Negative temps car camp

[isu22andy]

Forecast for our trip is dipping in the negatives a few nights, got a 10x12 canvas tent , Wiggys 0 degree bag and Foam 5.2 R value bag on cot . Considering running the buddy heater on a 20lb propane tank with a CO meter .. Am I gonna freeze ? Any last minute advice to keep warm ? Throw a few extra blankets in or extra sleeping bag ? Hand warmers in the bag with ya at night ?

 

[menhaden_man]

I bought a BA down liner and really liked it. Adds warmth and it wraps up small.

Also be sure to keep your drinking water warm. I’ve had 5 gallon jugs freeze solid and it’s a pain.

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[Mike 338]

Sounds like you got it covered to me. When you say negative temps, is that "below zero" or "below freezing"? In cold temps, I like something for my head that won't slip off like a fleece balaclava or a hat that straps under the chin. Also wearing some kind of insulated duds to bed goes a long way towards upping the warmth of the bag. Since it's car camping, an old quilt/heavy blanket tossed over that bag can only improve the insulative properties of the bag. Despite the co2 meter, I'd not a fan of running any heater while sleeping. Pretty sweet for mornings though. Sounds like a good time. Have fun.

 

[Missahba]

Open up another sleeping bag as a quilt over top. Wear base layers and fleece layers. I don’t like sleeping with propane heat. I wake up with a headache and H2O vapor also makes a clammy tent in the morning. I run it in the evening, then shut down before sleeping. Have it set close to your cot and start it in the morning to warm
Up before you get out of your bag.

Water is an issue. Put a couple bottles in your bag overnight. Bladder close to your body daytime. A large water container like a GI 5 gal water can takes a while to freeze. You might be able to keep that usable setting in the sun daytime and near your cot at night.

Prefill your cook pot with water for the next meal. Melt it on the stove when u need it.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

Keep your head warm with a balaclava and let your gear do its work. If you are layered up in a zero degree bag you will be plenty warm at night. When you wake up run the heater or build a fire to keep warm around camp. I had a good friend die from monoxide poisoning and he was running a nice monitor too. Just not worth the risk for me, not a fan of the humidity all over everything either.

 

[*zap*]

You can keep gallon jugs of water in a cooler with a few bodywarmers. Wiggy 0 runs about 15 degrees for comfort for me. I have an xlwb so I put a down quilt in it, actually an old down rectangle bag that unzips all the way....good balaclava on my head.

 

[Phaseolus]

If you use handwarmers make sure they are not in direct contact with your skin. I got a cheap down quilt from Costco to use inside of my Wiggys when car camping. I woudn’t buy another Wiggy’s product, there are better bags out there.

 

[20DYNAMITE07]

I post this link all the time... but I find it to be super helpful, and it held true to my gear combination.

It's a temperature performance chart for layering sleeping bags/quilts-
https://support.enlightenedequipmen...0588-How-to-layer-quilts-for-sub-zero-camping

Layer with another sleeping bag if you're worried, or even just toss one of those $20 costco down blankets inside your bag... it will help a lot.

I also agree with MXG... wear a balaclava. It won't fall off like a hat will, and will cover your neck and cheeks which really helps, even if it's a thin one.


One last thing... catalytic (buddy) heaters don't release CO. They work "In the presence of a catalyst which is within the heaters, counter-current combustion or catalytic combustion occurs when natural gas (or liquid propane gas) in the presence of oxygen creates carbon dioxide, water, and heat."


So they release CO2, water, and heat... but you need to be careful with CO2 also. We can just tolerate higher levels of that than CO, but you still have to be sure to vent. If you're worried... just run it in the morning when you wake up.

 

[Walker6]

Kifaru had a sale a month or so ago. 20% off sleeping bag type stuff. On a whim, I ordered a Doobie from them. It arrived the day before we left for our hunt. Sleeping on a cot with a good pad in a wall tent, I used an old narrow North Face zero degree bag unzipped for a little extra room and then draped the Doobie over the top and tucked the edges in. It was gloriously warm. Temps in the teens to down below zero F.

I’m also anti-buddy heater while sleeping. They work great until they don’t. There’s a reason your furnace at home vents to the outside.

Take a proper sleeping bag and an extra booster type blanket, then bundle up and sleep tight. Good luck on your hunt.

 

[Jsunkler]

If you use handwarmers make sure they are not in direct contact with your skin. I got a cheap down quilt from Costco to use inside of my Wiggys when car camping. I woudn’t buy another Wiggy’s product, there are better bags out there.

I am in the market for car camping bag and was mainly looking at Wiggy's. What other brands would you recommend?

 

[Walker6]

PS a mr buddy ain’t a catalytic heater. It’s got a pilot light and a sheet of flame rolling over ceramic burners, which put off radiant heat.

The problem would be incomplete combustion, probably due to not enough oxygen in the space. I’m guessing that’s why Mr Buddies are equipped with low oxygen sensors. They’re safe unless they start burning dirty.

 

[Werty]

I sleep great at those temps, hoodie with a stocking cap. Go big or go the f home.

 

[Crapshoot]

Don't forget to run the car before bed every night. Batteries can also take a beating in cold weather.

 

[Missahba]

Don't forget to run the car before bed every night. Batteries can also take a beating in cold weather.

Or get a solar battery maintainer at Home Depot for $17.

 

[Trr15]

Whiskey


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[isu22andy]

Below Zero - Sounds like I better throw in another sleeping bag or some sort of blanket I got hanging around the house .

 

[Hammockhead]

We have used a buddy heater in a 10x12 tent quite a bit. We have the big buddy. It's never been an issue, but my preference is just turn it on in the morning when you are going to get out of your bag. A 20lb tank will last 2-3 nights on high. I use a 0 bag and throw a woobie over or in the bag if it gets close in the teens or colder. Also a hot water bottle at my toes (huge difference). Carb load before bed, and wear a balaclava. Beenies hurt my head or fall off.

 

[JWP58]

For super cold nights like that I usually zip up my puffy jacket (fl chamberlin) and stick my feet/lower legs in (insidemy bag). Or drape an extra bag over the top of me like a quilt.

 

[5MilesBack]

When it gets cold like that, I normally just opt for archery season in September and avoid the cold at all costs.

For whatever warped and insane reason, I used to love those late season hunts with a foot+ of snow on the ground and temps below zero. Not any more.

 

[20DYNAMITE07]

PS a mr buddy ain’t a catalytic heater. It’s got a pilot light and a sheet of flame rolling over ceramic burners, which put off radiant heat.

The problem would be incomplete combustion, probably due to not enough oxygen in the space. I’m guessing that’s why Mr Buddies are equipped with low oxygen sensors. They’re safe unless they start burning dirty.

Thanks!