Did you know that how you eat in the evening while camping can impact how warm you are while sleeping?  Here are some more tips on staying warm while winter camping.

• Keep well hydrated during the day and avoid drinking lots of fluids at night.  No trips to the bathroom in the middle of the night!
• It sounds yucky, but if you must go, use a pee bottle.  It’s better than getting cold in the middle of the night…just remember to label the bottle.  You may not realize it, but your body wastes energy trying to heat up the water in your bladder.  This results in wasted calories (and warmth) if you try to hold it in.
• Keep a snack with you.  If you wake up hungry in the middle of the night you can replenish calories and warm back up.  One note:  If you are camping in bear country this is not a good idea.  Foods should be safely store in air tight containers and kept AWAY from tents.  Waking up to a bear wanting to share your snack is not a good thing.
• Eat a dinner with lots of calories.
• Go to bed warm.  Take a brief hike around the camp or do some other physical exercise.  A sleeping bag acts as insulation.  So it will keep warm things warm, but it will keep cold things cold too.

As always, please share your tips and comments with us.