Tips for Car Camping in the Winter
Camping isn’t just about sandals, swimming and sunburns, it’s about getting away to find some peace. It’s about being in the fresh air and filling your senses with nature. It’s about finding the perfect spot, setting a small fire and burning things. Camping is about holding a warm cup of coffee and sitting in perfect silence as you watch elk graze in the distance. Whatever your reason, camping doesn’t need to be confined to the 3 or 4 months of summer. Cold weather car camping can be rewarding.
The very best option, if you have the budget, time and a van for converting, is to insulate the walls, ceiling and floors. If not, that doesn’t rule out cold weather car camping by any means.
Winter camping doesn’t need to be an extreme experience. Whether you are camping in your car, van, truck or tent, we’ve got a few things here that will make the night much more comfortable and possibly get you a few extra hours of sleep.
The biggest difference between camping in the summer versus the winter, is how you prepare and the supplies you bring. As my very wise and learned father always says “make a list”. So that is what we did. Though this is not comprehensive, this is our winter car camping essentials list.
Winter Car Camping Essentials
1.) Two Person Sleeping Bag
If you plan to do a few cold weather camping trips a year with your significant other, invest in a two person sleeping bag. Body heat is the best way to keep both of you warm and is better than just using blankets which always get uneven and leave someone’s toes out in the cold.
Sleepingo Two Person Sleeping Bag
2.) Pee Bucket
There is nothing worse than climbing out of your warm sleeping bag to go outside in the cold and pitch black, where there are probably bears. Put a few scoops of kitty litter in a lined 5 gallon bucket and you’ve got yourself a toilet! Also, you can add foam to the rim of the bucket to make a seat.
Clamp On Foam Noodles for Padding
3.) Touchscreen Gloves
You will want to have your fingers covered at all times. Make sure you have warm gloves that are touchscreen enabled. Use these gloves under your heavy duty Gor-Tex gloves or mittens to keep your hands extra warm.
Winter Gloves; Upgraded Touch Screen Anti-Slip Silicone Gel
4.) Coffee
There is a decent chance this won’t be the best night of sleep you’ve ever had, so make sure you have a way to make coffee in the morning. If you don’t want pack a french press coffee maker with you, though it is totally worth it if you do, than at least bring a french press attachment for your jet boil.
Jetboil French Press Coffee Maker for 2020
You can also make cowboy coffee – add boiling water to coffee grounds. If you have a thermos with a tight lid, than swinging it around like a windmill and the grounds will settle from the centrifugal force.
5.) Portable Heater
First and foremost, always read product directions and take all safety measures when using heaters in your vehicle. That being said, a heater will come in very handy while you are hanging out in the car and don’t want to keep the engine running to stay warm.
Mr Heater Buddy Indoor-Safe Portable RV Radiant Heater
6.) Slip on Winter Boots
Make things easy for yourself when it comes to taking your shoes on and off. Shoe laces are a winter nemesis. You never tie them all the way for a quick trip outside and so they will inevitably become loose and then drag in the snow and dirt and possibly trip you up! Save yourself a huge mess and headache and find some slip on winter boots.
KEEN Men’s Brixen Low Waterproof Insulated Shoe
Women’s Winter Snow Boots, Fur Lined Warm Ankle Slip-On Waterproof Booties
7.) Lightweight Puffer Jacket
A puffy jack is a very lightweight and highly insulative layer that takes up very little space. In a pinch, if you need an extra layer a puffy jack is perfect.
Amazon Essentials Men’s Long-Sleeve, Full-Zip Water-Resistant Packable Hooded Puffer Jacket
Amazon Essentials Men’s Long-Sleeve, Full-Zip Water-Resistant Packable Hooded Puffer Jacket
Winter Car Camping Hacks
Crack a window
This one might seem counterintuitive to staying warm, but if you are camping below freezing temperatures, the condensation from your breath will collect and freeze during the night. Windows don’t insulate, so cracking it wont really make much of a difference temperatures wise, but it will prevent you from waking up under a thin layer of morning breath ice.
Survey the Area Before Dark
Hopefully you have an opportunity to arrive at your campsite before dark. If you do, check out the site well enough to know how far you are from the road, the river or lake if there is one near by and any tripping hazards in case you have to stroll out of your vehicle in the night.
Put Your Keys Near the Driver’s Seat
This might be a no brainer, but we have experience digging around pockets in the middle of the night trying to find keys. As a rule, make sure you know where your key are before you go to sleep.
Cover All the Windows in Reflective Bubble Wrap or Other Insulative Material
You’ll need to prep this ahead of time, but the time spent will be worth it. Trace each window out onto pieces of Reflectix or Thinsulate. Cut each piece a tiny bit larger than traced so that the window frame will keep them in place. Label each piece so you know which goes to which window. You can still crack a window with the insulation stuffed in.
Learn to Make Cowboy Coffee
If you don’t have a french press, or don’t want to spare the space to bring one, learn to make cowboy coffee. You can mix boiled water and coffee grounds in a thermos, then using centrifugal force, swing it in a windmill motion which will make the grounds settle to the bottom of the thermos. Then you can enjoy mostly grounds free coffee without having to bring a coffee maker.
Bring Entertainment
There is something magical about watching your favorite movie or reading a good book while being in the woods. Its a little like sweet and salty blended perfectly together. So bring a book, bring a couple books. Download some audiobooks. Also, bring a tablet and download movies and TV show episodes ahead of time.
Winter Car Camping with a Baby
Camping with babies can be a challenge, but just like anything else, how you prepare can make it a wonderful experience. We just took a camping trip with our 7 month old daughter. It was a perfect age to car camp because she is old enough to sleep through the night and young enough that she is easy to entertain.
Here are just a few things that will help keep baby nice and warm and sleep well while car camping in the winter.
Best Winter Sleep Sack/Sleeping Bag
Baby DeeDee Sleep Nest Sleeping Sack. TOG 2.5
Baby Sleeping Bag with Feet and Sleeves. TOG 2.5
Best Baby Hat for Winter
Durio Soft Warm Knitted Baby Beanies
Best Baby Mittens for Sleeping
N’Ice Caps Little Kids and Baby Easy-On Sherpa Lined Mittens – 2 Pair Pack
Best Baby Winter Booties
Hudson Baby Unisex Baby Fleece Sherpa Lined Booties
Best Baby Warm Fleece Footie Pajamas for Winter
Simple Joys by Carter’s Baby Fleece Footed Zipper Jumpsuit Pram Suit
Best Travel Sound machine
MyBaby Soundspa On-The-Go Portable White Noise Machine
Camping with a baby is like playing the lotto; you might get lucky, but probably not. Either way, it can be fun to play if you don’t take it too seriously.
Whether you are winter car camping with your kid, your dog or going it solo, it is worth the trip. You never know what you might see.
