A winter wild camp is one of the best nights out the UK has to offer: clear skies, no midges and the hills to yourself. It's also the night most likely to go wrong if you get cold. The good news is that staying warm overnight is mostly about a few simple habits.
1. Insulate from below
The cold ground pulls heat out of you far faster than the air does. A good insulated sleeping mat matters more than an extra layer on top. If your mat is thin, add a closed-cell foam pad underneath it. It's cheap, light and can't puncture.
2. Eat before bed
Your body makes heat by burning fuel, so give it some. A proper hot meal, then something with fat in it just before you sleep: cheese, nuts or chocolate all work. Keep a snack in your sleeping bag for when you wake up cold at 3am.
3. Take a hot water bottle
Boil water, pour it into a leakproof bottle, check the lid twice, and put it in your sleeping bag. Hug it, or put it between your thighs where big blood vessels run close to the skin. In the morning it's unfrozen water for breakfast.
4. Keep a set of dry layers just for sleeping
Damp clothes steal heat all night. Keep one set of base layers and socks that only come out of the dry bag at bedtime, and change into them before you start to feel cold, not after.
5. Hat on, loo first
Wear a hat to bed. And go to the loo before you zip up. Your body wastes energy keeping a full bladder warm, and nobody wants to leave a warm bag in the small hours.
6. Pitch with the weather in mind
Cold air sinks, so the bottom of a valley can be several degrees colder than slightly higher ground. Look for shelter from the wind, avoid hollows where frost settles, and point the tent's narrow end into the wind.
7. Know when to call it
If you're shivering and can't warm up, get moving, eat, and get into dry clothes. If that doesn't work, pack up and head down. There's no prize for toughing it out.
Heading out on the water this winter too? Read our guide to staying warm in winter as a packrafter, and always check the rules on wild camping where you're going.
