Originally Posted By: Phaedrus
In a true emergency though you might be surprised how comfortable you can be in a decent tent with a folding cot, especially with a Thermarest or similar self inflating mattress.


Learned through experience: normal air mattresses (for indoor use) do not work very well in colder weather. Even though air is supposed to be a good insulator, the mattress isn't very good for protecting you from the cool temperature of the ground. You need a real layer of insulation.

It's possible to feel like you're "warm enough," but still constantly losing heat. You think, hey, the mattress isn't cold, just a tad on the cool side, and in a minute my body will warm it up nice and toasty. But that never happens, and it just keeps draining heat from you.