sleeping bag hell/heaven- your best sleep system?

jprof · Aug 2, 2010

Informal poll - what do you sleep on in your tent for drive in camping or backpacking camping?

I had not camped out in a tent in 10 years and chose perhaps a bad site - a drive in state park in VT, where the ground was ROCK hard. Neither one of us had ever used such a site before - always on grass or a few times on mountain soil.

We only had 1 inch thick sleep pads with no give. We both woke up in unbelievable back pain, we assume from bad preparation. People at EMS store said we HAVE to buy air mattresses for next time - for $$$$$.

I never used these air mattresses before but had slept on softer ground. I think!? Either our backs got wrecked at age 35 or we just planned very badly. Is it us... or our equipment?
Wondering if anyone else gets back pain on hard ground or uses very specific equipment depending in site... or if you all are the types who could sleep on cement with a newspaper pulled over your chest, if need be.

SKIQUATTRO · Aug 3, 2010

i'm not a camper/tent person..but just slept 2 nights on a thin air pad, sleeping bag, on soft grass and probably got 5 hrs sleep in 2 night...i'm sore as hell....i was invited so i went..there are doing it for a week...i fell asleep last night in my own bed at 830 and woke up at 730am....i was wiped out...not my idea of a vacation, but to each his own....i've slept on air mattress before and dont like em...

wa-loaf · Aug 3, 2010

If you are just car camping you can haul a big airbed with you if you want. Backpacking, well depends on what you are willing to carry and be careful picking your ten site.

jaytrem · Aug 3, 2010

I have a very light inflatable pad that seems to work quite well. Doesn't seem to take up any more space than a regular pad. I've never hiked with it, only used for bike camping. I don't remember where I bought it, but it wasn't very expensive. Probably Sierra Trading or some other internet place. Definitely a good purchase.

Riverskier · Aug 3, 2010

I use a very thin foam pad that does virtually nothing. So.... it is all about surface. I have slept very comfortably on soft sand or grass, but had some rough nights on harder surfaces.

jprof · Aug 3, 2010

thanks. Good tips and info. Guess we are not the only ones who slept like hell. I will have to invest in an air mattress!

billski · Aug 6, 2010

The amount of cushion is proportional to my age! I used closed cell when I was backpacking for multiple weeks and so exhausted I could sleep standing up. As I aged, the thickness of the cushioning increases!

deadheadskier · Aug 6, 2010

used to do a fair bit of back packer camping when I was younger.

Now strictly car camping, primarily at music festivals. I'm not even sure what we do can be called camping anymore. 10 x 15 tent with seperate bedroom. 20" high queen sized air bed.

If I had a place to store one and vehicle capable of towing it, I'd probably have a pop up camper.

hammer · Aug 6, 2010

deadheadskier said:
used to do a fair bit of back packer camping when I was younger.

Now strictly car camping, primarily at music festivals. I'm not even sure what we do can be called camping anymore. 10 x 15 tent with seperate bedroom. 20" high queen sized air bed.

If I had a place to store one and vehicle capable of towing it, I'd probably have a pop up camper.

Towing's a PITA but having a pop-up camper is great...got a memory foam mattress topper for the next trip and based on an initial check it will be as comfy as sleeping at home.

Still have a foam pad for tent camping with the scouts. If I can get away with it I stick with the 40-degree rectangular bag. The 20-degree mummy bag I have is a bit confining and I once used it with a liner when the temps dipped below freezing...and I was made well aware that the temp rating is for survival, not comfort.

billski · Aug 6, 2010

hammer said:
Towing's a PITA but having a pop-up camper is great...got a memory foam mattress topper for the next trip and based on an initial check it will be as comfy as sleeping at home.

Still have a foam pad for tent camping with the scouts. If I can get away with it I stick with the 40-degree rectangular bag. The 20-degree mummy bag I have is a bit confining and I once used it with a liner when the temps dipped below freezing...and I was made well aware that the temp rating is for survival, not comfort.

You win. A popup camper is definitely the biggest mattress I've ever heard of on the trail. Now tell me, how did you strap it on your pack?

:beer:

ctenidae · Aug 6, 2010

billski said:
You win. A popup camper is definitely the biggest mattress I've ever heard of on the trail. Now tell me, how did you strap it on your pack? :beer:

Just be sure to cross the safety chains under the tongue.

hammer · Aug 13, 2010

uphillklimber said:
We have the thermarests and the ridge rests. We experimented one season. The inflatables were heavy, and you do have to be a little careful with them, and there is the issue of cracking in the cold winter nights. We found that 1 1/2 ridge rests worked well for us. They are light and cheap (14 oz and $20.00). We just cut one in half and lay that up under our torso. Thye take up room having one and a half, but they are light. Seems you trade one thing for another. The good thing about having one of them is you can haul it out to sit on a rocky bluff and not worry about scuffing a hole in it. Cheap as they are, they are fairly durable.

Bear in mind, this is not sleeping on your memory foam master bed, this is backpacking. Not quite the same.

Have had the ridge rests for several years...work well for backpacking, although most (actually, all) of my scout camping was car camping so an air mattress is the way to go. Never thought about using the ridge rest as a seating pad.

SkiDork · Aug 13, 2010

I was camping last weekend and used queen sized thin air mattresses. When I woke up I had forgotten I was camping. Very comfortable

bjorn240 · Nov 19, 2010

I use a a Thermarest ProLite 4 in temperate climes and add a Ridge Rest in the cold. For a bag, I'm using a WM Summerlite for anything above freezing and a heavy old down sack for the cold. The Summerlite is like heaven in a sleeping bag. I'd sleep in it 365 days a year if my wife didn't mind the gentle rustling.

sleeping bag hell/heaven- your best sleep system?

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