Sleeping is essential. Preceding or following any great adventure, a good nights rest out in the wild can make the difference of whether you wake up rested and ready to tackle another day or not. When it comes to sleeping essentials, there are many options to choose from and one must determine the proper equipment for the adventure. Back packing obviously does not inherently proclaim some of the finer creature comforts, where as car camping (driving up next to the camping spot) can be a splendid adventure into sweet dream land. What ever adventure is currently floating your boat, we have the necessary information that will help guide you when preparing to spend a night or seven outside.
There is an old proverb that I just created, "A prudent man packs light and soft", the meaning behind this is the idea that no matter what you bring it has to be mobile and soft enough to provide a decent barrier between the sleeper and the bumpy ground. We will start this information share talking about bed padding for camping. Generally there are (3) common types of sleeping pads that can be used.
- Foam core sleeping pad: These have little impact on the wallet and avoid running the risk of springing a leak and thus rendering themselves useless. They insulate temperature from the ground extremely well. The only down side is that they can be rather large to pack when back packing and the level comfort provided leaves something to be desired. Adventure Never Sleeps ranks these superb in affordability and practicality.
- Inflatable mattresses: There are so many on the market right now to choose from, they start in the $20 range and move through the triple digit range. When inflated properly these sleeping pads offer the most comfort. The down side to these are their size (most require a large tent), weight and their tendency to seek out sharp objects just large enough to poke a hidden hole. Adventure Never Sleeps ranks these superb in comfort.
- Self-inflating sleeping pad: Arguably one of the best inventions in recent camping technology. These pads provide a decent amount of comfort and insulation against the elements. They are also quite packable being the smallest packed pad one can use. They come in a wide variety of thickness and size so choosing the correct one might take some time. Again though with any thin sleeping pad comfort is surrendered in the name of portability, yet they offer a tad bit more protection then the foam pads. In a bind they can be used for more then just sleeping, they make an excellent floatation device for relaxing in a lake or river. Again the down side here is that they too can spring leaks rendering them useless and for their price you could invest in about 2 to 3 foam sleeping pads. Also if your packing your pad on the outside of a backpack then expect the pad to take considerable damage when hiking through taller brush. Adventure Never Sleeps recommends the self-inflating pads due to their practicality and pack-ability.
Tip: Remember any place you set your tent can be made more comfortable by preparing the area before erecting the tent. Pine needles provide great loft and insulation. A quick survey of the footprint can be used to remove any objects that are likely to cause discomfort throughout the night. If your camping on top of snow stomp the snow into hard packed snow and make sure there is plenty of insulation between you and the snow, rapping the sleeping pad in a blanket or placing a blanket on top of the pad will go a long way on a cold winter night. If you prefer hammock camping, a foam sleeping pad can still come in handy in the hammock. Lay the pad in the hammock to get insulation from the cold air below you and it will also offer the sleeping position a little more stiffness.
When it comes to sleeping bags there are plenty of options, in fact there are way to many to simply choose one type for all possible adventures. In order to narrow down sleeping bag choices you should first consider what type of insulation you prefer.
- Goose down: Goose down is incredibly light, a good insulator and it has the ability of compress really tightly allowing it to pack-up extremely small. There are only a couple down sides to owning and using a down sleeping bag. If the bag gets wet at all, you loose all insulation and down has a tendency to shift and clump, which creates cold spots in a bag. Recent innovations in how the bags are stitched together has pretty much solved this issue, but the lower-end down sleeping bags are still being constructed in the old style.
- Synthetic: This is commonly the cheapest fill for a sleeping bag. Even when wet, most synthetic fill bags retain the majority of their insulating qualities. The down-side to the synthetic bags is that they don't compress very small for packing and they are usually just a bit heavier then there goose-down counter parts.
Tip: Regardless of the 'fill', you want to find a bag where the construction is a brick-like layer of insulation pockets. It is at least two layers of insulation pockets that are off-set. The old style of construction was one pocket of insulation. The insulation was held in place in single layer thick pockets, this created cold spots wherever there was stitching.
- Rectangle sleeping bag: This is the most common and classic sleeping bag style. Great for warmer weather camping. Not recommended for cold weather camping, because of the amount of unused space. Sleeping bags work by insulating the air around your body. Your actual body works as the heater. The classic sleeping bag has plenty of extra room, especially near the hard to keep warm feet. They are simple and more comfortable then other styles of sleeping bags as they allow for freedom of movement.
- Mummy bag: Excellent for colder weather, these bags are often designed to fit your body snugly enough to minimize excess space, allowing the heat your body generates to have more efficient results. The only negative to these is the fact that they can be rather constraining.
Tip: There is no need to pack camping pillows or to even buy them, a rolled up sweater or sweatshirt makes a fine pillow.
Sleeping Bag Reviews:
Kelty Stratosphere Double-Wide: Adventure Never Sleeps managed to get an excellent deal on this bag(s). It is the classic style of bag with a synthetic fill. The bag when zipped together is an actual double-wide sleeping bag. This is a great investment for the future if there is ever a case when you need to share a sleeping bag. Other wise, the bag zips apart into 2 single sleeping bags providing a surprising amount of warmth. Kelty construction continues to impress us. The only negative to this bag is its size. It won't fit in any backpack and it takes up a ton of room. Don't expect to bring this bag backpacking.
Sussie Sport 25+ Mummy Bag: This was steal of a deal from a local Big5 Sporting Goods store. This bag is the mummy design with a synthetic fill that actually packs down to a fairly good size. Considering the non-hefty price tag of $20, this bag has yet to disappoint. The construction on this bag is a little lacking, with cheap materials and poor design here and there, but so far it has paid for its self. Adventure Never Sleeps would never recommend this bag for anything colder then 30F.
Tip: When cold weather demands a little more then what you already own in a sleeping bag, a cheap ($5) fleece sleeping bag can go a long way to adding some much need warmth. If you don't have a fleece bag with you, then just hope into into your bag wearing whatever dry clothing you have.
Have fun and be safe out there, here is to hoping that we have helped you rest just a tad bit easier at night!
1 comment:
Making me sleepy! And the fact that it's 3:07am might add to that effect!
~R <3
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