Do you want to check out how much fun winter camping is?
Would you like to make sure you’re prepared for setting up?
When you go winter camping, setting up your site right away is a critical part of the trip.
The sooner you’re set up, the better for your whole experience.
You don’t want to get caught in a storm or get too cold.
This is why we wrote this guide on how to set up winter camping sites.
Set up your site right away when camping in winter. Find the right spot, press down and shovel out the snow, keep your layers on, start your fire, and set up your shelter.
Read the rest of the post for more details on how to set up for camping in winter.
What You’ll Need
This section covers items you’ll need for setting up your camping site in cold weather.
You don’t have to pick the exact items on our list, but we’ve included links for you as an example to check out.
Disclaimer: Links may be affiliate in nature, which means we earn a small commission at no extra cost when you click and purchase.
Shelter – Using a camper or tent, you need your shelter to keep wind and water out while trapping warm air.
Most tents work in 3 seasons, which is why you need a special 4-season tent such as the Geertop one we linked to above.
Layers – For every spot on your body, you need a base layer and a shell layer.
Remember to cover the feet, legs, body, arms, hands, neck, ears, and head when it gets colder.
Here are some dedicated articles we’ve written, looking at the best clothing items.
- Best fleece jackets for winter camping
- Best down jackets for winter camping
- The Best down booties for winter camping
- Best pants for winter camping
Light – Keep in mind: it gets darker quicker in winter.
All camping trips need a light of some kind, but for winter camping, it’s critical.
Flashlights work fine, but it’s always easier setting up when you have a headlamp to wrap around your hat.
We recommend the LEDlenser headlamp at the link above.
It’s durable, powerful, and rechargeable.
Fire Starter – Some lighters may not work as well for starting fires in winter.
Check out this plasma lighter.
It’s rechargeable and works well in the cold.
This item is critical as getting fires started with minimal effort affects your whole trip.
Small Shovel – It’s essential to get down to the ground level when setting up your shelter and fire (as we’ll discuss ahead).
A collapsible shovel such as the one at the link will do the job.
They’re also easier to carry than full-sized shovels.
That’s It?
This list above focuses on what you’ll need to set up your winter camping site.
It isn’t a list of everything you’ll need for the trip.
Of course, you’ll need more than this, but the rest will be talked about in our dedicated guides to winter camping and winter camping checklists.
Other standard items for winter camping may include:
- Water
- High-fat foods
- Coolers
- Knife
- Rope
- First Aid kit
- Map/phone
- And more
Step By Step: How To Set Up Winter Camping Sites
Now we’ll dig into the specific steps to go through when setting up for camping in winter.
Exact directions will differ depending on your tent or shelter and the lay of the land, but these steps work for most any winter situation.
#1 Find Your Spot
You’re out carrying your gear, and you’ve reached the area you want to camp in.
Now you need to find the best spot.
We recommend camping within an hour of a road or civilization of some kind for new winter campers.
The closer, the better.
If not camping at a campground, go just far enough, so road noise and lights are gone.
Once you have more experience, feel free to expand your range.
Choose an area near running water.
It takes a lot of energy to melt snow, and to stay hydrated keeps you safe.
Find a place higher in elevation, near some coverage from the wind.
Pick a spot with firewood nearby as well.
Getting a fire started is an early and vital step.
#2 Wear Many Layers
After reaching your spot, put on your base layers, if you haven’t already.
Why?
Wearing the clothes while you work warms them up and dries them out.
By trapping warm air in the clothes now, you’ll be that much warmer when you finish all the setup.
When winter camping, keep your outer shell layers on to protect from wind and water all the time (except when you’re in your tent).
#3 Flatten/Dig Out The Area
A lot of new campers set up their tents and such on top of the snow.
This isn’t ideal.
Snow is a good insulator when packed down, but snow allows a lot of air to move around in the fluffy stage.
This will make the bottom of your tent freezing.
Using your shovel dig out the area around where you want your fire and tent to be.
Keep the areas a little distant from each other (you don’t want to catch your tent on fire after all!).
You may want to pile the snow against the wind to provide a windbreak.
If it’s not possible to get down to the ground level, you’ll want to stomp and pack down what is too hard to shovel out.
#4 Start Your Fire
Before setting up your tent, we recommend starting the fire first.
Warning! If a storm is rolling in, we recommend doing step 5 first.
The fire will need some time to get up to the heat it needs to be, and a good bed of coals will be a massive help in keeping the fire going for a long time.
Gather your starter, kindling, and fuel.
As long as it’s not raining, winter is usually an arid or dry time of year, so it shouldn’t be hard to start the fire.
Consider using a fire starter log or another fire starter material to help it get along.
#5 Set Up Shelter
With your fire burning along, it’s time to set up your shelter.
You’ll have to follow the directions by your specific tent for how to set it up, but the general steps go as follows:
- Spread out tent material.
- Insert poles to stand it up.
- Tie securing lines.
- Drive in tent stakes.
- Attach a rainfly.
After setting up your tent, be sure to put your gear inside the tent where possible.
Snow may melt and cause your items to get wet.
You need to take care to keep your clothes dry where possible.
Congrats! You settled the basics of your site!
Two other things to watch are:
- Make sure you keep eating and drinking.
- Keep your firewood plentiful and your fire well-fed.
You may also want to check out this video on tips for camping in winter.
Commonly Asked Questions
How cold is too cold for winter camping? – When the temperature drops below 30° degrees F, it may be too cold for amateur campers with the wrong gear.
With the right gear, stretch it out to lower temperatures.
When the winter gets to zero or below, you need to make sure you’re prepared, but it’s still possible.
In general, we recommend zero degrees as the bottom line of temperature.
How do you heat a tent in cold weather? – Use a portable heater, move your body, and/or hot water bottles.
Use sleeping pads or mats on the bottom of your tent to prevent heat loss through the ground.
Is it colder to sleep in a car or a tent? – It depends, but it’s usually warmer in a tent.
Weird, right?
Tents, especially 4-season ones, are better sealed to trap air.
And because they have less volume, tents warm up quicker.
Still, if a car is running, it has a heater, so it’d be warmer.
But if we’re talking about the space, a tent is warmer.
Is it safe to put a heater in a tent? – Yes, and no.
It’s never entirely without risk, but electric heaters are safest.
Use propane heaters with caution.
Make sure they have a way to expel the fumes and have an automatic shut-off for when the dangerous fumes get too high.
Keep all heaters away from the walls of the tent and not too close to you.
Conclusion
Now you know how to set up winter camping sites when you go for a fun, chilled trip.
Find a spot, stay warm, dig out the area, and set up.
Getting settled right away keeps you prepared if the weather turns and helps you relax and enjoy the beautiful winter.
Now get outside and enjoy the fresh air!
You may also want to check out camping in a winter storm.
