Winter Camping with Kids : Sleep Set-Up

Winter camping is not for the faint of heart, but it can be so fun and a great way to experience nature. Despite the challenges it is not something that is off limits to families. However I do not recommend trying winter camping without prior camping experience. This post will talk about how I do our winter camping sleep set up that keeps my kids and I toasty warm! Even in below freezing temps in the White Mountains we were nice and cozy and had a blast! This is what works for us, not what you must do, remember every one is different. Do what works for you and your family.

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TENT

We use our 4-Season North Face Tent. It does a great job trapping warmth, keeps condensation from building up, and can with stand the harsh elements. I do recommend using a 4-Season tent when camping with young kids in the winter because they're far more efficient that 3 season tents.

If you don't own a 4-season tent it's usually pretty affordable to rent one. Check with your local REI, EMS, IME, or even College/University outdoor rec programs for gear rentals. There is also online sites you can rent tents from.

Weather permitting, you can use a 3-season tent but keep in mind these aren't built for subzero temps, snow loading (when snow accumulates on the tent), or strong winds that are common during winter months. They won't be as warm and you will need to be sure your other sleeping gear can make up for it.

We lined the bottom of our tent with Reflectix for added insulation and warmth. I used our tent footprint as a template to cut out the Reflecitx (making it a few inches smaller on each side than the footprint for a perfect fit).

On top of the Reflectix we layered a wool blanket, similar to this, to help keep the sleeping pads from sliding around a bunch since my kids move a lot in their sleep. Also helps insulate the floor of the tent which is helpful when the kids are in there playing. If you’re on a budget you can use a emergency blanket to help reflect the heat up.

I sleep next to the door incase I need to get out, whoever is in the least warm sleeping bag goes in the middle, and the person in the warmest bag on the other end. My 18 month old sleeps perpendicular to us in the space up by our heads. This lets me keep a close eye on him, and he can lean his head against mine to "snuggle" without crowding my space.

Reflectix

High R-Value Sleeping Pads

Wool Blanket

SLEEPING PADS

For winter camping you generally want a sleeping pad with an R-Value of 5.0 or greater (4.0 at a minimum). The higher the R-Value the warmer the pad will be. If your sleeping pad doesn't have a high enough R-Value you can increase it my adding a reflectix or a closed cell foam pad underneath it.

Because my kids wiggle and move around so much during the night I've found it works better to have them share a double pad rather than individual pads. It helps to stop them from slipping around and gives kids room to move around without rolling off onto the cold ground. We use this insulated double pad (R-Value 4.4) and have really liked it. In the summer, or backpacking, I share this pad with 2 of my boys. The stuff sack doubles as an inflation bag which is super helpful when it comes to blowing it up. Since I usually have multiple pads to inflate by myself I've also started bringing a small pump, especially when car camping.

I put my youngest on the REI CoOp Kindercamp pad (R-Value 4.6) perpendicular to us up by our heads. Since he is so little I was able to fold this pad in half to double the insulation. We really like this pad! And it's one of the few "self-inflating" pads that actually self inflates.

When car camping in winter I like to use my Rei Camp Bed (R-Value 7.6) . I used this when I was prego because it is so comfortable and wide enough for me to sleep on my side or to have my littlest snuggle next to me.

SLEEPING BAGS

As a rule of thumb you want your sleeping bag rated for about 10 degrees colder than what the actually temps will be. (For example if the low at night is going to be 30 degrees you should bring a 20 degree bag to sleep comfortably. If you're a cold sleeper bump that number up.) Synthetic sleeping bags are a great option for winter months because they will preform better in wet conditions. Down looses it's loftiness and ability to hold warmth when it gets wet.

If you don't have a warm enough sleeping bag you can layer backpacking blanket or quilt, like this, on top.

Since they don't have kids 0 degree bags we make do with what we have. My 18 month old slept in his 20 F degree down Morrison Outdoors sleeping bag. (Affiliate Discount code: BRIGHTONPEACHY) . We love the Morrison Outdoors infant and toddler sleeping bags because they're rated for safe sleep for little ones.

My toddler and I slept in 0 degree bags with my 6 year old in between us in a 15 degree bag. He is a hot sleeper plus our body heat helped to keep him warm. Since both boys were in adult sleeping bags I used the pad straps to cinch off the bags at their feet to create a "kids sized" sleeping bag and stop them from loosing heat into the empty space at the bottom of the bag.

SLEEPWEAR & PJs

I wore synthetic base layers with fleece sweats over the top. My boys wore Iksplor Wool base layers with fleece pajamas over them. (Affiliate Discount Code for Iksplor: BRIGHTONPEACHY). My 18 month old wore a sherpa bunting instead of fleece jammies. Wool base layers are my go to choice for my kids because they will help keep them warm even if they get a little wet. This is also why we all slept in warm wool socks & beanie.

OTHER

I threw some hand/body warmers in the bottom of all our sleeping bags as we were getting ready for bed so we could climb into warm bags. You can also boil water and put it in a Nalgene (with the lid screwed super tight) inside your sleeping bag. I have done this dozens of times and it was so nice! But I was too nervous to have the kids mess with it and cause it to leak so I stuck with the hand warmers.