Tent Pitching

[Chirrup]

Hey guys, so I'm a complete n00b to camping and pitching tents and I was thinking... when pitching your tent, is it better to clear leaf litter and have a flat, albeit cold base on which to camp, or can you build up leaf litter to provide a cushiony insulated bed of leaves to try and retain more heat?

Thanks in advance!

 

[rg598]

Leafs are not going to give you much insulation. They flatten out and usually contain moisture. My point is that they are not going to make a huge difference in terms of how warm you are. The tent is just to shelter from the wind and rain. For insulation you need other gear, i.e. sleeping pad and sleeping bag. Don't over-think it. Just find a flat spot and set up.

 

[Chirrup]

Ok, thank you!

 

[Silkhi]

Leaves can be useful insulation but in a tent? Probably more likely to get in the way. Pad and bag

 

[Kerne]

You don't want your groundsheet pierced so it can pay to clear leaf litter and whatever in order to check what you're putting your tent up on. However, I happily pitch on all sorts of stuff (as long as it doesn't threaten the groundsheet) and believe that any extra insulation has to be a good thing. Ray Jardine - the guru of lightweight backpacking - advocates finding ground that hasn't been hard packed so a thick layer of leaf litter sounds good.

 

[nic a char]

A visitor to Scotland, a friend of a friend, was once heard to say "since most of the Highlands are glacial glens, you can NEVER find a flat spot to pitch a tent".
He was taken Highland camping to a really awkward wee mountain glen, by a wag, who then pitched their tent on top of a drumlin =

Mix heather, leaves, ferns, hay etc on top of branches, to insulate underneath your ten/bivi/tarp, because you're trying to:
1. get off the cold/wet surface
2. introduce trapped air layers between you and the cold/wet