@cameronpatrick7943
I appreciate you getting to the point and not making this video 30 mins. Great stuff.
@matthewb.7172
One very important aspect to consider when backpacking with others: noise. I can’t believe how LOUD most of these pads are these days. My dad kept me up all night because every time he adjusted, it sounded like a clown was making me a balloon animal.
@steveokohler
Agreed. Also try a sleeping bag liner. It makes a HUGE difference in comfort. It acts like a base layer and keeps the cold, slick sleeping bag material off your skin. Makes it feel like your sleeping in cozy sheets instead of a ski coat burrito.
@sunbornvistoso
A PILLOW! Not a rolled up jacket or the end of the backpack, but a dedicated pillow. Everything after that seems secondary. Even my most ultralight kit includes a comfy pillow. Maybe for one night you can get away without it but bad sleep adds up fast. Thank you for summarizing in minutes what it took me 25 years of backpacking to truly understand. I try to be ultra minimalist in every other respect, but to me the pillow is the bare minimum.
@romeobenvolio4145
For a ~7 minute video, this was densely-packed with information. I appreciate you keeping the value of your viewer's time in mind. Great video - I'll be getting a thicker pad and better pillow myself. Might even start substituting a few things so I can bring my pillow from home.
@ChrisLegg17
Too many comments now that nobody will see this, but here's something that few (or nobody) mentions, but is worth its weight - change ALL your clothes before laying down! The perspiration inside the fabric of your clothes (even if it seems totally dry) somehow will keep you awake. But if you put on all fresh dry sleep clothes, you'll feel like a brand new chicken, fuzzy and cozy to sleep the whole night. It's literally the single most thing that has changed my camping experiences in the last few years.
@liamfinnegan8085
One of the roughest parts of working as a wildland firefighter is getting a good night's rest. You made so many great points it actually relieved some of my anxieties for next season. Thank you for the recommendations, I know that gear is going to bring me some much needed rest.
@LSG_2025
22 about to be homeless but still want to do good and achieve in life so watching you’re videos to learn how to survive the best I can so I can still work hard and get after it no mater what. Thanks man you help all sorts of people in all deferent times of need in there life. You should be proud.
@thaisplouvier5403
1:00 thick + wide nemo tensor : warm + comfy seattosummit ether light : best compromise between warmth and comfort q-core slx : most comfy but colder 2:30 quilt > sleeping bag bc you can move around zenbivy 7L sleep system : sheet + quilt + pillow holder + loops to hold the quilt in place 4:40 pillow : nemo fillo
@gte717v
I like how you described your journey towards good sleep. For me, it led me to a hammock-based system. It’s not for everyone, but once I learned the skills needed and figured it out, it’s the best sleep I’ve ever gotten outdoors. It really does make all the difference.
@Lorondos
The other thing I learnt, is that going an extra size up (if it is an option) is also a good idea if you are an active or wide sleeper when it comes to sleeping bags/quilts, seems completely obvious but I have always gone for the smallest size possible to save on weight and cost, only to learn that my sleep always seems to be crap.
@RJ-ek7ov
Thank you addressing being a side sleeper. My hips and back are always achy after camping.
@DosJof5118
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I bikepack and I'm also, like you, a side sleeper. And I have noticed the very same issues you did with traditional sleep systems. I'm currently using a Sierra Designs Backcountry Bed which is a cross of a sleeping bag and a quilt and find it works for me. But a larger thicker pad is definitely on my shopping list along with a better pillow. Thanks again for a well-thought-out video.
@blueeyeswhitedragon9839
After approximately 30 years of camping in various forms, seasons and styles, l agree with everything you are saying, having learned the hard way through experience. As l grew older, sleep became even more elusive so l added one more piece to my camp bedding. I was always responsible for not only my sleep systems, but of my companions, wife and children so a simple and inexpensive solution to comfortable sleep was the addition of a simple fleece blanket to everything you mentioned in the video. The fleece blankets are inexpensive, can be purchased almost anywhere, are often made from recycled plastic bottles, and add that warm feeling of being home, in your own bed. They are also easily washed and compactable. Simple solution to a comfortable sleep in the bush.
@SlideIX
Almost 2 decades in the military and this video has taught me a few things. It’s not completely compatible with some of the things I have to do while on exercise or OP’s but it does give some useful information and specific items for me to look into
@DariusFLX
You put into words all the many little things that annoyed me when I was trying to sleep. Thank you SO much for finding solutions AND sharing them!
@trustbuster23
Good info. I found switching to a quilt made a huge difference, as did switching to a self-inflating pad. They just seem to handle side-sleeping a bit better. And here is a little tip, particularly for big guys that struggle with any camp pillow. You need a pillow high enough that your head stays in a straight line with your spine if you sleep on your side. That is just an anatomical fact, there is no getting around it. So no camp pillow you will be willing to take backpacking will ever be high enough on its own. But you can make a crappy pillow out of your spare clothes, then put a more comfortable pillow like the small therm-a-rest on top of that thing, and voila, you have a pillow that is high enough to be comfortable. It doesn't matter that the lower pillow is crappy if the one above it is comfortable.
@totallyunmemorable
I think I may have invented the air pillow. Back in the late Eighties I hiked the Appalachian trail, and had by that time enough experience to know that you go light or you don't go. So I sewed a small pillow case (maybe 8x12) with an opening just big enough to squeeze in a bladder from a boxed wine container. Come bedtime I'd blow it up and throw my jacket over it (mainly to quiet the noise of the bag). It worked pretty well, and served as a second, emergency water container (in case the primary one got a puncture. Wine bladders also are great for fetching your nightly water supply. It too needs a protective (nylon) cover.
@briantheminer
Great if you have a fortune to spend. I’ve always used a sleeping bag unzipped like a quilt, except if I’m out in winter, best of both worlds then . One thing for a pillow, a home cushion in a vacuum bag, the pump is tiny to pack it back up too.
@MyLifeOutdoors