Ideas for staying warm

There’s some great gear on the market to help you sleep warm and cozy in a tent.

If you know someone who camps, here are some gift ideas.

Compressible waterproof drybag / stuffsack from Seattle Sports - about $13

• How about an inflatable pillow? Lots of added comfort, little extra weight. I got mine at EMS ( www.ems.com  ) about 20 years ago, still holds air . . .
   
• Your sleeping bag and the clothes you sleep in work best if they are dry. I use a compressible waterproof drybag/stuffsack from Seattle Sports ( www.seattlesportsco.com ). It holds and compresses everything, has never failed.
   
• Sleeping pads make great gifts. Two companies produce really excellent products: Cascade Designs ( www.cascadedesigns.com ) makes the excellent Z-Rest closed cell foam pad and a host of self-inflating air mattresses. Lately, I’ve been using ground cloths, Insulamat air mattresses and foam pads from Pacific Outdoor Equipment ( www.pacoutdoor.com ).
   
• If you want to get someone a sleeping bag for a gift, you’re probably going to have to enlist their help because there are a lot of personal preferences involved. I’ve had great luck with the inexpensive, synthetic-filled mummy bags in the Coleman “Exponent” series ( www.coleman.com  ), though they appear to have stopped making the “Canyon 15” which is the bag that was keeping me cozy last weekend.
   
• One of my camping buddies has been showing off a new Down-filled bag from Mountain Hardware ( www.mountainhardwear.com ) which is very high quality, much lighter than any equivalent synthetic bag, much more expensive and requires more care. They also make some very lightweight synthetic-fill bags.