How to Stay Warm in Your Sleeping Bag

It can get pretty cold when sleeping under the stars. These simple tricks will help you snooze the night away.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Long Underwear
• Stocking Caps
• Bivy Sacks
• Sleeping Bags
• Sleeping Pads
• Tents

1. Place a quality sleeping mat under your sleeping bag to insulate you from the cold earth.

2. Find a flat place to sleep so you won't roll off your sleeping mat during the night.

3. Wear lightweight long underwear and socks to bed on cold nights.

4. Cinch the top of your sleeping bag around your face.

5. Put on a hat if you get cold during the night.

6. Zip your feet inside a fleece jacket and shove them to the bottom of your sleeping bag.

7. Add an extra layer of long underwear or fleece clothing if you're still cold.

8. Shove the bottom of your sleeping bag into an empty backpack if your feet are still freezing.

Tips & Warnings

• Shove some extra clothes into the sleeping bag's stuff sack and zip a fleece jacket around the stuff sack to use as a pillow.
• Buy a sleeping bag that is rated 10 degrees colder than the temperature in which you'll be camping. You can always ventilate a warm bag by unzipping it a little.
• Down sleeping bags are typically warmer, and lighter, than syntheic fiber sleeping bags.
• If you are travelling in extreme conditions, take the necessary precautions. Research the weather, find out about the area and take the right equipment.

Who Can Help:

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[Susang6]

on 10/23/2008 I was wondering why you would want to feeze in a sleeping bag, but then thought that maybe you were hiking a trail, or hunting. good tips, but sounds way too cold for me!

on 8/8/2006 You should put on clean, dry socks before you get into your sleeping bag on cold evenings. The moisture retained in socks that have been worn all day long will evaporate and your feet may never get warm. No socks are better than wet socks.

on 11/22/2005 Feel the need to urinate in the middle of the night, but don't want to lose that precious body heat by leaving your sleeping bag? Simple solution: Urinate into a zip-lock bag and keep it in your sleeping bag; the excess heat from the fresh urine will help keep you warm.

Tip: Should the need arise, remember that pure water can be extracted by distilling urine.

on 11/22/2005 When I was in Army boot camp, I was told by my drill sergeant to wear only your brown T-shirt and undergarments. If you keep layering on clothing in your sleeping bag, your body will adapt to not having to work as hard to keep warm. If you put your clothes on at night, then wake up and wear the same clothing all day in the cold environment, your clothing will be less effective. There's a small layer of air between your skin and your clothing, and when you wear your clothing in the sleeping bag and also outside, you lose the insulation value of the air between the layers. It may sound crazy, and you may be cold at first, but kicking your feet and moving around in the bag helps warm up the cold spots.

on 11/22/2005 First, don't drink alcohol. This isn't a problem for most backpackers, but car camping sometimes includes drinking. Your body draws blood away from your skin when you drink. This makes you cold, even if you don't feel it right away.

Eat early. Your body sends blood to your stomach to help digest what you eat. If you eat a big meal late your body will dedicate a lot of blood to digesting and you'll feel cold. Eating early also gives your body time to gain energy from the food and use it to warm you.

One reason you may be getting cold is because you are running out of easy energy. Eat a candy bar or other sugary food before sleeping to give your body some extra fire overnight.