Frosty Camping
A recent weekend's camping ended up with the final morning seeing frost/ice on the tents, but I was cosy and warm. I'm sharing my bedding set up for anyone who's interested and as a handy reminder for me when I'm packing for my next cold weather UK camp.
Before I start I'd better make it clear I wasn't hiking. Space wasn't unlimited, but there was enough room to bring a large TK Maxx shopper filled with bedding. In contrast, the rest of my kit fitted into a 24 litre rucksack.
Insulation is key with lots of layers between your body and the ground. My tent was quite a light weight one with a thin sewn in groundsheet, so I added an extra one just big enough to fit under the bedding area. I had a picnic blanket with me which I added as an extra layer during the night when I wasn't having a picnic!
For camping mats I have a Mountain Equipment Womens Helium 3.8. It's great for insulation but just not soft enough for my back and hips to cope with, so on top goes the Robens Vapour. It's like a giant inflatable piece of bubble wrap, very light weight, even with it's own pump sack, but not great for insulation - hence the combination of the 2.
Just to hold all that together I wrapped a wool blanket around the mats and tucked it underneath to hold everything in place. For my sleeping bag I took the Mountain Warehouse Microlite 1400. It's bulky and heavy but has a comfort rating of -4, so perfect for those of us that feel the cold. Incidentally, my normal sleeping bag for hiking is this one's little sister the Mountain Warehouse Microlite 500, which I notice is on clearance at the moment if you are in the market for a light weight bag that squeezes down really small for warmer camping. I always add a sleeping bag liner (not pictured) as they take up no room and help to keep your bedding fresh and cosy.
Summer or winter I don't travel without this indispensable extra. It has so many uses and in a small tent it fills the whole area with a cosy top layer over everything. I've had it for literally 25 years but this one on Amazon looks similar.
My final bit of luxury is my hand-made, no-sew pillow with a fleecy cover.
Before I start I'd better make it clear I wasn't hiking. Space wasn't unlimited, but there was enough room to bring a large TK Maxx shopper filled with bedding. In contrast, the rest of my kit fitted into a 24 litre rucksack.
For camping mats I have a Mountain Equipment Womens Helium 3.8. It's great for insulation but just not soft enough for my back and hips to cope with, so on top goes the Robens Vapour. It's like a giant inflatable piece of bubble wrap, very light weight, even with it's own pump sack, but not great for insulation - hence the combination of the 2.
~Kate~
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