the KEY to a goodnights sleep

“Whats your secret? Is it a certain pad, a sleeping bag, the fact that you can sleep through anything? Was it a process, have you always slept worse/better on the trail than at home? Share your experience of sleeping on the trail”

“You should ask the guy in the pic XL posted on the tarptent virgin thread.”

“I smell a Troll!”

“Big Agnes sleep system and earplugs. I sleep great.”

“I've never smelled a troll, what do they smell like? Wet dog maybe?”

“Who sleeps good anywhere?”

“Took many tries but I finally found the Big Agnes is the best for me. If its cold out I bring along a layer of insulation that goes between the bag and the pad.”

“hammock


'nuf said”

“I've found that lying down is key.”

“Massive quantities of alcohol. :)”

“footwarmers are a must or no sleep for me.”

“Clonazepam”

“I usually sleep through the night in my hammock. When I sleep on the ground I wake up a lot.”

“I am with the mtngirl on this one.”

“trail sex.”

“Someone has to say it.
se*

In lieu of that a cozy sleeping bag after a long day of strenous hiking followed by lots of good campfire laughter usually works for me.”

“I have found that if I must stay awake....I can not. Just scare me a little and that is sure to put me out. Last year a bear came into camp after dark and was right by our tent. I told my friend I would be up all night and would sleep not a wink. I fought bravely for 20 minutes but finally gave in and was out like a light. Apparently, fear is not a factor for me!”

“putting my backpack under my legs to elevate them and using stovestompers water-wing pillow. beats me why this works for me but i could care less.”

“water wing pillow?”

“water wing pillow?”
Spirit Coyote
10:55:43 AM
2/28/07

I think it's a sex thing SC? Althought sex toys are banned in alot of Southern states....or so I've been told.
last edited: 2/28/07 10:58:31 AM”

“southerners are wierd.”

“LOL!! You people are soooo silly.

I like LMG's idea...”

“kaliforn-eye-ans are so granola.”

“Hey, Im a Californian, Damn it!”

“That's what I said.”

“I thought I gave you one of those, silly Spirit Coyote.

This Spring, look for a Kids "water wing" blowup armband type flotation device.
If yours has the right connection, you can cut it and bingo, makes a 1 oz blowup pillow.”

“I need to replace mine. It's about 3 years old now. That thing is gonna pop one of these days.”

“nono, I got the blow up animals to guard camp with :D, on the spikes!”

“hey Stovie, my daughter said that was a water wing!

carcamping. hmmmmmmmmmm, let me see, a strenuous day of hiking, rockclimbing, watching over at least two dozen Boy Scouts, a very warm sleeping bag, TWO 2 inch thermarests, 2 trazadone, 2 benadryl. yeppers, that oughta do it.

backpacking? well let's just say i sleep really well in between all the times i wake up.”

“Yep -- pad must be thick enough. In winter I use two (not just a single thicker one). Extra foot warmth does help greatly (dedicated down booties live in the foot of my bag for winter use). Also for winter, the ever-popular P-bottle! For obliviousness: sometimes earplugs -- sometimes a radio. And lest we forget, non-vintage Port and VSOP Cognac!

PS
Southerners know how to spell 'weird' (at least some of us).”

“I will take this as serious because laying awake all night out camping sucks.
I've had a tendency to not sleep no matter how tired I may be, or good my pad is, how nice my sleeping bag is or how well fed I am.
I find good ventilation makes all the difference.
Maybe that's why the people say they sleep well in hammocks.
Air inside tents can be very oxygen deficient.
Getting good airflow makes a huge difference for good sleep.”

“I believe good airflow is definitely a factor. So is being completely comfortable. I barely fit on a 20 in. pad, and a 25 in. wide pad isn't much better for me when sleeping, though it feels like a couch when put into a chair kit.”

“Yes, a 25-inch pad would be a definite improvement, but I don't need it to be 7 ft long! [grrrrr] Maybe I could get a 25-inch and chop off the excess length with an industrial strength seal-a-meal...”

“i wanna see THAT seal-a-meal!”

“A fourth night.”

“Before thermarest came out with the new orange pads they actually made a short 25 in. pad. It was the Camplite 3/4. I was going to buy it and by the time I got around to it I found it had been discontinued.”

“I believe I have the Camplite 3/4. I might be tempted to part with it...”

“i have one, but a little Boy Scout told my son he could fold it in half and then roll it up tight so that it would take up less space in his pack. dang thing blew up.
%#@!&* little boy”

“A good air mattress and a Benedril 1/2 hour before bed. Helps me sleep and keeps the pipes clear. If it's been a real hard day I do Tylonal PM as well.”

“the first night's always a little rough for me but by the second night i'm so tired therei's no problem”

“I've found that listening to the surroundings puts me to sleep. It's like one of those "Nature" CD's but you don't have to buy it. A few months ago in the Catskills I listened to Coyotes it was awesome.”

“were they spirit coyotes??!!!...if i had to listen to her all night i don't think i could get any sleep ;)”

“Yeah, if Mike's around she moans alot for some reason.”

“Any good backpacking sleeping pads out there that are soft enough to keep a side-sleeper's hips from getting sore?

If I didn't have to turn over every few minutes because of sore hips, I think I'd sleep better on the trail than at home - the night sounds are very soothing to me, plus being dead-tired from all the hiking helps a lot.

One of the keys, for me, is having my dog sleeping next to me. Even though she's out like a light as soon as I set up the tent & let her in, if anything outside comes too close to the tent she'll let me know by sitting up and looking around quietly - the motion is enough to wake me up. It makes me feel more secure knowing she's on guard. Also, earplugs come in handy on campouts during hunting season when people are out all night blasting away.
last edited: 2/28/07 4:10:35 PM”

“LOL at the day and thrifty hikers!”

“Bess, I take a full length orange Thermarest inflatable mattress and a full length rigid Thermarest pad. Use both because I sleep on my side. Rigid pad isn't that great by itself but will do if the inflatable leaks. Both together are very comfortable.”

“Bess, If you like side sleeping you should seriously look into a hammock. I have the Clarke and it is way comfy. Even on your side. Plus it costs just a litlle more than two sleeping pads would.”

“Any good backpacking sleeping pads out there that are soft enough to keep a side-sleeper's hips from getting sore?
Bess
5:05:38 PM
2/28/07

Sleep on your back. It's the ehalthiest way to go and you won't wear out your back prematurely, cutting short things like backpacking.”

“I tried the Z-Rest with air Thermarest thing, a thicker Thermarest knock-off, and the old-fasioned closed-cell pad, all in various combinations. None were nearly as comfortable as the Big Agnes I now have. BA gets you several inches of air between your hip and the ground. I only sleep on my sides on the trail - can't sleep on my back because of apnea, can't sleep on my stomach like I do at home because of the bag's hood. Try a BA or there's another one that's similar. I can't think of the brand name at the moment.”