools off your body as it evaporates. You should be comfortably warm but never sweat.
        Eat something energy rich before going to bed - metabolism keeps you warm (grease and proteins, or a chocolate bar). If you wake up cold, eat. Metabolism warms you up.

        Some people put hot water bottles in the sleeping bag, I don't - if they leak during the night you go from being hot to having a potential hypothermic emergency on your hand.

        here, these are nice ones, thanks! Can't believe I haven't thought of the sit pad hack, as I often bring one but have never thought of it as multipurpose. Campsite selection is a great one too (just something as basic as altitude, really, but also stuff like wind and humidity).

        We'll all be toasty this fall bros

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      >How do I keep warm at night
      MEC nighthawk should be good to -4C. Use a sheet bag, you can get polar fleece ones. Change of clothes before bed. Don't wear sweaty clothes to bed. A 3 season tent should be fine in Ontario's October unless you are in Sioux Lookout.

      Also, has good tips.

  10. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    Can you build your own fire pit? If so dog a trench as long as your body and get a bed of hot coal going end to end. Sleep near that and you’ll feel the warmth all night

  11. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    if you cook in bags one of my favorite pieces of kit is: oversized reflectix pot cozy. design it to be the size of your sleeping bag's footbox plus 5-6 inches air gap. too warm above freezing. hybrid between radiative insulation and anon's backpack method which i use.
    usable as your cook bag cozy, just weighs 2x as much which is still very light.

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      ?t=469 this with a lid on it basically, if anons have a hard time picturing what i mean. i make mine a little bigger too since it needs air gap to work. iirc mines 100 grams.

  12. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    >How do I keep warm at night without spending millions of dollars

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      Hell yeah. Buddy Heater is a fricking hack. Too bad the propane tank weighs more than my sleeping bag otherwise I'd carry this shit on all my backpacking trips, but it's great for short trips under a couple miles

  13. 2 years ago
    /out/ie

    Bring an umbrella against showers and maybe one or two extra fleece blankets (they go for less than 10€ here) in case it gets nippy at night.
    I use a Carnthia Defence 1, basically good to 10°C alone, even in the winter. If it gets really cold you can find me with three fleece blankets.
    Also make sure you have a good sleeping pad.

    To stay warm, fill hot water into a bottle and wrap a towel and maybe a tshirt around it. It will keep you warm for hours! Forget the homosexual that say they leak, never happened to me, you have to close the bottle, obviously.

    That's it. Cheap fleece blankets, a good sleeping pad and hot water bottles.

  14. 2 years ago
    Anonymous
  15. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    they do sell 12 hour heat pack if you want those

  16. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    That view is nice, but the sad thing is she'd still rather be in Tyrone's section 8 apartment taking his bbc

  17. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    I've been camping in the fall and winter in the Southwest US for decades. These are my tricks:

    0F mummy bag
    wool socks over fresh new socks for sleeping,

    long johns under sweat pants

    thermal shirt, long sleeve t shirt, and a heavy sweater preferably with wool liner

    beanie and gloves (toque as you guys call it)

    one inflatable sleeping pad touching the ground and then a foam thermalite egg crate pad with the silver side facing you

    cheap fleece blanket you cocoon yourself in

    I've slept in 0F weather using this system and was fine. The mummy bag is important, it traps all your body heat.

    Another tricks is to use rocks from around the fire and put them near your tent as close as possible without burning the tent and if you do it right you get all that radiant heat.

    The best solution to be honest though is using the same setup but instead of sleeping on the floor you sleep in a cot and put the rocks directly under the cot. Cot is so nice in the winter, I can sleep in freezing temperatures with no problems using my setup

    Basically, the more layers you have, the less likely you get cold. But the wool socks and mummy bag are important. You can get a nice Ozark trail Leaf mummy bag rated 0F for like under $100 American

  18. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    That looks like she’d be super cold

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