Tent Insulation?

[lupinsea]

On a recent camping trip the temps got down into the low 40's or high 30's and (obviously) it was more than a little chilly in the tent. Now, I had two sleeping bags (one stuffed in the other) and wore enough clothes to keep warm. But has anyone thought of a way to perhaps insulate a regular tent so it retains body heat longer (as I'd prefer not to have a tent heater)?

Maybe bring along some sheets and hang them up inside to double / triple layer the tent walls?

Thoughts on how to better insulate a tent so it's a little warmer and more comfortable for cold weather camping?

 

[huskyfargo]

Ummmm...the sheets might work, but wearing clothes inside your sleeping bag does not! You might need a warmer sleeping bag, but letting the bag do it's job, with no clothes in which to sweat, will do a much better job of keeping you warm. I use a zero degree bag with a full zipper. It allows me to control the ventilation so I don't get too hot. Your body temperature will heat up the air between your body and the interior of the well insulated bag and keep you toasty and warm. I make sure I have my clothes within easy reach, maybe even underneath my bag, so I can put them on easily when I wake up.
There's not much hope for insulating a tent to keep it much warmer without a heater.

 

[Honu]

Quality bag toasty warm
Tent heater toasty warm
Canvas tents are way better than nylon for retaining heat

 

[pyrate]

What you sleep ON has some bearing too. A thick standard air mattress can transfer a lot of body heat away from you. Something more like a thermarest or a good barrier between you and the air bed can make a difference. Not sure what you were using and if this would be beneficial.

 

[off-roader]

IMHO, when sleeping a quality bag with a decent pad will have the greatest bearing on how warm you are and not the tent material. Nylon or cotton, were probably talking <5* difference and frankly 30* or 35* feels close enough that I really won't notice the difference.

 

[Rynomar]

Another vote for a good bag and sleeping pad. Doubling up sleeping bags might sound like a good idea, but if you are compressing the insulation in the bags, it will defeat the purpose. It would probably work better to sleep in the warmer bag with a down comforter or the other sleeping bags loosely set on top of your bag. Also, mummy bags are a must. Cinch down the opening as much as you can comfortably handle with the bag zipped up. Sleeping bags are designed to retain your body heat and use it to keep you warm. The more heat you can retain, the better.

Cold weather sleeping pads have insulation or reflective material in them that really makes a huge difference in retaining heat. I would prefer my 4 season Thermarest to a queen size air mattress any day in cold weather. You can add some blankets to the floor of the tent to help as well.

Also make sure to have your tent set up to ventilate air. Condensation becomes a big issue in cold weather camping and you don't want that condensation getting trapped in the tent and dripping on all of your gear.

Car camping is a good way to practice camping in cold weather, as it allows you to bring more gear. If you like it,a good sleeping pad and a 0to -15 degree bag is worth its weight in gold. A thermos of hot tea or coffee packed the night before will also make for a much more cheery morning!

 

[aruss]

Army tents have liners, but those tents also use stoves to keep them heated. A tent without any (or much) mesh in the body is preferable, but you do want some venting as alluded to above. I second the posts with regards to a good sleeping pad, compressed insulation is ineffective. Most of the better brands of pads are rated with a r value. Another tip is to take a bottle of hot water (in a leak proof container) to bed with you in your sleeping bag. And wear a hat.

 

[Crom]

Quality bag toasty warm
Tent heater toasty warm
Canvas tents are way better than nylon for retaining heat

This! And a quality sleeping pad! I like the thermarest 4 season pads. They make a hell of a difference.

 

[Honu]

This! And a quality sleeping pad! I like the thermarest 4 season pads. They make a hell of a difference.

Yeah forgot the pad mucho important

Since we got rid of the rtt decided toget all new bags and pads for the family
Nemo insulated pads and very happy with them

 

[jeep-N-montero]

There are several easy options; use a 4 season tent, a good Thermarest pad with an R warth rating, adding a sleeping bag liner(not another bag), or adding a bivy cover will all help. I have a 30 degree North Face bag that I use year-round and all I do in the winter is put it inside my Gore-Tex bivy cover and am comfortable down to around 20 degrees, and under my bag but inside the bivy cover is my Thermarest ProLite pad http://cascadedesigns.com/therm-a-rest/mattresses/fast-and-light/prolite-2012/product which they also make a version for 4 season use. Most 4 season tents are designed to be 5-10 degrees warmer inside than the outside temperature with the recommended number of occupants inside, I know this is true of my Sierra Designs 4 season tent. On our elk hunt 4 weeks ago I was toasty warm even with waking up with snow on our tents.

 

[sfsmedic]

I'm not sure about a bag in a bag but a bag liner designed for the purpose sure makes a difference. I have a Sierra designs 30 degree bag I use and if the chill dips to where I know ill be uncomfortable I use a fleece mummy bag liner. Adds another 15 degrees to it and sometimes I'm to warm.

Also like stated a thermarest or similar design that insulates your body from the heat sapping ground or whatever is below you makes a difference. Especially if on an air mattress or on a cot which allows the air to get all around you and suck the heat out of you.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[robert]

Add a heater- fill your water bottle with hot water just before you turn in and then toss it down in the foot of your bag. Those Thermacare pads work well too; put one on your back near your kidneys and it'll definitely help keep you warm. Wear a hat; I can't stand to have my mummy bag around my face as I roll around a lot and always end up with the opening somewhere other than my face so I wear a knit hat or fleece balaclava.

As for the tent, others have made great suggestions, but if you're cheap and have the ability to carry extra weight you can drape a wool blanket over the outside of the tent between the inner wall and the fly or you can suspend it inside if you have the means to do so. The ends will still be uninsulated, but it'll help. I've used this method several times while car camping and I do it pretty frequently in the VW when it's really cold- I basically make a small insulated room inside the bus around the lower bed since I don't like to run the propane heater at night.

 

[downhill]

I have a friend who has been homeless for 34 years. He lives in a cheap little tent barely big enough to sit up in. He has no heat, but he has survived many nights in the -15 to -20 range. Nights in the teens are routine. He does it by piling old blankets over the top of his tent. I'm talking many layers. He likes to get the big bed spreads from St Vincent DePaul because they cover better. He crawls in and then packs more blankets into the door to form a plug. I actually bought him a new bigger tent one year and he wouldn't take it. He said it was too big to heat with just body heat, and he would freeze. One year I found him cocooned up with a foot of snow over the whole mess.

 

[RockyMtnFamily]

There is a homeless guy who spends Summers out here. I have seen him put large tarps over his tent for extra insulation and use a propane heater first thing in the morning to warm up. I would think the tarps would create condensation and like the idea of blankets for insulation.

 

[ThirstyCamel]

Never thought of putting a blanket between the tent and the fly; I'll have to try that to see how it works. In cold weather I do normally put two blankets down on the floor of the tent and I do use a small 3/4 length pad. During colder weather I have a couple of bag liners one is fleece the other is rayon. I'll use one or both depending on need. I make sure to change into fresh under garments before getting into my bag so that I know I'm dry. I'll also sometimes throw a couple of those chemical hand warmers into the bottom of my bag. Never tried the Thermacare pads but it sounds like a good idea, I'll have to give that a try too although I'm not sure how I'll like the smell.

Thanks for the ideas guys