Science minded people--help me engineer a simple structure to stay warm?

If in a tent not sure it might help if you had a cot so your bedding wouldn't be on the cold ground. And do the other suggestions others have.

 

Pretty brain fogged at the moment but remember my grandma telling me when she was young on the farm they would heat bricks or stones on the wood stove, wrap them in clothes or fabric and take them to bed with them. Solar greenhouses used in winter are designed using the same principle where one wall is made of stone or barrels of water and they spend the day collecting heat from the sun so it stays warm during the night. Something solid and dense will hold heat a long time. Wished I better ideas for you and sorry that you are going through such a difficult situation on top of your illness.

 

Thick newspapers are helpful for making a bed warmer. Noisy when you move around but really helps cold from coming through. I had to do this one year while camping.

 

Useful suggestions to think about already. Bubble wrap may be useful. My husband suggested that and a large tarpaulin over your tent. I don’t know what your tent is like but that would seem a low energy expenditure thing you and your sister could do quickly. That and insulating under the tent/ groundsheet.

You’ll know this I think, but keep your blood sugar level up as well as the hot drinks. High energy snacks. You’ll be using more energy to keep warm.

I’m so sorry for your situation. Please keep us posted as to how you are doing.

 

My initial thoughts as an industrial designer and engineer that spent a lot of time camping in colder regions:

Layers are everything, both for clothing and insulation.

As has been suggested, having a tarp over your tent is a simple but likely effective solution. A tarp that keeps rain and snow off would also allow for a few old blankets between the tent and the tarp that could really help keep the warmth in while still breathing a little.

A layer of styrofoam or similar underneath the tent should also help keep the cold from seeping up too badly. Actually any kind of boards you can use to create some distance and layering between you and the ground will help reflect the cold back in the ground and the heat back inside. Stone and sand are the worst to be on as they will actually draw the heat out.

ETA: Thick blankets/carpets on the floor would likely help too!

Here in Norway we are obviously used to some pretty cold and rough weather and what we are taught from childhood is

1) there’s no such thing as bad weather only bad clothes,

2) Always have wool as the innermost layer (it will keep you warm even when wet) - if wool is a problem thermowear is a good #2,

3) dressing in multiple layers that are not too tight or thick will allow you to regulate your temperature as needed and creates small air pockets between layers that add extra insulation,

ETA: 4) avoid cotton and similar if you can as these fabrics soak up moisture and keeps it in making them effectively cooling, especially against your skin

5) putting something on your head can be more effective than another pair of socks.


Eta2: All of the above is based on doing this as easily and cheaply as possible, without any major construction.

If you are going to invest in something I would prioritize a good quality sleeping bag made for the winter.

 

I'm in the UK, so I'm not sure what the above items are called in the US. Here we would call the first an 'emergency foil blanket' and the second is an example of 'Airtech' double layer bubble foil insulation, which is effective for both insulation against heat loss (keeping a room warm in winter) and against over-heating from sunlight (keeping a room cooler in summer). Airtech foil will deteriorate if exposed to weather directly, so it needs some sort of external protection (wood, glass etc.) It can be layered beneath or between external plywood using a staple gun (or tacks) or used in conjunction with high density foam insulation board for extra warmth.

If I was building an outside shelter for an animal (as an example) there are a few design features I would consider essential. Firstly, raising it off the ground (i.e. creating a raised platform on legs, even if only 6-12 inches off ground level) - this could be normal wood or external plywood. Then making it as small as possible to allow body heat to be reflected back inside. I think the latter feature is the idea of the Bivouac:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bivouac_shelter

A more robust version of the emergency blanket is available, for example:




Also, when sleeping, using a 'bivvy bag' over the sleeping bag makes an enormous difference. They've come along way since I was a teenager doing the Dartmoor Ten Tors expeditions in England in the 1980s, which were pretty grueling with the practice trianing taking place in extreme weather. Even as a teenager my feet and hands would go white and numb in the cold, so I also used to use a hot water bottle when treking and camping, probably the only young person needing this!

 

Oh yes, I also used to wear my Icelandic knitted jumpers, handmade by my mum the traditional way with genuine Icelandic wool!

 

An idea for something to use as a ‘floor’ could be those thick playmats that look like gigantic jigsaw puzzles. You could do several layers if necessary and they should be easier to handle than big boards.

Like this:

 

Regarding acquiring warm but cheaper clothing, I'm not sure if you have the equivalent of 'Army surplus' stores in the USA? Here in the UK there are often much cheaper options than buying expensive gear from specialist camping stores, with highly inflated prices. For example, extra warm sleeping bags and thermal wear can be bought from this sort of store:

https://forcesuniformandkit.co.uk/

 

This sort of thing:

 

A sub-zero sleeping bag will more than do the trick. Some are as good as -45C.

Will likely not be found down south but from any online store in the northern states they should be easy to find, even from military surplus.

For the tent itself definitely nothing better than reflective covers, the same kind emergency crews work. They reflect infrared, creating a greenhouse, and can make a good tent lining.

 

Haven't had the energy to respond. But I come from an extremely cold climate, and fully support @andypants's complete post. The most important "structure" is what you have close to your body to maintain body heat. The tent is good for cutting down wind, but you can't hope to heat a tent up enough to keep you warm. Layering of efficient heat trapping clothing is where it's at.

Try to find wool if possible. You might find cast-off woolens at a Goodwill or Salvation Army store for low price.

So sad that you're in this position, W. Take care.

 

I was going to suggest that too. My hubby's got one of those, he used to a lot of hiking, hill walking in Scotland and crush out in a bothy with one of those. They are life savers. One year our heating is broken down in January and I spent 4 days in it.

 

Would setting up a gofundme be a possibility to get you some money, so you could rent a camper / garden hut / shed ?
I'd love to chip in to get you into a winterproof and heatable shelter (or at least some really good equipment).

Is there an emergency housing program for homeless people during the winter months? I know that dormitories are not an option for you, but here in Germany some church communities offer a number of containers. ETA: maybe there is something similar where you are.

Winter camping requires a high-caloric diet!

Re: duvet or sleeping-bag: while feathers are very good in keeping you warm, they are a disaster once they get wet. They clump and you'd have a very hard time to get them dry again.

 

Maybe you'd also qualify for a one-time payment from the AMMES Financial Crisis Fund.
(it is on hiatus at the moment while they are fundraising, but still...)

 

I already have a GoFundMe, that ive used most of thr money from to see ME specialists and also to get out here. It was surprisingly expensive to get out here and live like this even tbough we spent most of our time doing cheap solutioms like camping, obviously occasionally spend a night in an Airbnb or koa or hotel to get a reprieve from cold and rough life... Since im too sick to work we used a lot of money getting out here and i dont have SSI yet... We are in a rough spot financially even though it looks like i raised a lot of money. I think we spent it well and it was over two years with little financial support from my paremts beyond meals but it doesn't look like im broke if you just look at the total number on gofundme. I feel as if I've exhausted my financial support network to an extent.

Also i figured it would be against forum rules to post my gofundme. I just wish there was a charity that coukd help as its unsustainable to rely on donations and its going to take forever to get ssi im sure of it.

That said, i guess i will make an Amazon wishlist with gear on it (that way anyone who helps can be sure their money is going directly toward essentials --not that i would misuse it but i know sometimes people like that better than GoFundMe) and if anyone is interested in helping with that they can direct message me for that info or my gofundme --wont post it on the board.


Also there are a lot of great suggestions here. Thanks!

@rvallee i know our "five degree" rated sleeping bags do not feel that warm but ive seen better reviews on the sub zero ones mayne those are exponentially better, definitely think its time for a step up

 

I wondered about that and hope they make their goal but i know enviromental sensitivies are a controversial topic in ME world so I was unsure if they'd want to do that

 

Although for the record while i do wonder if "mcas" is a useful diagnostic category, i do think mast cell activation is part of the inflammatory response in my illness, and i have blood markers of it (high IgE, anti IgE antibodies, high tryptase and high histamine). In fact with the elevated tryptase i think a lot of doctors would think rechecking it and testing for mastocytosis is worth doing. And i would do that if seeinf doctors wasnt sort of on hold until i find my ideal livinf situation and stability

And anecdotally i went from being totally bedridden and crawling to the bathroom elevating my hr uncomfortably , and often experiencing episodes of paralysis , to being able to walk the length of a football field without heart rate breaking 100 --that was at my highest point a few qeeks ago in death valley , before i had a slight downturn from some other factors.

So , i do appreciaye the sympathy and feel like my situation is very hard and its its warranted, but this is why i feel like i cant go home to my parents house and why id rather freeze. Its not like im choosing to live outside forever or to freeze but I just have choices where neither option is good exactly

 

So what you're basically saying is my proposed xps foam tent wouldnt actually hold heat that well, ans that it would be way better to focus on retaining body heat?

My idea for the xps tent came from someone else who apparently used it to stay warm but i think she occasionally closed the ends too to stay warm and maybe that would be necessary to retain heat