Chase’s video How to Stay Warm Car Camping 

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Camping in a car can be more comfortable than backpacking or tent camping since the only limit to what you can bring is is space, not weight. Winter weather can be a deterrent to getting out of town, but with a few essential items you’ll stand a pretty good chance of keeping all your toes. Here are the basics, and some bonus items we’ve added from experience.

Sleeping Bag

A sleeping bag is the core component of any outdoors sleep system whether you’re Car Camping, car camping (the tent-next-to-a-car kind), or backpacking way off the beaten path. Sleeping bags are rated in degrees, common ratings being 0, 15, and 40 degrees, and are often grouped into Summer, Three Season,and Winter use categories. Those are survivable temperature ratings, not comfortable. Very important distinction, trust me. I like a 15 degree bag for all year use, and I’ll add an insulated liner bag or an additional light bag when I expect temps below 20 or so, and will also wear some of my clothes. A 0 degree bag made with synthetic insulation can be had for less than $100 dollars, but will be very heavy, probably fine if you're just sleeping in your car. As you move up to lighter materials like down and high-tech shells the weight will go down and the price will go up. 

Sleeping Pad

Often overlooked, a sleeping pad is second in importance only to your sleeping bag, and the wrong pad will cause you to freeze your butt off even with a good bag. A few years ago my wife and I were camping in the summer next to a high-country river, and she woke me up in the middle of the night with her teeth chattering, asking for another bag or blanket. I dug out a spare and tried to explain that the thick relatives-come-to-visit air mattress she was sleeping on was stealing all of her heat from below. After a little convincing she layered the bag underneath her instead of on top and was soon toasty warm. 

Laying directly on the ground (or your camping vehicle’s floor) allows the cool dirt or steel to rob heat from your body through conduction. Your inner furnace can’t heat the whole earth (or car) that is now attached to you, and you freeze. A compressible insulation like down offers little protection from this heat loss as it crushes beneath your weight and provides little insulating effect, so you will want an insulated sleeping pad to avoid a character-building experience. The cheaper, heavier bags will provide better heat retention, but you will probably still want some sort of pad for comfort. 

The insulation, or resistance to heat transfer, of a sleeping pad is measured in R-value, just like the pink and white fiberglass in your house's walls and attic. Some summer-use pads have no listed R-value or one as low as 2, and winter pads will be in the range of 5. Just like with sleeping bags, heavy and warm is affordable, light and warm is expensive. If you are just car camping you can get an affordable, warm, comfortable, solid foam pad for relatively cheap. 

Down Booties and Stocking Cap 

Extremities and your exposed head/face are the first things to get cold if not protected, and cold feet make for a long night. You probably already have a stocking cap or beanie if you’re out camping in the winter, but having a seperate one that always stays dry in your sleeping gear is a great idea. I’ll pull mine down over my eyes and just stick my mouth and nose out of my bag on really cold nights. I don’t have a problem with my hands getting cold since I am able to tuck them around my warm core or in my armpits,  but if your hands run cold a light, warm pair of gloves may be the ticket. 

Down booties are a luxury item that you’ll have a hard time sleeping without once you have tried them. If you don’t want to shell out the money for this single-use item, I have also spent many nights with my down jacket wrapped around my feet. Simply changing out of the socks that  you wore all day to a clean, dry pair can make a big difference in keeping your feet warm. 

Hot Water Bottle

Filling a Nalgene bottle with boiling water, then tossing it in the foot of your sleeping bag, will help keep you warm for hours. Preheating your bag makes the transition into bed less of a shock, and holding the bottle between your legs or anywhere close to your core will provide a big heat boost. Just make double-sure you tighten the cap all the way down. Live and learn. Nalgenes are ideal for this since they are thick and won’t deform from boiling water, and have a cap that really cranks down tight. Disposables or other styles of bottles may not work as well. 

Heater

Most people who are living the “Van Life” or who have a large vehicle they are live in all winter seem to go with a dedicated interior heat source like a Mr. Buddy propane heater, electric heater, or even  a wood-burning stove. We haven’t tried any of those yet at Road to Ridge since we sleep in relatively compact vehicles and get by with gear that we also use for backpacking etc. If you despise the cold and want to go that route, let us know about your experience!

Car Heater

I had to Google this one to make sure Heater was the technical term and not just the one I’ve used my whole life. Yup, it’s named like a kitchen appliance. For me the amazing luxury of sleeping in a car in the winter is to wiggle out of your sleeping bag just enough to reach the ignition and start the engine, then retreat back to your cocoon. Within a few minutes the car is warming up and you can get dressed without goosebumps, and your ride is pre-heated and ready to hit the road. Conserving heat by keeping doors shut as much as possible when you stop for the night, or a quick warm up with the heater on full blast when you're turning in will help you start warm to stay warm. 

Stoke Your Fire

You need more calories to stay warm in the winter as your body’s inner furnace consumes fuel at a higher rate to fight your constant heat loss. Either burn the gas in your tank, the propane in a bottle, or the Chili Mac Mountain House in your belly to stay warm. Fueling up with a hot, hearty meal before bed will help you regulate temperature and sleep through the night. 

Along this same line, don’t drink too much before hitting the sack. Liquids below your body temperature will require heat from your body to equalize with your internal temperature, meaning less energy to heat your fingers and toes. You want to drink plenty of fluids in winter since dehydration may not be as obvious without thirst-inducing hot weather, but it’s best to hydrate steadily throughout the day instead of trying to catch up at night. Plus, trying to balance in your car door while relieving yourself, or a chilly hike to a bathroom when nature calls, will make you regret that last-minute water chug. 

Start a Fire

This last option is old-school, obvious, and easy to overlook. Start warm by warming up before you crawl in bed, and you have a better chance of staying warm all night. Make sure you build a fire according to the regulations where you’re camping: most Forest Service campsites, National Parks, and other campsites you can drive to will have established fire locations or rings. Also check to make sure there isn’t a burn ban in effect where you are, though these will be rare when it is cold enough to really need a fire. 

Wood is an obvious necessary ingredient here, and many Forest Service and BLM managed areas allow for free wood gathering for camp-fire use. Since the woods around established campsites are usually picked pretty clean, it’s a good idea to  plan ahead and gather some wood before arriving at your campsite. Many gas-stations, grocery stores, park welcome centers, and other areas near good camping also sell small bundles that are usually $5-10. Campfires are better enjoyed with people, and lighting one is sometimes more social than practical. A tried-and-true warming option that goes way back, it may not be  the best option for car camping since you may be camping in a Walmart parking lot, parking garage, or other stealthy location where fires are not welcome. 

To see these tips in action, check out the video! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cInF3GIlUbw