I used to HATE winter camping, until I got smart about it and changed the way I went camping in the cold and got smart about the camping gear I took away with me! In this video, I’m going to let you in on five camping hacks that have made such a huge improvement to the way I go camping in winter! Don’t let the cold weather put you off – winter’s one of the most amazing times to camp – crystal clear skies, roaring campfires, empty campsites – that’s the dream! As long as you know how to stay warm and cosy and have the right camping gear you’ll have the time of your life. Let’s count down these five winter camping hacks down from five to one!

LAYER UP

Starting off at # 5 is a tip I swear by! Here’s a proven fact – you stay warmer when you layer up with multiple layers of clothing or bedding, because you’re creating small gaps between each layer of clothing or bedding that work to trap in the heat instead of letting it escape! A slight change to the camping gear you take away with you will make a massive difference here. I wear thermal pants and long sheet shirt under my clothes while camping in winter, and they’re nothing special – they’re just the cheapest skiing thermals I could find. The more expensive the thermals, the better they are at moisture wicking and odour management – important when you’re skiing or snowboarding, way less important when you’re kicking back at camp and aren’t doing much physical activity! This laying trick applies to bedding too – chuck an extra blanket on top of your sleeping bag to trap the heat while you sleep. And on this topic – if you want a bonus tip about an essential bit of camping gear I think we should all carry with us in cool weather, make sure you hang around til the end because I’ve got one that was too good to leave out!

HEATED SEATS

Tip # 4 is an absolute beauty! There’s nothing like kicking back around a roaring campfire on a cold night, but just because you’re feeling the warmth from the front doesn’t mean it’s not chilly from behind! The solution? Warm up your camping gear by using your camp fire! A very small amount of hot coals shovelled out of the fire and placed under your seat is absolutely incredible. I’m warning you though – I said a very SMALL amount – like three or four coals. It’ll take a moment for you to feel the warmth once you sit down, but because the heat rises up off the coals, it’ll then get trapped under your seat. It’s much better to enjoy that small amount of warmth and top it up every half an hour, than to pile a heap on and set your butt on fire! I can personally vouch for that advice – last year camping in full-blown snow down in the NSW Snowies it was FREEZING, so I was a little… let’s say over enthusiastic about piling the coals under my camp chair. Things got a bit heated… and that poor camp chair was never quite the same. Which brings me to a question – what’s your funniest cold-weather camping gear fail? Let me know in the comments – I’d love to hear about them!

CHEMICAL REACTION

If you’re a skier, a snowboarder or work outdoors in the cold you’re probably already onto tip # 3, but it’s a red hot one – literally! This is slightly different camping gear but I think it’s essential. These amazing little heat pouches react when exposed to air, and provide incredible warmth for a couple of hours at a time. Chuck one in each pocket of your jacket for instant warming of cold hands, and they’re incredible in your shoes as toe warmers too! I bought a bulk pack that lives in the back of my ute – I’ve had it on the go for the last couple of winter camping seasons as part of the camping gear I carry, and there’s still heaps left. Get ‘em at workwear or hardware stores.

HANDS ON

Coming in at position 2 is a very handy tip for winter camping gear – literally! A pair of mechanic’s gloves I reckon makes the perfect winter camping gloves. I’ve tried with cheap snowboarding gloves, but they’re big and bulky and I find myself constantly take them off to do just about anything, which defeats the whole purpose of them! Mechanic’s gloves are thick enough to offer insulation from the cold, but are designed to allow movement. That means you can do anything from setup camp, to cook dinner, chop firewood – all while keeping your hands warm. Add this to your list of must-carry camping gear!

WHAT ELSE TO CUDDLE UP WITH

I make a point of NOT sleeping in socks when I’m camping in the winter, because then your feet never get a chance to breathe and that’s not good. Instead, I grab a fresh pair of socks my pile of camping gear when I’m heading to bed, and chuck ‘em down in the sleeping bag with me. That way in the morning you can put them on when you wake up, before you even get out of bed. But that’s not the only thing I cuddle up with in the winter – I always make a point of sleeping with my car keys UNDER my pillow! I’ve been doing this ever since I had an immobiliser battery die overnight on a freezing cold night a couple of years back. Luckily that time one of my mates’ key batteries was the same size so I was able to unlock and start my car, but for the sake of that tiny little battery I could have been completely stranded! Keys under the pillow stay nice and warm and prevent this from happening. It’s all about considering how the cold effects each bit of your camping gear and adjusting your camping style to suit.

BONUS TIP: LOW-TECH FOR HIGH HEAT!

I couldn’t let you go without sharing this bonus tip for cold weather camping gear. It’s old school, and low tech – to the point where as campers I think we’ve almost completely forgotten about it. Hot water bottles! They’re amazing for warming up your sleeping bag – I fill a couple with hot water and chuck ‘em in bed about half an hour before I turn in for the night, and then by the time you’ve brushed your teeth and climbed into your swag, it’s beautifully warm and cosy. Sure they don’t last all night, but if you’ve got the right sleeping bag, your body heat will take over long before the hot water bottle cools off. Sometimes the simplest tricks are the most effective ones!