Lifestyle

4 Tips for Camping in the Winter

Published

12 months ago

December 9, 2022

Camping in the winter – should you do it? Is it worth the extra effort to stay warmer? If you’re thinking about camping in the winter and wondering if you’ll have a great time, the answer is yes. Winter is an excellent time of year to go camping. Whether you have a good time depends on where you go and, most importantly, how you prepare.

No matter where you’re headed for your winter camping trip, here are several tips that will help you make the most out of your adventure.

Camp in an RV

Winter camping is always more comfortable and warmer when you sleep in an RV, especially when you have kids. For obvious reasons, when the temperature drops, it’s nice to have propane heat that fills your space and doesn’t escape through thin tent walls. It’s also easier to keep your food cold and secured in an RV. Even when temperatures are freezing outside, you can’t leave your food lying around because it will attract animals.

If you don’t own an RV, you can rent one for your camping trip. If it doesn’t have everything you need, don’t worry. You can find coolers, inverters, and other RV accessories online before your trip.

If you’re a die-hard traditional camping fan, you may not like the idea of camping in an RV. Some people consider this “glamping” and not real camping. However, just because you sleep in your RV doesn’t mean you need to spend your entire camping trip cooped up inside. In fact, you can also pitch a tent outside and spend the day using your tent and only come back to your RV to sleep.

Layer your clothing intentionally

If you’ve never lived in an area where temperatures drop pretty low, you might not know how to layer your clothing to stay warm. It sounds simple at first. Does it really matter how you layer? The truth is, the material you layer with matters and each type of material has an ideal position in your layering.

Your base layer should be a thermal-type material that wicks away moisture. Even though fleece feels great against your skin, you don’t want to use fleece as a base layer because it will make you sweat, which will make you colder. Wool actually makes the best base layer because it’s naturally designed to regulate temperature. Fleece should be used as an outer or middle layer to hold in your body heat.

After you’ve figured out your first few layers, your final outer layer should be waterproof to prevent moisture from getting through to your bottom layers.

Lay down a wool blanket first

Before you put any part of your sleep system down, place a thick, wool blanket down first. Ideally, you want to be lifted up off the ground to sleep on something like a cot. It doesn’t have to be too high, just six inches would be helpful. Placing a wool blanket under your cot will keep the cold air from traveling up through the bottom of your cot at the ground level. You also want to place another wool blanket on your cot before you put down your sleeping bag.

If you’re sleeping directly on the ground, be sure to place a wool blanket under your sleeping pad before building your bed. The wool will keep a significant amount of cold air out of your sleeping system.

Look at the weather forecast

It sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised to learn how many people don’t look at the weather forecast before camping in the winter. Depending on where you’re camping, you’ll want to know if it’s going to snow or be icy.

You’ll need to drive on the roads to get there and back, so you need to make sure you drive the right vehicle and have the right equipment if needed. Sometimes certain passes require vehicles to either carry or use tire chains during the winter. Also, if you’re not used to driving on icy roads, it’s a good idea to find a different camping spot if things look like they’ll get too icy.

Make winter camping a regular thing

Most people who camp in the winter really enjoy the experience. There’s something refreshing about waking up to the cool air, whether you’re in a tent or an RV.

Hopefully, these tips will help you enjoy your winter camping experiences now and in the future.

Lifestyle

4 Things You Won’t Worry About If You Just Ship Your Car to Another State

Published

19 hours ago

December 2, 2023

Michelle Langton

While some people might disagree, I believe I speak for the majority when I say that nobody wants to worry about anything in the world if they can help it. Life is already way too complicated to stress about every little thing that happens — like how you can get your car to another state.

There are a number of reasons why you would suddenly find yourself needing to transport your vehicle to a different place. The reason can be personal, work-related, or maybe it’s just something that needs to happen so you can start the next chapter of your life, as in the case of moving.

But we’re not here to talk about that.

Instead, we’re here to talk about how you’re going to do it and there’s really only one right answer: You would need to ship your car.

Right about now, you’re probably thinking “But I want to explore my options” or something along those lines. And of course, that you may very well do. However, while there are other ways to get your car to where it needs to be — such as driving it yourself — all these other options are frankly uninviting.

Let’s be honest. If you’ve been driving for long enough, you would know for a fact that long distance drives are no walk in the park (read more). To hell with the whole “driving is so therapeutic” spiel; that only works if you’re maybe driving 5-10 miles tops without traffic and with good music. But 10+ hours in the middle of nowhere?

Two words: Hell no.

If you’re still not too convinced, here are 4 other things you don’t have to worry about if you just ship your car instead of driving it.

No Sore Back & Aching Knees

Long drives are enjoyable until they aren’t. When you’re stuck in a semi-comfortable seating position, with your feet on the pedals, your eyes fixed on the road, and your hands on the wheel, the fun doesn’t remain fun for too long. Instead, it’s replaced by backaches, knee pains, and eye strain.

Long distance driving is a physically taxing activity so don’t easily fall for the whole “driving is therapeutic” spiel. Maybe that applies when you’re driving aimlessly for 40 minutes to an hour max without any heavy traffic but certainly not on busy highways for 10+ hours. If suffering from a hunched back for the next two weeks ain’t your vibe, just leave the shipping task to the professionals.

No Downtime From Work

Another worry you probably have with this whole long-distance trip is the fact that you can’t really do anything else besides drive for tens of hours during the transfer. Even if you think you can multitask, you really shouldn’t as it risks your own safety and those of others who are on the road with you. During the drive, you can do little to no work which means a decrease in your productive hours for the week.

If you don’t really want to take a leave from work for whatever reason, then shipping a car to another state instead of driving it is your best option. This way, you can keep to your tasks and avoid unnecessary disruptions to your normal work schedule.

No Car Trouble

Just the mere mention of getting car trouble can instantly turn any vehicle owner’s day sour. Now, imagine it happening in the middle of nowhere, when you’re miles away from your car’s regular mechanic. It would be a downright nightmare and that’s no exaggeration.

Interstate highways aren’t exactly lined up with establishments. It could be miles before you can find a decent auto shop that can take your car in and even then, you have zero assurance that your ride can be fixed in a matter of a few hours. Getting car trouble, being stuck in the middle of nowhere, delayed appointments, and high repair fees is a complete recipe for disaster – easily avoid it by having your car shipped instead.

No Multiple Gas Stops

If you think that you’re going to save a lot of money by driving yourself to another state, then we’re about to burst your bubble. Yes, you may save a couple hundred bucks by not having your car professionally shipped. However, the cost savings don’t really make sense as compared to the time, energy, and effort you will have to expend to make the long-distance trip possible.

Also, it’s not like the trip won’t cost you anything at all. There’s gas, maintenance fees, and possibly after-trip repair fees to worry about. Not to mention, you will have to eat and drink, and maybe even turn in for the night at a highway motel during the drive. You will still end up spending money. Here’s the average of what you’ll spend shipping your car instead: https://www.consumeraffairs.com/auto/cost-to-ship-a-car.html.

If you take all of that into account, then paying a few hundred dollars to ship your car out instead, becomes a more practical and cost-efficient option.