We get a lot of questions when travelling in our van during the winter months. Usually around how we stay warm or how we are going to keep the kids warm. For myself, I find it nostalgic having the cold winter air and being tucked up in a duvet or sleeping bag. There are lots of things you can do to stay warm but the below are our top picks and what we do to stay warm on the colder nights.
♨️Diesel Heater – We have a combi heater, diesel and electric which we upgraded during the configuration of our Camper van. This means if we are on EHU we use the heater with electric and if not we can use it with diesel or a mix of both. It warms up very quick in the van and when on EHU we can also leave it on low all night.
🛌 Duvet – Call us snobs but we use duvets rather than sleeping bags (we tried them and I (Tasha) didn’t like it!). Now we have the extra space in the Hymer we can also leave the duvets on the beds which makes life easier. Using duvets just adds a little home comfort.
👶🏼Fleece Onesies – Our children have fleecy onesies to wear when it’s colder. You can get them from lots of shops and when the temperature drops, you can put them on by themselves or on top of layers. We also keep an eye on them to make sure they are not too hot. Our youngest onesie comes with enclosed feet a well.
🧦Thick socks – Even to sleep in if it’s cold. There is nothing worse than having cold feet. Some people hate sleeping in socks and others love it. We are split but worth having a pair handy just in case.
🥿Slippers – To wear around the van to keep our feet warm and also to keep the van clean. It is a little luxury that just makes sense.
👚Fleece jumpers or Oodies – When it’s really cold you can wear these to sleep in. They are also great for just lounging around in or outside and staying warm. Tasha loves her Oodie and it is very comfy. https://theoodie.co.uk (Not an affiliate link)
🔥Hot water bottles – A great way to heat the bed up and keep you nice and toasty
The kids are the priority to keep warm, especially during the night but luckily, we are usually all toasty when tucked in and it’s when you leave the bed you start to feel it. We are also planning on doing some van trips to the snow this winter so we will be investing in a thermal windscreen cover and insulation for our pop top!
Sleeping arrangement for a family of 4 in a Hymer Free s600
In case you were wondering. We have a double bed at the back of our Hymer Free s600, a pop top with another double bed and a conversion kit for the dining area which makes another (smaller) double bed.
On calm nights – Tasha and the children all sleep downstairs under a duvet and have lots of room. The children sleep at either ends of the bed to create more space as they are not big enough to touch each others feet yet. Luke then sleeps in the pop top. Our oldest also comes in the pop top from time to time when it is warm enough.
On stormy nights – All 4 of us sleep downstairs on the double bed. We all fit absolutely fine and although it is a little more snug, it just adds to the warmth.
We bought the conversion kit during configuration with the idea that we could use it when we cannot open the pop top but as we all fit on the double bed, we have not had to use it yet. We also thought our oldest may want to use it when he is a bit older if he wants his own space.
