in the southern states, nights will be long and cold with the sun setting around 6pm - so get your fire wood ready early and your fire lit before it is dark and consider bringing a firestarter with a long burn time since damp wood doesn’t light easily - don't forget to have some dry wood for the early morning fire for your coffee!
the four things worse than waking up cold while camping - not waking up at all, waking up with your tent on fire, waking up to find your tent is now in a river, and waking up cold and wet
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don't have fires near your tent and make sure they are put out before you go to sleep
don't pitch a tent on river beds - distant storms can cause water levels to rise suddenly without warning
avoid carbon monoxide poisoning - don't have gas or wood burners inside the tent (unless they are properly vented and you have a CO alarm)
camping site selection
choose a sunnier site
avoid bottoms of valleys
avoid being close to water bodies as this will increase dew, fog and frost
check out the local terrain - some areas have warmer nights
a great example is Wilsons Prom - although being the most southern part of Australia, nights tend not to get as cold compared to even 50-100km away at Wonthaggi or other parts of Gippsland, but the days are also cooler, windier and wetter
if you are going to have a wood fire
avoid smoke coming into your tent by choosing to have your tent pitched with the wind coming from the side so it blows the smoke away from the tent ie ensure the wind will be a cross-wind this can also help with creating a cross-ventilation for your tent to reduce condensation and dew does not form on the tent facing the wind so you can have a drier vestibule door on that side
don't have the wind coming from behind the tent as it will create turbulence and blow smoke back into your tent
obviously don't have the wind blowing across the fire and smoke directly into your tent
don't have it in a valley on nights without a wind - the camp ground will be stuck in unbearable thick smoke and fog all night!
in windy environments, choose a site sheltered from the wind with tent optimised for wind protection
on nights with almost no wind, fog and dew are likely so choose a site to optimise a little cross-ventilation breeze
optimise your sleeping arrangements
a full nylon dual wall tent will keep you warmer than a full mesh inner tent
the smaller the tent, the easier it is to keep the air inside warm but you do need to manage condensation
managing cold foggy nights is more difficult as condensation is a much higher risk - here a dual wall tent with a ceiling vent will help
carefully manage your tent's ventilation to minimise condensation whilst also minimising wind chill
ensure you have adequate thermal insulation from the ground
use thermal insulated sleeping pads
NOTE that a large blow up mattress may not be thermally efficient
consider placing rubber mats under the tent if you are car camping
ensure your sleeping bag is rated for well below the expected overnight minimums and you wear your thermal layers and use a sleeping bag liner
ensure you have thermal protection for your head/neck (eg. beanie or similar) as well as hands and feet
consider extra heating such as:
chemical “pocket warmers”
hot water bottles (even your well sealed non-insulated drinking bottle wrapped in a shirt may suffice)
USB heating mats powered by a power bank or by your auxiliary car battery
for car campers with plenty of auxiliary battery, even an electric blanket can be used
those in a caravan have other alternatives such as diesel powered van heaters
DO NOT use other types of heaters inside your tent unless you have addressed:
a wood fire (or a gas heater if wood fires are banned) outside your tent helps you keep warm and dry before going to bed (avoid perspiring though!)
make sure you and your sleeping gear do not get wet!
avoid going to bed cold or wet
this will make you very uncomfortable all night
DON'T GET TOO HOT and PERSPIRE as this will wet your clothes and make you cold and uncomfortable!
warm up with hot drink (perhaps a hot milk drink as this will add some overnight calories to burn and has been shown to improve sleep), sitting in front of a fire, etc
always change into dry clothing before bed
minimise having to get up during the night
go to toilet just before going to bed and don't drink too much late at night
if you do wake up wit a full bladder just go and have a pee - don't try holding it til morning it will just make you uncomfortable - but don't get wet and cold in the process - this is where easy slip on shoes help!
check your tent before going to bed - ensure fly is pegged well, guy ropes taught, etc
share your heat with your sleeping partner
consider using your sleeping bags as a quilt which is then strapped around your sleeping mats
but perhaps avoid getting too energetic and sweaty with your partner - reserve this for the morning perhaps unless you are cold and need to warm up a bit!