Do you remember those days when you joined scouts, camped outdoors and have great fun discovering a mighty lot of things about your environment? Despite the fun, how you must have hated the prospect of turning in your sleeping bag inside a dowdy tent while the nocturnal insects target you in darkness.
After roving around wooded paths, fishing for dinner in the nearby stream or lake, or picking some dry twigs to make a bonfire for the night, all you wanted to do after a dinner cooked in the campfire is to curl up inside a gloriously warm sleeping bag. While camping is a not-so comfortable trade off to a home-bed, it has its rewards. Many of the camping things have changed. Maybe not in the level of comfort your urban home can provide, but still camping stuff have greatly “evolved.”
These days, stargazing or camping in some of the best places in the world can be as comfortable as staying in a hotel. If you are, however, looking forward to the “real thing” – that kind of camping that brings you joy, you would still want some challenges – building your fire, pitching your tent and such. Maybe, a little comfort in sleep is something you’ll be happy to have. This is what you can gather from the article 5 Tips for Sleeping (well) in a Tent posted in Camping in the Forest.
“No one can tell you how to sleep, but when you’re camping there are most definitely a few pointers that can help.
Ever noticed that everywhere is wet in the morning? Struggle to get warm in your sleeping bag? There are reasons for both of these … “
These were and other common problems were explored in the article; some useful tips were offered:
Sleeping tip #1 – Warming your sleeping bag
Your sleeping bag is not naturally warm. It is your body’s heat that warms it up. Hence, if you come in cold, there’s little heat that can warm it up. The key is to warm up a bit, i.e. sit near a bonfire before turning in.
“… Granted you might be in for more of a shock when you get into the freezing cold bag, but you’ll quickly warm up again” because your body heat has been transferred to the sleeping bag, and now it’s warm
Sleeping tip #2 – Condensation
Ever noticed that the walls of the tent, underneath your sleeping mat and so on are wet in the morning? This is caused by condensation.
What you can do is to ventilate the tent. Choose tents that have vents so water vapor won’t build up inside. Vents are supposed to keep the wind that brings the chills out, so you shouldn’t worry about losing any heat or soaking things with condensation any more.
Sleeping tip #3 – Keeping your bag clean
Keeping your sleeping bag clean can be difficult because drying can take time and washing can make the bag lose its insulating abilities. To keep it unsoiled for the longest time, don’t sleep in it without clothes. Long johns and shirts are recommended.
Sleeping tip #4 – Snoring
What’s camping without company? But come nighttime, some of your company might snore disrupting sleep you’ve been looking forward to. Some modern conveniences can come into play: ear plugs. Some brands can perform more than hush off the noise/snore. Learn more about the features before settling for one brand.
Sleeping tip #5 – The morning
To lessen the shock of cold clothes, you can warm them up inside the sleeping bag. Once warmed up, you can get out and don the “warmed’ clothes. “Alternatively just stay in bed all day – you’re on holiday!”
Your busy life in the city will take so much out of you. A short drive to a camping ground can be a good way to rejuvenate. Since you can’t be possibly camping most of the time, enjoy your hours camping as much as you can. While the comfort you can make out of sleeping in a sleeping bag, tent or around the fire will be a far cry from the comforts of a home or a hotel, enjoy all its rewards while it last!
