Away Shows/Camp in Winter

Shoei

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Hi Guys,

I have booked to go to a camp in the depths of winter. Stupid or dedicated... I am not sure but it is a great opportunity!

Now following some great HHO advice I took my horse away earlier in the month and i was very toasty in my tent inside my trailer.

I have hook up on camp so I will be taking an oil radiator (for use outside of tent in trailer), my electric blanket and electric throw.

Any other hints and tips? I don't really want to B&B it unless absolutely horrendous weather.

Thanks
Shoei
 

Littlebear

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If i am honest i would be in a b&b, i went last year in the freezing cold to bd camp and it was soooo cold even in a lorry with a heater etc, such rubbish nights sleep those few days i was wishing i had booked myself somewhere comfy and warm. I ended up trying to sleep in about 4 sets of clothes, i had hats on and trousers wrapped round my neck and i was still freezing. With all the riding and walking back and forth everywhere and the rubbish sleep i was exhausted by the time i went home. It would have been a much more pleasant experience with a b&b involved! (sorry if not helpful just being honest ;) )
 

ponios

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Hot water bottles!! everyone else was freezing at badminton camping this year but we were nice and toasty. One for hugging and one for your toes :)
 

Ambers Echo

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I've slept in the lorry in January - never again! I wore several layers, was in a 4 season sleeping bag and had a duvet on top of that and I was still freezing. We don't have heating though so maybe a heater would make it tolerable?

I have camped on snow multiple times on mountaineering trips and I swear it's colder in the lorry!
 

Esmae

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I can think of no circumstances that would persuade me to camp in winter for a horse show. You must be made of very stern stuff.
It would a B&B for me at the very least.
 

Shoei

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:p lol we must all be a bit tapped as we are all stopping in lorries etc. I have to say though I think I'm only one actually camping but I was too hot last time!
 

VRIN

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I have stayed away in winter in my horsebox and was very toasty - however a couple of years ago the temp dropped to minus five overnight!! It has put me off winter camping ever since!
 

Bernster

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Nooooooo. After having my first ever stay away in the lorry camp a few weeks back, when it chucked it down the whole time, I’d def go for the b n b option. Failing that, it was the cold and damp and uncomfortable nights sleep that really got me. So the heater, lots of layers, hot water bottle, good sleeping bag, mattress, would be my recommendations.
 

milliepops

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I'm a cheapskate so I'd def stay in the lorry :p
With hookup and various heating things I think you'll be fine, it won't be as comfortable as being indoors but it's not going to be impossible. I accept that I am prepared to tough it out though, I camped in my 3.5t at end of Oct last year and it was frosty in the morning but I was OK even without heating. I take a duvet as well as a sleeping bag and sleep in my clothes & hat with hot water bottles (needed a top up in the night but I'm a light sleeper anyway so no problem). I leave hot water in a flask so a hot cuppa is quickly on hand when you wake up ;)

New lorry is better insulated so I'm looking forward to stay aways more next year tho :p
 

Annagain

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Having slept in a caravan at one camp (in August I should add!) when the weather was suprisingly cold (it was the talk of camp, nobody slept that first night as it was so cold) there's no way I'd do it in a trailer in winter. We didn't have hook up or a gas bottle so couldn't put heating on so that might make a difference, although I've also slept in a camper van with heating at the beginning of April and struggled even with that. At that August one, I ended up getting my filthy but warm mucking out coat, putting my legs in the sleeves and wrapping the rest around me inside my 4 season sleeping bag (I already had 4 layers on my top half) and was still too cold to sleep. I went to the local Asda the next day and bought £6 duvet for the next night which made things slightly more bearable but not much - the worst was having a nose so cold that it hurt and kept me awake, but feeling far too claustrophobic to pull the hood of my sleeping bag right down!

If you are going to do it though, make sure you have plenty of insulation underneath you as well as on top of you. It's surprising how much cold will come through the floor. A couple of layers of cardboard or bubble wrap (bubble wrap is really good as you can fold it up quite small for travelling) as a base, then your air mattress (or whatever you're sleeping on) then a duvet or thick fleecy blanket on top of that would be the minimum I'd want underneath me in those circumstances.
 

Hollychops

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I have done it before and found having a duvet to sleep on and well as under helped. That and lots of warm layers, i slept in full thermals and heat holder socks helped
 

Abi90

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Don’t camp. You will be miserable. Trust me. I’m about to go in a work related “camping trip“ in November with decent kit and I am not looking forward to it... if I had the option I would be in a B&B
 

Shoei

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I think I'm definitely going to have to do a trip report on this. Providing I don't freeze to death. Lol

For those who have been cold camping in summer. Maybe my tips will help. All gathered from HHO really.

I covered my (clean trailer floor), had a pop up decathlon tent inside. I then had an airbed but covered that with a feather mattress topper. I then had a heated throw and my 13 tog feather duvet. I had some teddy bear pyjamas from Tesco. This created basically a sleeping pod and I was too warm. Granted it is likely to be colder this camp but we had 50mph gales and rain so it wasn't great weather.

I did take hot water bottles and electric blanket but I didn't need them.

This camp I will def take my electric blanket and a oil radiator and probably extra duvets.

I wouldn't consider it without hookup.
 

Michen

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I slept in lorry sharing a double bed with my friend, it was April and when we woke up it was snowing...honestly so cold and miserable and would never do it again!
 

Spottyappy

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I “think” you will be ok if you don’t feel the cold.
Have stayed in the horsebox in bitterly cold weather, and the only heat we had was from the gas cooker, but I don’t feel the cold much.
However, if it is looking like it is going to be wet, book a b&b.
There is nothing on earth would persuade me to sleep in the lorry, never mind camp, if you have no way to dry wet clothes, or get changed and get warm if you are soaked through.
 
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