spring/fall camping: keeping warm OUTSIDE the teardrop

[faithie999]

the TD will be great for my wife and I to sleep in, at least down to 40F or a few degrees below.  BUT:  how to stay warm in the morning after rising, till the day warms up?  other than sitting in the pickup with the engine running, does anyone have any creative ideas?

thanks

ken

[friz]

Hike/Bike. Be active.

[abrightwell]

Campfire… portable propane heater… coffee? 😉

[tbellenger]

Yes to this post. We just completed our first 1000 mile trip from SF to Southern Oregon and back.

1. Using the kitchen in the cold is fine – you’re moving about etc. Finding a warm place to eat/drink your food once it’s cooked is the problem. Inside the camper and you risk getting the place dirty with food. Outside and you’re sitting still in the cold.

2. A place to keep shoes – like a little drawer underneath each door – would be good. You can’t bring muddy shoes inside but you can’t leave them outside to get covered with dew either. Has anyone come up with a cool little drawer, deep enough for boots, that fits under the door?

3. The gap between the top of the hatch lid and the roof of the camper, when the hatch is open, is slightly too much so unless I wipe the hatch lid down in the morning before opening it I get dew running down the camper/kitchen bulkhead. Clean up is hard because of the false wall in the galley. I don’t know how to fix this one but it’s really only a cold weather problem and living in SF I hopefully won’t have to deal with it most of the time.

[apkley]

Thanks to the internet, I found this little gem of an idea…it works great!

Save all your drier lint, used candles, and paper egg cartons (trust me, this will make sense).  Stuff each egg compartment with lint.  Melt and pour the used candle wax into each compartment, soaking the lint and paper container.  Once dried overnight, cut into 12 individual fire-starters.

The wax keeps it water-resistant and keeps it slow-burn, the carton provides airflow, and the lint is the tinder.  Place it under a pile of sticks and light a match.  Take all precautions when melting/pouring wax… it can be very messy.

 

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