Chris in TN
Lil-Rokslider
- Joined
- Jun 17, 2025
- Messages
- 212
I'm a million miles out of my element here and don't want anyone to confuse my posts with those of a guy who knows or understands tents well, but with that out of the way...
How much would the weight penalty be for having a second ceiling layer, or even a third, to reduce air movement and make the tent easier to keep warm?
Here's why I ask:
Some years back we built a barn. We only put a layer of bubble-wrap type insulation in it. Couldn't keep it warm enough to do winter 'farm work' even with a fire blazing in the wood stove. Later we insulated *only the roof* and suddenly it was *easy* to keep it warm.
We eventually insulated the walls too. But just stopping the heat loss from the roof made a world of difference. Heat rises, yo.
So....taking that lesson from my barn and applying it to tents, and having slept in some tents that were COLD when I was much younger - like -30 temps outside and our cooking oil and dishwashing liquid froze, or at least slushed up - if I wanted to build a serious tent for cold weather use, I'd figure out a way to mitigate heat loss through the ceiling. Or maybe figure out it was impossible to do that without too much weight. But I'd at least look at the problem.
How much would the weight penalty be for having a second ceiling layer, or even a third, to reduce air movement and make the tent easier to keep warm?
Here's why I ask:
Some years back we built a barn. We only put a layer of bubble-wrap type insulation in it. Couldn't keep it warm enough to do winter 'farm work' even with a fire blazing in the wood stove. Later we insulated *only the roof* and suddenly it was *easy* to keep it warm.
We eventually insulated the walls too. But just stopping the heat loss from the roof made a world of difference. Heat rises, yo.
So....taking that lesson from my barn and applying it to tents, and having slept in some tents that were COLD when I was much younger - like -30 temps outside and our cooking oil and dishwashing liquid froze, or at least slushed up - if I wanted to build a serious tent for cold weather use, I'd figure out a way to mitigate heat loss through the ceiling. Or maybe figure out it was impossible to do that without too much weight. But I'd at least look at the problem.
