favorite ways to stay warm while winter camping

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view from the nevada side of the snowy sierra nevada mountains

we’re spending seven weeks on the road in our heatless camper van for a wild winter adventure! while we’re sticking to the southwest to avoid snow (as much as possible), we have been experiencing temperatures in the 20s and expect more chilly nights ahead. because we don’t have heat in our van, we’ve taken some extra steps to ensure we stay nice and cozy while winter camping. here are the five things we’re using to stay toasty:

• good sleeping bags: when it’s warmer we just use regular bedding (sheets and blanket) when van camping, but winter calls for pulling out the good sleeping bags. we have this one and this one that can be used comfortably in temps down to 20 degrees fahrenheit. (i use the men’s because it’s lighter than the long women’s and i hope to eventually take it backpacking!) and sometimes we still put our blanket to put on top!

• warm base layers: these were a recent addition to our camping essentials, but we absolutely them! i have this top and this bottom of merino wool base layers from smartwool. and kiddo has this set from rei.

• mini heater: i bought this personal space heater in a moment of panic and i’m really glad i did! we are loving it! so much so, i’m seriously considering getting an extra one to put under my desk to warm my feet! we turn it on while we’re getting ready for bed and again first thing in the morning to coax us out of our sleeping bags. we use our jackery solar generator to power it when we’re not connected to electricity.

• hot water bottle: this was another item i thought might be overkill. but who doesn’t love a hot water bottle at the foot of the bed? it packs almost completely flat and all we need to do is boil water for hours of extra warmth in the bed.

• hand warmers: we keep a set of hand warmers in our rv emergency essentials. they are so small it’s worth having them on hand all the time. fortunately, we haven’t had to use them, but if we find ourselves in an unexpected storm we just might break them out.

hope this list helps keep you cozy and warm during your winter camping adventures! let me know what other tips you use for staying warm when you go out wild.

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