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.
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.
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