All season family camping

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Cyclingrelf

Mod
Mod
Jul 15, 2005
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Penzance, Cornwall
Hi all, my husband and I have a two-year-old and would love advice on the best set up for camping as a family in winter as well as summer. Our initial thoughts were a bell tent and stove. What do you all think, and can you recommend particular makes of tent/shelter?

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srod

Forager
Feb 9, 2017
111
59
argyll
Depends what type of camping...

Bell tent and stove etc. is a lot of stuff to lug about and time to set up if only staying for short time in one place.

A good quality 4-season 3-man mountaineering tent, with decent sleeping bags and clothes etc. has worked well for us year round since the kids were small.
 
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Paulm

Full Member
May 27, 2008
1,089
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Hants
I'm not sure a hot stove in a small tent with a two year old would work well !

That aside, a tipi type tent with a stove, preferably with a covered entrance, would work well, something like a Helsport, Robens or similar perhaps ?
 

Janne

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Feb 10, 2016
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A tent with a stove needs to be much larger than a tent without a stove as you need clear space around it.
Another negative aspect is that you need to get wood.

Unless you plan to carry the equipment, I would recommend a quality large tent with a separate ‘sleeping tent’ inside, and enough sheltered space for sitting and cooking.

When I was a child we toured all over Europe, from France to Soviet Union, with a set up like that!
Fond memories!

You will need 2 sets of sleeping bag in UK, one for winter and one for summer.
 

Janne

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Feb 10, 2016
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For your child, I would not buy a sleeping bag intended for a child, but buy a good quality Adult size one, and restrict the length.

The sleeping bags for you adults, I would buy Xl size. So much nicer with a bag where you can turn unrestricted! Also in fact a bit warmer.
 

Paul_B

Bushcrafter through and through
Jul 14, 2008
6,154
1,546
Cumbria
Tie off sleeping bags if too long for you or your child. Also if tall do get xl sleeping bag. If you are close in size to the sleeping bag you can compress the insulation in the foot area giving you very cold feet. It was a revelation when I got my first xl sleeping bag, so much warmer just by having the length needed. Also tall ppl are often bigger people too. Not always. I was rather slim but even so the extra girth and length helped.

For children I would not get children's sleeping bags. They all seem to be bulky synthetics and usually not that good. Adults are worth good down bags but not kids.

Tents with stoves are a nice fantasy for people I think. So they're big and heavy usually. Aren't you worried about a hot stove and a toddler? Unless you get a cage to go around the stove and ask the pipe the child might be able to reach of course.

Then assuming you're out doing something during the day. You get back to your tent, potentially cold from your day out and about, to a cold stove you have to clean out and re-light. Wood in the corner next to the stove to try and keep it dry. All with the least amount of daylight and longest nights stuck in the tent.

Get yourself a camping pod with heating or a static caravan with gas fire to heat it up quickly with just a simple click of a gas fire control knob. Easier I reckon. Or get a touring caravan.
 
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Janne

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Feb 10, 2016
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A nice cuppa warms well too.
A large sleeping bag is much nicer than a ‘well fitting’ one. Easier to turn inside, more insulating air.

For mom and dad, I would recommend bags that can be connected.
So one with zip on the side, left and right.
 

troutman

Nomad
May 14, 2012
273
4
North East (UK)
For your child, I would not buy a sleeping bag intended for a child, but buy a good quality Adult size one, and restrict the length.

The sleeping bags for you adults, I would buy Xl size. So much nicer with a bag where you can turn unrestricted! Also in fact a bit warmer.

Some great advice from everyone and from Janne, but I have to disagree with buying a large sleeping bag. In fact buying a larger bag gives you more space that needs to be heated which can actually lead to more heat being lost. The key point when buying a sleeping bag or indeed insulating down jacket is to buy one that fits well. This leaves less room for droughts which can push out warm air when you move, thus making you feel cold.

I also fully concur that a mountaineering tent would be your simplest and most robust option for short term camps. The main issue you will face is unfortunately condensation. Alpkit has some useful tips on their website for winter camping.

PS. Don’t forget the thicker ground mats for under your sleeping bags in colder weather!
 

mousey

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jun 15, 2010
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NE Scotland
...Aren't you worried about a hot stove and a toddler? Unless you get a cage to go around the stove and ask the pipe the child might be able to reach of course...

No no no, wrong way round small cage for the child :) keeps it much safer. Bit of newspaper in the bottom and it'll be fine.

I've not really camped in cold [nothing below 0] weather with the kids. mostly camped with the car with loads of spare dry warm clothes [they like to swim in the sea]. I've walked and camped since I was young so have lots of sleeping bags etc already so my kids just use what I've got; they go camping with cubs and scouts also, your toddler will grow up so if you get good / adult size stuff now they can use it later.
 

santaman2000

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Jan 15, 2011
16,909
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Florida
There are reasons the large, heavy tents such as bell tents and wall tents are considered "base camp" tents. 1) they're too bulky and heavy to carry around when moving often, and 2) they take too long to set up often.

Regarding the toddler and the hot stove, Yea, it's a danger, but probably not much more than with the hot stove at home. That coupled with what has been said about needing to relight it and wait for heat when you need it the most would stop me from doing it as a family camping thing.

Get a smaller tent that's easier to erect (while staying big enough to accommodate everybody comfortably) Heat it with a simple camp heater such as this before you go to sleep:
s-l1600.jpg


Just remember to shut it off before you get into the tent for the night.

Winter camping is the easy bit. Staying warm in winter is always easier than cooling off in the summer heat.
 

Robson Valley

Full Member
Nov 24, 2014
9,959
2,664
McBride, BC
You need 2 things besides food and shelter = light and heat.
Find a sunrise/sunset calculator on line for where you plan to camp.

Winter:
Clear a patch to the grass in my back yard. Maybe less than 100cm deep.
Get the tent up, get the gear in, get the heat going.
Sunset (behind the nearest western mountain range) on the solstice is 1:52 PM.
Got indoor tent plans for the rest of the "day?"
In the cold, this will be a long one.

Sunrise and the coldest point of the day will be about 9:30AM.
Just the eastern mountains to climb over, 2-3 miles away.
Great. -10C and you have to pee or more.
My back door is locked.

There's a corrugated sheet metal hut, a couple hundred meters below the summit of Mt Bogong/Victoria/Australia.
It is wind and snow-proof and therefore very damn dark with the door shut.
Rather chilly the day that the Americans first landed on the moon.
 

Nice65

Brilliant!
Apr 16, 2009
6,440
2,862
W.Sussex
Using your “Our initial thoughts were a bell tent and stove” as guidance rather than people suggesting a bell is bulky, heavy and takes a long time to set up is all irrelevant. If I was buying again I’d choose a bell with an awning, outside bit. Mine hasn’t got that, and needs it whether sun or rain. I set up a tarp, but it’s not ideal.

I find my 4m bell much easier to set up than my old Oztent with extra panels. I’d say around 15-20 minutes of pegging and tightening at most. The living space is light and airy, perfect for lost kid stuff. A stove in my opinion isn’t worth losing about a third of your living space for if it’s just for heating. If you’re going to cook or boil water, then it’s worth considering, but there are cheap gas heaters that work fine. Also ideal if the canvas is wet prior to packing away, they’re a right pain to dry properly and weigh a ton when wet.
 

Cyclingrelf

Mod
Mod
Jul 15, 2005
1,185
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Penzance, Cornwall
Thanks everyone for all your replies, all really useful and loads of good tips. We are still investigating and thinking, but this thread is proving really helpful to our discussions.

We are trying to balance our need for increased family sleep space in our set up at the Bushmoots (very much Base Camp style, but also trying not to move too far from bushcraft skills) and camping on the exposed, treeless and windswept campsite on the Garrison, St Marys, Isles of Scilly.

It would be possible at both sites to lug a heavy bell tent, stove, fireguard, kitchen sink et c. I suspect a warm tent area would be nice to have at the new February moots. But probably not worth the hassle at any of our other camps at other times of year. Love the look of that gas powered tent heater, maybe that is a good alternative, but safety issues?

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Robson Valley

Full Member
Nov 24, 2014
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McBride, BC
Carbon monoxide management is a big deal, in winter, because you want that tent snugged up pretty tight.
I'd plan on a chimney, even it it gets only winter use.
A tight tent in a big wind is pretty cozy but it's just about wind chill and hard to heat.
I lived in a "shack-tent," which is a Woods Prospector nailed to the top rim of a 4' wooden wall & floor.
One hard summer rain and you need the heat! Just the Coleman 2-burner petrol stove was never enough.
 
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santaman2000

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Jan 15, 2011
16,909
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Florida
....... Love the look of that gas powered tent heater, maybe that is a good alternative, but safety issues?

Sent from my SM-A300FU using Tapatalk
Carbon monoxide management is a big deal, in winter, because you want that tent snugged up pretty tight.
I'd plan on a chimney, even it it gets only winter use......
Yep. breathable air is the safety issue. Most of the heaters come with a warning not to use indoors unless you have at least 1 square foot of ventilation y(window area) In practice i don't use them in the tent at all while it's inhabited; only to pre-warm the tent prior to bedtime. All that said, those are much the same safety issues with a stove plus the stove has the added danger of sparks.
 

Artic Bob

Member
Feb 1, 2018
39
25
Marches
a somewhat contrary view...

personally, i'd not bother - i've done the family camping in winter thing, Rothiemurchus forest, near Aviemore in February (if you're interested), with two young kids and all the tasty gear: Rab 4 season down bags, proper winter clothing, a mountaineering basecamp tent, thermarests, fleecy suits and waterproofs for the kids - and the grim truth is that just being there is too cold for the kids. the sitting around waiting for dinner to cook, the getting dressed/undressed, the anytime-you're-not-actually-doing-anything time is actually really, really cold for kids. they loved the snow, the views of the mountains, the being in the forest, but it was just too cold.

we camp lots in spring, summer and autumn, but in winter we go for the camping pods and the like - its just a lot easier. or, of course, a caravan...
 

santaman2000

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Jan 15, 2011
16,909
1,114
67
Florida
Fall & Winter camping can only mean one thing: DEER SEASON!

That and of course the absence (or near absence) of bugs, and a bit less oppressive heat and humidity.
 

Robson Valley

Full Member
Nov 24, 2014
9,959
2,664
McBride, BC
Just +2C at sunrise this morning = put a few more sticks in the Air-Tight and get the coffee on.

This is the very best season for family outings up here as the leaves are changing color and the fire weed is lighting up the mountainsides.
Huge areas of it go reds and oranges so from a few miles away, it looks like flames.

Yes! Moose, Elk, Mule Deer, White-tail, Black bear, All grouse/turkey/ptarmigan/duck/geese, cats & doggies seasons are opening.
I won't go out for any birds for another month. Certainly Elk before Christmas. Getting fussy in my old age.

In a week or two, I expect every choice high track camp site to be full of hunters.
Maybe some charcoal in the fire pit and some bent grass. That's all I've ever found of their leavings.
At Beaver Falls, I know those people actually rake the camp site!
 

SGL70

Full Member
Dec 1, 2014
613
124
Luleå, Sweden
A wood burning stove is a monster that needs constant feeding. Cosy, though...

Any winter equipment should aim at keeping you all Dry, Warn, Fed and Hydrated, but then I am more worried about hypothermia, than CO-poisoning.

I think you have gotten some good advice feom previous posters

Greger
 

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