Tips on pre-heating your tent?

[Joeytier]

Going to spending a couple days in LSPP towards the end of month. Forecast pending, we will be spending 2-3 nights on the lake, with Wawa as our fallback if the forecast is cold. Could go either way really.

 

This will certainly be my coldest camping endeavor. I know how to handle myself in harsh winter environments, just wondering what some of you may have done in the past [or tools you use] to heat your tent prior to entering for the night. We will have a winter tent [rated to -40 for what that's worth].

[Gerritt]

12volt heater connected to a small solar panel and perhaps a small battery? truckers use them...minus the solar panel

 

I have slept in some cold weather.... but -40.... Brrrrrr... On a side note.. -40 is where Celsius and Fahrenheit are equal

 

Good luck!

[Joeytier]

12volt heater connected to a small solar panel and perhaps a small battery? truckers use them...minus the solar panel

 

I have slept in some cold weather.... but -40.... Brrrrrr... On a side note.. -40 is where Celsius and Fahrenheit are equal

 

Good luck!

haha! -40 means cheap hotel in Wawa...Haven't hit -40 at all this winter [-37 was the worst we've seen] so seeing it in late February would be quite unlikely.

[paul_614]

rocks heated in a fire, wrapped in foil

[Ron]

Bank up the snow as high as you can afford without jeopardizing the strength of tent. About 5-10 minutes before bed, start up the Coleman lantern. Leave your sleeping bag open for this period and place the clothes you are going to wear the next day between your sleeping bag and roll. Sleep with socks on and have a toque handy to put on as well. Don't forget a pee bottle so you don't have to go out side. You waste more heat and energy avoiding to go pee than to just suck it up and relieve yourself.

[porkpie]

You can get a little candle lantern that will hang from the top of your tent. They warm the tent a fair bit, but I wouldn't recommend sleeping with it lit due to the potential to burn down your tent. They are pretty safe though! Won't help much at -40 though, lol! Good luck!

[DRIFTER_016]

No preheating tips from me.

I just use a 4" foamy and 2 very good sleeping bags.

One I hop into and I cover up with the other.

Need to keep the dome warm.

This is a nice January day out on Great Slave in the NWT.

 

 

This however is doing it in style.

We had a Cabelas Alagnak outfitter tent with a wood stove for this trip.

The pop up icehut is our privy. Nice and warm with a bucket/bag + super warm foam seat.

 

 

[Parisite]

Try a Coleman Black Cat heater. It has worked for me on nights around 0 to -4 but I've never had to use it in -40 weather. I would preheat the tent before getting in.

 

I wouldn't recommend keeping it on while you sleep. CO build up in the tent would not be a good thing. You might not wake up in the morning.

[Joeytier]

I have zero intention of keeping any gas appliances on overnight...I also won't be camping if by some miracle of winter it ends up being -40 during my stay out there haha.

[Joeytier]

Bank up the snow as high as you can afford without jeopardizing the strength of tent. About 5-10 minutes before bed, start up the Coleman lantern. Leave your sleeping bag open for this period and place the clothes you are going to wear the next day between your sleeping bag and roll. Sleep with socks on and have a toque handy to put on as well. Don't forget a pee bottle so you don't have to go out side. You waste more heat and energy avoiding to go pee than to just suck it up and relieve yourself.

I will remember this. Thanks a bunch.

[Terry]

you guys are men

 

 

for me roughing it means, a hotel that ends room service at 9 pm........

 

or the ice box is on a different floor

 

 

-minus anything...........damn

Edited February 6, 2013 by Terry

[mercman]

No preheating tips from me.

I just use a 4" foamy and 2 very good sleeping bags.

One I hop into and I cover up with the other.

Need to keep the dome warm.

This is a nice January day out on Great Slave in the NWT.

 

 

This however is doing it in style.

We had a Cabelas Alagnak outfitter tent with a wood stove for this trip.

The pop up icehut is our privy. Nice and warm with a bucket/bag + super warm foam seat.

 

What !!! No esspresso maker this time???? Yer slippin' Dave

[DRIFTER_016]

What !!! No esspresso maker this time???? Yer slippin' Dave

 

Only had my buddies 1000 watt Honda so we didn't have enough power.

Need a 2000 watt job fer the espresso machine.

I'm buying one this fall.

[bigugli]

Have organized a few winter camps for scouts. If you bank the snow against tent walls, make sure you line the outside of the tent by folding the gtoundsheet up the sides. We always used a bale of straw spread across the tent floor as an insulator.

Edited February 7, 2013 by bigugli

[mistaredone]

I've done -40 camping and it was fine with good equipment. I was told to wake middle of the night and eat a chocolate bar to get the metabolism going? Not sure if it has any science backing but it worked for me?

[nancur373]

I use an old red Coleman kerosene tent heater

[Fisherman]

Been there, done that in Wainwright,AB, -48C. Back in the day we used the charcoal stick pocket warmers in the bottom of the sleeping bag. I'll bet that a couple of the big foot warmers inside the bag will do the trick, some last for 12 hours.

[whiskywizard]

Two things that make the biggest difference for me are the toque and socks. But be sure to change into fresh socks just before climbing into your sleeping bag. The ones you wore all day will be damp.

[Moosebunk]

Stevie Zebco and I just lit the tent on fire one time. That got it warm for awhile...

 

... but then when the -37C windchill and whiteout snowstorm came overnight it got really sucky. Come morning I look over at Steve sleeping in his Canada Goose parka and the dood's got a stalagmite of snow on his chest which came through the hole in the roof.

 

Black Cat... Sport Cats... Not good enough. Buddy Heaters probably better. Go with two of everything or an easy escape plan. lol.

[bare foot wader]

can of beans for dinner...zipper up sleeping bag tightly...you'll be warm all night...

 

when it gets to -30+ you'll need to upgrade to that stagg dynamite hot chili

[huntinnut]

We've done a fair bit of winter camping, and there arre a few things that make a big difference to staying warm. I would be leary of any open flame in the tent. It's such a small space that it would be easy to forget about it and knock it over. A little buddy heater would probably be safe enough as long as there is a space for it not touching any nylon or anything. We never camp with a heater. The keys to keeping warm for us are first to have good equipment. A good sleeping bag from a good brand rated to an actual -35 or -40 (these bags all cost 400+) and then a good 2 pad system underneath. A -40 bag is comfy to about -30, after that you would need a over bag, and bag liner, and more underwear or an arctic expedition type bag. The insulation from the pads are important because bags don't keep you very warm from the bottom. Having good dry sleeping clothes is also really important, a base layer and then good wool long underwear and good warm socks and touque. Keep these in a seperate dry back and do not ever wear them during the day. It's really important to have dry stuff to crawl into. The pee bottle mentioned above is also nice, and if you have to get up those down bootties that you can get from places like MEC are great. It's pricey to get into good winter camping gear, but definately worth it.

 

Karl.

[BITEME]

the big key to all this is to stay dry i dont mean falling in the water wet but persperation.it is a bad deal at night you dont want to be so warm you sweat like ron said roll your cloths up and put them in your sleeping bag down the sides just me but i sleep in just my under wear (hat and socks as well) and wake in the morning step outside pull my nice toasty cloths out get dressed and start the day .....trust me it works. and mounding snow on the outside helps as well. a good insulating ground cover is a must.

 

Cheers

[4x4bassin]

Couldn't agree more with a couple of the guys here about staying dry , I always have seperate sleeping clothes that don't leave the tent and that includes a wool hat . Another thing

I do and was mentioned is we have a small piece of 1/2 " plywood (14"x14") and we will roll a hot rock from the fire onto it and carry it into the tent , you do this about an hour before

bed and again when you crawl into the tent for sleep time . Believe it or not a hot rock will stay warm in a small tent for 2-3 hours at around -5 degrees C with the right size and type of rock !

Another tip is when you are sitting around the camp fire and it is cold out I will put a hot rock from the fire under my fold up chair seat , it sure does keep the rear end toasty .

Now i'm not sure about -40 but I have used this method all the time in -5 to +5 and it works like a charm

[BillM]

Extremely good sleeping pad and an extremely good down mummy bag. With both of those you should be toasty.

[Sinker]

I prefer building a quincee to a tent if its that cold. Nice and toasty in there with just a couple candles, and you don't have to worry about burning it down. Another plus is you can use it again later in the season if you want to.

 

s.