Winter camping with young family?

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Paul_B

Bushcrafter through and through
Jul 14, 2008
6,151
1,544
Cumbria
Not really bushcraft but I reckon someone on here will know about camping in winter.

Basically I have a 3 year old and three of us all love the family, car camping thing. I did it as a kid and feel it's just really good for children to camp and be right outside as much as possible.

The trouble is even with electric hookup and heater it gets to a point where the season ends. We want to extend our season somehow.

Thoughts were campervan but too expensive. I'm wondering if there is a suitable tent with wood burner stove that might make camping in winter bearable.

We've camped early and coped with -4°C but it was cold. Our child was 1 at the time and it was not really clever doing this.

I was thinking teepee or bell tent. Then some safe system of stove with pipe out. Fire it up last thing to so it lasts night. Any ideas?
 

adestu

Native
Jan 19, 2010
1,717
3
swindon
02e484f9d6278295ff3ff7597a9497f5.jpg

Helsport varanger 4 to 6 man with the Helsport stove.
4ac8001ad7d1c4f7c6b585af929ceb81.jpg
 

Paul_B

Bushcrafter through and through
Jul 14, 2008
6,151
1,544
Cumbria
Nylon tent I reckon and single skin from the look. How does the stove pipe contact the fabric? Is it some kind of stiff insulation in ring form?

Will the stove heat the space up much in winter?

It does look good set-up. I was looking at a tentipi or bell tent. Possibly soulpad too. These are mostly cotton which does worry me since we've not got anywhere to dry a tent out properly. IME nylon or polyester tents tend to not bother with being packed away wet without being dried out properly at home. However cotton is possibly a better option with a stove / fire nearby.
 

Nice65

Brilliant!
Apr 16, 2009
6,438
2,859
W.Sussex
Bell tent, think Soulpad. Made from heavy canvas, they keep warm inside. There are vents, I just use a cheapo Gelert gasheater to fill it with warmth before bed. Warmth at night comes from a good sleep system, not a red hot fire in a tent with youngsters in it. A woodburner effectively removes one third of usable area.

Soulpad and Belltent UK supply the exact same tent I got from Obelink, but at nearly twice the price. Obelink have some deal with these two British companies not to supply UK, but my order got through. I got a 4m with zipped groundsheet for €380. Give it a try, you may get away with it, or maybe know someone in France or Belgium who could order for you.

Don't worry about the little people, they can always snuggle in with you :)

Martyn has one, here are his views:

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=79898
 
Last edited:

adestu

Native
Jan 19, 2010
1,717
3
swindon
Sorry for delay
Its a Norwegian tent.single skin but there is an inner available but can cut down on inner space.
The stove pipe has a cowl around it to protect the tent.ive had the stove glowing red hot and the cowl is watm to the touch.
These tents are designed for Scandinavian outsoors.so itll cope easily with our winter
 

adestu

Native
Jan 19, 2010
1,717
3
swindon
Also the tent floor and stove was 850 from tamerack outdoors.cant recommend the guys enough.we have those foan tiles we out under the floor or in our case the carpet.they make such a difference to insulation
 

adestu

Native
Jan 19, 2010
1,717
3
swindon
Possibly some sort of mesh gaurd around the stove would be of help.even with the stove and our sleeping arrangement theres still plenty of room
 

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