What to sleep on? Or more to the point, how to sleep when camping?

[pigsinmud]

The schilke family are camping again this summer...oh no. We bought a massive tent 2 years ago (or was it 3?) and went camping for a week. The children loved it - all four of them. I hated it.

I couldn't sleep - was awake every night until 2/3am and then woke at 6am with back ache. I was "sleeping" on a fat airic which seemed comfortable. The only good thing about waking early was that I was first in the showers. By the end of the week I was grumpy, knackered and felt generally crap.

My plan this year is not to sleep in the same little compartment as dh, but to sleep in the massive main area - claustrophobic feelings in that place. Also, to get a sleeping pod - hated the mummy sleeping bag as I felt trapped.

Is there something better to sleep on? Any more tips. I am so enthusiastic. Dh suggested drinking a bottle of wine each night, but I decided I'd just feel crap due to alcohol, rather than lack of sleep!

We bought canvas campbeds-you have to put them together by slotting steel supports through canvas at the sides and are on small legs of about a foot. You can get them in camp shops and army surplus shops (are they still around?). Put a sleeping bag o top and it makes all the difference to a night's sleep - so much better than sleeping on the ground.

I have a 7.5cm self inflating mattress. I use this with a mat underneath to stop any cold air getting through, put one duvet on it to lie on top of then another duvet on top of me plus two pillows. Snug as a bug in a rug. With 4 of us that means we need 2 double and 4 single duvets so everyone is comfy but thats why we have a roofbox

Thank you for both those suggestions. I spent many holidays sleeping on those little camp beds - my parents always rented a cottage for 4, so my brothers got a room and I slept on a camp bed in my parents' room! I slept well on them when I was small! Dh spent a few days on one the other week and hated it, but might just work for me.

AngryFeet - thank goodness it's just me that sleeps badly, because we would never fit that amount of stuff in for six of us! I'm sure a duvet will help. I shall experiment in the garden tent (oh joy) before we go. No idea where we're going yet!

It is a well-known fact* that you don't get hangovers when you sleep in the open air. You have to get the balance right though, make sure you drink enough that you sleep right through, not just enough to make you want to wee every hour.

*Of course it might have been because I was still in my 20s when I last went to bed pissed on a camping trip and was more able to hold my booze.

Quenelle - very interesting fact I think balance is the issue. I was worried about the needing to wee 3 times a night, so only let myself have 1 glass of wine.

I really want to love camping - the children absolutely loved it - but I am not good without sleep!

Get an electric hook up and a full height inflatable double airbed, couple of duvets (one under, one over), some fluffy pillows and a heater, if like me you feel the cold..... and don't share it with anyone (especially a wriggly cocker spaniel!)

I see my mistake - I was under prepared last time. A full height inflatable double air bed - didn't know such a thing existed! I'm going shopping.

Think we might need a trailer....

I can't get as pissed as I used to due to small child not wanting to sit still and watch me drink, but I have solved the wee problem with this.

I don't worry about the space it takes up. I would leave DS behind before I left my Kampa Khazi.

Or do we just ebay all our camping stuff and rent holiday cottages?

Mummy sleeping bags are awful. You need a really wide square one - I think it's Vango Wilderness XL that is good and wide.

If you find the answer to this issue could you post it?

We are camping for 2 weeks in August and I don't think my hips will take it on our shitty airbed.

mmme, well if the fat airic was comfortable then there is something else going on? Do you think you were cold? Or maybe the restriction of the mummy sleeping bag was what did it?
How about adding a memory foam topper to your fat airic (in much the same way thermarest does see here. you can get them cut to size from here and then there sew/buy a cotton cover?
Re the sleeping bag I saw a very thick but wide bag here but not sure if it would be warm enough this looks a bit warmer?
I would also recomend a proper pillow from home, ear plugs and an eye mask....
hope you get a good (camping) nights sleep soon

Thank you hettie - I like the look of that thermarest one.

The sleeping bag was not good - I felt so trapped. Dd2 fights with her bag too as she tosses & turns a lot like me. I had a proper pillow and I don't think I was cold. I honestly don't think we've got room in our car for an air bed and duvets etc.. We were so full to the brim last time. It was alright packing the car at home, but stuff seem to have doubled in size when we packed at the campsite to come home!

One of our fat airics is done for as dh threw it out the loft the other week and it got caught on the loft ladder and ripped - a very long rip. So I could replace mine with a thermarest one.

I invested in a dreamtime some years ago (in my defense it was on sale and I did have spd!) Best thing ever. V comfy indeed. We now camp for 2 wks as our annual holiday, so its paid off really (not sure if I could do 2 weeks without it).

I dream of getting 4 exped megamats and coupling them together so that me dh and dsx2 can all cosy up.

Have you tried opening the sleeping bag up to use as a duvet? With a mummy sleeping bag, fold the hood in on itself, you can even slip it into a duvet cover. I only have my sleeping bag zipped up if I'm cold otherwise it is open duvet style.

I've been camping for years and have yet to have a good nights sleep
So much so, I've refused to camp for more than a weekend this year!

Hmm. I have tried suggesting all sorts of holiday ideas, but these pesky children want to go camping. I shall thoroughly investigate all your ideas. I can't win with with dh - suggest another holiday and it's too expensive, but need new comfort equipment and he says what's the point if you don't like camping?!

Thinking of heading to Deer's Glade Campsite in Norfolk - anyone been?

yes to deers glade, lovely site.. if you have little kids then you have to watch the open lake. but we enjoyed staying there. very good facilities. nice and clean

Oh that's good to know. I can be a bit fussy about my facilities!

Decent double airbed (we have an aero bed) with a proper sheet, an opened out sleeping bag (old fashioned one that opens flat) and real pillows. It took a few years to realise this, but now I sleep really well when camping.

Oh I forgot the other essential ingredient - ear plugs :)

My camping experience has been transformed by a thermarest self inflating airbed. So comfy. Especially with duvet on top (not v hardcore). In fact I am snuggled up on it now feeding DD to sleep!

I'm another with 2 duvets,but I use those vacum pack bag things and the car lighter pump and suck the life out of them and the pillows just make sure you use the deflate button as other wise a pumped up duvet is not great.

Really useful thread!

Giggly can I ask you about the car lighter pump? I'm a massive fan of vacuum bags and would love to be able to take them camping - a pump would make this possible!