What to look for in a sleeping pad

When you are camping, you will most likely be sleeping on is the ground, it can be hard, cold and lumpy. Your thicker sleeping bags will help make it softer, but not much. You can always set your tent on grass or leaves to give it more cushion. You can also fold up a blanket and put it on the floor of your tent. This is better but, it can still be hard and uncomfortable. The best things are Sleeping pads and Mattresses.

Sleeping pads come in many sizes, from a kids size sleeping pad up to a King size air mattress. Some sleeping pads are a thin piece of foam that help provide more comfort from the ground. These are light weight and ok for hiking, but are a little bulky. Then you have the self inflating sleeping pads, in which you open a valve and the air goes into. They have a little lightweight spring that holds them open once the air gets in. You close the valve and that keeps the air from going out and lets you feel like your sleeping on air. You can make it a little firmer by manually finishing it up with your mouth. These work well for hiking because they are light weight and roll up pretty small. They are probably the 1st choice for hiking. I have one that works well enough when I can't carry my twin air mattress that I like to use. It makes for a better night sleep than sleeping on the ground. Another mattress is a single air mattress looks like a float for a pool and has a small pillow attached for your head. You have to inflate them with either an air pump or your mouth - the air pumps take less time. The single ones work good for hiking because they fold up the smallest of all the sleeping pads.

Then you have the regular single air mattress. These are great because they are thicker and feel more like a single bed. Some have a battery powered pump built in to them which makes them easier to inflate. These are more comfortable but are heavier if you are on foot. They don’t work well for hiking but are good if you are driving to your campsite. They do require a larger tent because they take up more room. The next in line would be the raised single air mattress. They stand up off the ground and feel the most like a regular bed would. Dome tents don’t work very well with these as they require a cabin type tent that has a straighter wall and taller roof. Another great thing about a air mattress is when you need an extra bed at home they come in handy.

Air mattresses also come in twin, Queen, or King sizes and can be extremely heavy. I have a twin air mattress and use it with a 3 person dome tent. This mattress takes most of the room in the tent but, gives me plenty of room to sleep. I still have room for my gear and to get dressed. The next one is a cot. They are the heaviest and are not suited well for backpacking. They are quite comfortable but, they require large tents. They get you up off the ground and give you more room in your tent as you can store your gear under them. The only time I have used a cot is at the Boy Scout summer camp in Georgia. There, they have tents that have side walls and wood floors. Another thing to think of is a pillow. I have used my backpack or my jacket for a pillow. This works great as you are making use of something that you are already carrying. They do make pillows for camping and backpacking. These are great but, I don’t think they are much better than a sack stuffed with some shirts or a jacket in it. I have gotten to the point that if I drive to my campsite I use a regular size pillow that is washable. This would not work for a backpacking trip because it would add more weight to your backpack.

What about Camp Stoves

The camp stove or outdoor appliance comes in a large variety of styles such as propane grills to campfire toasters. Camp stoves come in many sizes with different uses for all the needs of the camper. The double burner stove can be used by the everyday camper or outdoors person. Then you have the single burner camp stove that is lighter, much smaller and more versatile, suitable for hiking. The single burner camp stove will fit nicely in a backpack. Camp stoves help make it easier to have a more enjoyable camping experience for those who like to make an adventure in the great outdoors.


There is nothing like a hot breakfast to start the day off or, a warm meal at the end of a long day. We have camp stoves from Brunton, Optimus, Primus, Stansport, and more. Camp stoves are fueled by white gas, propane, butane, and multi-fuel options. A single burner hiking camp stove is an inexpensive way to cook a hot meal. The multi burner camp stoves are a little more.

You can cook over or in a camp fire and do something called a foil dinner. A foil dinner is a meal in which you take a piece of heavy aluminum foil and make a pouch. Then put some meat in and add potatoes and carrots - add a little water and your seasonings are last. Put it in the fire for 30 minutes and you've got yourself a hot meal. You can cook hamburgers like this too. You can also set pots and pans in the fire and cook this way. Cooking in the fire this way may cause burn holes in your pots or they can tip over. There is no way to regulate the heat. Another way is to use a cooking grate. It's a grate that sets above the fire and is a level, flat surface and will get your pots and pans out of the fire. This is good but, you still have to deal with the heat and the smoke. When you use a camp stove the stove produces no smoke and the heat is regulated. You can cook on them just like your stove at home. Your pans are less likely to tip over. The 2 burner stoves have wind blocks to keep the wind from blowing out the flame. When you go to a lighter camp stove the price goes up.

How am I going to sleep

Are wondering what are you going to sleep in? You will want to get a sleeping bag. There are a wide variety of sleeping bags out there. The sleeping bag that you pick needs to be close to the temperature that you will be camping in. There are two basic kinds of sleeping bags, a rectangular sleeping bag and a mummy sleeping bag. The mummy sleeping bag covers you all the way up. The only thing that is exposed is your face. With the rectangular sleeping bag your head is out and the top is open.

There is a zipper down the side in both sleeping bags to make it easier to get in and out of. Sleeping bags are rated in degrees, most start around a +40 and go down to -40 or more. I have a +20 degree sleeping bag and a +40 degree sleeping bag. The sleeping bag that I use the most is the +40 degree sleeping bag. I take the +20 sleeping bag and lay it on the mattress like a sheet. If I get cold I will cover the +40 degree sleeping bag with the +20 degree sleeping bag and stay nice and warm. I will sleep in my thermal underwear when it is cold out. I have spent many nights outside when the temperature was in the low 20's to high teens and stayed warm. Something to do also is use a blanket or two to help stay warm. I use a rectangular sleeping bag because it is less restrictive than a mummy sleeping bag. You want to think about what type of material you would like your sleeping bag to be out of. The fillings used in the sleeping bags are goose down and man made material - the outside is made of cloth or nylon. The inside of the sleeping bag is a fleece material. One thing to think about is goose down is nice and warm but it is heavy to carry, and if it gets wet it will take a long time to dry.

Some styles of tents

Here are a few styles of tents to take a look at

Stansport Olympus Backpackers Dome Tent Sleeps: 2


Chinook Cyclone 3 Person, Fiberglass



Chinook Whirlwind 3 Person, Aluminum


Wenzel Family Dome Tent Great Basin Sleeps 7+


Wenzel Family Dome Tent Kodiak Sleeps: 9

My first camping trip

So this is your first Camping trip and you are wondering what do I need. To start, a tent, and they come in all sizes from 1 man to 8 man or more. To start, a 2 or 3 man tent will work in most cases. There is room for you and another person and some gear. Dome tents are easy to set up and are free standing. Once they are up you can move them if you need to in case you missed a rock or a stick that was on the ground. When you get your tent home find a place where you can set it up. This is so you can get familiar with how to set it up and check it to make sure there are no defects in it. You can put your sleeping bag in it to see how you want to sleep in it. Once you get familiar with it and you have made sure it has no defects, you are ready to go camping.

When you get to where you are going to camp look for a place that is flat and has no lumps. Look up to make sure there are no dead branches in the trees. The best place is in the open away from trees. I like a grassy spot that is soft and level. Make sure all sticks and rocks are out from underneath the tent. Place a ground cloth (a tarp or what is called a footprint (a custom tarp) on the ground. This helps protect the bottom of the tent and keeps moisture out of the tent. Set your tent up on top of your ground cloth and stake it down. If your tent came with rain fly put it on. You are now ready to put your sleeping bag and other gear in your tent.

When you place your gear in your tent keep it off the sides of the tent. If it touches or you touch the side of your tent it will leak and you and your gear will get wet. Your tent should keep you dry and the dew off you. I have spent many nights in the pouring rain in my tent and stayed dry. Your tent is also a place to find some shade during the day. Camping is fun and the better prepared you are the more fun you will have.

As this blog continues, we build a high tech camp with all the comforts of home and talk about lights, HOT showers, cooking, and many other things. so come back often and any questions or comments please E-Mail me markteague@highmountaindiscountcampingsupply.com. We would also like photos of your camping experience to post on our website and blog.