Minimal bedding

[Kath]

I know from my own experiences in hot climates that it's still hard to get to sleep without at least some form of bedding eg. a bedsheet over me. Any one know if this is conditioned into us westerners? Or do native people always cover themselves with a blanket or some such before sleeping?

Those emergency foil blankets don't have the right 'snugglability' factor to be any use!

 

[Douglas]

sleeping bag liners don't take up much space and don't weigh much either...that's what I use in hot weather. The silk ones will fit in a pocket (just don't get "cocoon" ones, they're expensive, and they have an opening that fixes with a velro tab, it's really fiddly and doesn't shut well....useless and ennoying).

 

[rapidboy]

I can't even fall asleep on the sofa or doze in the car without at least a jacket pulled around me.
I did try a night of very minimal sleeping with just a thermarest and a space blanket ,(grumpy boy next morning),very noisy with zero 'snugglability' factor.
I sometimes use a snugpac fleece liner ,a good light bag on it's own and a great liner to boost the rating of another bag.

 

[Tvividr]

I've used a blanket when in Southern Africa (well sleping bags also depending on where I sleep - in the Drakensberg at winter it is not funny only having a blanket), and sometimes just a skin when I was a kid running about with the swazi and zulu boys herding cattle and learning bushcraft skills

 

[BorderReiver]

I sweat like a pig at night but a light covering stops those annoying little draughts that tickle and keep you awake.

In the Sinai desert this May I used the sleeping bag as an extra mattress and the liner as a cover.Worked quite well

 

[Gary]

Kath,

Covering yourself at night is prety much a universal thing for two reasons, firstly our body temp drops when we sleep, and as we sleep at night, so does the air temp. Secondly by covering the exposed skin you protect it (in theory) from biting insects.

I am sure there are exceptions to this but generally in my experience that is the rule of thumb.

 

[RovingArcher]

I tend to agree with Gary that covering ones self when sleeping is a universal thing. During mild weather months, I use a US military poncho liner to cover myself and if I get a little chilled, I add the poncho or pull on a jacket.

 

[Kath]

Thanks for your replies everyone. It's interesting to know that it's universal.

Roving Rich mentioned over in the other thread that he found it hard to sleep with nothing over him in a tough situation.

:icon_ques So in survival situation if you're lost (say on Snowdon, like so many muggles here manage to do!) with no kit and not even a jacket to pull around you, would you take time to gather moss or something so you've got something over you or would you just not bother with sleep at all?

I'm soooo tempted to just go and find out ... quick someone restrain me! :stooges:

 

[Gary]

Difficult question Kath - On snowdon or elsewhere above the tree line I would suggest you walk off the mountain first - IF YOUR ABLE which may not be the case if your dumb enough to go there without a half decent survival kit or coat!!

With no bedding or inadequate clothing hypothermia would be a real danger and as such walking would boost your body temperature, take your mind of your plight and hopefully get you down before you got into BIGGER trouble.

Once among the trees you would be wisest to light a fire and sit beside this all night. You probably wont sleep much but at least you'll be alive to see the sunrise.

As for gathering moss ect - my experience of Snowdon has always been wet - moss being a lover of the wet would mean it would be very wet and that in all likelihood would slowly sap away your warmth chilling you very quickly.

As I say its a difficult question to answer because its all hypothetical - Moss would insulate you if dry of course as has been proven by many of the Arctic peoples who use it as stuffing in boots and clothing.

At the end of the day the only answer is dress for the worst conditions you expect to experience and always carry minimum safety gear at the very least.

 

[maddave]

Having been in the service of her majesty and having to sleep in some dodgy and somewhat unusual spots, I'm blessed with the ability to sleep anywhere at the drop of a hat. I'd only use a cover for warmth or concealment if required.. I've spent many a luchtime fast asleep in the grass on a hike in the hills (sometimes dozing far too long too)

 

[RovingArcher]

Anytime you're away from the security of your home, you should have the appropriate gear with you to cover any emergency situation that you are likely to encounter. This includes the proper knowledge and skills to go with the gear.

For cold weather, layering your clothing and wearing a hat are your best bet for a successful and safe outing. Having the basic gear for fire and the ability to make tea or another hot drink is very important. Carrying adequate water, a few high sugar hard candies and some salt for adding to the warm water which helps to replace important nutrients lost due to dehydration. Listening to your body early on and reacting appropriately will save your life.

In the situation of hypothermia, depending on how far gone you are, you probably won't know you're in trouble, let alone be able to light a fire.

At the onset of hypothermia, you will realize you are cold. Shivering may occur but will be controlled when you become active. As hypothermia continues, your feet will feel stiff, your muscles will become tense and you will feel fatigued and weak. Then, your skin will take on a waxy pallor and numbness will occur.

When the hypothermia is at a mild level, uncontrolled shivering will grip your entire body. Joints will become stiff and uncomfortable when you move. At this point, you will still be alert but will lose coordination. Most victims of hypothermia deny they have a problem and become difficult to deal with. Denial is the main reason that so many cases of hypothermia are fatal.

As moderate hypothermia takes over your body temperature ranges between 93 and 95 degrees, shivering will become less intense. Normal activity becomes uncomfortable because your blood vessels are severely restricted. At this stage, you have poor coordination and trouble keeping your balance. Your speech may become slurred and you will appear to be in a state of intoxication. You will no longer be able to make responsible decisions and will experience feelings of apathy and confusion. Your breathing will become shallow and you will experience an overwhelming urge to sleep.

As body core temperature decreases, severe hypothermia sets in. You will be extremely weak, your skin will turn blue and eye pupils will become dilated. At this stage you will still deny that a problem exists and may become violent. Unconsciousness will gradually take over. Breathing will become so shallow that you will appear to be dead.

When hypothermia reaches this level, your only hope is to be taken to a medical facility where you can be warmed properly.

Diabetics often experience poor circulation. This makes them more prone to hypothermia because it is difficult for them to recognize numbness in their feet, arms and legs. Diabetics must be especially careful when outside in frigid temperatures.

Alcohol can also be a contributing factor in the onset of hypothermia. Alcohol numbs the senses and thins the blood. This makes it difficult for anyone under the influence to recognize the warning signs of hypothermia.

Hypothermia causes dehydration, which depletes the body of important nutrients. In most cases, this causes erratic heartbeat.

If you feel that you or someone you know may be experiencing the onset of hypothermia, call 911. Medical treatment is required immediately to prevent brain injury, heart attack or death.

Never attempt to bring a hypothermia victims body back to normal temperature by placing him in hot water, giving him alcohol or wrapping him in an electric or hot blanket. If his body temperature rises too fast, it could induce cardiac arrest.

If someone is suspected of suffering from hypothermia, move him inside out of the elements. Remove wet or cold clothing and replace with clothes that are warm and dry. The victim should avoid all physical activity and lie in a prone position until medical help arrives.

If medical help isn't available, gradual warming of the victims body can be helped along with warm liquids taken internally and placing the victim between two warm bodies or cuddle up with the victim if only one individual is available and place a blanket over everyone. This is best done without outer clothing for best results.

 

[Viking]

I can sleep anyewhere, can just lay me down on a dry spot and sleep, a skill I learned when I was in the army.

But I often use a jacket to pu´t over me if I don´t ahve a slepping bag. In the army we always used a big warm jacket over, along with the trousers it become a sleeping bag if it becomes really cold. If you don´t have a jacket and it´s really cold you can crawl into a ant-hill wich will keep you alive (not recommended during the summer months). If you are able to make a small fire you can heat up some stones and put them beside your hip, armpits and so on. There are lot of things you can do if you want to keep warm a cold night in the wilderness.

Moss is omething i never would use since it holds a lot of water wich will make wet and then very cold. Natural materials like grass, hay and reed are excellent materials to cover yourself with or use as a sleeping mat. But the best to use is spruce (best slepping mat there is).

Remember that the ground is cold, so insulate from underneath first then think of putting something over.

 

[Gary]

One of the advantages soldiers have over civilians is their NBC suits I have spent many a night curled up with one of these on and generally been pretty comfy.

Notice a common thread here? All ex army people have the ability to nod off at







zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

 

[Kath]

:rolmao: ): Thanks for your answers everyone.

Well I survived the night! It was chilly but I did sleep for about three hours. Missed my bivvy bag as the dew made my clothes feel damp and I woke up with a leaf in my mouth!

I wore a craghopper shirt and lightweight trousers and Adi's Monkey Fur jacket. I also used a thin foam kipmat for insulation and I took an army poncho (just in case it bucketted down!)

Couldn't sleep once the sun was up so I came indoors but I was refreshed enough for the day ahead. Forgot to take the thermometer with me, so I don't know the minimum temperature but forcast said it would be 14 degrees.

So all in all that wasn't too bad. Not sure I'd do it again though in a hurry as I really missed the security (snugglability factor!) of my sleeping bag and bivvy! :-D

I know that as a test this didn't have the elements of panic and the fear of the unknown that I would undoubtedly feel in a 'survival' situation, but I did learn a lot. I'm not sure it will change the kit that I currently take on hiking trips. I generally take an ultralight sleeping bag and bivvy on long hikes 10+ miles (or just a bivvy and an emergency blanket on short) which most people don't do unless they plan to stay overnight. But then again I like to be prepared if only so that I can decide to stick around if I feel like it!

[I need to add that I wasn't on Snowdon or above 300m - sorry if I gave anyone that impression! ]

 

[madnomad]

Last year during the late summer to winter I slept out in the open in the southern Jordanian desert for 3 months. I used a blanket, mat and slept in my cotton tunic(jalabiyeh). If I needed more warmth I used a second blanket or slept by the fire. I seldom slept in more than one blanket the whole time as the nights were warm enough.

I have also spent the past 3 years living on the streets and in the countryside off and on in Canada, England, Turkey, Mexico and Jordan. 90 percent of the time I have slept in my jacket on a piece of cardboard as I no longer carry a sleeping bag or backpack but prefer to use a blanket or cloak and sleep by a campfire when possible.

I prefer the desert as it allows one to travel as light as possible, it's the most comfortable ecoregion for long-term wilderness living in my opinion. There is little rain, firewood is always dry and easy to collect without the use of a knife, days are hot, nights are relatively warm, your caloric needs are the least compared to any other ecosystem, you can sleep nearly anywhere on the sand(in the Eastern deserts, Mexico has more thorns and prickles), mosquitoes are largely absent away from the villages and oases, camel's milk and goat meat (mensaf) make for good feasting, you can gather fresh dates from the date palms and fetch your water in jerry cans or skins from mountain springs and wells, travelling with camels and donkeys, wandering free in the desert makes one appreciate the value of a more traditional lifestyle.

 

[Spikey DaPikey]

Im able to sleep without covers, but i do prefer them

 

[Abbe Osram]

I know from my own experiences in hot climates that it's still hard to get to sleep without at least some form of bedding eg. a bedsheet over me. Any one know if this is conditioned into us westerners? Or do native people always cover themselves with a blanket or some such before sleeping?

Those emergency foil blankets don't have the right 'snugglability' factor to be any use!

I was sleeping on a reindeer fur beside a long log fire without sleeping bag or cover.
It was spring winter and minus 9 degrees celsius. I had no problems.
A blanket would have been nice compfort but was not needed.
I find that the cold under me is more important to get controll over, get a lot of spruce twiggs under you. As long as you are and high as your knee or even higher. If you have a reindeer fur under you that is the best isolation mat you can have.

If you have nothing like that you can build a warmed up sleeping ground.
make a hole as long as you are, cover the ground and walls with stones and have a fire in it. Fill the hole with sand again and sleep on the warm earth. You can too put a reindeer fur ontop of these.

There is a very old technic from the sami but its a bit dangerous and I first want to test it myself. I was reading that they where able to sleep on the ember of willow. They where able to sleep on that bed of ember without a sleeping back in minus 45 degrees celsius. The trick was where the firer was made, and in which way one puts the bundle of twiggs ontop of the ember. Willow ember has a white cover and looks like its dead and cold but the ember is not. On that they put a lot of twiggs in a special way without giving the fire air to flame up.
If you do it wront you might lay on a pile of ember, having willow twiggs under you and are sleeping. But it is suposed to work very well.

cheers
Abbe

 

[Toddy]

In this heat it's all I can thole to wear a sleeveless linen gown. I slept in the garden in one last week.
I agree with Abbe though, usually the more under insulation I have, and so long as my head is covered, then I can sleep quite warm.

Let us know how you get on with the willow, please?

Cheers,
Toddy

 

[MattW]

There is a very old technic from the sami but its a bit dangerous and I first want to test it myself. I was reading that they where able to sleep on the ember of willow. They where able to sleep on that bed of ember without a sleeping back in minus 45 degrees celsius. The trick was where the firer was made, and in which way one puts the bundle of twiggs ontop of the ember. Willow ember has a white cover and looks like its dead and cold but the ember is not. On that they put a lot of twiggs in a special way without giving the fire air to flame up.
If you do it wront you might lay on a pile of ember, having willow twiggs under you and are sleeping. But it is suposed to work very well.

cheers
Abbe

That sounds really interesting! I bet you need to know what you're doing though! - get it wrong and you've built a funeral pyre!

best
Matt

 

[Zodiak]

I wasn't "in" but have been able to sleep anywhere since my student days.

So long as I have clothes on I can normally doze off straight away but I won't sleep for long, however with a blanket I will normally sleep until I wake up needing the loo.

Normal alarm clocks, even radio alarms don't have any effect, by using my mobile wakes me everytime, :werd: