Winter Camping: Tent or Tarp?

[C_Brice]

Hello again all,

Being a family of kayakers and canoeist we have zero experience winter camping. After all it's kinda hard to padddle on ice. Around the house the subject has come up and 2 (outta 3) of my daughters are wanting to give it a try.

My question is: Should I take my Eureka Tetragon 7 (3 1/2 season?) or should I go for a tarp with a fire in front of it?
Camp site will be on private ground and I will have unlimited supply of deadfall firewood since they went in and cut down 100 oak trees about 5 years ago. My daughters are both under 10 but have experience camping and paddle their own kayaks on our camping trips. Temps will most likely be highs in the upper 20's to lower 30's and lows in the single digits or teens. Weight is not much of a concern since we will most likely be within a half mile of the truck for this "first" outting. Sleeping gear will be suitable for the temps, but not overly so.
Did I leave anything out?

Enjoy,
Chris

[C_Brice]

If the tent is the answer, what kinda temp increase inside the tent will I get if I use a single wick candle? What about the 3 wick "canned" survival candle? Whould Sterno be a good heater? Other options? Or don't worry about it just bundle up?

What ya think? What do you use?

Thanks,
Chris

[Alligator]

I wouldn't burn a fire in front of any shelter I own for fear of a hot burning ember making a hole in an expensive piece of equipment.

I would take the tent since weight is not an issue. Relying on a fire to stay warm in the winter is not the way to go.

[neo]

tarp and hammock combo neo

[smokymtnsteve]

Big Heavy tarp and the fire..

big ole blue one from wal-mart/homedepot

build a log reflector behind your fire..it'll throw the heat right in there

now your talking about some ole timey wood craft camping..

doesn't exsist much down in the lower 48,,,and certainly not along the AT

will you be having snow???nothing like an igloo to hang out in.

[C_Brice]

Thanks for your answers so far guys!

Just a couple things to add:

No expensive gear here, If I go with a tarp it will be one of many cheap ol' plastic tarps I have around. Not too worried about burning a hole in one. But I would more than understand it if I had a real nice silnylon tarp. Never found the need to spend the extra $$ to save a pound a silnylon tarp would save, I'm to cheap, ask my wife.

Also wondered how long it would take for a hammock nut to chime in. Didn't take long. Neo must not of read the post too well, some thing about weight not being a concern and having 2 kids with me in there I think. Maybe I'm mistaken? Hmmmmm. HaHa, just funnin ya Neo. Plus it's kinda hard to set up a hammock on a sand/gravel bar where I usually camp and it's hard to sleep on my belly in one of those dang things. See the paragraph above, I'm cheap. Heck, I'm the guy that solo's just using a cheap blue tarp ($3) and a homemade tyvek bivy sack (free).

Now Steve seems to be on te same page as me. I was thinking cheap tarp set up yukon style. Nice cozy fire in front, heat reflector on the other side.

BUT how warm is it? Seen up north where they set up lean-to's this way and say it keeps them so warm you don't even need warm bedding. True? And is it warmer than a tent?

And what about tent heaters (i.e. candles etc.)? Any opinions on them?

As far as snow goes, if we find a good drift to dig into might consider that but not to big on trying my hand at igloo building, Bet it is warm though.

Tanks again all,
Chris

[Peaks]

If you are doing serious winter camping, tent would be preferable. Just your body heat can make it 10 to 15 degrees warmer inside a tent. Also, your tent should be a 4 season tent, designed for a snow load.

Obviously, if camping near the trailhead, and with a good fire going outside, there are other choices.

[kyhipo]

bring a tent ,like others have spoken it will keep you several degrees warmer,most people dont consider the wind factor it may be 30degrees out with a wind factor of 10 yukkie! ky

[Mouse]

I would be seriously leery about trying to heat the inside of a tent with a candle. Carbon monixide can kill. If there is enough ventilation to let it out there is probably enough to let out the heat as well.

[squirrel bait]

Forget the candle in the tent unless under emergency conditions. Since you will have enough wood, build a self feeding fire system. Ya know, the logs on a 45 degree angle to feed into the fire while they burn. What part of Iowa ya camping in? I'm from Linn County.

[kncats]

I wouldn't count on a lot of warming up going on in that particular tent, either from body heat or a candle. You've got 52" of headroom in there so whatever warmth is generated in going to rise pretty high up. My wife and I typically see a 10 degree difference between a thermometer on the floor of our tent and one hanging from the peak (40 inches). And the one at ground level is usually only a couple degrees warmer than outside, probably less than the accuracy of the thermometer.

Another consideration is that keeping heat in the tent means keeping it pretty buttoned up. For us that means significant condensation (or frost) problems. We generally keep the tent ventilated and carry sleeping bags/clothing appropriate for the worst temps we anticipate seeing.

[Frosty]

Also wondered how long it would take for a hammock nut to chime in. Didn't take long. Neo must not of read the post too well, some thing about weight not being a concern and having 2 kids with me in there I think.

Just ignore Neo. He doesn't read anything. He always answers to use a hammock, no matter what was posted. It was kind of funny once when the question was about toilet paper.

Anyway, fire in a tent isn't a good idea, even if the tent is cheap bcause the tents are generally flammable. Don't want to wake up surrounded by flames. (I know, Neo, flames are fine in a hammock.) Seriously, the best idea is to bring two nalgene water jars for each person. Fill them with boiling water and slip them in a sock and use them like hot water bottles, one at the feet and one around midsection. Don't use gatorade bottles, soda bottles or any container that will leak with hot water. nalgene is best. Buy a hanful of chemical handwarmers just in case (cheap insurance). If weight isn't an issue, you could also bring a fleece blanket or refelctive tarp to put under sleeping pads.

Don't worry aobut snow load if you are only going out for a night a half mile from the truck assuming you will call off the campout if the forecast is for heavy snowfall.

Have fun!

[Furlough]

Go with the tent, good pads and warm sleeing bags. If any of you sleep cold make sure you wear a warm layer to bed. With three folks in one tent you should do just fine.

[DebW]

Go with a tent. Just keeping still air around you is a big plus in winter camping. Make sure the pads are really thick enough for proper insulation. Have fun.

[The Cheat]

If weight isn't an issue, build a big fire and set up the tent on one side and the tarp on the other. Sleep wherever is more comfortable.

[Tinker]

Tent, hands down, unless you are trying to prove that you like spindrift-soaked sleeping bags.

Fires are nice, especially with friends and family, but a good warm bag in a windproof, weatherproof tent can't be beat. If you're looking to save weight, you can use a pyramid tent or a similar design like Golite's Hex. Dig down until you can stand up, and, if only sleeping 2, leave a ledge to sit on opposite the entrance (the same can be done with any tent with a vestibule - make the vestibule your stand and stretch room, as well as your kitchen [with the doors open, of course, for ventilation]).

Snow camping rocks!

[Seeker]

haven't willingly camped in the snow since the late 70s, when i was a scout, but we had these big canvas baker (lean-to style) tents. we schlepped all our stuff to the site on a tobaggan with a box on it. the tents slept 3 kids each, sometimes 4... we'd build an all-night fire in front, just outside the overhanging flap, with a log/rock reflector, like SmokyMtnSteve suggested earlier, and it worked just fine... had to lay in a lot of wood though, but we often camped near a cousin's sugarbush (maple syrup boiler), and just helped ourselves to his stockpile. if not, we had axe and saw handy, and used it.

were i forced into winter conditions again, i'd go with a tent, though i've had my hammock down to 35*. one weird thing i can't figure out though, is that it's always about 7-10* warmer inside the hammock, despite it's openness, than the outside temp. at least that's my experience down to 35*... so, maybe a tarp would actually hold some heat...

best thing for winter camping is a cabin, a fire, a down comforter, cuppa sumthin' hot, a good book, and a comfortable chair...

[Toolshed]

Been winter camping in the northeast for about 12 years now. I do use a normal hanging candle lantern in the winter, not for warmth, but for cheeriness and the bit of light it throws out since it's dark for so long. I wouldn't want any candle just sitting on the floor of the tent though.

I do question your use of the tetragon - If it is the model with the FG poles, they might splinter in bitter cold. You would be better off with a tent with aluminum poles.

Otherwise, it is tent all the way (or megamid) and with a few people in the tent, it would raise the internal temps maybe to 35-40 degrees on a 20 degree night. The other big issue is all the moisture, once you raise the temp of the tent that much - You will get a lot of frost on the fly and perhaps on the internal nylon walls (not so much the mesh parts) which will shake on you everytime someone moves or goes in/out of the tent to pee in the middle of the night - Talk about your bitter cold ice showers

But either way go for it. Winter camping is a lot of fun.

[Just Jeff]

I just had a crazy weekend in a hammock and tarp....temps in the teens, winds on nearby Mt Diablo measured at 100 mph. Lows were teens to 20s both nights.

Friday night was fine - I was toasty and the wind rocked me to sleep. Saturday it started snowing and the wind kept changing directions and blowing snow under the tarp and into the ends...onto my bag. I had to bail into a friend's tent (then another when that one blew down).

So it really depends on your conditions... People mean different things by "winter" camping. I wouldn't recommend a hammock, or even a tarp, if you might experience a serious winter storm. Weather is more than just low temps.

[smokymtnsteve]

the original poster is going to be a half mile away from his truck

as far as wind ..a tarp can be pitched in a variety of ways so as to defeat wind, with enough snow around turning the tarp into a "semi snow shelter" is easy

also sleeping out under the tarp with the kids will give them a great view of the night sky and inspire them,,

best thing to do in the winter is just crawl into your sled bag along with as many dogs as you need to stay warm,,that is if you can't find an ole trapper shack