Winter ideas on the cheap?

[Kosong]

Now I have the touring bug, I face a big hurdle in staying in the UK during winter for the first time in years (I usually head to the tropics to stay with family but funds say no this year!!) and would love to try and enjoy it by getting out on the bike for some short getaways. Problem is I'm really crap with the cold and camping out beyond September sounds like my idea of hell unless I want to haul a trailer full of wool duvets.

What do you all do in winter to keep riding longer distances and exploring? How do you keep it cheap (ie not stay in hotels/hostels)?

 

[Hill Wimp]

Cycle South and keep cycling.

 

[Kosong]

I moved to Bristol this year so am still pretty new to the area, particularly the bit south of me. Is it that much warmer in Cornwall?

 

[raleighnut]

There is an easy and safe way to heat a tent/sleeping bag, I've used it times...........................A hot water bottle wrapped in a towel at the bottom of the sleeping bag.
Plus use a good quality 4 season bag, well worth the outlay.

 

[Kosong]

There is an easy and safe way to heat a tent/sleeping bag, I've used it times...........................A hot water bottle wrapped in a towel at the bottom of the sleeping bag.
Plus use a good quality 4 season bag, well worth the outlay.

Thanks, will give it a go! Are non-down 4 seasons ones any good? I'm allergic to a lot of feathers so am dubious of dropping £200 on one to find I'm allergic. I sleep indoors in winter with 3 duvets, an electric blanket and thermal socks and sometimes *still* get cold so you can prob understand my apprehension about sleeping outdoors in winter!

 

[raleighnut]

Thanks, will give it a go! Are non-down 4 seasons ones any good? I'm allergic to a lot of feathers so am dubious of dropping £200 on one to find I'm allergic. I sleep indoors in winter with 3 duvets, an electric blanket and thermal socks and sometimes *still* get cold so you can prob understand my apprehension about sleeping outdoors in winter!

Hollowfibre sleeping bags are good but really @SatNavSaysStraightOn would be the one to advise on the best kit to get, she's camped all over the place in most conditions.

 

[Hill Wimp]

Thanks, will give it a go! Are non-down 4 seasons ones any good? I'm allergic to a lot of feathers so am dubious of dropping £200 on one to find I'm allergic. I sleep indoors in winter with 3 duvets, an electric blanket and thermal socks and sometimes *still* get cold so you can prob understand my apprehension about sleeping outdoors in winter!

 

[Kosong]

Yep.

Reynaud's Syndrome is a wonderful beast! Indoor glove wearing all year round, wooooooo. I looooove the heat, bloody HATE the cold and my baseline for cold is probably a summer's day for people up North. Thankfully if I'm on the move I warm up nicely like the Lizard I am, the problems happen when i get off the bike and sit still and my temperature plummets. am sure there's a workaround though, i just haven't figured out what/how yet

 

[andrew_s]

the problems happen when i get off the bike and sit still and my temperature plummets

Sounds like get in the sleeping bag before you've cooled off to me. A puffer jacket will help with cooking whilst in the bag.

4-season synthetic sleeping bags exist (example), and work, but one would likely take up the whole of a rear Ortlieb.
Warmth for warmth, down bags are lighter, pack smaller, last longer, and are generally more tolerable if the conditions are too warm for the bag, but if you are allergic they are a non-starter.

 

[raleighnut]

these pack down quite small.

http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/ZoomPro...ctId=196173&ProductImageId=47694&W=1163&H=573

 

[uphillstruggler]

How about carrying one of the emergency bivvi bags, foil inside, waterproof outer, slip your sleeping bag inside it. I bought one for worse case scenario, they are tiny and very light, I'll try to link to it later

http://www.backpackinglight.co.uk have a root around here.

 

[Catweasel]

A winter bag liner, a good 3 season (rather than a cheap 4 season), a mat and maybe even a cot would be my solution. Oh, and, of course, a reasonable tent. And a woman.

 

[rich p]

Yep.

Reynaud's Syndrome is a wonderful beast! Indoor glove wearing all year round, wooooooo. I looooove the heat, bloody HATE the cold and my baseline for cold is probably a summer's day for people up North. Thankfully if I'm on the move I warm up nicely like the Lizard I am, the problems happen when i get off the bike and sit still and my temperature plummets. am sure there's a workaround though, i just haven't figured out what/how yet

If this is true then I'd suggest that winter camping in the UK ain't for you. It's a miserable enough experience in the cold and rain without your extreme condition.

 

[Kosong]

Sounds like get in the sleeping bag before you've cooled off to me. A puffer jacket will help with cooking whilst in the bag.

4-season synthetic sleeping bags exist (example), and work, but one would likely take up the whole of a rear Ortlieb.
Warmth for warmth, down bags are lighter, pack smaller, last longer, and are generally more tolerable if the conditions are too warm for the bag, but if you are allergic they are a non-starter.

Aye, when I was out last week on the bike I'd get changed as soon as we stopped, and put on a wool jumper dress, socks, leggings and long sleeve top, which was nice and comfy. Come winter however I'd need a whole load more layers, I spend a lot of time outdoors in winter and could comfortably sleep in a tent come winter but the issue is with buying gear to enable me to do it and carry it on the bike. Might have to try borrow a down bag off someone and see if I am allergic to it, it's been a while since i've been anywhere near it due to a previous reaction that *might* have been from cat fur on the down or the down itself. As for something being tolerable if conditions are too warm for the bag, fear not I have no concept of being 'too warm' and quite happily sleep in clothes and a duvet with no aircon in the tropics. Thanks for the links and ideas

@uphillstruggler - I did wonder if a bivvy bag inside a tent would help. My brother has a bivvi bag, I might borrow it for the next trip (end of August) and line with foil, mat and sleeping bag and see how it helps. I should imagine it will! Thanks for ideas

@Catweasel a woman or a man would be nice...or a big dog...something/someone warm who likes sleeping with a human ice cube

@rich p - am curious to know how i'd cope. I lived in my van for a while and that got damn cold in there in winter (I had no heating, just an electric blanket to take the chill off getting into bed. sometimes bottled water would get frozen and there would be ice on the inside of the windscreen!) I got into a pretty good routine to minimise getting cold at night and *think* I might be able to find similar workarounds in a tent...perhaps I'll try a few odd nights on campsites fairly local to see how I fare and how much room in the panniers I would need to devote to being warm and comfy on colder evenings. Could even park up somewhere in the van and pitch the tent next to it and try different layers and things to see what a tolerable level of cold is, then figure out how to make it more portable. All things to try this winter

@User46386 hope you found a workaround, shame you were still cold even with such an expensive sleeping bag! Having previously lived in a van I'm bloody good at not needing to get up in the night once I've gone to bed and could easily get changed in my sleeping bag. Living in Bristol now I'd probably head south towards Cornwall which would be nowhere near as chilly as Wales, You are braver than me! Thanks all for suggestions and ideas, lots of food for thought

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I know this is going to sound mad, but have you considered getting a breathable bivvy bag that you use inside the tent. Whenever I have bivvyied, I have always had to be really careful about overheating.

I'm also one who can easily use 2 winter weight duvets at home, so often wear my thermals, plus some of my merino wool tops, socks and anything else to hand if it is really cold inside my sleeping bag, but a really good sleeping mat is also exceptionally important. I'm guesing you would benefit from something like the Exped downmat 9 . The initial outlay for the mat is not cheap, but essential insulation below you is just as important as a good sleeping bag. Exped do do a synthetic version, but the only time you would know it was down was if it was to fail and throw feathers at you, otherwise you would not actually know other than the lightness to warmth ratio.

One thing to consider is that an awful lot of UK campsites now offer electricity as standard to tents. I have a small heating mat that plugs into the mains, that is use for my back. I have found that I get very warm on it very quickly and you could easily use something similar to get warm. You don't need a full sized electric blanket (though they are available) to get warm.