I do this every year. Steelhead fishing comes around and find myself freezing my butt off. The last thing I want to do is go stand in a 35 degree river all day after shivering in my truck or tent the night before. I need to make a change. For the last few years I’ve slept in the back of my tacoma with a buddy heater for heat. This is not ideal.

What is everyone doing for cold weather camping? I want heat!

I have a girlfriend and a dog (the dog doesn’t like ladders).
I like to cook.
When I fish I drive to my spots, so I need something detached from my 4Runner.
I have a Honda EU200I generator
Realistically, I camp 6-12 times every year
I’ve been with said girlfriend for 5+ years, so my budget is <$2000. Need to save money for something shiny

I built a trailer. has a kitchen setup on the back, inside stores all our crap, top has a rack that i mount a hard-shell roof top tent (i just rent) on. Good sleeping bag goes a long way. ALot of guys use those buddy heaters as well, just make sure you don't burn anything down

we stayed decently warm in our snow camping trip a couple months ago, a buddy heater would've been perfect though. But the hardshell insulated RTT definitely helped.

What clothes do you bring on your trip? I'm definitely not into snow, and I don't stand in really cold water all day, but I do camp in the high desert in winter where the temps drop to anywhere from 18-35 depending on where I go. At minimum you should have a good quality thermal base layer under your sleeping clothes. Good thick wool or synthetic wool socks are an absolute must. I use my Redwing leather work boots which aren't ideal, but the Smart Wool socks I use make up for the lack of insulation. I have a ton of beanies/skull caps, but I have a Carhartt beanie that absolutely keeps any and all cold out, and I sleep with it on. I'm assuming you have decent warm clothes?

Another must is a 0 degree rated sleeping bag. Make sure you get a good one. Sleeping bags can get pricy, but so worth it and they last forever if you take care of them. A reflective/insulated sleeping pad will also keep the cold off your backside during the night.

While I don't recommend using a buddy heater in an enclosed space while sleeping, I use a Mr. Heater dual head tank top unit on a 5 gallon propane tank in camp, for those cold trips and I need to get my hands and feet up to a decent temp before layering up. Each head pumps out 20,000 BTUs at full blast, so it's more than enough, usually I only need one going after I warm up. I also use it at home when I'm burning the midnight oil out in the shop to keep warm. I also have a splitter on the tank so I can cook my food while I keep warm. I just picked up a Camp Chef Everest propane stove that I absolutely love! Built a camp kitchen last month, which has really transformed my camping experience, keeping all my stuff organized and easily accessible. All this fits in a shade structure that has the ability to let me fully enclose the structure to keep wind at bay and heat in (mostly).

I'm assuming you have a camper shell? If not, maybe think about a tent to keep the wind off your sleeping gear? Tents are far from sealed, but at least they offer a layer of wind chill protection. If you camp in windy areas, don't bother with the Walmart Coleman units, they will be destroyed. Ask how I know, lol. I currently have an REI Base Camp 4 tent, which has a fantastic wind/rainfly.

Buy a good quality thermos or coffee mug, and fill it up with hot tea or something to keep the warmth going while you're fishing. I have a 20oz Hydro Flask insulated mug that will keep tea hot for at least 6 hours.

And get a good brisk hike in before you go out in the water, get your blood flowing and help your body do what it was designed to do, which is generate heat!

Pics attached are of my basic camp setup, including shade structure (I have 4 zip up and clip on sides to fully enclose it), tent, and kitchen box (unfinished). Unfortunately I didn’t have the presence of mind to take pictures of it on it’s maiden voyage, but it was a complete game changer for us, and relatively easy and cheap to build. I’ve since added several shelves, and a non-slip rubber covering for the top.

Attached Images

     

Unless camping in sub-zero temps, that goes against everything I've ever been taught and utilized in cold weather camping. Being in MN, maybe the OP actually is camping in sub-zero temps. A zero degree bag with 2 layers of clothing worn in the bag while the outside temps are decently above zero can lead to sweating which just compounds the issue.

I've found that if car camping/non-primitive camping near the thermal limits of my sleeping bag & pad combo, simply bringing a blanket or two works wonders. It also doesn't require getting out of the sleeping bag to make sleeping temp adjustments.

And I'll third the comments echoing a good sleeping bag. Do your research. I've found that a $100, 35 degree North Face synthetic bag versus a $165 35 degree Kelty down bag are not in the same league. The synthetic bag is useless under 40 degrees, whereas the down bag is good down to around 25-30 degrees by itself.

I agree with a lot of this, but will say I've always known the temperature ratings on sleeping bags to be more related to safety than comfort. I usually look at it from a +20 perspective. Meaning a zero degree bag will keep you from freezing in zero degree temperatures, but if you want to be close to warm, it probably needs to be at least 20 degrees (not zero). Down is so much nicer.

@Knuckledragger personally, I hate having a trailer off road. If it were me, I'd start shopping for a good cap for that Tacoma. Even something insulated and extra roomy like this fits under your budget:
TopperLift Kit With Weekender Camper Package - TopperLift

Then I would insulate the bed itself and use that buddy heater you already have. With an insulated enclosure that's big enough for two people and a pup to move around, I bet you'd be pretty comfortable. Easy to break down quickly without getting dirty so you could drive off to your fishing spots. If you really needed to leave something behind for a home base, just pick up a good canvas tent with another propane heater and you're living in luxury!

$2,000 will not get you very far unless you are building your own teardrop. Even used teardrops go for way more than that. Since ladders are out of the question I something like an ARB 2500 awning with their awning room is a good idea. This combo should give you more than enough room so you don't need to sleep inside the car and it can put up and down quick enough that you can still drive to your fishing spots.

I use a in total 4 piece army surplus arctic sleeping bag. It has a fleece liner, a down regular bag, another down bag for winter temps, and finally a gore-tex bivy bag for waterproof. Coldest I've slept laying out in the snow with a foam mat under the set up is -35 Celsius. It also has a detachable down fleece hood for cold temps. The only problem at such low temps is your throat gets a little sore from breathing in such cold air the entire time you're sleeping. I was extremely warm in the bag and not uncomfortable at all. For your budget I would look into something like that for a set up.

Do you have a picture of your setup that you made? Thanks!

If you are looking for a teardrop, the best budget option is a Runaway Trailer. Some of the base models are in the $2,000 range.

Best of luck!

i just saw your 2k budget, that was roughly what i spent building the trailer. A bed cap, exped duo megamat sleeping pad, and a quality sleeping bag would be a super nice sleeping setup for less.

You said you have a girlfriend so there is no reason you should be cold in the truck or tent. "Nawaimsayin?" LOL

Even without the GF you have a dog so again, no reason to be cold in the truck - snuggle up.

Now for some serious advice. Have you looked into battery powered electric jackets? Not so much for sleeping but for the day time fishing part. The batteries are rechargeable and the jackets are made for outdoor type activities.

Maybe my use of the term “thermals” is off base, because I’ve never had a problem with sweating when it wasn’t summer and pushing 80 degrees at night. Then again, as was also mentioned above, I don’t zip up my bags when I sleep, in fact I completely unzip them and use them like blankets and pads, so perhaps I should have made that known and clear as well. Either way, there are a ton of ways that you can play around with different ways of layering, but I still think it’s good to have more than enough and not need it, than have too little, and be left wanting.

I agree with the sleeping bag comparison, and yes, down is going to be far superior and be closer to it’s rating that a synthetic. But as was also mentioned above, the ratings are definitely not what they make them out to be, especially if I can use a “0 degree” bag above 40 degrees and not sweat my balls off.

Lol, and yeah, if OP has a girlfriend, he shouldn’t be cold at night.

$2K can net you a decent camper shell and some goodies to go along with it if you don’t have the time/space to build your own trailer or what not. For the majority of the camping I do having a trailer behind me would be impractical, even though I would absolutely love one.

I have a teardrop camper. I built it myself. I made it foam sandwich. The insulation works great. I don't have or need a heater. I do have an ac unit though. You could build one for $2k but you'll have to cut some corners. But start with a good trailer. The HF ones aren't a good platform. They're fine for some stuff. I've owned one. But you're much better to start with a little bigger and better built trailer. I custom made mine to fit my design. Also, don't make it tear drop shape, and make the rear door a side hinge not a hatch. Learn from my mistakes!



For a smaller budget, a good spring bar or wall tent is a good option. Plus a propane heater inside. I spend a fair amount of nights in a 4 season regular dome tent too. Just need a good sleeping pad and a good sleeping bag.

If you have questions about building a teardrop shoot me a PM.

Great advice here. I am pretty set up with gear. I have all of the "right" clothes and I have a western mountaineering bag that I love, but I hate getting out of it in the morning. I'm a breakfast guy so I tend to get up early to start making food and coffee. This chore sucks when cold.

I think I know what I am going to do. Teardrop trailer with an ARB awning and deluxe awning room. I have a buddy heater that I use for ice fishing, so I can use that to heat the room when I'm cooking/ hanging out. This will also give me an opportunity to thaw out my frozen waders and boots before putting them on. I could also use the heater to preheat the teardrop before going to bed (man that sounds nice). The ARB setup seems like the way to go because I can use it year round and I can use it either on the teardrop, or the 4runner depending on the situation.

Now I just need to figure out a way to get a teardrop. To build or buy , time will tell.

@Jetboy

Now I am curious. Why not make it a teardrop shape and why do you prefer side hinge over hatch?