Bedding for camping, what do you use?

[canadianoverlanders]

Now that we have a off road trailer bedtime camping is the BEST!!!!
Queen size 6" thick open cell mattress with a 1.5" memory foam topper. This time of year we put flannel sheets on it. We have a merino wool comforter the wife bought at Cabellas on top of the sheets. I still like sleeping in my Sierra Designs 30 below bag. Wife uses her MEC 30 below bag. Plus we keep a couple Ranger Blankets just in case, and two pillows each. All of this stays on the bed when the tent folds up. In the summer we had a pair of silk sheets we got on clearance for 15 bucks at that Bed Bath place.
We've never camped that way before until this summer. I never new what I was missing. After 3 decades of me sleeping in leantoo's, hooches, expedient shelters, under canoes, camo nets, different tents, all manner of vehicles I gotta say I really appreciate what we now camp in. I love it and it makes camping that much more enjoyable. Mama is happy....happy wife happy overlanding!


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[DanR]

We use various inflating pads, and all 0° bags, as it gets chilly at night. The better bags are comfortable even when it's not winter.

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[adventure_is_necessary]

Best piece of gear I have for my sleep system is a sleeping bag liner. Actually, I have two. One is basically a sheet sewn in the shape of the bad, and the other is fleece. I have found that I can get by with a 40 degree bag and a bunch of thin layers. Between the liner, bag, and a bivy, I can usually make it through most temps comfortably. I have utilized extra layers on my person and hot hands in the bag as well. A good pad/mattress goes a long way as well. There are many out there with insulating/reflecting properties.

 

[TurboDiesel67]

Personally I keep 2 double Amazon own blankets because of the versatility.
They are surprisingly good in cold conditions, if it is really cold I wrap myself in both.
In really cold conditions I use these in conjunction with my out well queen size, it has a separate top layer- https://www.outdooraction.co.uk/sleeping-bags-double-sleeping-bags/outwell/outwell-cardinal-double-sleeping-bag-2017-pd-11219.php?gclid=CjwKCAjwmqHPBRBQEiwAOvbR84R71mPgxgDmP27Dj9XgdqL3xrWY9rn-W-T8UX_sn47XMP3JeHDOBBoC_ssQAvD_BwE

Thanks

Kyle

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[Overland USA]

My most important piece of sleeping gear is ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ear plugs. I carry 5-6 pairs.

maybe it's my PTSD but I need to hear what's going on in camp, sleeping especially.

 

[Rubyredfozzy]

I have lived out of my pack for the majority of the last 16 years in the army. the best sleep system I have found for weight and size is the snug pac. I currently use a stratosphere bivy and a elite 3 bag. the five is like a one man tent. I cut down tall grass to make bedding under the bivy in order to negater the ground sucking the heat from my body. the sleeping bag is the size of a cantaloupe when pinched up and the tent is no bigger than most large tents pole systems.

 

[tsteb112]

So what do you use for bedding? It doesn't matter if you have a ground tent, sleep in your vehicle, or use a roof top tent. We can all glean some good info to getting a good night's rest on the trail. I think it's a major factor to enjoying your trip. This can also help if you have someone who isn't so keen on camping or have kids and need to figure something else out for them.

Great topic! I enjoy camping with my fiancé and now as of last summer our retriever mix, Tucker. We have a “3 person” ground tent that fits a queen air mattress in perfectly. I blow this up using a 12v compressor with cig outlet plug and then we put sheets and a comforter on it. Most of our camping is in summer or fall so getting cold doesn’t happen too often.



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[AZ WANDERING BEAR]

So, the replacement of the sleeping pad was a cot. Mine happens to be from OzTent and it is amazing. The cot does have some slight padding to it, so the sleeping pad just stays at home. It doesn't feel like the mattress at home, but boy do I sure sleep like I was on it. I sleep hard at night now. There's always been a couple times on the pad that I get half conscious when rolling over, but on the cot, I have yet to do that.

Bonus points for the cot since it's tall enough to use as a seat to put shoes on as well as having ample storage for the Pelican cases under it. That's something I didn't really consider until the tent was setup. And on top of that, the Pelican cases themselves become shelves for keys, flashlight, and anything else you want to keep together at night.

So what do you use for bedding? It doesn't matter if you have a ground tent, sleep in your vehicle, or use a roof top tent. We can all glean some good info to getting a good night's rest on the trail. I think it's a major factor to enjoying your trip. This can also help if you have someone who isn't so keen on camping or have kids and need to figure something else out for them.

We also use the Jet Bunker from OZ Tent for all the reasons above. I've never liked sleeping bags unless it is really cold. So we use a good self inflating pad and a sheet, light blanket, heavy blanket combo in the OZ Tent. Recently we found a nice down blanket for a reasonable price on Amazon and Sportsman's guide. Just used it last night for the first time. 34 degrees F at sunrise and I was a very warm all night. Like that is long. Most down quilts I have found are fairly short. Packs down pretty nicely, especially for the price. Toss it over my North Face Cat's Meow sleeping bag and we are probably good to O degrees.

 

[JersT4R]

So far, I have an Outdoor Vitals Synthetic 35 degree sleeping bag. At 40 degrees I was ok with thermals/clothes and a blanket wrapped around me in my 4Runner. At 24 degrees, I was cold. So these $50 bags are great for spring/fall weather camping but for colder weather, I'm going to need a better solution. I bought the OV sleeping bag liner, but haven't tested it out yet.

As for a tent, I have this Coleman Sundome 2 person tent. It did great keeping my son and I dry on a rainy night. I have this TNH Sleeping Pad which is easy to roll off. So I used a $13 pool float last time I camped.

I bought a hammock and tree straps last summer, but haven't done an overnight in it yet.

My plan is to get a memory foam pad, a wool blanket and maybe some Reflectix for colder nights. In the spring/fall, sleep in the tent or try the hammock.

 

[Cort]

My sleep system varies so much depending on what I’m doing. I have a dozen sleeping bags, do I have a problem?

For typical overlanding where I’ll sleep in my truck bed or my shiftpod here is my set up,

Summer:
US Army cot
Thermarest Neo Air 25” wide inflatable pad
Sierra Designs front country bed 600
Seat to summit inflatable pillow

Winter:
US Army cot
Thermarest 25” wide reflective ridge rest
Thermarest 20” insulated and reflective neo air inflatable pad
Big Agnes 15 degree mummy bag
Boiling water poured into a Nalgene bottle placed at the foot of my bag which stays warm all night.
For real cold weather I’ll add a hammock gear 20 degree top quilt inside the bag
Sea to summit inflatable pillow.

If I am backpacking I use the same pad combos but swap out the sleeping bags for one of my two hammock gear top quilts, one is 20 degree and the other 40 degree, the are lighter and so much more comfortable than a bag.

I have various other bags but these are what I use most of the time.

 

[Kevin108]

I've got an Exped Downmat that is great for ground tents. I even carry it for sleeping indoors if I'm staying with friends or family with less comfortable accommodations. Fold-out couches are for kids and I've never slept well on a conventional air mattress. I'm a bigger guy, and while I've always been comfortable but snug in "regular" sleeping bags, I have a Big Agnes Whiskey Park I picked up when it became apparent our adventures were to become more frequent and lengthy. I've used it down into the 20s quite comfortably. In warmer weather, I just sleep on top of it with a light blanket. Shortly after that was when we got our rooftop tent. I haven't slept in a ground tent since, but I'm not against doing so.

 

[TheWitchAndTheWoodsman]

It really depends on what we're up to. When we were in our roof top tent, we'd use proper sheets and a Rumpl blanket. It didn't work quite as well when it was cold (anything below freezing was miserable), so we'd pack in a giant Teton Mammoth sleeping bag. Even in a stuff sack, it takes up more room than our dog and it's too big to close up in the tent, so it lives at home unless we know it's going to be seriously cold. Under the bedding we'd use the foam mattress that came with the tent with a Klymit Double V air mattress under it. All together, it made for a bed that rivaled our bed at home.

Now that we've traded in the roof top tent for an Ursa Minor J30, we're rethinking a bit. I'm 6'8", so finding things that fit is a bit of a challenge. For three season camping, sheets and a Rumple blanket work just fine. For colder weather, we're thinking about dropping the money for a custom Enlightened Equipment Accomplice quilt.

An ENO Doublenest hammock and rain fly live in the Jeep as well. We used it exclusively when we were hiking through the Black Forest and took it with us to camp in Hawaii. In cooler weather, we'll use the Rumpl blanket. If there aren't enough trees, we'll pitch the fly low and sleep on the ground under it.

 

[NW Adventure & Overland]

We have a off-road teardrop trailer and found a 6" thick futon mattress (full), that fit inside. Way better than the 3" foam that came with it. We turn on the fan and sleep like babies.

 

[Rocksylvania]

When I'm on the ground I have found Big Agnes to be the best. As others have mentioned, the air mattress slides in and prevents the bag from twisting. And since they have non-mummy verions, there's some room to move and roll over. As a side and/or stomach sleeper this is ideal. I have two different insulated air mattress (One for down to 15°f and one down below 0°) and three bags (45, 15, and sub-0).

I've also experimented with hammocks. Love a good hammock but, personally, can't sleep in them. I found warbonnet to be the best a few years back when I was researching.

Most recently I have an easy awn rtt and use the included camp mattress with a 1.5" mattress topper, fitted sheet, then a basic two person sleeping bag.

 

[Terex]

We've got an off-road trailer with a queen sized bed and I can't imagine sleeping in sheets. My wife and I both have quality sleeping bags and mattresses and bring our foam pillows from home. Now with a dog, sheets and things would probably get filthy immediately. We've also got a 6-person tent for guests, if needed, and I have a one person Big Agnes Copper Spur tent and mummy big for backpacking. I also have a 2-person winter tent that I hope to use more next winter when I get a pulk. I can sleep anywhere when I'm tired.

 

[Inthewoods]

My sleeping has arrangement has changed over the years. When I was young and drank like a sailor, where ever I landed was good enough. There wasn't space in the jeep. Then a tent with the kids for a years. Now in my 40's and kids gone, I have the space in the back of my Dodge Ram with a snug top and carpeted all around for insulation. I have a mattress and a 2 person sleeping bag good for 15 degrees that the wife and I share. ALWAYS warm. In the winter I throw a couple of those hand warmers in the bag at her and she is good. I even got room for the dog inside. I roll up the bed and load my gear in, and a way I go. No stuff on top or hanging outside. I take everything but the kitchen sink.

 

[ArkansasDon]

We sleep in RTT, winter it's a 20 degree triangular sleeping bags, spring, summer & fall queen size bottom sheet, queen size top sheet & a quilted blanket. I changed out my RTT mattress for a Exped Duo Queen Size XW & XL. What a dream to sleep on. It's almost every bit as good as our home mattress tempur-pedic mattress.

 

[danthman114]

my wife... just kidding... kinda. I still have my iso mat from the marine corps. it works out ok but I also have a couple military cots.

 

[ELY-9999]

I was surprised to learn that a tall man's cot from Walmart will just fit in the back of my 1999 4Runner with the rear seat down. Store under, easy install and really quite comfy :)

 

[Old Rusty]

For me it depends on what I am doing, If the area is not large enough I use my swag with my Old softy sleeping Bag and a couple of Blankets and a pillow. If the sight is big enough my camper trailer with a foam mattress and normal house sheets and blankets and a donna (the old stuff no good for the home beds).