Cold weather camping

[hop-a-long]

Hi all,
I was wondering if there are other forum members that go out camping in a tent (or even something less substancial) at temperatures below 10°C?
Most would call us idiots, but I am one of those campers.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I wouldn't call you an idiot without knowing the reason you do it.

 

[Robin54]

I camped with the family in the French Alps in August ......we woke up in the morning with snow on the tent. It was a rather miserable holiday!

 

[hop-a-long]

It easier to dress for cold weather, than it is for warmth. Furthermore I'm not to fond of highseason prices and crowds.

 

[Agentgonzo]

Not for over 25 years. We used to a 'FYBO' (Freeze your bollocks off) camp every February when I was in the venture scouts.
Most of it was just sitting around a mahoosive fire, drinking beer and rum. One year we had snow. Another year, we accidentally camped on the start/finish line of the Belgian national orienteering championships and were awoken at 7am (with a really bad hangover) and told to move our tents...

Happy times.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I am a soft arse i hate the cold so it wouldn't be for me.

 

[hop-a-long]

I camped with the family in the French Alps in August ......we woke up in the morning with snow on the tent. It was a rather miserable holiday!

My last cycling holiday in Scotland started with waking up while it was snowing. But after an hour of cycling I had to put on shorts because of the heat!

 

[Robin54]

My last cycling holiday in Scotland started with waking up while it was snowing. But after an hour of cycling I had to put on shorts because of the heat!

You had to cycle like a mad man, not to keep warm, but to stop the midges sucking your vascular system dry

 

[hop-a-long]

You had to cycle like a mad man, not to keep warm, but to stop the midges sucking your vascular system dry

No midges yet in late april/early may

 

[Rodcx500z]

I have on bike rallys when i was younger, 2 come to mind Fenny Bridges in Devon 2006 early April and some place near Ulverston both were fecking freezing, just remembered another Loders in Somerset back of the Loders arms i just got pissed on parmers 200 don't remember much of that rally

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

 

[An Ankoù]

Hi all,
I was wondering if there are other forum members that go out camping in a tent (or even something less substancial) at temperatures below 10°C?
Most would call us idiots, but I am one of those campers.

Yes indeed. Autumn and winter camping was my stock in trade. Can't stand sitting in a tent under the blazing sun surrounded by noisy chavs though.
I'm sure there are hardy folk who go out on the ice and snow in Arctic parts, but never had the opportunity or inkling to do that. A few degrees either side of zero is perfect for me.
Routine, set up tent at dusk and in the dry. Off to the pub for a few pints and something to eat if haven't eaten earlier. Back to the tent for a warm drink and a bit of a fire made with wood in a small barbecue. This is important, to let the beer work its way down so you're not up and down for a wee during the night. Off to a cozy sleeping bag. Keeping toasty during a cold night is a technique in itself, but I guess you know all about that.
You might have guessed that the attraction was half, the camping, and half, going to far flung and remote pubs that otherwise would have to be driven to, and back.

 

[Agentgonzo]

Back to the tent for a warm drink and a bit of a fire made with wood in a small barbecue. This is important, to let the beer work its way down so you're not up and down for a wee during the night.

My one problem with this technique is that whilst sitting by the fire, it's nice to have a beer. Which doesn't help with the weeing situation.

Keeping toasty during a cold night is a technique in itself, but I guess you know all about that.

The technique I developed during my scouting days to get changed and into a cold sleeping bag without freezing was this.

Get into the sleeping bag first, then zip it up, THEN get changed out of your clothes. This has three major benefits. You don't need to declothe in a cold tend. By the time you've changed, you're already in the sleeping bag so won't get cold. But most importantly, it's so damn hard to get changed in a sleeping bag that by the time you manage it, you're all hot and puffed out from the effort that you've pre-warmed yourself in a cold night!

I found a different method of keeping warm as an adult that I think @An Ankoù is alluding to.

 

[Mayor of Simpleton]

I am off camping next weekend. I have just invested in a lightweight back-packing tent for a combined hike/wild camp.

 

[Stevieboy]

Hi all,
I was wondering if there are other forum members that go out camping in a tent (or even something less substancial) at temperatures below 10°C?
Most would call us idiots, but I am one of those campers.

I'm Hammock Camping this weekend! Badgells Wood.

 

[andyb13]

I'm Hammock Camping this weekend! Badgells Wood.

I'm a tree hanger myself, far more comfortable then being in a tent or bivi. I also camp out at least once a month all year, the cold can be dealt with and is fine,, it's the wet I hate.

 

[Agentgonzo]

I seem to remember something from scouting days about standing in a bucket of cold water before getting into sleeping bag, which apparently makes your feet really warm.

And if your feet are warm, the rest of your body will be too.

I can't see how that would work. It sounds like the kind of thing older scouts would tell younger scouts to mess with them

 

[Clint]

Years ago I have been night fishing in all sorts of nasty weather...gales,freezing and snowing. Best was a couple of years back on the harvest moon with rain and big winds,had 6 carp in the night,3 over 27lb,and 13 bream! Never done very well in the freezing weather so tend not to bother now.

 

[moto748]

I have on bike rallys when I was younger,

Me too. Not sure I'd be up for it now.

 

[Donegal john]

Been camping/drinking in early March some years ago to glenveigh national park and when we woke up there had been a heavy snowfall overnight. 4 of us in the tent and all the sleeping bags were wet so we thought the snow had somehow gotten in during the night. Nope. My mate psissed himself during the night. Had to wash in the bloody lake in the snow.
The upside was the guilty party had soaked his jeans and had to drive home in his boxer shorts. It was back in the days of army checkpoints on the Irish border and I made sure we got pulled in for a search in revenge