Cold Weather Camping Pack List: 10 Fall & Winter Gear Essentials

Are you prepared for a cold weather camping trip? Camping in the cooler fall and winter months requires a little extra planning to make the trip more comfy—but it’s totally doable!

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Check out our list of 10 Fall & Winter Camping Gear Essentials for the family.

Mummy Sleeping Bag

While sleeping bags can get you a little too toasty when used during summer camping, any old sleeping bag will not be sufficient to keep you warm in the cooler months.

We recently went camping in regular sleeping bags and when it got down to 35 degrees, we were cold! If the temperature is going to drop below 40 degrees at night, we recommend investing in some mummy sleeping bags.

This style of sleeping bag encapsulates your head while leaving your face exposed so you can still breathe. Look for bags that have a “0-degree” rating.

Sleeping Pad

An insulated sleeping pad gives you more padding from the ground while also providing additional thermal comfort.

The KAMUI self-inflating sleeping pad system is interconnectable so that you could combine multiple mats inside your tent to fit the whole family.

These 2 inch thick, 3-½ lb mats are lightweight and roll into a compact carrying case for easy transport.

You could also get away with using air mattresses to stay up off the ground, but you’ll need a way to pump them up (manual pump, battery pump, or plug-in).

Our air mattress lost a lot of air last time we went camping in cold weather, so it either had a hole or the temperature drop caused it to deflate a bit.

Heated Blanket

When you’re winter camping, it’s your sleeping arrangements that need special attention—that’s because unfortunately, you can’t bring the warmth of the fire inside your tent when you’re ready to lay down for the night.

If you have access to a power source, you can add more warmth to your sleeping situation by bringing a heated blanket.

You can either lay on top of the heated blanket or use it as an additional cover over your sleeping bag.

Bonus tip: Fill a leakproof water bottle with hot (almost boiling) water and store it in your sleeping bag by your feet to keep your tootsies warm.

4 Season Tent

We love our 8-person tunnel tent with attached screen room, but we quickly learned that it was not the best cold weather camping tent. The spacious interior allowed all our body heat to escape.

That’s why we recommend a 4 season tent that’s just big enough to fit your sleeping bags and has a low profile to let that body heat work for you.

This cozy 4 season tent will keep a family of 4 dry and warm in cold weather camping.

Crockpot

A crockpot can be an easy to way to heat up a pre-cooked frozen meal for the family during a camping trip.

We always freeze our chili leftovers in vacuum-seal bags so we usually have a few batches in the freezer ready to go.

We took some with us on our last camping trip. It doubled as an ice-pack and then we heated it up in the crockpot on the second night for an effortless hot meal in the cold weather.

Get some crockpot liners for easy clean up. You could also use a crockpot to keep warm/hot water on hand at your campsite for washing dishes, making hot drinks, and more.

Where can you buy all this gear?

We can think of a place….

Bass Pro Shops is a one-of-a-kind spot to shop for outdoorsy gear. They carry a huge selection of fishing, camping, hiking, and outdoorsy items in fun themed departments.

Plus you’ll find streams of water filled with fish running right through the aisles, along with huge aquariums, and even live alligators!!

Go on an adventure while you shop…

Check out our dedicated post on the Granddaddy of Bass Pro Shops.

Griddle or Camp Stove

Cooking over the campfire is fun and everyone should experience it. But waiting for food to cook over a fire in cold weather can be challenging.

We like to bring our Adventure Ready Blackstone Griddle so that we can cook virtually anything without being dependent on the campfire. We also bought a propane adapter so we can use the 20 lb tanks instead of the pricey 1-lb propane cylinders.

We decided we needed to invest in a griddle after an attempt to cook eggs in a cast iron skillet over the fire failed catastrophically. Hot breakfast when camping has never been better!

Mess Kits with Lids

If you’ve ever made food while camping, you already know that it’s usually the case that not all the food will come off the grill at the same time.

So, you’ll need a way to keep your food warm while everything else finishes cooking. We figured out that we could use our military mess kits to keep our sausage and bacon warm while we cooked our eggs and toasted our bagels.

These nifty mess kits also double as cooking pans and serving dishes.

Boots & Socks

Keeping your feet warm when camping in cold weather will go a long way to keep you comfortable.

Pack wool socks and work boots or hiking boots to keep your feet toasty. Bring extra pairs just in case they get sweaty or wet.

I also like to keep hard-soled winter slippers in the tent to use for bathroom trips so I don’t have to worry about lacing up my boots when I’m half asleep.

Stocking Cap & Gloves

The first cold-weather camping trip I went on, I failed to bring enough winter gear to keep me warm.

I was immediately regretful and added these items to my winter camping pack list for the next time.

Never underestimate the importance of a stocking cap and gloves.

Break out your winter scarves, mittens, balaclavas, and hats and add them to your hoodies, blankets, and winter coats to stay warm in layers on your winter camping trip.

Thermal Underwear

Dressing in layers is critical for cold weather camping. I thought I could get away with just wearing leggings under my pants, but it turns out thermal underwear are much warmer and perfect for fall and winter camping.

Invest in some soft and warm fleece-lined thermal underwear to wear under your clothes. You can also wear thermals as pajamas or even under your pajamas to get extra cozy in your sleeping bag.

Plus, they come in multiple colors.

What Do You Take Cold Weather Camping?

Camping in the fall and winter months doesn’t have to be miserable! All it takes is a little preparation and packing up some must-have cold weather camping gear. If we missed something on our list, tell us below in the comments!

Ozarks Family Travel