You know,
I used to dread going camping in the winter until I changed the way I went,
cold weather camping in this video,
I'm going to let you in on five amazing cold-weather camping hacks that have made
an incredible difference.
Winter camping is in truth.
An amazing opportunity to get out and explore your backyard.
Clear starry nights, roaring campfires, and empty campsites.
That right there is the dream.
Join me as I count down these five cold weather camping hacks from five to.
One
So tip number five is one that I swear by you do a much better job of
staying warm.
When you layer up both what you're wearing and the bedding inside your tent or
your swag at night,
when you layer up what you're doing is creating air gaps between the layers of
material. And those air gaps are much better at trapping body heat,
instead of just letting it dissipate.
I wear thermal pants and long sleeve shirts under my clothes while camping in
cold weather. And look, they're nothing special.
They're just the cheapest skiing thermals I could find.
So the thing about these thermals is that the more expensive they are,
the better they are at moisture-wicking and odour control.
And that makes a huge difference.
If you're snowboarding or skiing, and you're sweating,
but if you're just kicking around camp and relaxing.
well you're not doing a whole heap of physical activity.
So that's not as much of an issue. These right here costs about $20 each.
And I swear by them
this layering trick applies to bedding to chuck an extra blanket on top of your
sleeping bag or use one of these multi-layered sleeping bags to trap the heat
while you sleep. And while we're on this topic, if you stick around to the end,
I've got a bonus tip for you. That was way too good to leave out.
So tip number four is an absolute beauty just about to get that campfire
going for the night.
And there is nothing like kicking back and enjoying the warmth of the fire,
but just because you're feeling that warmth from the front doesn't mean you're not
feeling the cold from behind. So instead,
what I love doing is getting a couple of nice hot coals out of the fire.
Just very gently placing them directly under my seat. I'm warning you though.
I said a very small amount,
so it might take a moment once you sit down to feel that warmth
but because the coals are trapped underneath your chair,
that heat will rise and you'll feel it soon,
but it's much better to enjoy that small amount of warmth and top it up as you
need, then pile it on and set your butt on fire.
So I can personally vouch for that bit of advice. Last year,
down in the New South Wales
Snowy's we were camping in freezing cold conditions.
And let's say I got a little bit overenthusiastic piling
The coals under my camp seat started off real nice, but before I knew it,
my butt was on fire. And that camp chair. Look, it was never the same again.
And I guess that brings me to my question for this episode.
What is your funniest cold-weather camping fail. I'd love to hear from you.
So drop me a note in the comments.
So if you're a skier, a snowboarder, or you just work outside in cold weather.
then you're probably across tip number three already, but it's a red hot one.
Literally these amazing little heat patches react when exposed to air and
provide a surprising amount of warmth for a couple of hours at a time,
they are perfect for dropping into your pockets for instant warming of cold
hands.
And they're also amazing in your shoes or your boots as toe warmers as well.
Don't laugh. These things are dead set amazing.
While I picked up a box of them a couple of years ago.
And while they're not reusable,
they're still going hard because I've still got a fair few left in there.
Even after a couple of years worth of cold weather, camping seasons.
Grab them at just about any hardware store
Coming in at position two is a very handy tip for winter camping.
Literally a pair of mechanics gloves,
I reckon makes the perfect winter camping gloves.
I've tried with cheap snowboarding gloves,
but they're big and bulky and a fond myself constantly taking them off to do
just about anything which defeats the whole purpose of them.
Mechanics gloves are thick enough to offer insulation from the cold,
but it designed to allow movement.
That means you can do anything from set up camp to cook dinner,
chop firewood all while keeping your hands warm.
So I'm a big fan of not sleeping with socks on in winter,
because otherwise if you've got your boots or your shoes on all day,
and you're wearing your socks to bed and your feet never breathe.
And that's not a good thing, instead of going into a habit of chucking,
a fresh pair of socks in the sleeping bag with me, when I go to bed at night,
that way when you wake up before you even get out of bed,
first thing you do reach over, grab your socks and you're ready to roll.
The other thing that I come up with at night when I'm camping in winter is my
keys. And I know it sounds crazy, but a couple of years back,
I had a remote immobiliser battery go dead on me overnight and a freezing cold
night.
If it wasn't for the fact that I luckily had a mate whose case had an identical
battery, well,
I don't know how it would've gotten the car out of the bush that night all for
the sake of a tiny little battery. So instead I chuck it underneath the pillow,
that way the key stays warm and the battery stays right,
So this right here is your bonus tip. And yes, it's low tech and yes,
it is definitely old school,
but I reckon so many of us have forgotten about the mighty hot water bottle.
So these are amazing for checking on top of your sleeping bag.
I fill one with hot water,
about half an hour before I'm turning in for the night.
And then by the time you've done the last stuff, brushed your teeth,
your beds beautifully warm, and yes, it's not going to hold heat all night.
If you've got the right sleeping bag,
then your body wants is going to take over well before the hot water bottle
pulls off absolute cracker. So what do you reckon?
Have you got any personal favourite
cold weather camping tips I'd love to hear from you.
So please drop me a note in the comments below.
And if you liked those red hot tips,
then you're going to love this incredible video and don't forget to hit the like
button and to subscribe.