I grew up camping in this area, but we generally only camped during the summer. I guess we went out a couple of times during hunting season, but didn't make a habit out of it.
Yesterday I had cabin fever pretty badly and with temps supposedly in the 50's, I hooked up my old pop-up camper and headed into the woods for a last-minute wild hair get into the woods camping trip.
I forgot how cold it gets at night in the mountains. My camper is one that I bought for $100 and am slowly restoring. It's in pretty good shape, really, for a 1970's pop-up camper. But, the propane line has a hole in it that supplies the furnace, so no heater.
I have a nice sleeping bag rated to -10 degrees. My brother and I talked today and he is of the opinion that the temperature rating of sleeping bags indicates at how cold of a temperature you can sleep in without dying and NOT what temperature you can sleep in and be comfortable. I agree. Last night it got down into the low 20's and I did not die.
But I was NOT comfortable...
Normally, I sleep in a tent, so I have a nice cot, a nice air mattress, and a thick comforter. It's usually down to maybe the upper 40's or 50's when I camp during the summer out here.
Well, this was a last minute trip and I forgot the comforter. And a pillow. I went to bed wearing a hooded sweatshirt and a stocking cap. I had to use the seat cushions to substitute for a pillow. Woke up a couple of times freezing and had to burrow further down into the sleeping bag and throw a coat over me.
But the first camping trip of the year is now in the bag.