10 Fall Camping Tips You Don’t Want to Learn the Hard Way, by Weldon Pike Camping on YouTube. 12 min 43 s.
- Video length
- 12 min 43 s
- Time to do it
- 1 hour
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 9
What you need
Steps
Pitch your tent on higher, well-drained ground. Cold air and dampness pool in low spots, so a hollow or dip will feel several degrees colder than a slope nearby.
Face the tent door away from the wind and stake every guy line out. Push the stakes in at an angle so wet soil grips better.
Leave a vent or a small gap at the door open overnight. Sealing the tent tight traps your breath, and that moisture ends up in your sleeping bag.
Check your sleeping pad before you trust it. Foam that is crushed, thin or losing air gives almost no insulation, so add a closed-cell foam pad underneath.
Read the bag label and go by the comfort rating, not the limit rating. The limit figure is a survival number, not the temperature you will sleep well at.
Change out of your damp hiking clothes before bed. Sweaty or rain-damp fabric pulls heat out of you all night, so swap into dry base layers, socks and a hat.
Re-check your stakes and guy lines after dark. Wet ground loosens them, and a slack tent flaps, leaks and loses warmth.
Keep the bag dry. Never pack a damp sleeping bag, and air it out in the morning before rolling it up.
Never run a stove inside the tent, not even in the porch. Burning fuel in an enclosed space produces carbon monoxide, which you cannot see or smell.
Tips and common mistakes
Put tomorrow's clothes in the bottom of your sleeping bag so they are warm and dry in the morning.
Boil water and fill a bottle before bed, then seal it tight and use it to warm the foot of your bag.
Eat a proper dinner. Your body generates heat digesting food, so going to bed hungry makes a cold night worse.
If condensation is running down the walls by morning, your ventilation gap was too small, not the weather too wet.
Questions
Why is my sleeping bag cold when it is rated for lower temperatures?
The rating usually assumes a good insulated pad and dry clothes. Cold ground, a crushed pad or damp layers steal more heat than the bag can replace.
Should I close all the tent vents when it gets cold?
No. A closed tent traps your breath and soaks your bag. Keep a vent or small door gap open and let the moisture escape.
How do I stop tent stakes pulling out overnight?
Wet soil loses grip, so drive stakes deeper and at an angle, then check them again after dark and before you sleep.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
