If you’ve ever tried winter camping, you know the first night is always the same.
You zip up your tent.
You crawl into your sleeping bag.
You wait for your body heat to chase the cold out of your gear…
…and you realize it’s going to be a long night.
For my dad Kevin, the CEO of Bigtent, and I, that moment happened years ago. Portable diesel heaters and standard buddy heaters in the market didn't cut it, since it smelled, was loud, and just felt unsafe. And instead of giving up on winter camping, we went down a six-year rabbit hole trying every kind of heating solution we could get our hands on.
Out team here at Bigtent tested everything in terms of heating pads — pads that warmed fast but broke fast, pads that were durable but drained our power stations in just one night, and a handful of budget mats that claimed to work for camping but clearly weren’t made for life on the road.
Through all of this, we figured out something important:
Warmth doesn’t have to be complicated — but it does have to be reliable. Low power, safe, and durable.
And that’s what eventually led us to meet the Ggomjirak Carbon Heating Pad.
The First Pad That Truly Felt “Right”
The moment we unrolled it, we noticed one thing:
no wires in the fabric.
Instead of the usual metal strands that kink, break, or create hot spots, the Ggomjirak uses a full sheet of carbon fiber heating film.
This one change makes a huge difference in how the warmth feels.
It’s not a sudden burst or a patchy heat.
It’s not something that leaves you burning on one side and freezing on the other.
It’s gentle, even, almost radiant — the kind of warmth that sinks into your back and slowly melts the cold out of the night.
And because it’s carbon fiber, it doesn’t produce the EMF energy that many wire-based pads do. You can sleep directly on it for hours without that lingering worry in the back of your mind.
A Heating Pad Built for Real Outdoor Life
One thing we learned after years of camping is that anything you bring into the woods gets dirty. And wet. And tossed around constantly.
So the Ggomjirak’s material choice honestly surprised us.
The exterior is a soft, water-repellent microfiber that feels cozy but still wipes clean easily. Snow, condensation, a spilled hot chocolate… it all brushes off.
And when you’re back home?
Just throw it into the washing machine on a gentle cycle. That’s it.
Even better: the whole thing weighs about 650g — light enough that you don’t think twice about packing it, even for short trips.
Warmth Without the Battery Anxiety
One of the biggest frustrations we had with previous heated pads was their appetite for power. You’d plug one in, enjoy ten minutes of bliss, and then look over only to find your power station dropping like a rock.
This pad wasn’t like that.
At its lowest levels, it sips power — around 9 watts — which was honestly shocking the first time we tested it on a cold night. Even at the higher settings, it stays well under the power draw of typical heated pads at around 17 watts.
The result?
You can stay warm for a long time.
Like… all-night long.
On our 500Wh Jackery power station, we could run it comfortably through nights and still wake up with plenty of battery left for cooking, lighting, or charging gear. It can run on our 500Wh Jackery for 57 hours on the lowest setting and for 29 hours on the highest. That peace of mind alone makes winter camping ten times more enjoyable.
Power It Anywhere
One of our favorite parts is how flexible it is.
You can run it from:
✔ USB-C power banks
✔ 12V power stations
✔ Car outlets
✔ Wall adapters
✔ Basically anything modern that gives power
It doesn’t lock you into one ecosystem, and it doesn’t require some bulky, awkward brick. If you can charge your phone, you can power your heating pad.
And that makes it insanely useful — not just in tents, but in rooftop tents, cars, cabins, offices, and even at home when you're feeling cold.
It Made Winter Camping Feel Cozy Again
After so many trial-and-error winters, the Ggomjirak pad reminded us why we loved cold-weather camping in the first place.
It brought back:
- long, warm mornings inside the tent
- reading with a cup of something hot
- watching snow fall without shivering
- sleeping deeply instead of fighting the cold
- waking up feeling rested instead of stiff
It made winter feel less like something to survive, and more like something to enjoy again.
Final Thoughts
We didn’t expect a heating pad to become one of our most essential pieces of gear, but here we are — recommending it to anyone who wants to make winter camping not just doable, but genuinely comfortable.
It’s warm.
It’s safe.
It’s durable.
It’s efficient.
And most importantly, it’s made for real outdoor life.
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