June 11, 2019
Sleep systems
I hear many of you already. Sleep systems?
I thought you just take a tent!
Maybe you do, and maybe you don't,
but you do have choices.
Cowboy Camping
Want to save some weight? Leave that tent at home!
Take a ground cloth, pad, and sleeping bag and throw it
on the ground. If you are sure about the weather (and you
almost always can be on short trips) and bugs are not an
issue, this is a great option.
It is hard to beat "sleeping under the stars".
Consider adding a bivy sack to this or the following.
Tarp
Add a tarp to the above, and you are ready for rainy weather.
If rain is almost guaranteed, take your big tarp.
If it is just a remote possibility, take the little one on
a longer trip to cover your bets. The bugs will have
free access, so bring some mosquito net or choose another
system if you expect real bugs.
Ventilation under a tarp keeps you and your gear dry,
avoiding the indoor rainstorm due to condensation in a tent.
Hammock
A hammock under a tarp is the absolute best setup in the rain.
A proper setup is bulletproof and you won't be pulling a tent
out of the mud in the morning. Hammock camping is probably
the most comfortable way to sleep in the backcountry.
The hammock camper has many many more sites he can use than
a ground sleeper. Much more on this elsewhere.
Tent
Nothing beats a tent (except a hammock with an integrated bug-net)
when the mosquitos are hungry. A tent can be cozy.
A tent adds some warmth by blocking wind.
It can be a psychological crutch for the timid.
It can be all but essential for a female who is
camping near other parties.
I list it last because it is the only thing many people think of.
I prefer a tarp almost every time myself, except when there are
bad bugs.
Have any comments? Questions?
Drop me a line!
Tom's backpacking pages / tom@mmto.org
