Okay, so logic says that summer is filled with warm sunny days. Mustard is the only condiment for wieners. And if you’re traveling in a motorhome, you’ll have all the creature comforts of a cozy home while camping – even when the unexpected occurs.
Then without much warning, your little, piggy toes become quick candidates for tomorrows bourbon on the rocks and mother nature’s unexpected chill sends you in a pipe de-freezing frenzy.
5 heart, hand, and bed warming lessons in cold weather camping:
1. The gift that keeps on giving.
Build a nice fire early in the evening and cook a big pot of bean chili. You’ll have warm hands by sundown, a warm belly for campfire stories and later, you’ll enjoy a cozy-warm bed. All the fruits of your labor. See my Bean Chili Recipe.
2. So cold your turds freeze.
When you feel that north wind blowin’ break out the fiber and beer, ’cause the best way to safeguard your tanks is by filling them up. The goal is to fill those tanks just enough to keep’em from freezing over. Oh, and before the party gets started, remember to disconnect your water hose and roll up the sewer hoses too, because poopsicles only come in one flavor. Eweeeeww.
3. Drip your faucets, not your coffee.
Make good coffee for god sakes. Light a fire, boil water, use a perculator pot. It’s the way your grandma made coffee, and John Wayne too. So leave the dripping to your faucets, leaving them in action keeps them from freezing over.
4. Crack kills, but so does hypothermia.
Hold in hot air by insulating your overhead vents. Then don’t be afraid to crack a low window for air circulation. It’s smart airflow because heat rises remember? However, if you’re still cold, you can create your own hot air by speed-talking yourself and your bunk mate to right to sleep.
5. Undercover brother.
Sleep naked. First, you’ll need a snuggle partner. A lover, a pet, a yeti, a bear… whomever you can grab that’s willing to double some body heat. Then, remember to keep your clothes under the covers as well, they’ll be warm when day breaks.