Camping is an outdoor activity that involves an overnight stay commonly away from home in a self-made shelter like a tent. It is generally popular in developed metropolitans where people like to spend time away from the noise and pollution of the city area for a more natural experience in a forest or a remote county. Camping can be done in every season unless you have a good set of camping sleeping gear. The major activities that you can perform while you are camping are fishing, climbing, hunting, making shelter and cooking. There are other optional activities too like hiking and canoeing.
Whenever you go out camping, it is very important to keep your equipment in check. There are many types of equipment that you need to take with you. These include some basic items like flashlights and ultralight backpacking sleeping bag to more unseen items like spare matchsticks and extra food, just in case! As far as sleeping is concerned, it is a crucial element of your daily life. Imagine you are going camping on a Sunday and you need to go to work on Monday, you’d certainly want to get a good night sleep now, don’t you?
For a good night sleep in the middle of a forest or a camping area, you’d need to have some decent equipment. But choosing the right kind of sleeping gear is confusing, you might ask. In that case, don’t be demented my friend, we got you covered here. We’ve done all our essential research to bring you some of the most important types of sleeping gear for camping that you can use for a solid 8 hours of serenity.
Why Do You Need Camping Sleeping Gears!!
Before diving into the actual material, let us first discuss why good sleeping items are needed. Medical science suggests a normal person have 8 to 9 hours of sleep, depending on the age group. Camping is an outdoor activity that gives us the opportunity to ditch the comfortable life for once and enjoy the nature. Hence, some people might argue that you don’t need to be comfortable while you are camping but that’s not the case. There are people with health conditions, age groups, and work that don’t need to undergo that. Hence, a set of good sleeping gear is a crucial equipment that you need to get a good sleep while camping. Such sleeping gear may involve many items, some of which are of vast importance while some others are not that much important. Here, we have 3 of the most essential sleeping gear that you want to consider:
Camping Sleeping Gears: Sleeping Bags
A sleeping bag, as the name suggests, is an insulated ‘bag’ where a person can ‘sleep’. That is a layman definition for you. If we have to get a little more technical, it’s actually a lightweight quilt that can be closed with a zipper. Most regular sleeping bags are made up of ripstop nylon or polyester which is basically a synthetic plastic. So, some cheap bags are quite uncomforting but a good quality sleeping bag is very affordable and ultra comforting. Sleeping bags for camping are very important because of the comfort factor involved. However, one might always get confused over to choosing a sleeping bag or air mattress for camping, but trust us, both of these gear have their own set of benefits.
How to choose a Sleeping Bag?
Style
First of all, you need to consider the style. As most of the people generally judge any product by its looks, go for a bag which has decent style and is not overpriced.
Temperature Rating
Secondly, choose a sleeping bag with a temperature rating which is appropriate for your destination. You don’t want to take the warmest backpacking sleeping bag to a hot location, you’d need a cool sleeping bag for it and vice versa.
Shapes
Finally, Sleeping bags have two shapes; mummy and rectangular. The mummy shaped bags are ideal in winter because they keep the insulation close to your body. It reduces the amount of open space your body has to the heat. On the other hand, Rectangular or semi-rectangular bags offer you more space to move. This provides you with the freedom to sleep in several positions. This although takes more body heat.
Sleeping bags can help you sleep by making sure your overall body gets the necessary warmth. A good sleeping bag can go a long way to make sure you get a great sleep. If you don’t have a decent Sleeping bag with you, then you’re in a bit trouble. An absence of a good sleeping bag can basically ruin your whole night. Considering these facts, sleeping Bags for camping is a crucial necessity.
Camping Sleeping Gears: Camping Mattress
Camping Mattresses are used with camping bags. To reduce the burden while camping, mainly, the lightweight camping mattresses are used. It is basically used for providing thermal insulation. They are of vital importance to keep you comfortable throughout the whole night. A camping mattress is a framework for a good night’s sleep. Depending on the type of mattress, the camping mattresses are made up of a bulk load of materials. The intersecting material is foam and plastic. There are a wide variety of camping mattresses to choose from. A lightweight camping mattress is needed for a good night’s sleep.
How To Choose A Camping Mattress?
In today’s market, three main types of sleeping mattresses are out there: air mattresses, self-inflating mattresses, and closed-cell foam mattresses. Each of these mattresses have a specific use and are suitable for specific type of conditions so, it is necessary to consider the environment that you want to use the mattress on. It is very important to know how to stay warm sleeping on an air mattress camping, otherwise, it will be very difficult for you to even pass the whole night.
Closed cell foam mattresses are considered to be the most basic backpacking mattresses. They are very lightweight camping mattress and they are very affordable in price. The material that these mattresses are made up of is a dense foam. The foam has the filling of very small closed air cells. If you have a tight budget, then you should go for this.
Air Mattresses are a bit expensive product because of the technology that goes into manufacturing them. They are very lightweight, easily packeable, have better portability and is generally much better than Closed Cell foam mattresses. If you have some money to spare, you should definitely opt for this type.
Self-inflating mattress can be considered as the middle-class family choice as these type of mattresses are priced correctly. They don’t cost much but they do have some durability. These mattresses are very tough with strong fabrics. They cost less than Air mattresses but are a little bit pricier than closed cell foam. If you can go a little over budget, then this is the choice for you.
Camping mattresses provide you with a sleep structure, a framework for you to build a good sleep. The ground you lay your body to sleep must have some comfort and camping mattresses provide exactly that feeling. They are also a durable camping gear with good portability. Not having a good camping mattress can backfire and result in sleep deprivation so, you need to have a good camping mattress with you.
Camping Sleeping Gear: Camping Pillows
A pillow is necessary for your head, neck, and shoulder. The main sleep paradigm rests on your brain and it is crucial for you to make sure that your brain gets a proper resting place. And in such a scenario comes a camping pillow. A camping pillow is basically a regular pillow but a bit compact and portable. The basic material that it is made up of cushiony wool covered with a nylon or synthetic fibers. These pillows are at the same time the best pillow for neck pain as they save you from the trouble of getting into an uncomfortable and painful situation while camping.
How To Choose A Camping Pillow?
Camping pillows are available in three types: Compressible, Inflatable, and Hybrid. Compressible pillows consist of feathers, different kind of foams or synthetic fibers. Some have all three, as a result, they are very comfortable. Inflatable camping pillows are all filled with air. The air makes them more light and firm than the compressible and hybrid pillows. However, they are the least comfortable and very noisy. Hybrid pillow comes between compressible and inflatable pillows. It consists of a top layer which is compressible for comfort and an inflatable bottom side too. This makes it an ideal choice for campers. Depending on your budget, market availability and the type for comfort you are trying to get, you can choose one from these pillows.
Camping pillows have their own significance. Campers need to understand that a good pillow can be a huge contributor to a good night’s sleep. Without a good pillow, you might as well don’t go to bed because the results would be similar.
A Few Last Words
To conclude, these sleeping gear are very crucial for a good night’s sleep. You’d want to have a really great time at camp and also be ready to face your busy schedule after you finish the adventure. And, you need to feel rejuvenated for the next day’s work. This is possible only when you have a good night’s sleep. You don’t want to compromise on that and getting a good sleeping gear is the first step towards that. These small investments can go a long way and benefit you later. Considering these facts, camping sleeping gear has become a vital necessity while camping. So, consider buying a good sleeping bag, a great mattress and a decent pillow for your future camping endeavors.