You may think we are a bunch of weirdos but we love tent camping in colder weather. It's the perfect excuse to cuddle up after hiking around and exploring.

We went on a trip in 2016 where we camped in multiple national parks in December including Yosemite, Joshua Tree, and Sequoia National Park. You might think a camping trip in the winter is crazy but we had a great time.

Camping in cold weather is a great option because it typically means fewer crowds. This is because most shy away from camping unless the weather is warm and cozy.

All of our colder camping trips have taught us some valuable lessons about how to take the experience from "eh" to "yea!". As long as you are prepared, camping when it's cold can be just as fun as camping when it's warm.

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Set Up Camp During the Day

Do yourself a favor and just call off work and get an early start. Setting up camp when it is dark typically takes longer. If it's cold, you want to get into the tent as soon as possible.

Plus, during the day you can make sure you have a spot that is not covered in too much snow or water.

Also, consider that the weather is typically better during the day. If you set up camp when the sun is still out, you can be in your warm tent before the temperature drops at nighttime.

Bring Extra Firewood

To stay warm, you will need a fire. Too many times we brought what we thought was plenty of wood but it wasn't.

We have had to make some last-minute firewood runs and even mooched off other campers. The worst situation would be to need more wood to stay warm, and there is no way of obtaining more.

A good rule of thumb is to overpack when it comes to winter camping. Even though it goes against our minimalist mentality, in this situation, more is better. 

Bring Double Sleeping Bags

Bring enough sleeping bags for each of you to have two. All the layers will help you to stay comfortable during the night and get some rest.

We like to zip ours together and make one big sleeping bag. This was we can cocoon both of us together plus we each have another one.

We recognize that this strategy is not the most primitive or lightest packing option. For thru-hiking, this may get difficult but if you’re car camping, it is worth it.

If you are debating paying for a "winter" sleeping bag we would suggest it's probably not worth it. Unless you are going to be camping in cold weather all the time, two "summer" sleeping bags work great.

Bring Layers

We cannot stress enough how important the idea of layering is. Layers can make or break your cold-weather camping experience.

Make sure to have layers for in the tent and layers for out of the tent activities as well. In addition to our sleeping bags, we also make sure to have a nice large blanket to lay over top of us.

A fleece blanket is always a great option. You can also make your own by learning how to crochet as Kelsey did!

Layering is extremely important for clothes. Phil tends to have to pee once or twice a night and there is nothing worse than not having the right layers and having to run outside in a t-shirt and shorts to make it to the bathroom.

Use a Good Tent

Our original tent was a 3 season tent and was not the best. It would get wet on the inside pretty easily and because it’s only 3 seasons, it didn't keep out the cold very well.

We now have a better tent but it's still for 3 seasons. It works decently well in the cold but a 4 season tent may work even better.

If you are committed to camping at least a couple of times a year in winter conditions, make sure you pick the right tent.

If you aren’t going out there too often, you can always do what we did and bundle up well. The good thing about having a better tent is that it works well for camping in cold and warm weather.

Bring Activities for the Tent

We always bring cards, books (our favorite is the Wheel of Time series), and games like Battleship or Pass the Pigs. We make sure we can use all of these items in the tent where we can stay nice and warm. This allows you to have fun in the nice warm tent where you are not as affected by the cold.

A cell phone can come in handy during winter camping. Phil likes to read on his phone and uses the pocket app on his phone to save articles to read later. Unfortunately, the cold weather does seem to drain a cell phone battery faster.

Cold-weather camping may not be for everyone, but it should at least be considered as an option. We run into too many people who feel tent camping in colder weather is not even possible when in reality it can be a perfect getaway.

Use these tips on your next cold weather camping adventure for a better experience with the snow.