Winter Camping Tips & Gear Guidelines

Those of us that hear the call of adventure know that staying inside during winter is just not an option. With a rooftop tent, you are already well insulated from the cold ground. Here are some tips to stay toasty at the campsite year round. 

Emergency Gear For Winter Camping

First off, always keep a winter survival kit in your car. Sliding off the road in adverse conditions is more common than you think, even for off-road capable vehicles. Help from emergency services or a good samaritan could be hours away.

Be sure to keep winter survival essentials in your vehicle, including space blankets, water, and dense high calorie foods like protein bars. 

How to Stay Warm While Winter Camping

A core ingredient to enjoying camping during the winter is staying comfortable and warm.  A high quality, low temperature rated sleeping bag will only get you so far during the winter. Heating the air inside your tent is a great way to drastically improve your quality of sleep during those snowy trips to the backcountry. A diesel heater can be a great solution to heat your tent before you drift off to sleep. All Intrepid Camp Gear GEO PRO series rooftop tents feature a diesel heater port pass-through, which can be used to route in a diesel heater air outlet hose. These heaters are quite safe, with zero carbon monoxide emissions in the heated air, as they use a separate hose for the exhaust gasses from the engine.

A cordless heated blanket is another great solution to staying warm with freezing temps outside. Simply charge the blanket and you are good to go! You can typically expect 4-8 hours from most models, depending on battery size and what setting you use. A good quality, low temperature rated sleeping bag combined with a heated blanket is an affordable solution to keeping toasty during winter nights.

If you want to go with a more low-tech route, insulating your sleeping bag can help push bearable temperatures into the low 20s and beyond. If you have an extra sleeping bag, simply nest your bag inside the extra one for better insulation. If not, lay out a warm blanket onto your mattress and put down your sleeping bag. Add a down blanket on top and snuggle in. With this layering method, we wouldn’t recommend staying the night anywhere the temperature drops below 15° fahrenheit.

Stay Fueled While Keeping Warm

Your body naturally consumes more calories when exposed to extreme cold to keep itself warm. Remember to eat plenty of calories to fuel your body during your adventures. Stay hydrated and warm with hot bone broth or tea in a vacuum sealed thermos or mug.