Being cold and unable to sleep can quickly ruin an otherwise fun camping, climbing, or backpacking trip. After hundreds of nights spent sleeping outside in all different conditions (ask me about the time I built a snow cave and slept in it!) let me give you 10 Pro Tips for a cozy night’s sleep.
1. Get warm before bed
Sleeping bags act as thermoses, not microwaves—they trap heat, but can’t create it. If you enter your sleeping bag cold, you’ll stay cold for a long time. So think of ways to get warm before you get into your bag. Drink or eat something warm. Snuggle by the fire. Or just do some jumping jacks before you hop into bed.
2. Put on some layers
A nice pair of socks, a warm hat, and long underwear can go a long way toward keeping you warm. Put on fresh clothes, and keep a pair of socks in the bottom of your sleeping bag that are exclusively for sleeping in. But don’t wear so many clothes that it compresses the insulation in your sleeping bag —that would reduce the bag’s loft and thus its ability trap heat.
3. Store your sleeping bag properly
Ok, this one doesn’t help you in the moment, but it’ll help you next time. If you store your sleeping bag too tight for too long, it’ll negatively affect the loft, making your sleeping bag less insulated for your next time sleeping outside. So store your sleeping bag loose, not packed tight into its compression sack. Either use a large storage bag (like this one from REI) or just hang it in the closet.
4. Add a warm water bottle
Heat water, pour it into a bottle, wrap it in clothing, and put it next to any cold spots in your bag. Just make sure it can’t leak!
Read More LNT 101: How to not be an asshole outdoors
5. Stuff clothing into the bottom of your bag
If your sleeping bag is too long, you’ll have empty space at the bottom of your bag that can make your feet cold. To help warm up your feet, just take any extra dry clothing you have and stuff them down to the bottom of your bag as extra insulation—just enough to make a nice snug fit.
RELATED: Best Camping Mugs for Every Adventure
6. Use the right sleeping pad
Did you know that sleeping pads also have a temperature rating? Many people think of a sleeping pad as just something soft to sleep on, but it’s primarily for insulating you from the ground. The ground sucks body heat from you and your sleeping bag if you aren’t insulated from it.  Sleeping pads all have an “R-value” which represents its ability to resist heat flow. This ranges from 1 (poor resistance) to 9.5 (high resistance). For colder weather, pick a sleeping pad with a higher R-Value. For more on choosing the right sleeping pad, check out how to choose a sleeping pad.
Check out: How to pack a backpack properly
7. If you’ve gotta go, then go
A full bladder will wake you up over and over. While it’s no fun to get out of bed to pee (especially while sleeping outside), getting it over with will help you sleep warmer and better for the rest of the night. Or, if you’re really hardcore, combine #7 and #8 and pee into a bottle (obviously easier for men, but also possible for women). You get to stay in your sleeping bag and now have a warm bottle (but REALLY make sure the bottle can’t leak!)!
Kids need gear too! Best Kids Camping Gear
8. Buy the right bag for sleeping outside
Obvious, right? But if you nail this first one, it makes many of the other tips unnecessary. The most important thing about your sleeping bag is the temperature rating. Plan for the coldest possible temperature (you can always unzip the bag if you get too hot!) by researching the areas you’re going to visit and finding the lowest temperatures that occur during the season you’ll be there. For example, if you were planning on going to Joshua Tree in November, you’d check weather.com and find the average temperature at night is 46°F. Depending on how warm you sleep, you’d buy a bag with a temperature rating between 30-45°F. For more information on how to choose the right sleeping bag for you, check out How to choose a sleeping bag.
Learn more by checking out our other How-to guides
9. Eat something fatty before bed
If you’re sleeping outside, you’ve gotta create heat from the inside, and then trap it. One way your body creates heat is by metabolizing food. Foods high in fat take longer to metabolize, creating more heat. Hardcore alpinists are known to drink olive oil before bed, and many guides add butter to hot chocolate before going to bed. Also: keep an energy bar nearby for a middle-of-the-night refuel. Or try one of our favorite trail snacks, Emily’s Citrus Cashew Bliss Balls!
Check out: Repairing Your Outdoor Gear: An Easy How-To Guide
10. Use a sleeping bag liner or bivy
Sleeping bag liners are basically thin sleeping bags that go inside your main sleeping bag—they’re a simple, inexpensive way to add 10-25 degrees to your sleeping bag. They can turn your 3-season bag into a winter bag—especially if you’re only infrequently sleeping outside in cold weather. Our favorite is the Sea to Summit Reactor Extreme Thermolite Liner. It’s spacious, adds up to 25° of warmth, and feels like silk. Another option for added warmth is a bivy sack. A waterproof layer that goes around your bag, it traps in heat and protects against your your sleeping bag getting wet. The Outdoor Research Alpine Bivy is our top choice, it’s roomy for a bivy sack, waterproof yet breathable, and adds a surprising amount of warmth.
These tips will guarantee a good night sleep for you! Or at least a warm one. And after a great night sleep make sure to do your early morning stretches! Any other tips or tricks you use to keep warm while sleeping outside? Let us know in the comment section below.
If you enjoyed this article, keep up with our latest Camping and Hiking content, or check out these:
