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Sleeping in a cold room can help lower your body temperature to aid in the production of melatonin. But when you’re camping, you don’t have the option to raise the thermostat at all. You know you need to rest for the next day’s activities, but you can’t stop shivering! If you’re tired of suffering in your tent on those seemingly endless winter nights, learn these pro tips to help you stay warm in your sleeping bag.
Stay Dry and Dress Right
Before you jump into your sleeping bag, you want to warm up your body as much as possible by removing any water or sweat from your body and raising your core temperature. To raise your body heat, you can stand by the fire, eat a warm meal, or do some jumping jacks before you lie down. Whatever you do, don’t lay down wet. The cold air that gets in will just make you colder. So before you get into bed, wipe yourself down with a towel or a bandana.
Don’t forget to layer up, either! If you want to stay warm while you sleep, you must start with a good base layer. Your moisture-wicking base layer is highly beneficial, and its most important advantage is that it keeps you dry. There’s a chance sweat and perspiration from your mouth can build up while you sleep and freeze overnight, which is the last thing you want.
Prep Your Sleeping Surface
This may not be an option for everybody, but if you have the ability to bring extra blankets, towels, or rugs to place on the tent floor, you should do it. It may not seem like much, but that little extra bit of insulation can make a difference. If that’s not an option, you’ll need a sleeping pad with an R-value equivalent to the weather you’ll experience.
A sleeping pad can seriously make or break how warm you stay at night. And if you keep rolling off your sleeping bag, you can get pads that come with a sleeping bag sleeve to keep you in place. And while this may seem counterintuitive or uncomfortable, you want to reduce as much ambient space in your tent as possible, so stick close to your partner and surround yourself with gear.
Up Your Sleeping Bag Game
You don’t have to buy the most expensive sleeping bag; you can use a few tricks to stay warm. Sleeping bag liners come in various materials designed to help insulate you, with silk being the lightest and insulated liners adding about 20 degrees Fahrenheit of warmth. The one you choose depends on the kind of weather you’ll be in.
Additionally, you can place the bottom of your sleeping bag in your backpack and put some extra clothes near your feet inside the bag to help keep them warm. In the same vein, hold a hot water bottle against your torse instead of your feet to warm the blood in your body as it travels to your extremities. Lastly, avoid burrowing your head into the sleeping bag, as the perspiration from your mouth can freeze overnight. Try wearing a balaclava instead!
