From an ex-Denali guide
I’ll say definitely wear the hat and snug the bag up around your neck and shoulders. Wear nothing else! Your naked body will warm up the bag nicely. Sounds wrong, but try it!
I DO know what I speak of here as I have plenty an arctic night in tents and ice caves.
I also far prefer down even on coastal PNW paddle trips, of which I’ve done many. I use a light down bag inside a light synthetic overbag.
This allows for options as well as a dew layer to protect the down from un-avoidable condensation. Best of both worlds.
A Rock
Seriously. Get a good sized rock and put it near the camp fire. Get it nice and warm then put it down by your feet. Mmm…
Not near so nice as a woman but it works.
Don’t go to bed
COLD… if you’re already cold, or even chilly, don’t climb in the sleeping bag and expect it to warm you. It will merely preserve your chilly body in its chilly state.
Warm up… eat a handful or two of trailmix to give your insides something to work on to generate heat, do some jumping jacks (yeah, I know, kind of counters the getting sleepy feeling), jog around the site, etc. Then climb into the bag with a headlamp and a good book. You’ll fall asleep in no time. Warm body will warm the bag faster, and you’ll be warmer all night long.
I use a 20 degree Big Agness bag and pad (2.5" thick) and I am COZY warm at night.
Wool
Make or buy one of these: http://www.blanketbrigade.com/Witney%20Capotes.htm
I keep one handy to wear on chilly drizzly days in camp and to throw over the sleeping bag at night. You can buy a pattern and make one with a hood out of a 6 point Hudson Bay blanket. Or just buy a 3 1/2 or 4 point blanket and keep it uncut as a blanket to use camping and at home. Woolrich is the Hudson Bay blanket dealer in America. Cabelas sometimes has them too.
sleeping bag temp ratings
suppose the sleeper is wearing a layer of long underware. So I do. Merino wool, to be exact. Ahh …
Sex
The others were thinking it …but I ain’t bashful.
Paddlin’ on
Richard
Hey that is my trick
did they teach you that in OCS?
Sex is only good for ??? minutes.
And who gets the wet spot in a sleeping bag?
Snuggling would be more appropriate.
minutes?
I don’t seem to have that problem 
but you might have a point: the wet patch…
Honestly, a decent sleeping bag should solve the problems. The rest of the suggestions are just a slight boost to inferior equipment.
When I snow camp out in the open (not kayaking) I make sure that I have a sleeping bag that will handle the conditions. All the blankets, hydration, warming devices etc won’t do me much good if I use a ghetto sleeping bag.
Gnarlydog
minutes my foot
and if it’s good neither will care about the wet spot.
Paddlin’ on
YAHOO! Guess who?
I can’t believe this
anyone who can’t figure out how to stay warm in a tent, shouldn’t be allowed outside without a keeper. This had to be a joke, right?
Keepin’ warm
Getcherself a fat tattooed lady. You’ll have heat fer the winter, shade in the summer, and movin’ pictures all year long.
thanks for your time
i will be camping-hiking-paddling in alaska—near glaciers at times—so i thankyou for all the advise—take care—phil
i do have a big agnes–rated at 20–plus a 2.5 pad–just wanted some extra and experienced advise
Could be …but
it’s another good thread to chime in on.
Do you really want to be serious all the time?
I like the fat lady idea. Might start lookin’ tonight when I go to the grocery store to check out items for the overnight early-bird get together dinner.
Paddlin’ on
Richard
Unfortunately, they aren’t hard to find.
past weekend
to once again reality test the gear i bring i slept outta the hypo kit…the only thing i brought extra was a sleeping pad…island off the coast of maine…a-yuh…
4 season thermo rest (oh, yeah…i highly recommend that piece o kit…nice) and then from the hypo kit a fleece bag liner inside of the large plastic bcu emergency bivy bag…fleece hat, wool socks, med weight fleece drawers tops/bottoms and a reusable chem heat pack.
big thick plastic bag is a nice water/wind barrier and everything else served to further insulate me.
it even rained and i was pretty comfy.
mighta/coulda used a nalgene full of hot water to cuddle up with.
ground
Something like a self inflating Thermarest, with foam and air inside, will insulate you from heat loss to the ground, much better than a straight air mattress or nothing. Probably common sense you have already though about, but FYI. With a Thermarest and a high quality bag, I think you could weather a lot.
JESUS!! No wonder you are cold at night
You are from SC & you do all that to try to stay warm???!! I am up here where it gets to -20 below at night in the winter, I do exactly what I stated above & am just fine all night.
http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/519045577RCZNBD
You realize that the more layers you put on you the less air around you, you will have to warm & in turn warm your body? Just from your description of how you try to keep warm, I would hate to camp with you… Wouldn’t be able to stand the complaining. LMAO!!
Paddle easy,
Coffee
Link to my webshots- kayaking/camping/hunting:
http://community.webshots.com/user/coffeeii
Kind of surprised
Unless I missed it up there somewhere, I’m sort of surprised no one has asked about this guy’s TENT…Sleeping bags and calories and all that are very important (and I second the sleeping with minimal clothes and a good sleeping bag is more than enough). But seriously, the size of the tent can go a long way towards explain chilly nights. Is the OP in a big tent? Little tent? I wouldn’t want some huge tent just to be sleeping solo. I realize this may sound dumb, but I’ve seen plenty of people show up at the campsite with 4-5 man tents for just themselves. Seems like a lot of extra work hauling it around and then heating it up at night when a lightweight solo would be better on your back and on your thermostat.
I think the sex is best left outdoors, then you snuggle in the tent. Just my take on it…- Toddy
I remember (attempted)sex outdoors.
Sand, sandspurs, mosquitoes.I guess I’ve gotten more practical in my old age.