Sleeping out a roll mat

[Tank]

Last night i took my younger sister out to the woods and gave her the comfort of sleeping in my hammock, which left me on the floor (without a roll mat as i had sold it to a mate and not got myself a new one yet)

There was plently of bracken around so used some for insulation from the ground and for some added comfort, my first atempt was pretty poor and uncomforatble as i had simply layed the bracken on the floor. i then decided to strip the larger stalks off and put the leaves into my bivi, it seemed to work ok, but next time i will make sure i gather more to fill the bivi better (by the morning it was a very flat)

anyone got any tips for improving my nights sleep? or is it just going to be gathering more and stuffing the bivi more? also what could i do if i didnt want to use the bivi (ie it was raining and i need to use the bivi to keep dry?

 

[Shewie]

anyone got any tips for improving my nights sleep?

Don't forget your roll mat

 

[Tank]

didnt forget to take one. forgot about buying a replacement lol.

 

[British Red]

If you can, get up off the floor first, put down a layer of thin twiggy branches and then pile the bracken atop that - the springy branches act like...box springs in a bed I guess.

 

[Shewie]

If you can, get up off the floor first, put down a layer of thin twiggy branches and then pile the bracken atop that - the springy branches act like...box springs in a bed I guess.

And when you think you've got enough layers down, double it again

 

[ged]

I find bracken is pretty good. I make a sort of criss-cross arrangement with the stems, not weaving them but just placing them alternately lengthwise and crosswise. I keep them close together (an inch or two) so yes it takes quite a few stems and it's a bit time-consuming. I put my tent or a tarp on top of that, then to make things a bit smoother I put something on top of the lumpy mass that's now under my tent, like a folded blanket or a thick jumper, but only in the torso area. I find that my legs don't really need anything and it's very comfy like that. I don't think just leaves on their own is much good unless you can keep them together in some kind of bag or collect a lorry load, most of them seem to escape from underneath you and the rest compress down to nothing. I carry a thin drawstring bag to hang things in to keep them off the ground, I've thought of using it to contain leaf bedding but never wanted to fill it with bits of leaves that will then get in everything else that I put in it. The bag is a lot lighter than a roll mat but a lightweight roll mat isn't a huge burden of course.

Any plant material collected in the UK is likely to be fairly damp, so increased humidity and condensation can be an issue. Once upon a time in northern France I used a bracken bed underneath my one-man tent. The tent suffers from condensation problems at the best of times, what with my excessive glowing and its poor ventilation, but that night after I'd closed up the tent for a couple of hours it was like it was raining inside the tent when it wasn't raining outside. I think the groundsheet must let water vapour through it, but then it doesn't seem to get out through the rest of the tent fabric. The solution is to sleep with the tent door wide open which I do whenever I can.

 

[Pierr]

Note bracken is a prefered tick environment and also an cause rashes. Not the best bedding.

 

[British Red]

And when you think you've got enough layers down, double it again

Spot on

I found some pictures of one I built - might help illustrate the thickness

Box springs


shelter9 by British Red, on Flickr

How thick is my mattress


red2 by British Red, on Flickr

Red

 

[udamiano]

And when you think you've got enough layers down, double it again

+1 on that comment

 

[Tank]

And when you think you've got enough layers down, double it again

Yep learnt that the hard way last night. next time i will just fill the bivi to max before settling down for the night. Mind you getting to the woods 2hrs before it got dark with your 12 year old sister who struggled at collect firewood was a bit interesting, if i had time i know i would have collected 4 times the amount i did lol

 

[udamiano]

Red i thought Emperors used laurel garlands

 

[Poacher]

+1 on the ticks!!

 

[lannyman8]

i do as red does, but i use very thin sticks on top of the big ones. firn is good but dead is best, the green stuff is just to wet when green and can make you cold from the damp. dead leaves on top or pine needles would work well to.

try out things in your area and see what works best...

 

[Whittler Kev]

Please remember that bracken will soon be getting cancerous when it starts to spore (or so I was taught). Better to put it in a bin bag:thinkerg:
Found out by accident that if you put a sheet (tarp) over you when laying down you get very toastie. Just by chance I was kipping in the back of my van at the Bull ith Thorn pub one November. Blooming cold and condensation was dripping off the inside of the roof so I pulled a plastic sheet over me and was well warm all night (and dry)
Assume putting your sleeping bag inside a wheelie bin bag will get you really warm. Condensation not getting out may make you a little sweaty though

 

[vizsla]

bull ith thorn on the buxton road? i love that place caramalized apple pork,yum yum. watch out for the ghosts though