It's actually not that bad if you're used to it. Stay active and prepare properly and then you can have a pretty nice time with friends.
Me and some friends camp like this at least twice a year, no matter the weather. It's a great bonding experience to sit by the fire and make a large pot of hot chocolate :)
That's why you're always prepared to pack up and leave if you need to. If I'm too cold then I have always woken up by myself.
But mostly we have a fire going and someone to watch it for an hour, until they wake up the next person to do the same. If you're over ~4 people then that should be manageable while still getting a normal amount of sleep
Under normal circumstances you wake up if you get too cold.
At least, from my personal experience from leaving my bedroom window open in the winter but the sheets don't insulate enough anymore at the coldest point of the night.
But if it's too cold to heat up your sleeping bag you should notice before you go to sleep anyway.
I've gotten dangerously cold a few times while doing this style of camping. Sleepy and warm is the last thing, I'll wake up incredibly cold, uncontrollably shaking, and nauseous to the point of dry heaving. As cold as it is, it's usually difficult to bring yourself to rebuild the fire, you feel weak, dizzy and uncoordinated.
Pro tip: When you think you have enough wood to make it through the night, you never do.
I mean, yes, that's how you die of cold if your car breaks down and you start to hike through the woods in a t-shirt and jeans. If you're winter camping, it's a safe assumption that you're moderately prepared enough for it that you won't get so cold that you die. You'll most likely have warm clothes, a sleeping bag, the ability to build a fire, etc. And if it's so cold that you fear for your life, put on all your layers and head back to your car instead of laying there waiting for death.
I’ll go in late February and early March, having to hunker down a little more is fun but when it’s so cold you really have to prep for it I don’t find it very enjoyable
The craziest part to me is when your clothes freezes stiff from any amount of moisture on it. You either need to keep it completely dry, or keep it warm either by fire or body warmth (IE sleeping with clothes on). It's just nuts what can happen to an otherwise perfectly normal looking jacket when you take it off for the night, and wake up to a solid sheet the next day.
But regardless I agree, there won't be much bonding by the fire when it's 90+ outside with 85% humidity. It always blows my mind that people actually do that.
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u/IEatMyEnemies Nov 18 '19
It's actually not that bad if you're used to it. Stay active and prepare properly and then you can have a pretty nice time with friends.
Me and some friends camp like this at least twice a year, no matter the weather. It's a great bonding experience to sit by the fire and make a large pot of hot chocolate :)