Cold weather camping can take tons of planning and very deliberate packing if you're backpacking into the wilderness in below-freezing weather. However, if you're car camping in the winter just for fun or because you want to take part in activities like ice fishing, you can afford to have a few more luxuries on your trip. Having a car with you means you can take a better-insulated tent, a warmer sleeping bag, and more clothes and food for your cold weather camping trip. But there are a few more little luxuries to consider as well.
Here are some other little "cold-weather" luxuries you should consider bringing with you to ensure you stay warm:
A Portable Tent Heater
Hard-core backpackers are certainly not going off road to take a camping tent heater with them because they can't afford the extra weight. However, if you're car camping, you can afford the luxury of a portable tent heater, which can get your tent nice and toasty warm before you even snuggle up for bed at night. This type of heater should generate low enough amounts of heat that you aren't burning up in your tent, but it should also keep you more comfortable throughout the night - or even for that afternoon nap you might want to take after hiking all morning!
Extra Wool Clothing
A backpacker will want to go as light as possible when it comes to clothing, but a car camper can afford a bit more clothing when the car is right there to hold the extra suitcases. If you're going to be doing camping in weather that's colder than just a fall chill in the air, make sure you leave the cotton clothing at home. Cotton is too breathable, and it if gets wet, it won't insulate your body against the chill at all.
Wool clothing, on the other hand, has natural properties that make it both breathable and insulating. One other great thing about wool is that if you sweat in it, it doesn't stink for a long time because the lanolin - natural oil from sheep - in the wool kills bacteria and keeps the wool fabric from getting grungy. Taking along a few extra pairs of socks and some extra wool underwear will make your camping trip that much more pleasant!
A GPS Unit
If you're planning to hike on marked trails, this might not be strictly necessary, but it can be fun to have a GPS along with you. Plus, it can help you find out where your remote campground is when you're in the car on the way to your destination!
A Heavier Sleeping Bag
There's just something comfortable and comforting for most people about sleeping with heavy blankets in winter weather. If you're a backpacker on a wintry trail, you can't afford a heavy sleeping bag, though, because it will take up too much weight in your pack. However, if you're camping out of the car, you can get a more luxurious sleeping bag filled with down and synthetic fibers that will be both comfortably heavy and very warm. Plus, you can bring along extra blankets so you can adjust the heat factor as you see fit!
With hi-tech cold-weather sleeping bags, 4-season camping tents, and portable tent heaters [http://tentheaterreviews.com], there really are no excuses these days for not getting out there and enjoying the things you love most. Whether you're hunting, fishing, or just "getting-out-there" there's plenty of great cold-weather gear available to you to ensure you stay warm.
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