How to keep warm while camping

Many years ago, a colleague suggested that you could insulate a tent by stuffing balls of newspaper between the inner and flysheet. The last I heard about him was that he still isn't allowed sharp objects.

It is relatively straightforward to heat a tent. But, blasting out heat within a tent for any length of time is likely to prove expensive as well as producing a steam room atmosphere inside with walls streaming with condensation. However, there are some things we can do to help stay warm on those cold late-season camping trips.

The most effective ways to insulate your tent are against wind chill and from the ground. Even a stiff breeze will draw heat from your tent so a decent-sized windbreak will do what it says and deflect that breeze from your tent walls. And that's about all that you can sensibly do other than pitch in the lee of a wall or hedge or position your vehicle to do the same job. In the past, I've sealed the gap between the bottom of the flysheet and the ground with sand and snow (not at the same time) to cut out draughts. On one memorable occasion, I was able, with permission, to hi-jack several bales of hay and build a seriously cosy den – but it was a one-off.

It's far easier to insulate against ground chill. First, there's the general insulation best achieved with a tent carpet. This could be a specially-designed commercial version made from tightly woven durable material to fit a specific tent or, like mine, a huge piece of fibre pile sewn and trimmed to fit, more or less, a couple of tents. Both would feel great under bare feet but my homemade version is very popular with visitors.

Having sorted the overall area, the bedroom needs attention. I like to have an extra layer of padding on the floor not only for warmth but also for comfy kneeling and crawling around. Then there's the actual comfort needed for a sound night's sleep without aching hips and back. As a youngster, it never crossed my mind. It does now. Years of experimentation with alternatives have resulted in a preference for wide thick self-inflating mats with an insulating foam core. Even though many have a non-slip surface, I still prefer to put a fleece blanket over it. That leaves enough spare blanket to pull over my sleeping bag for extra insulation through the night if the temperature plummets.

NATURAL INSULATION

For years, I've also been using a lovely sheepskin rug bought in the Faroe Islands. It's proved durable, springy and warm laid on top of my sleep mat and doubles as a brilliant liner for a folding chair. Recently, a friend came back from Iceland with a reindeer hide that performs like a Rolls-Royce compared with my Skoda sheepskin. Casstrom supplies reindeer hides at a reasonable price and one should be in my Xmas stocking this year.

Multi-foil materials were originally created as part of the US Space Program where calculations at that time indicated that insulation over 2ft thick would be required to keep astronauts safe from the extremes of -200 cold to + 400 degrees Celsius heat found in space. So, a foil-based multi-layer suit was engineered to deal with these extremes to enable the first spacemen to move around. Utilising its experience in the development of multi-foil insulation technology for use in the building industry, YBS Insulation has come up with a dual-purpose accessory that not only acts as a sleeping mat but also provides protection as a survival blanket.

The new 14.8 Tog Therm-a-Wrap Survival Blanket is made from 19 layers of foil interlaced with the company's highly successful non-allergenic, non-irritant eco-friendly wool (itself 85 per cent derived from recycled pop bottles) and known as NON-ITCH insulation. As a result, it is claimed that 95 per cent of a user's body heat is retained and reflected back by the new Survival Blanket. Used as a 180 x 65cm sleeping mat, it is easily re-rolled and secured with a strap.

Inspired by this info, I trotted along to a DIY shop to see about buying some lengths of this insulation intended for home use. A couple of rolls easily covered the space taken up by the floor of our touring tent and should see some action this winter. Hope springs eternal!

NOTE - whatever your source of fuel, it really is not a good idea to leave a heater running unattended or through the night. Play safe and switch it off when not needed.

Read more handy Camping guides here.