I just posted this in another forum and thought I'd revive this seasonal thread. I'm hoping some of you will be interested in doing some winter camping this year!

How to sleep warm in the cold....

Polypro long johns (wicking base layer), a hat, and sock liners inside a good sleeping bag (Western Mountaineering or Feathered Friends).

Hot water inside a nalgene does a great job of heating the sleeping bag, or a hand warmer right over your heart.

Down tent booties or the liners from you plastic mountaineering boots to keep your feet extra warm.

If you need a warmer bag, bring a bivvy sack (10-15 degrees warmer) or a sleeping bag liner (5 degrees).

If you wake up cold, put your down jacket over the sleeping bag, eat some chocolate, and move around a bit.

Always go for a quick walk/ski/snowshoe to get the heart beating before going to bed.

NO alcohol

Hot sugary beverage before bed... A body burning calories generates heat (which is why the fatty chocolate helps too)

Swing your arms/legs in circles or your legs like a pendulum to get blood to your extremities
 

When I cold weather camp I will sleep with my beanie hat on, Also makes for some interesting hair do's in the morning. And for me the most important is the base layer, I have a couple of ninja outfits the army gave me and with those on most cool days I can get away with just pants and a t-shirt over them. If you don't have a set of those Cabela's sells them now..

 Another cheapy is.. I carry 2 plastic bags that the newspaper comes in. If you get caught unprepared these make pretty good water proof socks and keep your feet warm.

 Benny, ever the recycler.

Reminds me of a time backpacking with my friend in December on Mt.Whitney. We were so tired coming down that we used the black garbage bags we carried to make sleds. Put the sleeping pad folded over inside the gb, put the packs on top, sat on the packs and sledded down through a big open space. It was a bit hairy at times going backwards, very little control but it was sure fun.

 Those are very cool. I like the gaiter hooks. Can the boots charge from a 12v car system for long trips?

 I paste in that link to the Columbia site and those boots are not there. Are they no longer available?

edit:  this link works   

http://columbia.com/Bugathermo/Bugathermo_Landing,default,pg.html

Linky worked for me.

Linky worked for me.

But here is something else from experts in dealing with cold Russian winter where 40 or 50 below (actual temperature and not windchill) is not out of extraordinary.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valenki

Tight fitting boots limit circulation in toes. Those things work great if you can get over the image, and of course they are not quite as agile as boots

Superfeet sells their "Red Hot" inserts which are designed to help insulate your foot from the ground without adding much additional thickness.

If you are using plastics (mountaineering boots) the "Intuition Denali" liners are warmer and about 1/2lb lighter than the booties that come in most mountaineering boots.  They are heat formed for a perfect fit.  As Alex pointed out, circulation is essential.  When heat molding the liner they put a cup around your toes to insure that you have plenty of room to wiggle the little guys.

In the past, I've put an additional wool insulating layer below the wool inserts of my Sorels.  I've found that insulating myself from the ground really helps my feet stay warm when sitting around the fire on a cold night.

Man, I want to go winter camping now!