Find yourself waking up in the night cold? It makes it hard to sleep, you're uncomfortable, and it could be potentially dangerous. Having the right gear is a good first step to being warm, but sometimes it's not enough. Here are 5 ways to help give you that little extra warmth in the cold.
1. Choose A Protected Campsite
Good tree coverage, obstacles to block wind such as large rocks or man-made wind blockers, anything that may help insulate your campsite from harsh winter winds can greatly impact your comfort level. This will also help with cooking as you don’t have to worry about the wind blowing out your fire or stove.
2. Stay Dry
One of the quickest ways to catch a cold while hiking is being wet. Make sure you have an extra dry rag to help wipe away sweat and moisture that may accumulate. Having a special set of sleeping clothes, to give your hiking clothes time to dry overnight will keep you walking dry and comfortable. It will also help you from getting sick once you’re off the trail.
3. Get The Blood Pumping
Make sure you go to bed with blood still coursing through your system. This will help keep your internal body temp up, which will make it easier to heat the inside of your sleep system, which will make your night much more enjoyable. Doing a few jumping jacks, running in place or cutting some wood are great ways to keep the blood moving before you sleep.
4. Warm Water Bottle.
To help heat the inside of your sleep system faster, take a bottle filled with warm water to bed with you. For best results, place between your legs next to your femoral artery. This will give you instant warmth and help you heat the inside of your sleep system fast.
5. Line Sleep System With Extra Layers.
Line the inside of your sleep system with your extra clothes and fall asleep wearing your insulated jacket. This will create an extra layer of warmth and is a good way to save weight since you were going to carry extra clothes anyway. If you weren’t bringing more clothes, than bringing a liner can help give you 5 to 10 degrees more warmth, depending on the liner you choose. An added bonus to this is that your clothes are pre-warmed the next morning!
There’s a lot of ways to stay warm. So go out and experiment and find what ways work best for you. Do you have any practices of your own that help you stay warm when it gets cold out? We'd love to hear them.
Stay warm Friends and let us know if you have any additional tips we should include.
Comments will be approved before showing up.
Richard White II
Author