# night out in a tent, need a hand here.



## MirindoЯ (Sep 25, 2016)

This spring i went solo in the woods with my bob and slept outdoors. not my first night out in the woods by a long shot, but it WAS the first night solo and with gear totally of my choosing and preparation.
I'll show you my bag in a thread sooner or later, i think i have a very nice setup going, however i encountered a couple of problems:
first of all i was nice and cozy inside my tent and in my sleeping bag, HOWEVER my face and head were cold, and my feet also. i solved the problem by putting my jacket over my feet on top of the sleeping bag and putting on my balaclava.
The balaclava is not a very confortable item to wear while going to sleep, so do you guys have any solution to this? is lighting a candle inside a tent a good idea/effective to warm up the air?
Also the balaclava was good at "filtering" the cold air so i didnt breathe in totally cold air. I was on elevated, bushy terrain, and nights in may are cold there.

An idea that came to me was lining the inside of the tent with thermal blanket, i slept in the woods with 2 buddies with just my blanket covering us and insulation underneath, boy do those things WORK! biggest downside was i had to pretty much ball it up afterwards and it becomes nigh unpackable. theyre cheap but not so cheap as to buy a new one each time..:vs_lol: Is there a trick to folding them in the neat way they come packaged in?
Thanks for any ideas or advice!
Have some pics of "camp" if anyone's interested i'll post them!

pack in the morning before heading home, the stuff between the two compartments is hastily packed, was packed better on the way there. didnt take any pics of the bag beforehand though.









spot i picked: no idea why its sideways.....








barricading downhill side against wind and animals








all set up:








pay attention to detail..


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## Denton (Sep 18, 2012)

> Have some pics of "camp" if anyone's interested i'll post them!


Around here we have a motto: Without pics, it didn't happen!


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## Operator6 (Oct 29, 2015)

I have some of those hot hand warmers. They work great tucked wherever you need some extra heat but careful not to sweat. 

I have nothing on folding a space blanket.

You can also heat up a rock or a brick to put in your tent.


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## bigwheel (Sep 22, 2014)

Sounds like you need a better sleeping bag and an air mattress. I have a januine GI issue mummy mountain grade sleeping bag which come from the army surplus store for twenty bucks about 20 years ago. Its full of some kind of bird feathers. Keeps a person very cozy..but it smells sorta funny. Dont work well directly on the ground cause it squashes the air out of the feathers. Looks like the price has went up since I bought mine. Once you get that holler back and we can talk about an air mattress. Thats how all us old bikers do it. 
Sleeping Bags : G.I. Intermediate Cold Sleeping Bag (used)


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## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

1. Don't go to bed cold and shivering. Take a brisk walk or better yet.... a short jog or do some calisthenics. That will get you warmed up. Just don't overdo it and start sweating.
2. Heat up some water and pop it into a watertight bottle. Makes a great footwarmer.
3. Cover your head. A simple stocking cap works wonders.
4. If your feet were cold, your sleep system was not working. It was probably not rated/designed for the temperature you were in.
5. Lighting a candle provides very little heat, and you run the risk of burning your tent up. Fugghedabowdit.
6. Wear a simple base layer. Even a thin pair will help tremendously.
7. Try a sleeping bag liner. Not a lot of insulation, but some is better than none.
8. Pony up for a proper sleeping pad. Preferably one that is inflatable. Air is a great insulator. The cold ground will suck up 1000x more of your body heat than the air will. "Space Blankets" are usually one-time-use items.
9. Pony up for a proper sleeping bag. Yeah, they might cost a c-note, but you'll thank yourself in the morning.


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## MirindoЯ (Sep 25, 2016)

Denton said:


> Around here we have a motto: Without pics, it didn't happen!


something like tits or GTFO? fair enough 
here they come.


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## MirindoЯ (Sep 25, 2016)

had an airmattress, ferrino brand. laid the poncho on top of the ground i had previously cleared, tent on top of that, and the mattress inside. punctured it. slept on the cold hard ground. sucked ass.


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## MirindoЯ (Sep 25, 2016)

Back Pack Hack said:


> 1. Don't go to bed cold and shivering. Take a brisk walk or better yet.... a short jog or do some calisthenics. That will get you warmed up. Just don't overdo it and start sweating.
> 
> 3. Cover your head. A simple stocking cap works wonders.
> .


thats the issue, i hate sleeping with socks and something attatched to my head, but i guess i have no choice? :/


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## Operator6 (Oct 29, 2015)

I like to set up camp in the tree line.


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## Targetshooter (Dec 4, 2015)

Try have a fire out in front of your tent with a fire block so the heat will go into the tent , there are ways to set up a fire to last all night . On you tube " HF Survival School " he has a great set up .


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## LunaticFringeInc (Nov 20, 2012)

Yeah a thinsulate watch cap should do the trick for the noggin. One of my favorite pieces of gear in the military...never left home without one!


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## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

MirindoЯ;691946 said:


> thats the issue, i hate sleeping with socks and something attatched to my head, but i guess i have no choice? :/


Or only go camping when it's nice and warm at night.

What was the actual low temperature and what is the rating for your sleep system?


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## SGT E (Feb 25, 2015)

Men's Shoreman's Windblock Face Mask - Duluth Trading

Cargo Pants for Men, Work Pants and Carpenter Pants - Duluth Trading

I bought 2 after snowblowing in -22 weather...never had anything that warm on my face/head before...Does not filter the air or warm it but stops moisture buildup ! Keeps ya toasty!

I also have half a dozen pairs of their firehose pants....3 uninsulated and 3 fleece lined...5 stars all the way!..Costs 3 times more than cheap jeans...will last 20 years!


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## Sasquatch (Dec 12, 2014)

DO NOT LIGHT OPEN FLAMES IN AN INCLOSED AREA! Especially a tent!


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## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

Enclosed.


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## A Watchman (Sep 14, 2015)

Back Pack Hack said:


> Enclosed.


Everyone knows APES can't spell.


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## Operator6 (Oct 29, 2015)

Back Pack Hack said:


> Enclosed.


24 posts and you spellcheck a moderator. Damn son you got a pair, I give ya that. Can I hold a 20 till Friday ?


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## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

Operator6 said:


> 24 posts and you spellcheck a moderator. Damn son you got a pair, I give ya that. Can I hold a 20 till Friday ?


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## Sasquatch (Dec 12, 2014)

Back Pack Hack said:


> Enclosed.


Theirs, there's, they're always at least one grammar nazi in the group.


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## Denton (Sep 18, 2012)

A candle in a tent will keep you warm. Assuming you stay awake


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## MirindoЯ (Sep 25, 2016)

Back Pack Hack said:


> Or only go camping when it's nice and warm at night.
> 
> What was the actual low temperature and what is the rating for your sleep system?


 I have no idea to be honest.. my sleeping bag is comfy but very cheap, i dont think it even has rating written on it :/
i also have italian issue 2 piece system. basically a small one that goes into a larger warmer one if needed. very bulky and theyre mummy bags. I find it's much better to sleep in the rectangle ones.


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## MirindoЯ (Sep 25, 2016)

LunaticFringeInc said:


> Yeah a thinsulate watch cap should do the trick for the noggin. One of my favorite pieces of gear in the military...never left home without one!


so everyone sleeps with something on the face/head? i have plenty of gear i just thought inside the tent we were supposed to be warm enoughto noy have to use it but it was surprisingly cold. guess its normal then.


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## MirindoЯ (Sep 25, 2016)

Operator6 said:


> I like to set up camp in the tree line.


in the area where i am, and initaly in general once you step past the treeline it's thorns an spiny bushes everywhere... would not recommend this. would love to go camping in oak forests like in germany, but alas.. all we have are thorny bushes


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## csi-tech (Apr 13, 2013)

I have a Schumaker Instant Power station that I take camping. I plug my Cpap machine into it then zip everything including my head into my MSS military 4 part sleep system. I breathe fresh, cool air all night and my head is toasty warm. They make large sized hand warmers too just for tossing inside your sleeping bag. I have camped in 18 degree weather using this setup and I sleep comfortable for 11-14 hours.


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## Tennessee (Feb 1, 2014)

When this happens to me i just turn on the heater in the RV


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## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

MirindoЯ;692994 said:


> so everyone sleeps with something on the face/head? i have plenty of gear i just thought inside the tent we were supposed to be warm enoughto noy have to use it but it was surprisingly cold. guess its normal then.


No. It just depends on how cold it gets. If it's only 70°F at night, I really don't see the need to wear headgear to sleep.



MirindoЯ;692986 said:


> I have no idea to be honest.. my sleeping bag is comfy but very cheap, i dont think it even has rating written on it :/
> i also have italian issue 2 piece system. basically a small one that goes into a larger warmer one if needed. very bulky and theyre mummy bags. I find it's much better to sleep in the rectangle ones.


Then perhaps you need to buy a new sleep system that's rated for the temperature you plan on using it in.


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## Mad Trapper (Feb 12, 2014)

So in summer you are cold? WTF?

Get a good closed cell foam pad and put a thermarest on top of that. Then a GOOD sleeping bag, I use a North face rated to 0 oF. For *winter* a sleeping bag liner. Wear thermal long johns wool socks/hat.

From the pictures you sent, I'd have been fine with no sleeping bag and a big pile of leaves/debris hut


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## keith9365 (Apr 23, 2014)

Plus one on some of the above. Use a good foam ground pad or inflatable. In cooler weather put on a watch cap and ALWAYS change your clothes before you go to sleep. The clothes and socks that you sweated in during the day will make you freeze your kiwis off at night!


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## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

Mad Trapper said:


> So in summer you are cold? WTF?.........


So far, we have _no idea_ what the temperature was that night. The OP hasn't fessed up.


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## Mad Trapper (Feb 12, 2014)

Back Pack Hack said:


> So far, we have _no idea_ what the temperature was that night. The OP hasn't fessed up.


I see leaves on the trees and civilization in the background. That is summer scene. We almost had a frost last night, not many places in the lower 48 were much colder.

That would be recipe for my summer bag (british GI issue, down w/vynil bottom). No tent and no ground pad needed. I'd be cozy looking at the stars.


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## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

Mad Trapper said:


> I see leaves on the trees and civilization in the background. That is summer scene. We almost had a frost last night, not many places in the lower 48 were much colder.
> 
> That would be recipe for my summer bag (british GI issue, down w/vynil bottom). No tent and no ground pad needed. I'd be cozy looking at the stars.


And what does 'civilization' have to do with the temperature. Or trees? Do either somehow magically guarantee a low of 78°F? Without proper cover, you'll be shivering in 50° temps at night. Lows have reached down into the low 40's _even in Death Valley_.


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## Auntie (Oct 4, 2014)

I HATE sleeping in socks, however, I will wear them rather than get frost bite on my toes. If you have the ability to sew you could make an insert for your sleeping bag. If you can't sew then you can buy one. You can also use it as a blanket when not in your sleeping bag.

I did a quick google search and found this:
Make a Sleeping Bag Liner - Backpacker


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## Mad Trapper (Feb 12, 2014)

Back Pack Hack said:


> And what does 'civilization' have to do with the temperature. Or trees? Do either somehow magically guarantee a low of 78°F? Without proper cover, you'll be shivering in 50° temps at night. Lows have reached down into the low 40's _even in Death Valley_.


Well trees with leaves imply that frosts have not killed them. Civilization nearby implies that there is not extreme elevation. A heaping pile of leaves would be quite comfy, if you did not setup camp in the clearcut.

I've slept outside, two feet of snow, below 0 oF with the clothes on my back and what I've scrounged up. No tent or sleeping bag. Was not Motel 6 but I could do it again.


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## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

Mad Trapper said:


> Well trees with leaves imply that frosts have not killed them.


Yet.



Mad Trapper said:


> Civilization nearby implies that there is not extreme elevation.


And how high is Death Valley?



Mad Trapper said:


> I've slept outside, two feet of snow, below 0 oF with the clothes on my back and what I've scrounged up. No tent or sleeping bag. Was not Motel 6 but I could do it again.


Nice, but that's YOU, not the OP. Again, I will reiterate.....* we do not know the temp the OP was in*.


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## Mad Trapper (Feb 12, 2014)

Back Pack Hack said:


> Yet.
> 
> And how high is Death Valley?
> 
> Nice, but that's YOU, not the OP. Again, I will reiterate.....* we do not know the temp the OP was in*.


Well, why not ask him?

My GF freaks out if the house is not 70 oF.........we have the 80 oF rule; if she wastes so much wood in the stove that it reaches 80 oF, she must be naked.

Death valley? just bury yourself in warm sand.


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## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

Mad Trapper said:


> Well, why not ask him? .......


I have. That info must be classified.


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## MirindoЯ (Sep 25, 2016)

Mad Trapper said:


> I see leaves on the trees and civilization in the background. That is summer scene. We almost had a frost last night, not many places in the lower 48 were much colder.
> 
> That would be recipe for my summer bag (british GI issue, down w/vynil bottom). No tent and no ground pad needed. I'd be cozy looking at the stars.


wrong! was in may. while not winter, i assure you you'dve frozen your ass off. im not sure i checked the temp on my fenix and if i did i forgot, but i reckon during the night it was no higher than 10C, with very high humidity.
the outside of the tent was covered in dew by morning
sleeping on leaves sounds like a good way to get ticks in my area, wild boars, domesticated sheep and other carriers roaming


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## A Watchman (Sep 14, 2015)

Deleted


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## MirindoЯ (Sep 25, 2016)

Mad Trapper said:


> Well trees with leaves imply that frosts have not killed them. Civilization nearby implies that there is not extreme elevation. A heaping pile of leaves would be quite comfy, if you did not setup camp in the clearcut.
> 
> I've slept outside, two feet of snow, below 0 oF with the clothes on my back and what I've scrounged up. No tent or sleeping bag. Was not Motel 6 but I could do it again.


 I've spent a night out in the woods with just a poncho covering me sitting on a pad and leaning against a tree, under the rain. i was miserable. 
i don't quite get your point here...


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## A Watchman (Sep 14, 2015)

MirindoЯ;696618 said:


> I've spent a night out in the woods with just a poncho covering me sitting on a pad and leaning against a tree, under the rain. i was miserable.
> i don't quite get your point here...


Hey Mirindo(backwardsR) no worries .......... we have long suspected the old trapper has just gone plumb Mad.


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## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

MirindoЯ;696594 said:


> wrong! was in may. while not winter, i assure you you'dve frozen your ass off. im not sure i checked the temp on my fenix and if i did i forgot, but i reckon during the night it was no higher than 10C, with very high humidity.
> the outside of the tent was covered in dew by morning
> sleeping on leaves sounds like a good way to get ticks in my area, wild boars, domesticated sheep and other carriers roaming


I gotta say, 10°C is fairly warm. And I usually don't 'freeze my ass off' at 10°C... fact is, very few people would. At that temp, I'm using my 1980's-era unrated $8US (1980 price) Coleman sleeping bag. Only when it gets_ close _to 0°C will I start using my 'expensive' 0° and -15° rated bags.


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## Mad Trapper (Feb 12, 2014)

A Watchman said:


> Hey Mirindo(backwardsR) no worries .......... we have long suspected the old trapper has just gone plumb Mad.


I just get riled a bit, angry, and frustrated.

We went into the woods in winter, parents got worried, then we came back with fresh food.


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## Mad Trapper (Feb 12, 2014)

MirindoЯ;696594 said:


> wrong! was in may. while not winter, i assure you you'dve frozen your ass off. im not sure i checked the temp on my fenix and if i did i forgot, but i reckon during the night it was no higher than 10C, with very high humidity.
> the outside of the tent was covered in dew by morning
> sleeping on leaves sounds like a good way to get ticks in my area, wild boars, domesticated sheep and other carriers roaming


9/5 oC + 32 oF = oF

Yes, not metric system but Americans are still on the oF scale.

I do have a pH D so we could put things on oK if you wish


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## Mad Trapper (Feb 12, 2014)

Edit: It gets > 80 oF near my woodstove winter. I close the bedroom doors and am quite happy sleeping < 50 oF. Flannel sheet and a few hudson bay point wool blankets. Really bad I throw on a quilt or down comforter. I only worry if the cheap beer freezes. Then just put a bit of Allen's Ginger Brandy in.

BTW, studies on farm animals, showed they were healthier, have less disease and more robust.......in unheated barns at freezing temperatures. As long as they had *proper bedding*. It seems most respiratory diseases thrive in heated crowded environments. Take this for a note on prepping too, if influenza strikes.

I'm off the be angry, frustrated, and tending the garden


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## Mad Trapper (Feb 12, 2014)

Shiver me timbers!!!


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## TacticalCanuck (Aug 5, 2014)

Shemaghs are great for head wrapping. Ground foam of some kind between your bag and the tent floor. Extra pair of wool socks just for sleeping in. Stuff cloths in socks for pillow for neck support. MEC had foam under mat with mylar to increase warmth. Nice little camp and I really like those tents for solo camp. 

I prefer a hammock solo the comfort is greater and they pack up really small and lite. A hammock a tarp a mylar wrap and a bag suited to season. No pillow required. The tarp over the hammock provides rain protection and use the hammock as a seat during the day. The right tarp size and you can cook and stay plenty dry under it. I also have a tarp with mylar on one side to wrap the bag in inside the hammock if need be. 

That's what I do. Everyone has a trick here and there and I've learned a lot from posts like this. 

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk


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## TacticalCanuck (Aug 5, 2014)

Oh for candles look at UCO they burn a good 8 hours and hang with the flame fully enclosed. 

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## RJAMES (Dec 23, 2016)

I carry a knit hat and sleeping socks fall, winter and spring. Summer too if in the mountains. Winter - a set of long underwear to sleep in and a fleece with hood . I prefer layering rather than a real heavy sleeping bag. 

If tent camping a self inflating sleeping pad though lately I use hammocks . I have never used a hammock in winter but would make sure to put a pad underneath to keep warm.


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