Those Newbies... in a tent keeping warm?? Post 22, Thank you All!

[WeDisney4]

Good Morning Campers,

We are a family of 4: Me 41, DH 40, DD 9 & DD 7 and will be tent camping at the Fort this Sat. 12/4 for 3 nights. A high in the mid 70’s with lows from the high 40’s – to the low 50’s.

It’s a last minute trip for us & a surprise for the kids! I am over the moon excited & DH is even pretty excited too.

However, I do have a few worries.

1. No fires. We’ve only been camping once before & had a super time, it was even in the 50’s at night But we were able to wake up & build a fire. I know we can not do that at the Fort, DH doesn’t know this yet. What are we going to do ~ wake up & gather around our grill? I do know you are allowed to bring your own pit, but for us this is not an option as the there is not enough room in the car.

2. How can we keep warm in out tent? Plz don’t laugh me off the board! But…is an electric blanket with outside utility cord an option? I don’t think an inside heater will work for us because (more laughs) for our first trip I was told we needed an air mattress. So I bought 2, 1 for us, 1for the kids, apparently kids don’t necessarily need an air mattress & I bought some real deluxe babies, so when in our tent it looks like a bounce house and therefore I don’t think we’d be able to safely place a heater in the 12in. non- mattress area.

3. What about the boat ride after MVMCP ~ I’ve read it can be pretty cold. Any suggestions?

4. Lastly, please tell me the comfort stations are heated.

Ok ~ give it to me straight; any help & all your advice is truly appreciated here!!

See you soon!

 

[martymarty]

I have used electric blankets before when I tent camped no problem!!

the only problem with using an electric blanket in 40 and 50 deg weather...........................getting out of bed into the cold

 

[retired and happy]

From what I have read around here, you might need electric blankets below you on the air mattresses. I understand the air in the mattresses gets pretty cool so you need some type of insulating blankets to fend off the cool from below.

 

[Charitycase20]

First off, I AM SO JEALOUS!!!

We are tent campers and counting down to our trip to FW in January 2012. When we camped in VA in late October we had those kind of temps, we solved the problem of cold air mattresses by buying cheapo fleece blankets from Wally World and putting them in between the sheets and the mattress. Good blankets on top, and all was snuggly warm! We found that we didn't want to sleep with the space heater on during the night anyway cause it dried out the air too bad for us.

The no campfire thing is new to use too, is it no open fires at all? Or do you have to have your own ring? This could be an issue!!

 

[martymarty]

The no campfire thing is new to use too, is it no open fires at all? Or do you have to have your own ring? This could be an issue!!

from my understanding you can use something like this as long as it has a screen cover

 

[WeDisney4]

Thanks so much guys!!

Got it ~ electric blankets are a good thing & under us, even better!!

What about when we step out of the tent? Any ideas??

Also, comfort stations ~ I see they have ac what about heat?

P.S.
Charitycase20, our 1st camping trip was actually this Oct in VA, and the reasons that made me think FL in Dec. would be doable.

 

[Tri-circle-D]

Thanks so much guys!!

Got it ~ electric blankets are a good thing & under us, even better!!

What about when we step out of the tent? Any ideas??

Also, comfort stations ~ I see they have ac what about heat?

P.S.
Charitycase20, our 1st camping trip was actually this Oct in VA, and the reasons that made me think FL in Dec. would be doable.

The comfort stations are heated and cooled.

No worries there.

Also, it isn't going to be that cold this weekend.

You will be fine with a sweatshirt or other warm clothing in the mornings.

TCD

 

[BradyBz12]

MK boat isn't bad if you get a seat inside. We took the boat over to the Contemp on a very cold night a couple of years ago. I threw a fleece throw in my bag and we held it in front of us up to our noses. Worked like a charm and at least 3 people commented they wished they'd brought one.

No fire pits/rings@ sites. Just an elevated smallish grill.

As PP noted you can bring a covered fire pit* but* if there is a total burn ban (frequent these days due to lack of rain) those won't be permitted either.

Check@ the Outpost or there will also be notices posted at the comfort stations.

Cold weather camping tip... put the next days clothes in th bottom of your sleeping bag. Cold mornings are much nicer putting on warm clothes.

Have fun!

 

[Bearikens]

Great suggestions and I would like to add the following:

1. Flannel jammies for everyone

2. power strip in addition to the utility power cord

3. 20 or 30 cup electric party coffee pot to heat water (mornings) - hot chocolate for the kids and instant coffee (hot chocolate if you're not a coffee drinker) for you and the DH (not to mention instant hot oatmeal). I am speaking of this from first hand experience...hot beverages and breakfast really helps you to warm up on a frosty morning.

4. I wear my heavy duty rain jacket on the boat ride back to the Fort after dark. The jacket folds up into a small pocket that we carry during the day in the parks...good for those afternoon showers and to help keep warm on the way back to the campsite.

5. You might want to bring a Christmas light string and timer...the loops can be pretty dark and it's nice to have a light on when you get back to your campsite. Bring some small flashlights (I like those small LED Maglites) to use for walking back to your campsite or for those late night trips to the comfort stations.

 

[storyteller]

What kind of set up are planning on.? And what vehicle are you using?
Hatchbacks are great for extra space.
Type of tent,canopy etc, just curious.

 

[Violet Parr]

Great suggestions and I would like to add the following:

1. Flannel jammies for everyone

2. power strip in addition to the utility power cord

3. 20 or 30 cup electric party coffee pot to heat water (mornings) - hot chocolate for the kids and instant coffee (hot chocolate if you're not a coffee drinker) for you and the DH (not to mention instant hot oatmeal). I am speaking of this from first hand experience...hot beverages and breakfast really helps you to warm up on a frosty morning.

4. I wear my heavy duty rain jacket on the boat ride back to the Fort after dark. The jacket folds up into a small pocket that we carry during the day in the parks...good for those afternoon showers and to help keep warm on the way back to the campsite.

5. You might want to bring a Christmas light string and timer...the loops can be pretty dark and it's nice to have a light on when you get back to your campsite. Bring some small flashlights (I like those small LED Maglites) to use for walking back to your campsite or for those late night trips to the comfort stations.

ALL OF THE ABOVE! Especially the pj's! I always take footed pj's for everyone (including myself) with longjohns underneath. Works like a charm.

Hot pot, a total necessity for those chilly mornings.

Now to go pack the Christmas lights, which I almost forgot!

VP

 

[disney4dan]

I think you are probably going to want to consider a heated mattress pad instead of electric blankets? I have not tried the heated mattress pads, but have heard from several other RV owners that they were a great purchase (and probably better designed for sleeping on than the blankets).

They are about $50 to $100 on Amazon.com.

 

[WeDisney4]

I know you've heard this alot but I gotta repeat it!
You guys are soooo AWESOME!!!!
Thanks so much ~ I cannot wait to impress DH w/ all your knowledge!!

Bearikens ~ I Love the timer idea to come home to a lit site!

And Storyteller ~ Here goes we have a LLBean tent that I bought a few years ago on clearance at Target because I was thinking it would be fun for the family. No research done on it all still don't know how the reviews would go. But we used it for the first time last month in VA & had a totally awesome time, who woulda thunk it ~ we are campers! And actually in NC our tenting season is pretty short due to weather, so we're looking for a used pop-up, unfortunately not before this weekend. But not to worry ~ yes we have a hatchback & DHs Grandma lives 20mins outside the gates so if it's just too cold, we can always run to Nana's!!

 

[chartle]

I think you are probably going to want to consider a heated mattress pad instead of electric blankets? I have not tried the heated mattress pads, but have heard from several other RV owners that they were a great purchase (and probably better designed for sleeping on than the blankets).

They are about $50 to $100 on Amazon.com.

If you are going under, the pads are better. The blankets have little hard things in them where the wires connect. The pads don't since they expect you to be on top of them. Also they put more wires down by your feet.

We used a pad years ago when we were poor and dropped the heat way down overnight.

You should also think about some egg crate foam pads between the pad and the mattress for extra insulation. Of course its best to not have the air mattress at all and sleep with a thin closed cell foam pad like a Thermarest.

 

[storyteller]

I know you've heard this alot but I gotta repeat it!
You guys are soooo AWESOME!!!!
Thanks so much ~ I cannot wait to impress DH w/ all your knowledge!!

Bearikens ~ I Love the timer idea to come home to a lit site!

And Storyteller ~ Here goes we have a LLBean tent that I bought a few years ago on clearance at Target because I was thinking it would be fun for the family. No research done on it all still don't know how the reviews would go. But we used it for the first time last month in VA & had a totally awesome time, who woulda thunk it ~ we are campers! And actually in NC our tenting season is pretty short due to weather, so we're looking for a used pop-up, unfortunately not before this weekend. But not to worry ~ yes we have a hatchback & DHs Grandma lives 20mins outside the gates so if it's just too cold, we can always run to Nana's!!

Awesome. In the days of old, for us anyway,we barrowed a cargo cantainer, leaves a lot more move room in the car. Then you find out that," WOW look at all this extra room we have",, TO pack more stuff, I love stuff.
Happy travels

 

[AprilLizbeth]

We tented over Halloween when nighttime temps were in the high 50's I think. We used our queen air mattress with an eggcrate foam mattress pad ($15 at Walmart) and slept in 2 zipped together sleeping bags. We were actually warm and ended up loosing most of the top sleeping bag overnight. I am sure this setup would work down to 40 deg. The sleeping bags are the cheap $9 ones from Walmart and are rated to 40 deg. One big word of advise, even with it being cold, you need some ventillation in the tent. We left everything zipped up thinking it would hold in the heat, which it did, but it also help in a lot of humidity. Just make sure to zip open a small ventillation area otherwise you'll wake up with everything damp. As others have said in the morning, warm drinks are the quickest way to warm up. Have a great time!

 

[chartle]

One big word of advise, even with it being cold, you need some ventillation in the tent. We left everything zipped up thinking it would hold in the heat, which it did, but it also help in a lot of humidity. Just make sure to zip open a small ventillation area otherwise you'll wake up with everything damp. As others have said in the morning, warm drinks are the quickest way to warm up. Have a great time!

What kind of tent do you have, maybe a cabin?

All my tents are dome style tents and so need to keep a window open since the entire top of the tent is mesh.

 

[AprilLizbeth]

We have a dome tent. The roof and sides are mesh, however the rain fly fits very snugly. This is great if it rains, but needs to be vented if not.

 

[merryweather20]

When I'm camping in the cool weather I always sleep in a hoodie. You lose alot of heat through the top of your head, and this will keep you much more comfortable.

 

[Fruto76]

We have camped in our tent in the low 40's ( only in the fort, of course,) We use electric blankets with a fleece blanket on top of the electric blanket to keep the heat from escaping out. We also use a fleece in between air mattress and sheet. We have done this with a space heater and actually ended up not using the heater the following nights because we got too warm in there! We typically wear lots of fleece layers in the morning while outside waiting for the cocoa and coffee! Have a great time!