How to keep your bed warm.

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Scorpion Regent said:
It must be nice to have enough power to be able to do that.  When I'm off grid and on solar I don't, so I can't.  Even if I did, I wouldn't.   Irons, space heaters, hair dryers, electric water heaters, slow cookers, crock pots and electric hot plates are all things I will never use if I am on solar power.  Creating heat with electricity is the most power expensive thing you can do.  The only other thing I can think of that might take more power is driving machinery such as: refrigerators/freezers, air conditioning, power tools and air compressors.  If I am going to create heat while camping I use my propane stove.  If I was in a situation where I had to heat a bed, (someone suffering from hypothermia), I would do what my grand parents did, use a hot water bottle.  Fill a Nalgene bottle with hot water.  Enclose it in a scarf or a hat so it isn't so hot it will burn.  Place the bottle under the covers.  I haven't needed to do that, if I'm lucky I never will.  In the mean time, my body generates enough heat, I use wool and space blankets to keep it around.
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12 volt electric blankets and mattress pads are pretty easy going on power. Personally, I don't need hypothermia to be motivated to heat my bed. I gave up competing for the deprivation medal a long time ago.
 
RoamerRV428 said:
I went and searched that and WOW THAT is one sweet power supply.....charge from wall, or car or solar.....I tell ya if I am in need that thing would beat a noisy azz genny any time.....I didn't even know that was out there.  Nice!!  I would be like you, a heated mattress cover with the use of this power supply is a great idea if one truly is in a cold area plus it will power so much more when needed.  Safe also....no fires, no fumes, yea, I could see me buying one of these in the future!  I like your set up for sure!
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"that thing would beat a noisy azz genny any time"
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There are plenty of Inverter generators that are so quiet you can have a relaxed conversation standing right next to them.
Mounted outside, you would not hear them.

I have several like that. They have come down in price significantly.
 
I got me an electric blanket and i love that thing so much id marry it if it was legal  :D They come as 12v or 110v. I have 110 that runs fine off my solar power no prob. It has a temp setting and a timer so it can shut off when you want. It warms my bed before i get in and on cold nights i snuggle under it to watch videos. 

Under me though...  3” memory foam. The memory foam reflects heat pretty well
 
BABBS said:
I got me an electric blanket and i love that thing so much id marry it if it was legal  :D They come as 12v or 110v. I have 110 that runs fine off my solar power no prob. It has a temp setting and a timer so it can shut off when you want. It warms my bed before i get in and on cold nights i snuggle under it to watch videos. 

Under me though...  3” memory foam. The memory foam reflects heat pretty well
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Link please ?
 
Giantex Standard Massage Table Warmer, Spa Table Heating Pad with Three Heat Settings, Auto Overheat Protection, Portable Electric Table Warmers

Too many bad reviews on this.
 
MrNoodly said:
Whenever there's a discussion about keeping warm, there seems to be a group or wool users and a group of down users—and no crossovers. I keep wondering why the difference in preferences. Is it regional? Cultural? Climate related? Age related?
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I use both. I have a double size duvet cover ($50) with two goose-down quilts ($75 each) pinned inside. This works just fine for the shoulder seasons (spring, fall). When temperatures dip below 0C, I roll out another duvet cover ($50) with five 6-pound wool army blankets ($75 each) pinned inside. Combined with a 5-inch high density foam mattress ($300) and an all-wood frame ($100), this makes my bed the most expensive part of my build. I'm okay with this expense, as my bed is where I spend most of my van life (~8 hours/day).

I've survived six western Canadian winters in vans (Astro, Express) with no insulation and no supplementary heat. Right now, I'm two days into a forecast week-long cold spell with temps around -20C. My piss bottle will freeze, but I'll be toasty warm all night.
 
Before I had ever lived in a van or car, I lived in a series of 'live work' type places.
Unfinshed or semifinished warehousess, sheds and garages.
One of the things I worked out was how to layer bedding.
What I usually do is not just load a bunch of blankets on top.
I layer alternating sheet, blanket, sheet blanket etc.
So I have one sheet under each blanket.
It seems to make a big difference over just blankets by themselves.
When I have gotten stuck in an area where it's going below freezing I bust out the sleeping bag and put that under all the blankets and sheets.
I'd rather be a little too warm than wake up at 3am with chattering teeth!
Though a few times I've set an alarm for myself to do just that and run the heater for 15 minutes to warm up the van.
 
Scorpion Regent said:
It must be nice to have enough power to be able to do that.
Click to expand...

Doesn't have to take much. The twin mattress pad I chose averages 16w on low.

Scorpion Regent said:
When I'm off grid and on solar I don't, so I can't. Even if I did, I wouldn't. Irons, space heaters, hair dryers, electric water heaters, slow cookers, crock pots and electric hot plates are all things I will never use if I am on solar power.
Click to expand...

I run a crockpot, rice cooker, etc, off the panels when there is excess solar power - zero impact on the battery bank. Solar is a "use it or lose it" power source.
 
Heated mattress pads heat your whole bed. No wonder they guzzle electricity! It's not my bed I want to keep warm, it's me personally. So if I start feeling too cold, I use this 12-volt heating pad just on myself under the blanket and turn it off when my body is warmed up enough. Great when I first turn in, or if I wake up in the middle of the night with a case of "the shivers".
 
MrNoodly said:
there seems to be a group or wool users and a group of down users—and no crossovers. I keep wondering why the difference in preferences.
Click to expand...
Wool keeps being warm even when damp. Down, not so much. So I guess down users are not concerned about getting sweaty, or have convenient way to dry the setup.
 
Firebuild said:
12 volt electric blankets and mattress pads are pretty easy going on power. Personally, I don't need hypothermia to be motivated to heat my bed. I gave up competing for the deprivation medal a long time ago.
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We spent a month in NM high desert and a month deep in the woods outside Leadville, CO with a 12v electric blanket / 45 minute timer. Stayed on long enough to put you to sleep comfortably, and a push of the button gets you another 45 minutes of warmth in the wee hours. With very little drain on the battery bank. If my math is correct "Unaccompanied Senior" has $700 invested in blankets and such to stay warm, mine cost $38.
 
How do I keep my bed warm ?
Gypsy is a buttonese
& Trav is a chesttonese;
W/4 of those 2/$5 throws - good to 19°F
If it gets colder, then it's 3 Dog Nite
 
I've got to second the posters (and HDR) who recommend/ed first having adequate passive heat retention - e.g properly rated sleeping bags and pads for your conditions so you never have to be concerned about something mechanical failing at a bad time. I've slept out in the open in some pretty frigid and bitter conditions. I can attest to the effectiveness of proper equipment in keeping warm (or "Staying Alive!" sorry - disco flashback). :LOL:

Cheers
 
MrNoodly said:
Whenever there's a discussion about keeping warm, there seems to be a group or wool users and a group of down users—and no crossovers. I keep wondering why the difference in preferences. Is it regional? Cultural? Climate related? Age related?
Click to expand...

I think it's more about what each person considers cold. I go down to Louisiana in December and I am dressed in shorts and they are wearing winter coats. It's about what material makes you feel comfortable.
 
Tony's Dream said:
I think it's more about what each person considers cold. I go down to Louisiana in December and I am dressed in shorts and they are wearing winter coats. It's about what material makes you feel comfortable.
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I've seen that in NW Florida... 56 degrees and they've got on heavy coats, gloves, scarves and caps - you'd think a blizzard was blowing in.
 
bpdchief said:
I've seen that in NW Florida... 56 degrees and they've got on heavy coats, gloves, scarves and caps - you'd think a blizzard was blowing in.
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That's Lower Alabama too. Can't believe the Minnesota level winter gear that gets pulled out for 40 degrees...

Cheers!
 
A bit off topic:
I was in Maine some few summers ago, & the temps got to 95°F for a week or so.
I was in long sleeves, steaming wallpaper off - I was comfortable.
The woman I was working for & all her friends? They had their feet in tubs of ice, fans on high ... I seriously thought they were gonna heat stroke.
 
fantym1 said:
A bit off topic:
I was in Maine some few summers ago, & the temps got to 95°F for a week or so.
I was in long sleeves, steaming wallpaper off - I was comfortable.
The woman I was working for & all her friends? They had their feet in tubs of ice, fans on high ... I seriously thought they were gonna heat stroke.
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I'm sorry everyone..... many years ago my son and I were putting a new roof on my moms garage..probably 105 in the shade. I had on long sleeve cotton shirt, Sean had on muscle shirt... "Dad how can you work in that long sleeve shirt", end of the day, he was beet red and hurting - guess who now wears long sleeves year round.
 
wanderlust said:
Wool keeps being warm even when damp. Down, not so much. So I guess down users are not concerned about getting sweaty, or have convenient way to dry the setup.
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I had a friend who lived in Amsterdam for a year. He said he always felt cold, and he tried every fabric and fill combination available, including Tyvek. He said that the ONLY thing that really kept him warm was wool. We thought it was interesting that the best material is abundant, organic, and biodegradable. No worries about fibers getting into the ocean and killing marine life either.
 
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