January 10, 2022
3 Reasons You're Sleeping Poorly Outdoors
Did you know that if you're sleeping poorly in the outdoors, it's probably not because of your sleeping bag? It's actually because of 3 other secrets that totally change how well you sleep!
You MUST know these 3 things in order to get comfortable in the outdoors and have a good night's rest.
So what are they?
1- Insulated Sleeping Pads
You must have an insulated sleeping pad. All too often, hikers, campers, & backpackers try to take an uninsulated sleeping pad out on the trail, then wonder why they don't stay warm.
Another common issue is not having the RIGHT insulation in your sleeping pad.
NO sleeping bag can make up for a lack of insulated pad!
What happens when you lay in your sleeping bag is that your body weight compresses all the insulation in the part of the sleeping bag beneath you. Compressed insulation is not insulation at all.
On an uninsulated pad, there is literally nothing to keep you warm from beneath! This will lead to a long, cold, uncomfortable night.
If the nighttime temperature will drop below 60°F, you will need an insulated pad to keep warm and sleep well. If the temperature will be at around 20° to 30° F, you'll want to make sure your insulated pad has an R-value of at least 3 in order to be warm enough.
2- Understand Comfort Ratings
You've probably gone into a store and seen a label boasting that a particular sleeping bag is rated for 20 degrees.
But you probably didn't know that 20° rating is NOT a comfort rating!
It's a lower comfort rating. Sometimes it's even a survival rating, which is way off when it comes to predicting how comfortably you'll sleep at night!
Most sleeping bags in the outdoor industry are rated with a lower comfort rating. This means that men need to ad 10 degrees onto that listed rating, and women need to at 17 degrees in order to be truly comfortable.
Make sure you know what type of rating any particular sleeping bag brand is using, and if needed, add on the buffer to know the temperatures you'll actually be comfortable in.
3- Get a Backpacking Pillow
This is perhaps the most important secret of the 3 talked about in this article. Most of us have wadded up a jacket and tried to sleep on that in our tents. This really seems silly!
Imagine doing that same thing in your house on your bed.
It would never work!
The quality of sleep, even on your nice mattress at home, wouldn't be even close to the same. There is a plethora of other options you would use at home before trying to wad up your jacket and sleep on it.
So why would you wad up a jacket on the trail and expect a different result?
Backpacking pillows pack up incredibly small and don't weigh much, but make a HUGE difference in how well you sleep!
Free Backpacking Pillow
Right now you can get a backpacking pillow for free!
Outdoor Vitals Ultralight Stretch Pillow has been ranked #2 in Backpacker Magazine's 2021 "12 Best Hiking Gifts Under $25 of 2021."
We normally sell it for $25, but by clicking the link below you can get it free if you just pay a $6.56 shipping & handling fee!
It weighs 2.5 oz, and will fit in your palm when compressed. You can easily take it anywhere without hardly changing your backpack weight!
Click the button below to grab your free pillow:
Or, you can order the pillow full price from our website here.
