How To Keep Your Tent Warm: Tips from Science and The Medieval Ages

If you feel cold in your room, you have many options to keep yourself warm. Imagine feeling cold in a tent, in the middle of a forest, and freezing night; You will not have any option to keep yourself warm except spending the whole night by the campfire.

So, it is better to go prepared.

This article How to keep your tent warm includes: Tips from the medieval ages, simple tricks with big results and primary source of Warmth.

People in the medieval ages and well before that, prioritized their friendship with nature that they thought is a cure for almost everything instead of spending money on artificial things.

Let’s revisit the old techniques of keeping yourself warm out in the middle of a forest. These techniques are not only free but environment-friendly too.

Snow the windbreaker

If you are camping in the snow, then this is the first thing you should do; make a few feet high snow wall around your tent; it not only acts a windbreaker but also a good insulator. Make sure that you build the wall at least 4 feet away from your tent corners.

Hot Rocks

This is an old-fashioned technique, but it works. Put a few medium-sized rocks in your campfire, keep them in there for an hour, then place them inside your tent on a pan. Do not touch them with bare hands This technique was used in the middle ages and may have started well before that.

Take hot water to bed

After you have switched off your heater, a hot water bottle can replace it to make you warm throughout the night. A stainless-steel bottle is best for such use. Boil water and pour it into the bottle. Make sure that it is not too hot because it might burn your skin. If it is too hot wrap it with your shirt and takes it into the sleeping bag.

Site selection

A good location can protect you from extra efforts to keep your tent warm. A few suggestions for site selection:

• Do not set up your tent very near to water; the air is much cooler near bodies of water than away.
• Nights might be windy so set up your tent near natural features–trees and boulders– that will block winds.
• High grounds that are not exposed to winds are better to set up a tent on in winters than low lying grounds.

The Primary Source Of Warmth

Winter tents

Deciding whether a Three-season tent or a four-season tent is right for you, totally depends on the environmental condition in which you will be camping.

A three-season tent is made for three seasons: spring, summer, and fall. You might be asking a question that why buy a three-season tent when you can buy a four-season tent. Well, a three-season tent is light and provides more ventilation than a four-season best 6 man tent.

A four-season tent gives protection from extreme weather-high winds, heavy snowfall and frigid temperature. So, a four-season tent is best, if you are camping in winter.

Keep your tent Ventilated

It will sound unusual to most people but ventilating your tent at night will help you with keeping it warm.

The reason behind it is that it keeps inside of your tent dry by not letting your body heat and breath warmness to damp your sleeping bag and other stuff.

Keep your Sleeping bag dry

A sleeping bag is your best partner in a winter camping. Do not let it get wet because a wet sleeping bag can draw heat out of your body.

Go for a synthetic sleeping bag if you are camping in winter because it hardly absorbs any moisture. Its synthetic insulation feature keeps it warm even in a moisty condition. Make sure that you take a sleeping bag that fits your body shape-Not loose and not very tight.

Temperature Rated Sleeping Bags

Sleeping bags are temperature rated. Rated for the lowest temperature they can generally keep their occupants comfortable in. Mostly come in two series.

• Comfort rating-This rating is on women’s sleeping bags. It is for cold sleepers: People who are more sensitive to cold.
• Lower limit rating– This rating indicates the temperature at which a warm sleeper may feel comfortable. This is the temperature rating brands use on men’s bags.

Thermal Blanket

Thermal blankets are made from temperature resistant materials; It can reflect heat. It can be used to keep the heat inside the tent by securing it to the tent ceiling with duct tape. A thermal blanket is light and easy to carry.

Carry camping Heaters

Carrying heaters with you for camping at a freezing temperature is a good idea. It can save your night even if one of your main items fail to protect you from chilly weather. Carry propane or an electric heater both are suitable for camping. But make sure to turn off the heater before you go to sleep because carbon-monoxide is undetectable to human senses.

Sleeping pad

For more thermal insulation use sleeping pads with your sleeping bags. It does not let the ground beneath draw the heat. Some sleeping pads are not fit for camping like air pads; these occupy more space and are less effective. Instead of air pads use a closed-cell foam pad or self-inflating foam pad.

Use a tarpaulin

A tarpaulin protects the tent from getting wet. It also acts as a cushion between the tent and the ground to provide comfort and protect the tent from twigs. If you do not want your sleeping bag to get wet, then you must lay a tarpaulin under your tent.

Disposable Heat Packs

Some people might not feel comfortable with rocks inside their tent; Disposable heat packs are available in the market as a replacement for hot rocks.