Tent Inside Tent Winter Camping 

Insane. This guys camping game is next level.

I legit have no idea why I watched this, but it was fascinating none-the-less.

Steve: “I’m gonna put a tent in a tent.” 10 Million people: “Nice. I’ll watch.”

he camps alone but always cooks food for everyone truly cultured man

My evening ritual isn't complete without watching a few camping with Steve videos before bed!!!

Now this is what REAL RU-vid is all about. Just a dude sharing footage of an idea they had. No crazy sponsor advertisement, no crazy intro outtro, just a camera and some good times.

Something is just so emotionally appealing about trying to stay warm in the cold winter.

When I watch these videos I feel like I did when I was a kid goofing around in my backyard. "What if we put in small tent inside a big tent and then tried to heat it with candles???" I love it. 😀

Use the big fire, if you have one, if not use the candles to boil water for a hot water bottle. Burning candles into open area is pointless. You need a heat sink like the bottle to store the heat. If you have a container that seals boil a couple of potatoes and remove them, wrap in a pillowcase and toss in sleeping bag to warm it. Fry potatoes for breakfast. Then seal the hot water and place in second tent and it will give off heat it has stored.

"-7, so a little chilly" Classic Canadian

Steve: sets up tent and gives tips on how to withstand freezing cold and winds Me, a tropical person who lives on the equator: good to know.

Tarp down first under the fishing hut would have helped, Steve. But yep, concept works. Set up our 2 person dome tent inside huge canvas cabin tent (full-floor), at high elevation 4 Mile Campground in Park County, CO, in July. (It still snowed lightly that night, even in summer!) Humidity built up inside the dome tent from our breath overnight, but it was 20 degrees warmer inside the dome than the larger cabin tent, which was another 20 warmer than outside temp. Air-mattress and double-zipped together sleeping bags helped, too. Also, kept our clothes inside the foot of the sleeping bags so there were warm clothes in the morning.

That was such a nice video, Steve. I felt like I was "there'. I sewed a tent once. I used aluminum rods and screws for the frame. It was to protect a small group of deaf people during a large outdoor convention. It RAINED cats and dogs, but my deaf friends and their children were dry inside the tent I made. Deaf need their hands to talk, so holding umbrellas is awkward. Now, I'm disabled from an accident, but I felt like I was there with you,... figuring things out as you went along. I recently bought a Coglan's 450 Camp Heat and the little folding stove,... for my house when our next power outtage occurs. Keep being a discoverer. Have fun.

Just a note from an Alaskan: instead of using the lighter for each candle use the previously lit one(s) to light any additional. This way your not using as much lighter fluid.

Last night I heard a noise from my chicken coop. I was terrified at the prospect of Steve Wallis stealth camping in my coop. Luckily, it was just a bear. Imagine my relief!

This is some of the most wholesome content I've seen on RU-vid Steve you're gem and a treasure please keep up the good work and blessings go out to you

Steve, I'm going to implement your idea-- tent cacooning-- on those relative cold days in CA when I feel a little depressed. This idea would absolutely light up my mind and comfort! The sound of the quiet crackling fire is so peaceful... Enjoy your next camping trips!

I agree with others. This is exactly what RU-vid started out as. Just a regular person hanging out, doing something they think someone out there might be interested in seeing. It was refreshingly humble, and as a result was charming. Based on this video I hit subscribe; can't wait to enjoy more of this relaxed trial and error style!

Next week, Steve heats his tent with warm thoughts and cooks over a match

Jar candles work a lot better than the tea lights. I used 3 jar candles to heat my room during a power outage a few years ago. The outdoor temp at the time was around 6F during the day.

Steve alwasy cooks and/or eats like he is serving 4 people, lol, love it!!!

The suspense in this video is really in-tents.

I like how Steve is like "this isn't an educational channel" when he legit convinced me to get into backpacking this past year. Maybe it's not educational, but it's definitely inspirational!

I had that exact same tent. I lived in it for 2 years. Like it was a little apartment. That was great.😊

I only just found this guy’s channel, he seems like the most likeable person alive, I can’t tell why.

Nowhere on RU-vid does there exist more pure, simple, and passionate content than that of Steve Wallis.

My dad was in the army, stationed in Germany after WW2. He always talked about how they would throw a bunch of rocks in the fire and, at bedtime, they would grab the rocks and toss them in coffee cans to heat the tents.

There's something satisfying about watching someone else shovel snow. :)

It's just hit 4°F here and it feels insanely cold to me. I don't see how you guys can exist at -40°C. Love your videos Steve! It's crazy to have seen this small channel of a guy camping to save money during school blow up getting millions of views!

This double tent method works for staying warm in a home that's lost power in the winter (maybe downed power lines in an ice storm). The carbon monoxide detector is a must.

I have watched so many of your videos but today you got me at “spike”. I have been using it for years. Never met anyone else who loves it. I think your videos remind me of my childhood. Playing in the woods and building forts. Creating special hiding places. Thanks for reminding me how much I enjoyed those adventures!!

I lived like this for about 5 months I put the tent inside a tent under an abandoned railroad bridge and it kept me dry and warm

You know you're Canadian when you describe -24C as "moderately cold weather."

I used to work in an outdoor gear shop in Austin, Texas for 7 years. Of alllll the camping tricks I've seen, I have NEVER seen a Tent inside a Tent. Genius. Absolute genius.

I have been so homesick for Alaska and this really hit the spot for me. I loved the sounds of the snow being shuffled around and stomped on. It gave me tingles. I guess its my version of asmr lol

I think a tent within a tent would feel much more secure than just a tent by itself, and certainly better than just a sleeping bag.

The fact that your channel is NOT a 'how to' channel is precisely the reason I like your videos so much. It's just relaxing and enjoyable to watch, and fun to watch your stealth camping, and going down the river trips, and whatever other outdoor stuff you're doing.

This is exactly what I did when I was homeless. I filled the empty space between the two tents with pine straw for insulation, and built an awning for the front door for cooking and a little sitting spot in incliment weather.

Good way to stay warm in your house too! Cold front coming....

Love the winter nature cinematography in this one.

I'm glad you didn't add background music when doing this. I like to hear the snow crunching, and the sounds of nature. thanks

Evergreen tree branches to insulate the ground covered by a tarp works great to keep warmer. I loved winter camping when hubby and I were middle aged. Now pushing our 80s so not getting to do it again. Memories are precious.

Excellent! On several occasions I've taken my big, Kelty 10-man tent (it could probably sleep 12) along with my regular 3-man REI tent and invited another couple of people with their own tent to share winter camping, tent-inside-tent. Four people with plenty of room, including room for four chairs inside the Kelty but outside the two smaller tents. When positioned near the fire, with the Kelty door open, and both the smaller tent openings angled towards the open Kelty door, the comfort level inside was rather awesome. We zipped up the Kelty for sleep and to keep the bears out, and first one awake rekindling. We only use two candle lanterns, each with one tea-light, to light the interior. There's enough ventilation not to worry about CO. One thing we did do is hang aluminize mylar sheets to reflect body heat and some of the campfire heat back at us. Thing about candles in an enclosed space: Soot. They're horrendous for your lungs! Oh, man! If you can't start a fire with just natural materials... One sheet of aluminum foil will stop them from sinking, and the foil reflects heat up, away from the snow. Given the size of your meal, how many others are camping with you? "There's no other heat source than maybe me." Yes there is. The ground. Whenever you place a triple-walled tent over 100 square feet of earth, things will be warmer inside than outside! This fact was utilized to great extent by Northern Plains Indians who lived in large semi-underground huts throughout winter. With a good 2 to 3 feet of sod on top, and more snow on top of that, the interior temperatures of these 700 sq ft structures was quite cozy at 50 to 65 deg F and above when it was -20 deg F below outside.

Gotcha beat! Almost 30 years ago I started setting up a tent, inside a tent, inside a tent; which was where I took my hot bathes when winter camping in Minnesota. Then took that to the next level by putting a DIY hot tub in it. Had nice hot soaking at minus 30 many times.😁

Yunno as a Floridian who's only seen snow once in my life, this entire clip had me fascinated. Now I'm sleeping to winter storm sounds at night and pretending I'm in a warm tent 😂

These videos make my Thursdays especially during these times. Who else agrees!?!?

Chuck Norris. Famous for his snow shovelling prowess 😂 I love Steve

Steve makes me so happy

Only Steve rates himself in BTUs.

The tent inside a tent is a great idea. Unfortunately the bigger tent did not have a floor , that will hurt hard for heat retention there. Also I can see light from under the edges of the big tent, the perimeter of the tent should have always be packed with snow

Thanks Steve for your down to earth style. I really enjoy your videos ☺️

Not sure how I ended up here, and without knowing the purpose of this video, I ended up watching the entirety for a possible grand finale. I don’t even “camp”, nor am I stoned, yet here I am 😂.

My dad taught a winter survival course in rugged forests in Wyoming and Montana. My brother and I came along sometimes when we got old enough. At the bottom of our sleeping bags overnight we had a full size snicker bar which was a huge treat. Everyone had one in their bag, a chunk of fat and sugar and some protein too is an excellent short-term fuel. If you became cold enough to wake up your internal furnace needs stoked quickly. Snickers to the rescue!

"I can easily sleep in here." Sleeping isn't the problem. Waking up is.

The theory is sound. Tent inside a tent. The outer tent creates a wind block and a thermal barrier. So the smaller inner tent can warm up enough just from body heat, and no wind means you’ll get and stay warmer longer. The candles, or tea lights won’t actually do anything. Btw, loving the ice fishing tent for the outer tent. That definitely makes a big difference compared to a standard 10x10 cube tent.

Averaging 80-BTU per candle, you would need roughly 45 or 50 tea lights to supersede the cold leaching in and actually warm up the space at 0C. That being said, having that many candles in an enclosed space would definitely raise the concentration of co2 and monoxide to an unsafe level. It was definitely an interesting experiment. Since most of the heat is wasted before it can actually heat the space, id recommend using a few deathtrap clay pot heaters to heat your space without risk of C02 poisoning or monoxide death that is present if you were to burn 50 candles openly. With each of the candles, the heat is absorbed and lost only 2ft above, but with the clay pot you heat the pot so hot that it will give off a higher than ambient temperature which would subsequently raise the temperature of the tent. Based on some research, you could expect maximum 2C increase per candle with the flower pot method. Even more if you cover the drainage hole with a clay saucer to maximize heat absorption. Flash point of paraffin is about 200-250 C and the pots can get well beyond this temp so this method is also a death trap, I guess at that point its up to you whether you prefer to die in your sleep from overdosing on monoxide or possibly be caught on fire with a side of acute monoxide poisoning. Either way you aren't gonna be too happy... or warm. Love your videos, I enjoyed watching and will continue to watch your videos until I run out of fresh content to watch from you!

Steve try out the interlocking foam mats as a floor in your ice tent . Makes a world of difference when we go ice fishin for a bit of insulation from the ice and snow

I know this is an old video, but... I am a truckdriver and have had to survive in really cold temps. If you place the candle in a metal coffee can, all you need is 1 to raise the temp in a semi truck. I know this works as I have done it. It will keep it just warm enough to survive the night. Wind plays a big role in staying warm in a tent.

Is it just me or is Steve super likeable? Subbed.

I've done the tent inside a tent before and it actually worked well in super cold weather. I had an electric heater I was able to utilize inside the big tent and that plus the outer tent keeping the wind off of the smaller one really helped.

It’s -16°F and ya boy got dollar tree candles going 😂 what a trooper

This guy really went camping during winter in a pair of jeans. The absolute madlad.

"...put some Alfredo in here." (empties entire pot of Alfredo in).

what a concept, a tent inside a tent…. 😅😅😅😅😅🍻🍻🍻🍻🍻🍻🍻 Stay warm and safe. Mike from Florida.

"There are far better RU-vid channels." Maybe, but yours is the most entertaining. 👍

Hey Steve, I'm not too sure if you'll see this, but here goes. I've been struggling with depression, overthinking, and daily b.s. in life. Your videos have truly helped me. I don't get out a lot so it's nice to see the seclusion, nice and quiet woods. I can't thank you enough for doing what you do.

I like how the tent just popped out in such a convenient way.

Watched this ages ago, thought I'd re visit it. Hi Steve!

I love how he just goes for the fun of let's see what happens. instead of trying to play the expert he just goes as a normal guy having a good time. Keep up the awesome job man.

I went camping by myself and got lonely, now I'm watching this guy camp on my laptop and phone hotspot 😂😂

Love it Steve! Praying for you. Thanks for your videos brother!😀🇨🇦

This is a cool idea. I'd try using those playmat puzzle pads for the floor, and then cook inside the outer tent, which would provide some heat too.

Ok, suggestion on warming the tent, etc...like the first nations did for the sweat lodges, put stones in the fire and transfer them to the tent. There are certain stones, which will stay warm longer. You can carry them from the fire to the tent in a cast iron pot. That will also remove the CO concern.

Years ago a friend of mine spent the winter in my backyard in his small tent that we setup inside an old green canvas army wall tent. He put a plywood floor in the big tent and used candles for heat. After a seriously cold February night -14F or -25C, he commented …. “it was a 3 candle night and I only had 2 candles”

I added this recipe to our home rotation and it was a hit! I didnt know if it was from Steve or not, but I found this again 2 years later! I had just watched a couple videos at that time, but am now an avid follower.

When Steve came with the bbq gaz I was like can't you start a fire? Steve coming back with the torch hilarious this guy just don't mess around with his fire!!

Just a word of advice, a CO detector won’t pick up anything on the floor until it’s reached that level, by which point you would be dead. Needs to be 150mm max down from roof level to give an early enough warning. It’s your life but I’d keep that in mind in future.

When I was a youngster we'd get a huge snowfall and then finding the picnic tables was always a score because you could dig under them and have a ready made snow fort.

2 years later and that no-snag tent pole is still beautiful to see

This guy is so cute! He takes this whole thing so seriously.

A friend of my SIL's, got kicked out of his house, had nowhere to go, so he ordered a 'hot tent', asked a friend if he could put it in his field, so up it went. He put it on a waterproof tarp, and built a surround for the stove, he ordered a load of firewood, and there he lived for over a year, through nearly two winters... Only thing that got him-- a mildish winter with lots of rain, flooded the field and his tent. He ended up moving into an abandoned trailer and using the stove from the tent in that.....I dunno how he lives like this, but he does and he seemingly likes it

"Usually I have a camping pan, but today I had to bring my home skillet" WHAT UP HOME SKILLET?

Him n mav are my go to peacefully end the night type videos👌🏻👌🏻

You know if you make a list of everything you need to go camping and then you put it in your garage all in one area you just toss it in your vehicle when you're ready to leave and you know you have everything. But always make a list and always check it before you leave the house. You will have everything you need every time so I can't stress enough make a list.

Steve, the snow on the ground inside the outer tent is acting as a heat sink. The inside temperature will not rise above 0 degrees Celsius until all the snow is melted. Putting the candles in the snow just directs most of the heat the candles generate directly into the snow and not in the air. A simple ground cloth will help create a temperature break and prevent the melted snow from soaking your back. A pile of evergreen tree branches will do similar things. I once camped in the Appalachians and set up a tent before the snow fell. I was fortunate enough to gather up a giant pile of leaves and set up the tent over them. In the morning, there was 6 inches of snow on the ground and I was toasty warm. It helps when the heat I was generating went to keep me warm and was not spent on melting snow or thawing the ground.

"This isn't an instructional channel" ...yes Steve, we know, and we love being here.

For someone who makes me question whether or not he is homeless, his video production is very high quality.

I was so curious as to why the first tent had no bottom but now that you said it’s a ice fishing hut, it makes sense. It looks so easy to put up Id use it with a tarp. … the candles were not what I was expecting lol so small

Hey Steve, native Americans used to heat large rocks in their campfires, then bring the heated rocks in to their teepees at night for warmth. Maybe try that sometime?

You know that it's cold when the snow sounds like styrofoam when you walk on it. Music to my ears. : )

That's a really good point. No matter how good insulation is, in the end the source of heat is still just you.

I love this idea! Of the tent inside a tent. Car camping, obviously, not backpacking. Gives a nice cozy feeling. & your stuff outside your sleeping tent is still not in the rain, etc. Love it.

I love how there is literally nothing else on earth that closely resembles the sound of walking on packed snow. We call it a crunching sound but that's not quite it either. It's completely unique!

Hey Steve, just wanted to send you a note... I'm an American gal in my early 20s, and quite frankly, I don't really like camping (the possibility of wild animals is too much for my anxiety unfortunately). But I do love snow. Tonight after I finished shoveling my driveway, I turned off the outdoor lights, plopped down in a chair on my deck, and had a Blue Moon while I listened to the snowy silence. My own version of "step two." :)

Where did the outer tent come from? That is awesome and easy for one person to set up!

Please send this man love, been a tough cpl years, keep going bud, we love you

"I'm not Chuck Norris". Who shovels snow and then thinks of Chuck Norris as the "go to" for bad-ass snow shovelers? Steve Wallis does. Steve cracks me up every time.

Steve, I say this from the bottom of my heart, you are the most Canadianest person I have ever seen on RU-vid. And I love it.

"but today I brought my home skillet" I laughed

I’ve tried the same thing in similar conditions with the tea lights and with the same results-they provided a cheerful ambiance but no heat. I was however able to heat water to almost boiling. I still bring candles but just for photography and to read by. I hiked the John Muir trail (18 days) with candles to read by which was of immense value when one is alone for that long. This was back in the 80’s before LED’S and good batteries were a thing. Thanks for the show-love ‘em.