Benefactor
I've had the same sleeping bag for almost 10 years and it might be time for something else. It's a bag from The North Face with my name all over it. Really! It's called the Big B! It's a 20* bag and has served me well throughout all four seasons. Snow camping required some extra layers on me and a blanket on top, but that seems pretty normal I think. I've never been into the mummy bags. They seem to cover too much of the face and how are you supposed to sleep on your side in those things?
There's a company called Rumpl that seems to have carved themselves a nice little niche in the camping market. I've considered one of these to be the sleeping bag replacement, but at the same time, I might be able to talk my sister out of an old down blanket she doesn't really use anymore. I would consider it a win if her blanket can pack into the same bag as the Big B. Since most down comforters are white, it would be a good option to get a cover for it for mud, dirt and Quake (my St. Bernard).
One thing that I have already done is to get my butt off the ground. For years I used the REI 3.5" sleeping pad. It's worked really well and has been very comfortable. In fact, as I write this, it's under the cushions of the couch for better support while my broken leg heals. Today marks week number 6 dealing with this...
Anyways. The sleeping pad worked well enough and I never had any complaints about it. Some nights seemed to be a little rougher than others, but overall it's something I'd recommend. Anything thinner and that may not be the case. Sorry for any of you backpackers out there:)
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.
There's a company called Rumpl that seems to have carved themselves a nice little niche in the camping market. I've considered one of these to be the sleeping bag replacement, but at the same time, I might be able to talk my sister out of an old down blanket she doesn't really use anymore. I would consider it a win if her blanket can pack into the same bag as the Big B. Since most down comforters are white, it would be a good option to get a cover for it for mud, dirt and Quake (my St. Bernard).
One thing that I have already done is to get my butt off the ground. For years I used the REI 3.5" sleeping pad. It's worked really well and has been very comfortable. In fact, as I write this, it's under the cushions of the couch for better support while my broken leg heals. Today marks week number 6 dealing with this...
Anyways. The sleeping pad worked well enough and I never had any complaints about it. Some nights seemed to be a little rougher than others, but overall it's something I'd recommend. Anything thinner and that may not be the case. Sorry for any of you backpackers out there:)
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.
