Bed canopy anyone?

[Matlock]

I noticed a lady carrying baby in a car seat with top cover pulled down over the child to keep the wind and cold out. Got me to thinking. I've used mosquito netting in the tropics but never considered using something similar to keep body heat inside my bed area while sleeping.

A bit of searching indicates that a silk or parachute type fabric can keep the sleeper approx. 10* warmer than ambient air inside the surrounding room. Obviously that number is debatable, however, this still has some merit.

I could hang a rope and drape a 600 count king size sheet over it down to the floor all around. That would work, but was wondering if anyone else is using a canopy or has an idea on the how and what might work well?

 

[karl]

In my first van I had a closet rod over the bed and would tent the bed with a kingsize comforter.
The rod fit in a notched board on each end (bed across back)

Considered heavy curtains at the edge of bed, but never did it.

 

[Cheli]

I plan on doing that when I do my build but was thinking for decor purposes, never thought of it as a utilitarian purpose but that makes sense.

 

[Almost There]

We do the same with sleeping hammocks in colder weather. Some come with a wind/warmth cover built in and others improvise.

My hammock was constructed with a built in bug net because I'm rarely camped where there isn't a more than fair chance of biting insects.

The bug net alone keeps the inside warmer by at least 5 F if not more.

Just be careful that you don't get it too warm in there, then you'll have condensation issues and it could turn in to more like a rain forest than a warm place to sleep.

 

[Matlock]

Just be careful that you don't get it too warm in there, then you'll have condensation issues and it could turn in to more like a rain forest than a warm place to sleep.

Yes, that's a concern and next on my list. Which fabric is best at keeping heat in but still allows the internal space to breathe. Maybe a polar fleece. Gonna take someone with more experience with fabric's than I have.

It would be nice to wake up and at least put on sweats and slippers inside a warm canopy/tent cocoon before I climb out of bed for nature or coffee, etc.

The NE is getting a bit nippy in the AM.

 

[ZoNiE]

"Getting out of bed for nature" Interestingly put!

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

... but was wondering if anyone else is using a canopy or has an idea on the how and what might work well?

from Wikipedia: "Canopy beds with curtains that could completely enclose the bed were used by lords and noblemen in medieval Europe for warmth and privacy"

One original purpose of canopy bed was to trap body heat in a small area, basically you're making a small bedroom.

We do the same with sleeping hammocks in colder weather. Some come with a wind/warmth cover built in and others improvise.
...
Just be careful that you don't get it too warm in there, then you'll have condensation issues and it could turn in to more like a rain forest than a warm place to sleep.

  A person breathes out about a pint of water a night.  With my Bibler I-Tent (waterproof, breathable) I start to have condensation issues at about 0°F.  A tent with a waterproof rain fly will have condensation (humidity dependent) on the inside of the fly starting as high as 45°F.  Waterproof fabrics will retain a little more heat but will have more condensation problems.

Something insulating (blanket material) would increase heat retention, as would making it as small as practical.  Polypropylene bunting might work good.

-- Spiff

 

[Matlock]

Almost There / Spiff,

With the inside of my Van heated to ~68* F at night with outside temps dropping to 20-25*F overnight, the inside temp in the AM is around 50*F. I'll guess at 75* under the bed/tent when I wake for morning pee.

Is that 25* difference gonna make it rain under my tent/canopy? Or should I plan on it and find myself a moisture absorbing dehumidifier thingy?

PS. I should have mentioned earlier that sleeping bags don't work for me. I'm always kicking covers off during the night so anything short of running a propane heater all night is a better option.

 

[sassypickins]

To help with the moisture issue: I filled several socks with silica kitty litter and tucked them around the van.  I think they really help.  They can last through several cycles of absorption/drying.  Since I don't really know how many that is, I'm just waiting until it feels like they're not working to change out the silica crystals. I also made little coffee filter silica packets with a couple of tablespoons in each and placed them in drawers and tool boxes.

I just went with the kitty litter option but there are other options out there, like flower drying silica.

Sassy

 

[akrvbob]

The bug net alone keeps the inside warmer by at least 5 F if not more.

[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]Just be careful that you don't get it too warm in there, then you'll have condensation issues and it could turn in to more like a rain forest than a warm place to sleep.[/font]

Along those lines I have a bug-jacket made of mosquito netting to keep them away from me--I hate Deet! Even though it is all netting, it still warms me up pretty good. If it's too hot, I'll put the deet on.

I think the canopy idea would work well to keep you warm. 

Because of possible moisture issues, I'd think about a wool blanket for the material.
Bob

 

[Almost There]

Along those lines I have a bug-jacket made of mosquito netting to keep them away from me--I hate Deet! Even though it is all netting, it still warms me up pretty good. If it's too hot, I'll put the deet on.

I think the canopy idea would work well to keep you warm. 

Because of possible moisture issues, I'd think about a wool blanket for the material.
Bob

Wool would probably be too heavy to deal with. Fleece keeps you warm but only when it's nestled against you, that's why I love snuggling in my fleece liner for the hammock.

We mostly use ripstop for things like that. It stops the heat loss, still breathes so it minimizes  condensation and it's light and easy to pack.

For full out winter camping the commercially made hammocks sometimes use either silnylon or a lightweight gortex for covers but they're also interested in wet weather protection as well as keeping the heat in. All of them have an opening of some kind above the face. Others zip right up closed and then use a bib type piece of fleece to catch as much breath condensation as possible.

 

[eDJ_]

Back in my Boy Scout days I had plenty of experiences camping out in cold weather.  I was in a tent that looked like a tall pyramid.   Even though my sleeping bag was warm it still got cold until I remembered a piece I had read
about staying warm.  I got my poncho out of the knapsack and laid it over the sleeping bag and went back to sleep.  

I was toasty warm for the rest of the night.  The sleeping bag was water proof and when I woke up the next morning there were puddles of water (condensate) on top of the bag. 

So I would imagine that some form of tent like material that would allow some breathing to occur while slowing down the heat loss from our body would be of benefit in the cold.  (the poncho just trapped the heat and moisture).

 

[flying kurbmaster]

or your could make it so only your head sticks out and wear a took, it is a great idea, I have a mosquito net that fits over the bed both in my Kurbmaster and the Caravan poptop and have used them both on occasions when the mosquitos or sandflies have been bad, even that is very warm. I think the idea of making it out of something like parachute material is the way to go just because it stores so easily, I have a hammock made of this stuff and it packs away so small. Maybe you should try a mosquito net first and see if that is enough then you could use it in the summer when you have a lot of bugs around they collapse pretty small and are inexpensive with a ring to expand them and one to hang them.

 

[dhawktx]

Wool is actually a great fiber for condensation problems, because it retains the moisture rather than dripping it down on you. However, you DO need to air it out the next day to ensure it dries. AND it doesn't have to be a heavy fabric to work. You can even find wool gauze for sale online.

My favorite knitting guru, Elizabeth Zimmerman, stated that 1930's winter baby 'soakers' (covers for cloth diapers) were always made of wool because they might be wet, but they were warm and wet, unlike cotton, the other natural fiber that absorbs well.

 

[GrantRobertson]

I read an article in a camping magazine once that suggested sleeping inside a giant plastic bag, inside your sleeping bag. You were supposed to climb inside the bag almost naked and pull the drawstring up around your neck. The idea is that the bag traps humidity from your body and prevents evaporative cooling. They were sold on the idea. However, I don't know if it ever caught on.

OK, so I am not willing to go that far. However, one thing I do when it is cold is to put my head under the blankets for a little while until my breath has raised the air temperature and humidity level under the blankets enough to keep me warm. Another trick I have used is to cover my head but allow a long, narrow passage for air to get under the blankets. I position the blankets such that when I breath in and out the change in the size of my body lifts the blanket slightly, thus pumping just enough fresh air into the space under the blankets. This allows me to keep as much heat and humidity under the blankets with me as possible but also allow enough air exchange that I don't start feeling as if I am suffocating. Oddly enough, I had to learn how to do this during the summer because my son is one of those people who likes the thermostat turned way, WAY down in the summer, and I live in his house.

 

[highdesertranger]

I couldn't do the sleeping in a bag thing. I would be a soaking mess in a couple hours. highdesertranger

 

[BradKW]

Is condensation issues a common problem with living in a vehicle? I could easily imagine it forming on the metal walls, behind insulation and such, and eventually causing rust or mold...

 

[highdesertranger]

a lot of the condensation problems depend on the climate you are end. high humidity, low temps = a lot of condensation. highdesertranger

 

[akrvbob]

It hasn't been a long term issue for me.
Bob

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

I read an article in a camping magazine once that suggested sleeping inside a giant plastic bag, inside your sleeping bag. You were supposed to climb inside the bag almost naked and pull the drawstring up around your neck. The idea is that the bag traps humidity from your body and prevents evaporative cooling. They were sold on the idea. However, I don't know if it ever caught on.

It was called a vapor barrier liner and the idea was to keep your down insulation from absorbing water from your perspiration (and loosing insulating value).  It was tried in the 80's (?) for surviving in very cold climates on long trips.  It kinda, sorta worked when I used it in sub 0°F temps, but was never very comfortable (mine was a coated nylon bag) . I would wear just long underwear in the VBL.

I couldn't do the sleeping in a bag thing.  I would be a soaking mess in a couple hours. 

The only way it would work is if you were cold enough not to sweat.  Uncomfortable, but that's normal for mountaineering.  It was always a twisted mess for me in the morning and it ended up in the bottom of the sleeping bag if the temps were above 0° (I was using a -20° down bag).

-- Spiff