12 Tips to Help You Sleep Well on the Trail
Youâre trying to sleep, but thereâs a baseball-size rock poking you in the back. You keep sliding downhill in your sleeping bag. Just as you drift off to sleep, youâre jolted awake by the sound of your Scoutmaster snoring like a gorilla with a head cold.
While we canât help you with your snoring Scoutmaster, Gear Guy is here to save you with some handy sleep tips and gear that will help you get a better nightâs rest on the trail.
1. EAT: Donât go to bed hungry if you can help it. Your body generates more heat when it has calories to burn, so you stay warmer and sleep better.
2. GET LEVEL: Pick a spot thatâs as flat and level as possible so youâre not sliding downhill all night. Flat ground can be tough to find, so if sleeping on a slight incline is unavoidable, always have your head on the uphill part so all the blood doesnât rush to your noggin.
3. CLEAR THE WAY: Before you go to bed, do a quick sweep of the spot youâll be sleeping on to remove sticks, stones and other things. But leave the pine needles and leaves right where they are. Theyâll give you a little extra padding, and leaving them will make less of an impact on the environment.
4. LOOK ABOVE: Check for dead trees, limbs, pine cones and other stuff that could fall on you in the night. Avoid those spots.
5. DO A STAKEOUT: Take the extra time to stake out the body of your tent and the guy lines on your rainfly. That way, if the wind whips up, you wonât be kept awake by the annoying flapping of the fly. Also, this will improve airflow and ventilation within your tent and will help you avoid your tent wetting through with morning dew and condensation.
6. KEEP IT ROLLED UP: If youâre going to sleep out under the stars (good for you! Itâs one of Gear Guyâs favorite things to do), keep your sleeping bag rolled up in its stuffsack until itâs time to hit the hay. That way youâll prevent your bag from getting wet from dew or humidity, and itâll give the creepy crawlies less opportunity to get inside before you do.
7. BRING PJs: Iâm not saying you ought to pack those Spider-Man pajamas, unless thatâs how you roll. Just make sure you always have clean clothes to wear to bed. Maybe itâs simply a T-shirt and boxers, but having something that doesnât smell like campfire, dinner or your own B.O. will help you sleep better. Bonus: Itâll keep your sleeping bag cleaner, too.
8. THROW IT AT YOUR FEET: Cold-weather tip: Whatever clothes youâre planning to wear in the morning, toss those in the bottom of your sleeping bag. Theyâll keep your feet warmer, and the clothes will be cozy and warm when you get dressed in the morning. Sure theyâll be wrinkled, but get over it. Youâre camping!
9. SLEEP IN YOUR CLOTHES: If itâs particularly cold, wear layers to bed. Long underwear (tops and bottoms), warm (clean) socks and a fleece jacket are a good start for frigid nights.
10. D-I-Y PILLOW: Donât bring that huge, bulky pillow from your bed at home. Instead, make a do-it-yourself pillow. Use a stuffsack (or a fleece jacket) and fill it with your other clothing layers to make a soft mini pillow.
11. WEAR A HAT: We lose most of our body heat through our heads, so keep a stocking cap or balaclava close at hand. Then if you get chilly in the night, you can just slip it on and warm up.
12. SLEEP LIGHT: Keep a headlamp or flashlight at your side when you sleep; doing so is key to being able to find your way in the middle of the nightâwhether itâs an emergency or youâre just heading out to relieve yourself. Bonus: If itâs cold, keeping your headlamp inside your sleeping bag prevents the batteries from getting cold and losing their power.
Leave a Reply to Hillside Camper 503 Cancel reply