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What are some safe options to stay warm in a tent? We used to have an electrical hook up for the camper. Would simply plug in the heater! The camper is gone now, and it looks like I'll be trying out the tent life. So, other than a good sleeping bag and lots of blankets are there any other good options? Female companion, four-legged companion, or...

Question if I may...you are not talking about backpacking, are you?

You seem to be aiming more at a base camp and packing from there.

we had a backpack stove with chimney, and the tent was set up for the pipe.

Kept 3 of us warm during elk hunt in colorado.

4ager and NH-K9 would have the specs on those items, but I suspect someone will be along shortly to talk about similar options.

Yes, I'm looking for more of a base camp type deal. But I'm prefer something quick and easy lightweight, lightweight, and very portable. I don't want to put up a $500 canvas tent for a quick overNight hunt. I figured this Forum was the closest I could find to gather information from some experts.

If you're talking about sleeping warm, your best bet is a good bag and a good thick pad underneath which is just as important. If you're talking about hanging out, and don't want to go full wall tent mode, a heated tipi from Kifaru or Seek Outside is the way to go. Kifaru has a classified forum and you can pick up a used tent/stove if you're diligent. Kevin T is the man to talk to about Seek Outside.

I thought so, what these fellows do seems to be more in the realm of a week and longer with a backpack which isn't common at all here in Australia.

Most of us here set up a base camp and pack out from there for a night or two, which is why we tend to use heavier ex-military canvas tents and stretchers (or a truck tarp).
A few of the sambar hunters do what these fellows are doing but not for the length of time.

Your questions may be better aired in the general hunting section...but these fellows certainly know a bucket load about light gear, stuff I have never even heard about.

If not a wall tent, then get a tipi that is the size you want. Either buy one with a stove jack or have one sewn in the one you buy. Then get a small wood stove and you are set. I had my stove built out of a piece of 10 inch stove pipe. Legs and 4 inch stove pipe fit inside.the whole stove weighs 6lbs.stove, tipi,and sleeping bag weigh 13 lbs.I pack in with horses, but still go light. Can come out with my camp, and a big mule deer on 1 pack horse.

I use two methods

In our big camp we use a wall tent and a wood stove

For my wife and myself in my 10x10 we use the Big Buddy on a 25lb bottle

I have an Ed T stove for my tent. It heats it great but it won't hold heat at all. A warm sleeping bag & pad are necessities.

A really good double bag with a really good pad underneath with a female (in my case) companion/girlfriend/wife inside. leave all clothes out of the bag and max heat will be conducted........YMMV

What is a really good pad?

For car camping you have a lot of options. Cabelas makes 2-3 inch-thick foam pads you can use on the ground or on a cot. They're inexpensive and light but a little bulky. If you stack two it's almost like sleeping on a bed. For lightweight packable pads that could do double-duty if you ever need to put them in a pack, look at Thermarest and Exped. They are more expensive and not really needed for car camping, just an option.

^^^^ this is what I do as well. I do run one in my 14x16 canvas tent as well. You may have to sit huddles around the heater but it works. The biggest thing is not run them all night and be careful for extended periods of time. CO poisoning sneeks up on you.

Big Agnes Insulcore

For road camping, I've gone to a heavy duty cot with 3" foam pad under a North Face Snow Shoe. In all seriousness, my cot/pad/sleeping bag is as comfortable as my bed at home. Plus its warm.

I also suggest wearing a fleece beanie at night. Its amazing how much difference keeping your head warm at night can make. When I'm in camp, I wear a fleece beanie all the time.

I've also heated up a jug of water in a plastic bottle and thrown it into my bed before I crawl in. Adding a body size hand warmer also helps.

Staying warm in a base camp setup isn't hard. In fact, one of my complaints is keeping it too warm. Most people new to camping in the cold think they're going to freeze to death when the temps drop below 20. With good equipment and a little thought it ain't that big a deal.

A $10 ensolite pad from Walmart put on top of an air mattress will add many degrees of warmth.

Don't skimp on a decent bag. I have a North Face ElkHorn.. at bedtime I cant wait to get in it, knowing I will sleep warm all night or about 4-6 hours when I got to pee. .

Start with a pad with an R rating of 6 or more. Like the Neo dream.
Roll a cot is great kit and will be easy for quick setup.
Then you need a 8 man tipi for lots of headroom.

What temperature ranges are you talking about? Locations?

West tx mostly. 20's and 30's are pretty common. Lots of wind.

For a car camp sleeping pad, a cheap Costco poly fill sleeping bag over a full size Thermorest or BA pad is the shizl. Have used this arrangement both in my wall tent and Coyote Camping it solo in the bed of my Toyota 4x4.

At elevation, things can get pretty damn cold. I concur on the fleece beanie for around camp and sleeping too. Usually live in a fleece neck gator too. My NF down mummy bag has a nice collar and hood, but the beanie/gator makes the unheated (no CO) sleeping space quite pleasant.

When hunting solo in-state, I usually Coyote Camp to be able to move quickly should the need arise (big snow storms, move with the elk, etc.). Found that using a pop up 10'x10' gazebo with some blue tarp sides provides a good shelter from rain/snow/wind that is much easier to manage on my own than a wall tent/stove/firewood. A couple Rubbermaid totes keep the rodents out of my food/gear. A propane Mr. Heater in the gazebo keeps both me and the water defrosted. It is a far stretch from a wood stove-heated wall tent, but I can be either set up or rolling down the mountain in less than 30 minutes.