Camping in cold weather is so cozy! Make sure there’s plenty of insulation between you and the ground, and bring some fleece blankets and comforters to pile on top. Have kids bring their clothes into their sleeping bags to warm them up in the morning. And make sure you are good with starting fires or having a camping stove so you can have hot water going ASAP in the morning. A cup of coffee or hot chocolate improves everyone’s mood.

It will be fine. Bring every fleece blanket you've got and lay it on the floor of the tent under their sleeping bags. Dress them in fleece and wool as best you can, and have hats handy if they get cold in the night.

Anonymous wrote:What a bunch of snowflakes. They'll be outside all day, happy and exhausted by bedtime. Bundle up at night, make sure they have warm socks, gloves, and a hat. It will be fabulous.

Another Trumper, use better vocabulary please. Your lack of compassion or empathy is showing.

Anonymous wrote:This was supposed to be our first time taking them. We have good sleeping bags, but I'm still worried they will be cold and miserable.

Thoughts?

40° is only 8°above freezing! Of course it's too cold.

You people are wusses. I'm from Upstate NY. In the Adirondacks it gets into the 40s at night in the summer. Throw a few extra blankets on. You have a fire at night and in the morning. It's a fun adventure for the kids.

Maybe camping at a Holiday Inn.

If you're certain the low is going to be above freezing, sure, no problem. BUT you need the right equipment and the right methodology. Wear woolens. Get the gear that is rated for those temperatures. Use it wisely.

This really depends on the kids and what you pack. I've got one kid that doesn't really get that cold and one that does. We pack Under Armor, hand/foot warmers packs, hats, mittens (not gloves for little ones), wool socks, and appropriate shoes. Everyone dresses in layers and we keep an eye on too much sweating. If the kids are sweating, you must change at minimum, their base layer. If the kids get really cold, they can sit in their sleeping bags when they are sitting. We did the Klondike Derby (overnight camping) with Scouts in February. I packed DS's stuff and he was fine. He now prefers to camp in the cooler and winter months.

Anonymous wrote:What a bunch of snowflakes. They'll be outside all day, happy and exhausted by bedtime. Bundle up at night, make sure they have warm socks, gloves, and a hat. It will be fabulous.

+1

Wool sweater

Anonymous wrote:How do u co-sleep with sleeping bags? Agree that kids wriggle out of their bags at night.

We have bags that are big enough. You can zip them together to make a larger one (we don’t have fancy sleeping bags).

How do u co-sleep with sleeping bags? Agree that kids wriggle out of their bags at night.

In my family this sounds like it would be so much fun. There is nothing better than sleeping in tents with your kids. And, you'll have so much fun around the fire. We have this gadget that holds jiffy pop that we can make over the fire. You can make hot chocolate. S'mores.

We do cosleep when it's cold.

And, if you hate it after the first night, just go home.

Of you have the camping experience, go for it. We did at those temps, but DH and I shared a sleeping bag with each of our kids, ages 2 and 3. We wanted to help them stay warm with our body heat and covered bc kids squirm out of slippery sleeping bags do easily.

Anonymous wrote:How experienced are YOU at cold weather camping?

This is the real question. I, as an adult, went camping once when the over night low was around 50 and I was not prepared. It was so effin cold. If you have the right gear it's NBD, but it's colder than you think if you aren't ready for it.

Will it be dry? Low of 40 and dry, no hesitation.

Do you have sleeping bags? What temp are they rated to? If they are rated to 20 or below, no issues at all.

If you have 30 or 40 degree bags, bring extra blankets (a comforter if you have one). You might also think about putting the adults on the outside and the kids in the middle. Bring warm PJs and socks for sleeping. We've also rolled my kiddo up in a fleece blanket before tucking him into the sleeping bag.

The other thing to watch for is keeping them warm before they get into bed. Getting cold then warming up is much harder than staying warm. Bring warm socks and shoes, sweatpants, and a windproof top layer (you might even think about bringing light winter coats -- it seems like overkill but if you are car camping, they shouldn't take up much space, and they are very handy to throw on if a kid needs to pee in the night).

Hot meal for dinner, and bring hot chocolate so they can have a warm drink when they wake up in the AM.