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Whether
you are tent camping or sleeping out under the stars, using a sleeping
bag or some other form of bedding, you need to put something between your
torso and the cold hard ground.
Sleeping
on the hard ground is not conducive to a good night's rest.
Sleeping
pads are just one solution to providing some layer of comfort between
you and the hard ground, but there are other alternatives. Remember those
exercise pads used in the gym in high-school phys-ed class? Or have you
seen those egg carton shaped foam pads? Either of these work well as sleeping
pads.
Having
chosen a method of ground protection for under your bed, whether it be
a sleeping pad, foam pad, air mattress, futon, cot, travel trailer, or
a home-made device, it's time to add the finishing touches that will determine
your bed's degree of cozy.
Backpackers
have only one viable solution: sleeping bags. Backpackers typically select
a light-weight mummy style sleeping bag with down or synthetic insulation,
filled to differing degrees of loft depending upon the seasonal extremes.
Pillows can be made from rolled up clothing, a small inflatable air pillow,
or your pack. And, if it happens to get too warm during the night, simply
zip down the bag a little.
Tent
campers, on the other hand, need not be as concerned as backpackers about
weight and size of gear. You are limited only by the amount of storage
space that is in the vehicle taking you to the campsite. Canoeing to a
campsite will not offer as much space as driving there in a car, and driving
there in a car, in turn, will not have as much space as a van or truck.
With
enough space, take regular bed items to the campground: sheets, blankets,
pillows, comforters, and quilts. If you happen to be camping at the beach
where sand eventually finds its way into everything, consider using flannel
sheets rather than cotton.
For
many campers, standard fare will be a rectangular sleeping bag. For camping
couples, there are models available that you can zip together to accommodate
both of you. Otherwise, open one sleeping bag, lay it flat, put a sheet
over it, and then use the second bag for a blanket. If you're an RVer,
then you have the convenience of a real bed, so take advantage of that
fact and bring along bedding to make it cozy just like your bed at home.
Sleeping
in the countryside, away from city lights, out under the stars on a clear
night is simply spectacular. But waking up in the middle of the night
during a downpour can be quite miserable. Just waking up in the morning
covered with dew is bad enough. There is a solution to this problem: put
a roof over your head. You need to insure that cozy campground slumber
with an appropriate tent to shield you from the wind, the sun and the
rain and also to protect you from unfriendly outdoor pests like flies,
mosquitoes and no-seeums.
Tents
today come in all shapes and sizes to meet a variety of camping needs
and weather situations. There are a few things to consider when purchasing
a new tent. Look for a tent with a one piece floor, it's less likely to
seep water than a floor with seams. Make sure the rain fly is an adequate
size covering most of the tent with an extended section at the door to
allow entry without soaking the inside of the tent. Make sure the tent
is big enough to accommodate all the campers plus a place to stow their
gear.
Tents
come in all shapes, sizes and varieties; from the high-tech models used
by mountain climbers to the multi-room cabin tents made for fair weather
family camping. You might still find those bulky canvas room tents around
that may have had their place in certain camping situations, but for all
practical purposes, you will want a tent that is somewhat lighter and
more portable. Today's tents are usually dome or oval shaped, supported
with shock cord poles, made out of double-wall polyester or nylon, with
dual-zippered doors, no-seeum screening, and a rain fly.
Now
that we've covered some camping basics, please see Camping Basics: Do's
and Don'ts
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