Using a 3 season tent in cold winter weather?

[SARKY]

Tents!..... You don't need no stinkin' tents! Just build yourself a leanto, insulate it, close off half of the open front, build a fire with reflector in front of (but not blocking) the open half and you will be toasty warm all night.

[finallyME]

Most winter campers use two pads. Make sure they are insulated pads. A closed cell foam, or an inflatable with insulation inside. Walmart's blue CCF is around $6. I use a BA insulated air core and a ridgerest I got at a thrift store for $5. The army OD green CCF is also a great choice.

Oh yeah, some will also put a space blanket either under both pads, or in between them.

[jc1234]

Most winter campers use two pads. Make sure they are insulated pads. A closed cell foam, or an inflatable with insulation inside. Walmart's blue CCF is around $6. I use a BA insulated air core and a ridgerest I got at a thrift store for $5. The army OD green CCF is also a great choice.

Oh yeah, some will also put a space blanket either under both pads, or in between them.

I have one close cell foam, one self inflating (ya right) pad and a -30 sleeping bag (another yeah right) the only places I feel fold from are underneath me and of course the zipper area. I got my closed cell foam pad for $15.00, its pretty heavy and was hoping to find something better thats a little lighter.

[Rick]

Check eBay. I bought a couple of Thermarest military surplus pads and they've been great.

[finallyME]

I have one close cell foam, one self inflating (ya right) pad and a -30 sleeping bag (another yeah right) the only places I feel fold from are underneath me and of course the zipper area. I got my closed cell foam pad for $15.00, its pretty heavy and was hoping to find something better thats a little lighter.

Heavy and CCF generally don't go together. You will be hard pressed to find a lighter pad than a CCF pad.

Almost all pads have an R-value. This is like your insulation in your house. The higher the value, the better it is at keeping you warm. My BA mattress has an R-value of 4 and weighs 21 oz. A regular length blue CCF has an R-value around 1.5 and weighs 7 oz. A thermorest basecamp regular length has an R-value of 5 and weighs 41 ounces. The thermorest prolite regular length has an r-value of 2.2 and weighs 16 oz. The king of mattresses IMHO is the Exped Downmat 9 with an R-value of 8 and weighs 36 oz. This pad is probably one of the most comfortable and only costs $180. The price is the only reason I don't have one. I will get one (I will claim it is for my wife, she will use it when we are together, and I use it for Boy Scouts ). I believe you can stack pads and then just add the R-value for the total. So, 2 Blue CCFs will weigh 14 oz and have a 3 R-value. That beats the thermorest prolite in weight, cost, and R-value, but not packability.

[Alaskan Survivalist]

Or Alaska Tent and Tarp's "Arctic Oven" tent.

http://www.alaskatent.com/oven.html

If only I could afford one. I use thier wall tents but if the Nenana ever breaks up when it is supposed to I'll have one.

[jc1234]

Heavy and CCF generally don't go together. You will be hard pressed to find a lighter pad than a CCF pad.

Almost all pads have an R-value. This is like your insulation in your house. The higher the value, the better it is at keeping you warm. My BA mattress has an R-value of 4 and weighs 21 oz. A regular length blue CCF has an R-value around 1.5 and weighs 7 oz. A thermorest basecamp regular length has an R-value of 5 and weighs 41 ounces. The thermorest prolite regular length has an r-value of 2.2 and weighs 16 oz. The king of mattresses IMHO is the Exped Downmat 9 with an R-value of 8 and weighs 36 oz. This pad is probably one of the most comfortable and only costs $180. The price is the only reason I don't have one. I will get one (I will claim it is for my wife, she will use it when we are together, and I use it for Boy Scouts ). I believe you can stack pads and then just add the R-value for the total. So, 2 Blue CCFs will weigh 14 oz and have a 3 R-value. That beats the thermorest prolite in weight, cost, and R-value, but not packability.

Mine has to be at least 1.5 pounds and has a R rating of 1.4. I did get the wide and long version, which is part of the issue probably. It was one of the first gear I got a few years back when I put comfort first and weight second. I dont do the large sized stuff anymore. I see either really thin CCF or air mattresses on REI and LL bean. I dont mind the weight, if its really warm, otherwise I can find the same R rating for 1/3 the weight.

[finallyME]

Mine has to be at least 1.5 pounds and has a R rating of 1.4. I did get the wide and long version, which is part of the issue probably. It was one of the first gear I got a few years back when I put comfort first and weight second. I dont do the large sized stuff anymore. I see either really thin CCF or air mattresses on REI and LL bean. I dont mind the weight, if its really warm, otherwise I can find the same R rating for 1/3 the weight.

If I were you, I would buy a $6 ccf from Walmart and give it a try. Ditch your old ccf and put the self inflating on top of the wally world one. If that doesn't work, then look to spend more.

[klkak]

If only I could afford one. I use their wall tents but if the Nenana ever breaks up when it is supposed to I'll have one.

I too have one of their wall tents, a 12x14. Had them add an extra 2ft to the wall so the wall would be a foot higher and have extra material laying on the ground to prevent under wall drafts.

One day I would like to have an Arctic oven myself.

[RichJ]

I won't quote everyone who says that a tent won't keep you any warmer but... I have a 4-season tent and it definately is warmer on the inside than the outside air temperature. There is a good reason so let me explain.

The difference between a 3-season tent and a 4-season tent isn't how far the rain-fly comes down to the ground but instead, how it closes up; specifically the mesh panels. Yes, my tent's fly comes all the way to the ground all the way around, but's that's not what keeps it warmer. It has large mesh "windows" on each side and the top and each of them have their own solid panel that zips over it. You can let those panels down when it's warm for ventilation or close them all up when it's cold. I don't care if you have a $400 North Face tent, if you have any open panels you are going to let in cold; or more importantly, you are going to let out heat. Once the tent is sealed, your body heat gets trapped and has an oven effect. If there are open panels, the tent won't "oven" but instead let out all that good body heat. The smaller the inside space, the less air you have to heat and the greater the "oven" effect. Therefore, A winter tent should only be big enough to be a relatively comfortable space for just the number of people you put in it. You wouldn't want a 4-man tent if you only have 3-people because of the extra air space that you have to heat up. I have tested my tent many times by measuring the air temps both outside and inside once you get in and stay a while. From my observations I can say that my tent is consistantly a solid 10 degrees warmer inside than what it is outside. 10 degrees is a big difference when you are talking about having to sleep in 30 degree temps as opposed to 20 degree temps. I hope this helps. By the way... my tent is a 2-man REI backpacking tent. I can't remember the name of it though but it is a great tent. I've had it for 12 years and have camped so many times in it I can't even estimate how many uses it has gotten and it still looks practically brand new.

[Trabitha]

I really dont have the money to buy a 4 season tent. I do have a -30 sleeping bag and self inflating pad and a sleeping pad. Is there any reason that a 3 season tent wont due? My 3 season tent has plenty of attachment points for guying out and does well in the wind. My dog has a fluffy double winter coat and a self inflatable dog bed along with a few blankets.

Any reason I cant make due with a 3 season tent?

Temperatures would be -5 to +20 without windchill. Not less than -15 with the windchill.

I know a few of you dont even use a tent when you camp, so Im figuring if you can do it with no tent, a 3 season will work as long as it will stay up under snow and wind?

I was thinking he same thing this past week. I also have a 3 season tent that I was wondering about functioning...but do you know what I came across? THIS! http://www.trailspace.com/gear/eurek...e-outfitter-4/
It's more than a 3 season, but not by a lot...the box claimed to keep the temp in the tent above freezing, even if the temp is below 20 outside. Now...I have the normal Timberland 3 season, and from experience the tent was actually WARM at 35 degrees and never leaked. The 4 person we have fits all three of our family members comfortably with our packs. I would just recommend a "floor saver" as an investment...because the material they use for the floor is really thin. I just worry about it getting wet if the ground beneath thaws...

[Rick]

Throw a tarp under it. I generally lay a tarp down under my tent just to take the abuse from rocks and sticks I might miss and the bottom of the tent stays dry and clean so packing it up is easier. If I'm car camping that is.

[Trabitha]

Throw a tarp under it. I generally lay a tarp down under my tent just to take the abuse from rocks and sticks I might miss and the bottom of the tent stays dry and clean so packing it up is easier. If I'm car camping that is.

yeah, I use a tarp too. I'm just a bit paranoid. The last thing I want is to wake up wet. LOL! Those floor savers are really thick...cost more than a tarp but they are really sturdy and don't have that irritating crinkling sound that the tarps have.

[JPGreco]

I don't know what our tents were rated when I was in scouts, but the two types we used could all close up their vents.
We had a BIG one, it slept like 6 people easy and you could stand up in it. Had to be at least 7'x7'x7'. Heavy duty fabric too, though we only used them when we drove to the site.
The other one we used was for hiking. Slept 3, had a rain cover that also created a vestibule(sic) for a nice waterproof foyer. Rain cover went almost all the way to the ground and the back of the tent had a 'window' that we could zip up a cover. The front had a little vent that could be drawn closed. Never used those in the cold, but they seemed good. I want to get one like this to use myself.

Like RichJ said, the key is stopping heat loss. All the tents I've used in scouts could close up nicely, so stayed pretty warm. I borrowed one from a friend recently since I don't currently own a tent and it sucked. Let all of the heat out and the floor material was super thin. I would have been better off just taking a tarp and some rope.

[hoosierarcher]

Or Alaska Tent and Tarp's "Arctic Oven" tent.

http://www.alaskatent.com/oven.html

I'd have to win the Powerball to be able to afford one of those of save my change in a big jars for so many years I'll be too old to want to camp in Winter.

You can increase a 3 Season tents effectiveness by putting a tarpaulin A frame over it with a 6 inch spacing between the roof of the tent and the underside of the A frame. The A frame will help keep the heat in and shed heavier snow than a 3 season tent can hold. Make the A frame long enough and you can have a covered "porch" for your tent.

[NightShade]

Tents!..... You don't need no stinkin' tents! Just build yourself a leanto, insulate it, close off half of the open front, build a fire with reflector in front of (but not blocking) the open half and you will be toasty warm all night.

Gotta agree with Sarky here...
A well constructed debris hut with THICK walls can work well also. I'd really only use a tent in the winter if I was on a long hike and my shelter had to stay mobile with me... I find tents more useful in the summer... to keep the mosquitoes at bay.