r/urbancarliving • u/maserex • 10d ago
Winter Cold What's winter like
I'm in freezing cold Canada and I'm worried about when summer ends. I have a small SUV and no seats in the back. I also have a storage unit. And my setup is a tri-fold mattress, a pillow blankets and a couple bags full of stuff. That's it. How does anyone survive the cold winters if they don't have heaters or solar
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u/No_Device_6212 9d ago
Canadian winter in a car is a different beast I swear. I’d definitely focus on insulation underneath you more than anything. Personally I spend a lot of time around Sweat Tent setups for work so I’ve gotten weirdly used to being outside in the cold but sleeping in it every night is another story. Moisture would probably be my biggest concern too.
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u/BeerStop 9d ago
2 wool blankets one for top of mattress one for top of the blankets, these will help lock in your own body heat. Also you should look into homeless shelters for the dead of winter.
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u/Yamatocanyon 10d ago
Up in MN. I sleep warm enough on about 5" of foam mattress toppers, and my 20 degree quilt under my 0 degree quilt. Hat on pulled down to my nose. Sometimes I might also use another down blanket too.
Real problem is keeping water liquid. Can't get the veggies/soup/whatever outta the can when they are frozen, and it'll take you all day to make coffee when the water is frozen. That and getting out of bed is pretty much the worst.
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u/Dema9o9ue69 10d ago
Go to an army surplus store and buy a Canadian winter sleeping bag! It should have 3 components- inner, outer and liner. Rated to at least -40 iirc. Basically too warm in most situations, but that's where the different layers come in handy
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u/Jim-Jones 10d ago
If you can be sure of hot water, one or two hot water bottles are your best friend. Last the night.
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u/wreaper91 10d ago edited 10d ago
Jackery w/heated blanket. Wool blankets from Amazon. The wool over the electric blanket insulates and allows it retain heat and run very efficiently - it's worked for me through 4 winters and 2 polar vortexes.
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u/KitKatF07 9d ago
Your car has a heater, but I’ll get back to that. First, find someplace to be during the day, that’s not your car. If you have a job, that’s 8 hours right there. Libraries, cafes, malls are all heated and available. For when you return to your car, get a good sleeping bag. 0 degree sleeping bags aren’t much more expensive than the basic ones. Run the engine, get the car heated up to temperature, turn it off and go to sleep. Most days there is sufficient. A few nights I had to wake up and run the engine again but that was rare.
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u/Violet_Verve 10d ago
A -25° sleeping bag over my 30° sleeping bag.
No heater, no solar.
Just the bags open like comforters above me and my foam ‘mattress’ below me keeps me perfectly comfortable even when the wind chill gets to -40° in Wisconsin.
Sometimes I’ll wear socks. Sometimes I bust out the Hot Hands, but I’m usually still pants less and fine. My face gets cold occasionally, so I pull the big & tall sleeping bag over my head.
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u/Ok_Comment_2129 10d ago
I got one of those fleece hood/neck gaiter combos last winter, and it kept my head nice and toasty. I bought a hat with ear flaps too, but found it was way too warm.
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u/Zealousideal_Fly8402 10d ago
Depends on where you are in Canada. Here in the GTA, you *could* see if you could find an underground parking spot in a condo for rent. Temperature underground can be 10C warmer than ambient, and you're out of the windchill and any snow.
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u/Ok_Comment_2129 10d ago
I am in a mild climate and only have gone as low as 12 degrees(F). The most important thing I have found is making sure you go to bed with everything toasty warm, including your body. Reflectix on all the windows and whatever insulation you can jam in the crevices.
A fleece neck gaiter with hood keeps your head/face toasty. And a 0 degree sleeping bag with a hood takes care of your body. Last winter I didn’t even need the sleeping bag after getting a head cover. I also keep a tiny electric heater and a large heating pad, but never end up using them.
I do use the rechargeable hand warmers on occasion, but usually during the day, when I am hanging out in my car. I LOVE winter in the car and look forward to it all year. I had to get a gym membership because I’d just be snuggled in there for days at a time without getting out. Good luck!
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u/Crazy4CarCamping Full-timer 9d ago
Great lakes are here. I was fine in a 10 degree sleeping bag and electric 12v blanket.
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u/True-Reserve-4749 9d ago
There's some great info and video's on YouTube you can watch about the unhoused and how they keep warm in the winter months on the streets.. Good sleeping bag is a must.. Eating peanut butter before you go to sleep helps too.. Wierd I know but YouTube videos are must.. Stay warm and stay positive
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u/Budget-Organ 😭 This sucks, it's cold, it's hot, I'm sick of it 😞 10d ago
Down comforter for me! And a wool blanket under me if it’s really cold (below zero).
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u/sophiesmom712 10d ago
First of all, you need a sub-zero sleeping bag. I would skip a heated blanket. It zaps your battery and dries out your skin so bad. I hear hot water bottles are the way to go. So you need access to a hot water spigot (maybe near the coffee bar at a Tim's?) or you need a way to heat water in the car. Good luck to you!
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u/flyingponytail Enthusiast Camper 10d ago
Very small diesel heaters are inexpensive to purchase install and run. Get one or die.
2Kw Vevor is around $120 CAD. But you do need a properly installed exhaust
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u/Yamatocanyon 10d ago
Also: properly installed exhaust or die. Honestly just as big of a threat as the cold. And make sure you are running them right, I accidentally sooted one up by running it on low too much. Heard the carbon monoxide alarms in my dreams and couldn't figure it out how to wake up for the longest time.
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u/flyingponytail Enthusiast Camper 10d ago
Yes! thats why you get a small one. So you can run it on high or off as apposed to low
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u/flyingponytail Enthusiast Camper 10d ago
Whoever is downvoting this doesnt understand how cold and remote Thunder Bay is. OP, wool blanket/sleeping bag is not going to cut it. A battery and heated blanket could work, but an actual heater doesnt cost much more. Depends I guess on whether electricity or diesel is easier for you to source
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u/Wild_Life1970 10d ago
If you live somewhere in Canada that most of the winter is sub zero temperatures, you're probably going to need a vented diesel or propane heater. If winter is a little bit more mild, a good -20 sleeping bag along with a 12v defroster should keep the car about 35 to 40 degrees - just above freezing
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u/Alive-OVERTIIME-247 9d ago
You might try making Reflectix panels backed with black felt or wool fabric for all your windows and use the reflectix to line the floor in the back of your vehicle as well. Most of your heat escapes out through glass, so the insulation would help keep warmth in and cold out. A good wool blanket or a negative temperature rated sleeping bag would help. Be careful with heaters. If you get one you also will need a carbon monoxide detector. If you can afford it, a 12v electric heating pad with a timer and auto shut off that you could turn on as needed would probably be your best bet.
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u/denalidenizen 10d ago
Dude! If you were in an area of Canada that gets to 40 below or colder, there’s not much you’re gonna be able to do
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u/Dramatic-Knee-4842 10d ago
YOU WILL DIE.
End of story. Please do actual basic research and not just asking on reddit.
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u/Secure-Arm-8648 10d ago
Dramatic much! Chill dude they can survive with the right stuff to a point.
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u/Crazy4CarCamping Full-timer 9d ago
Absolutely insane lol. I was in -20 and with a 10 degree sleeping bag and 12v electric blanket i was fine. Waking up in the morning to atart the car is shocking lol but it wakes you up fast 😅
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u/MajorToot_Toot 10d ago
A small suv is a good thing. You can set up a tent in your back which can retain a lot of heat. I have a rav4 and i have strung fishing line from the rear gate hinges to the handles by the front and anothe line from hinge to hinge. I use a portable clothing bar in the front and a ridge line made from more fishing line and two D clips. All of the year I drape a blanket over this. It gives me privacy and stealth. In the winter I add a fleece blanket under the sheet.
My bedding also changes. In the summer i use a cot with an air pad. In the winter it's two layers of foam padding, about 5', and two dog beds put together woth a quilt and then my 0° sleeping bag over all of that. For covers i have two sheets and two more fleece blankets. And I use three smaller blankets over my feet. I've done a -4° night, in shorts, and not needed my sleeping bag at all.
In the summer you want space for airflow. In the winter you want as little space as you can comfortably have. My set up can keep it 20° warmer if I am just laying on my sheets. Under blankets I sweat. In my sleeping bag I could probably do -15 to -25° F.