camping sucks

[tommy11]

I went camping in loch lomond at a campsite for 1 night and it really changed my mind about sleeping in a tent....

I couldn't get comfortable on the ground and the cheap mat I bought gave no comfort at all, also I was wearing clothes to keep me warm a really thick jumper with t shirt underneath and jeans.....I was bloody freezing!

I got 1 hour sleep that night!

Is there any better, more comfortable way to camp like using a hammock and tarp and wearing thermals....what ya think?

 

[Bowlander]

Try a thermarest and decent bag, you shouldn't be having to wear much in a sleeping bag at this time of year.

 

[Baggy]

The cheap mat was probably a mistake as you need VERY good insulation between you and the ground. Jeans are useless as outdoor wear they are too hot in hot weather, they offer little UV protection and if they get wet you lose heat fast, you need a lot more layers than you mention. Here in the UK night temperatures are lower than most people expect.

I like a hammock but not without an under quilt, even if you use a good sleeping bag in a hammock you will compress the bit you lie on and lose heat there.

 

[Dartmoor navigator]

Try a thermarest and decent bag, you shouldn't be having to wear much in a sleeping bag at this time of year.

Ditto

But try a Downmat and a good down bag..... soooooooooooooo comfy

 

[ol smokey]

After 50 odd years of camping where I took along all the comforts needed. I tried Hammocking in November on a windy night and was so cosy I did not waken till 9 am and those who were with me were upat 6am getting a fire going. I would now always favour a hammock over the tent. As long as there were trees around to hang one from. I did not have any extra blankets Onlly a closed cell karrimat under my sleeping bag to give some insulation. see if you can borrow a hammock to try one out before you go out and buy one. Do give the outdoors another chance, there is nothing like it.

 

[ged]

Well there's no doubt that sleeping in a tent is an acquired taste. But so is sleeping in a hammock.

You probably need to experiment a bit with what works for you, perhaps start with more than you think you need rather than just enough. Inflatable mats are good although the better ones can be a little pricey. The foam roll mats are OK but you'll probably want two of them to begin with! It might be worth experimenting with making bedding from vegetable material that you can find around the site, just pile a thick layer on the ground before you pitch the tent on it (you need more than you think, and don't make a mound that you'll roll off in the night) and then use a roll mat in the tent as well. It's perfectly possible to make yourself comfortable but you definitely need to put more work and thought into it than you do at home.

Were you using a sleeping bag? If so what kind? There's a very wide range of insulation ratings and what works for one person doesn't necessarily work for someone else. The bag I went to sleep in last night is rated to minus 18C when it's all fastened up, but I didn't even zip it up completely. I still woke up without it - I was far too hot in the night and I must have unzipped it in my sleep and thrown it off!

 

[santaman2000]

The cheap mat was probably a mistake as you need VERY good insulation between you and the ground. Jeans are useless as outdoor wear they are too hot in hot weather, they offer little UV protection and if they get wet you lose heat fast...

Really? Just how hot does it get in the UK now-a-days? Jeans are fine in the Florida heat (about 95f-110f) You lose heat fast if they get wet? Duh. So what if it's in the heat. I stay wet wading around in and out of the water when I'm out and about. Never had a bit of trouble in 55+ years; in the Southern heat, the desert heat, or the cold of the Western mountains. No UV protection? That's another new one on me; they did fine for the 5 years I lived in the Mojave as well as the Southern sun before and since. Oh, and lets not forget a stretch in Saudi Arabia.

Rant Off.

Now as others have said, get a better sleeping bag and mat. You shouldn't need that much clothing this time of year anywhere outside the Himalayas.

 

[widu13]

Cotton is my favourite walking material for clothing. If your wearing denim in -10c on Ben Nevis in winter you MAY get into trouble, but most probably not. I like cotton but not heavyweight denim as I find it too thick for my likes. (It takes an age to dry).

Poor night's sleep on a cheap mat? Depends on the mat. A cheap 5mm mat from Millets will make you freeze yer nads off, a cheap 15mm ex Dutch Army mat is comfy and warm.

 

[hog]

Self inflating mat and a good quality bag as mentioned, jeans are no good at all for camping.

 

[santaman2000]

Self inflating mat and a good quality bag as mentioned, jeans are no good at all for camping.

As stated; there's nothing better for camping than jeans.

 

[Lister]

The adage of "the more you spend the better you sleep" does ring true however the exception to that rule is surplus stores, absolute treasure troves those places are. Also the adage of "1 underneath is worth 2" on top is also something to bare in mind, even with a decent mat.

 

[Dartmoor navigator]

As stated; there's nothing better for camping than jeans.

Until they get wet

 

[santaman2000]

Until they get wet

As stated, all clothing STAYS wet. I wade in my jeans, swim in them, wander around thunderstorms in them, hunt in wet snow at 8000 foot elevation in November in them. So what? That's just part of being outdoors. It's never been a problem.

 

[HillBill]

Not true.

The craghoppers kiwi pants i have are made of a material called solar dry. It dries in about 5 minutes. You can put them straight on from the wash without the need for drying.

Denim is not as bad as some folk say. But its not the best for the uk climate. Not the worst either though. You will be more uncomfortable in denim should it get wet, should you get sweaty and it gets clingy then same thing. I wouldn't wear it if i was hiking, nor if it was raining, nor if it was blazing sunshine. Its ok for the middling days though

As stated, all clothing STAYS wet. So what? That's just part of being outdoors. It's never been a problem.

 

[Dartmoor navigator]

As stated, all clothing STAYS wet. I wade in my jeans, swim in them, wander around thunderstorms in them, hunt in wet snow at 8000 foot elevation in November in them. So what? That's just part of being outdoors. It's never been a problem.

It may not have been a 'problem' but you may have felt the benefit of other clothing choices if they had been selected.

Opinions vary, mine is just one.

 

[Angst]

lololololololololol!

erm.......dont take this the wrong way my friend but i think that if any of us were to try and answer that for you we would have to write you an entire essay....

i would advise you to do some research for yourself on bcuk.....theres just about everything you need to know already covered on here.....then once youve sorted the basics we'd be happy to help you fine tune

start with this......thermal base layer....helly hansen....25 quid

british army issue combats, sleeping bag, bivi bag and roll mat (also s.bag liner if real cold)....all cheap and on ebay....all for less than a 100.....i dont use a tent....i use army tarp.....

i've camped in minus 6 degrees near helvellyn for 5 nights with that exact setup....and it was wet and muddy too....and i slept like a log.

a lot of people rate commercial brands like snugpak and dd too....google them.

but dude....do research yeah?

happy to help,

a

ps.....nearly forgot...essential....a hat....i use north face beanies....20 quid....i live in one

 

[bilmo-p5]

As stated, all clothing STAYS wet. I wade in my jeans, swim in them, wander around thunderstorms in them, hunt in wet snow at 8000 foot elevation in November in them. So what? That's just part of being outdoors. It's never been a problem.

There's no need for your clothing to stay wet indefinitely. That's not part of my being outdoors. I get wet certainly; but my cotton chinos or light polycottons will dry rather more quickly (on me or off) than your jeans, and in my book dry gear is comfortable gear. Staying wet longer than you need to is not smart.

 

[santaman2000]

Not true.

The craghoppers kiwi pants i have are made of a material called solar dry. It dries in about 5 minutes. You can put them straight on from the wash without the need for drying.

Denim is not as bad as some folk say. But its not the best for the uk climate. Not the worst either though. You will be more uncomfortable in denim should it get wet, should you get sweaty and it gets clingy then same thing. I wouldn't wear it if i was hiking, nor if it was raininh, nor if it was blazing sunshine. Its ok for the middling days though

Never tried "solar dry" or heard of it until now. That said, I've never been uncomfortable in denim. And I doubt any of the so called "quick drying" materials are anywhere near as abrasion resistant as denim. That matters to me when hiking through brambles, or on rocks; for that matter, denim is the only material (short of very expensive materials such as kevlar) that is reccomended by the MSF as a substitute for leather clothing for bikers.

 

[santaman2000]

It may not have been a 'problem' but you may have felt the benefit of other clothing choices if they had been selected.

Opinions vary, mine is just one.

By "never been a problem," I mean I've always been quite comfortable. As stated in my last post, I don't believe anything else (short of leather or kevlar) would combine the flex of denim with it's resistance to abrasion I go through outdoors. Even then, I sometimes need jeans faced on the front with heavy Cordura.

 

[santaman2000]

There's no need for your clothing to stay wet indefinitely. That's not part of my being outdoors. I get wet certainly; but my cotton chinos or light polycottons will dry rather more quickly (on me or off) than your jeans, and in my book dry gear is comfortable gear. Staying wet longer than you need to is not smart.

Being outdoors means being in and out of the water (streams, lakes/ponds, or ocean) every 15-20 minutes where I go now. In the Western snow it meant constantly from the beginning of the hunt until the end. Drying out is simply not an option in those conditions. I remember the 4 years I was stationed in the UK and yes it was "damp" there, but never really and truly "wet." The storms we have are quite diferrent from the showers and light thunder you're used to there.

TBH, apart from the desert, those are the conditions I crave. Getting in and out of those streams and such is a large part of the point of being there in the first place. If you've never floated down a river through the rapids and over a waterfall on an inner tube while watching the gators, you really cain't imagine the exhiloration.