Autumn Camping Tips: Gear Checklist and Guide on How To Stay Warm During This Season

Most people consider autumn to be the perfect time for buying wine and staying at home under a warm blanket, with some calming music playing in the background while the cold is dominating outside most of the time. However, for many, it is also the perfect time to go camping – and there are several reasons for that.

First of all, most campers have already put their camping gear in the closet and won’t be taking it out until the next year. During autumn, the number of campers is significantly lower, which means that you can truly enjoy the outdoors in peace. What’s more, the scenery during this season is just beautiful. When taking advantage of outdoor activities, such as hiking or cycling, you sweat less, as the weather is not as warm as it is during the summer – it makes them more pleasurable.

While there are many more reasons why autumn is a great time for camping, that’s not the point of our article. Preparing for camping in colder months is slightly different, as you need to, for example, take warmer clothes than you would in July or August. We understand that, which is why we decided to gather some of the best tips for camping during autumn.

Want to find out more? Just keep reading then.

Autumn Camping Gear Checklist

Having the right gear is essential, not only during autumn but also during the rest of the year. It doesn’t matter if you are staying in a cabin or roughing it in a tent – the right gear will protect you from the cold and make your whole trip much more enjoyable.

So what exactly should you take? Well, here are a few ideas:

• Good sleeping bag – when choosing the sleeping bag for autumn camping, you need to pay special attention to proper insulation – always choose one that will protect you from temperatures lower than you expect to encounter. If you need to, bring and use two sleeping bags.
• Folding chair – during autumn, not only the weather is colder, but so is the ground, which means that for your own comfort, you should bring a folding chair with you. There are many options available on the market, so if you don’t know which one to choose, you can always read more about the best folding chairs at outdoorwithj.com or a similar website.
• Wool or down blanket – this is a great way of keeping you warm and dry throughout the entirety of your trip. A definite advantage is that both wool and down blankets are lightweight and easy to travel with, which means you won’t even notice them in your backpack.
• Hot water bottle – another way of keeping you warm during the night. Warm up the water on the cookstove or campfire, and use it to fill in the bottle. Place the bottle at the foot of your sleeping bag – it will keep your toes warm.

How to Stay Warm In Your Tent

While a good sleeping bag and pad should be enough to keep you warm during the night, sometimes the temperature might be lower than you expected it to be. That’s why it’s important to be prepared for everything – here is how you can keep yourself warm during your autumn camping trip:

• Share your body heat – it doesn’t matter if you have your dog, partner, friend, or family member in the tent with you – snuggle up to them, as their body temperature will keep you warm, just like yours will do to them.
• Do some jumping jacks – there’s no denying that physical activity warms us up – that’s why whenever we felt cold during winter, our parents told us to move a little bit in place. If you want to create heat that will warm up not only you but also your tent, do some jumping jacks or another sort of physical exercise before you hit the sack.
• Use an emergency blanket – you can either place it on top of your sleeping bag or tape it to the ceiling of your tent.

Stay Occupied

If you find the right place for camping, you will have more than enough to do during your trip – be it going for a hike, rock climbing, or just going on a walk around the campsite, for example, collect the autumn leaves (a very good option if you have smaller children that need to remain occupied).

A lot of campsites are located in the vicinity of apple orchards, with some even being on the property) which means that you can go apple picking – a great daytime activity for people of all ages. It will also save you some money, as you will not have to bring or buy as much food – after all, apples are a great snack.

Since it’s autumn – the Halloween season – another activity that you can organize is pumpkin picking. Once you come back to your campsite, you and your friends, family, or whoever you are on a trip can carve them – not only is it fun, but you also get a cool Halloween decoration. It’s a win-win if you ask us.

Be Aware of the Wildlife

While wild animals such as bears are dangerous throughout the whole year, they become even more dangerous during autumn. Why? – you might ask. Well, that’s because their food supplies start to die off, which means that they are even more determined in finding food resources that will help them get through the next couple of months.

If you have any food in airtight containers, remember to seal them up so that they won’t attract animals. Also, look out for bees and wasps – while it might seem like they are not that much of a threat, they become more active and more aggressive during autumn. It’s better to be safe than sorry – especially since some people don’t even know whether they are allergic to them.

The Bottom Line

Regardless of what many people think, autumn is the perfect season for camping – the temperature is not that high, which means it will not tire you out, there are significantly fewer people, and many campsites actually lower their prices since there are not as many people as during summer.

However, autumn is also a specific season – especially because of the weather that can unexpectedly change within a few hours. That’s exactly why you need to be prepared for everything. We hope that our tips will help you in organizing and planning out your little camping trip. Have fun!

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