There is nothing quite like finally settling down in your tent for the night only to realize that you have chosen a terrible spot to sleep. Choosing the wrong spot to sleep in the wilderness can lead to a restless night of tossing and turning that will leave you feeling drained the following day. Thankfully, it becomes much easier to find a quality sleeping spot once you have gotten some experience under your belt, and it is easy to avoid the most common mistakes by simply exercising a little bit of common sense when you are setting up your camp. While you cannot always find the perfect sleeping spot when you are deep in the backcountry, following these camping basics can make your night in the wilderness considerably more comfortable.

Take Your Time and Find a Good Spot

It can sometimes be tempting to rush to set up your camp as soon as possible, particularly if you are finishing up a long day of hiking or want to avoid appearing fussy to your fellow campers. Remember, a few extra minutes of scouting for a decent place to set up your tent can make the difference between getting a good nights sleep, and it is considerably more difficult to relocate your tent or adjust your bedding in the middle of the night than it is to set up your camp right the first time. Take a little bit of extra time to find the flattest spot possible and remember to set up your rain gear even if you are expecting a clear night. Rushing to set up a tarp or rain fly at two in the morning is not much fun. By encouraging your party to look around for the best camping spot instead of settling for the first clearing that you see, you will all have a much better night.

Before You Set Up Your Tent

One of the most common mistakes that campers make when they are trying to find a quality sleeping spot is by completely clearing out the ground beneath of debris before setting up their tent. Although you certainly want to remove any fallen branches or items that might damage your tent, the leaves and other debris on the forest floor can act as a natural cushion under your tent as you sleep. In fact, it is not a bad idea to consider scooting leaves from the surrounding area under your sleeping spot before you set up your tent as well. If you have to settle for bumpy terrain, be sure for find a sleeping spot that does not have any rocks or tree roots as even a relatively small lump can make it difficult to find a comfortable position to sleep for the night.

Sleeping on a Hillside

If you happen to be camping in the foothills or the mountains, it can sometimes be pretty tough to find a totally flat place to set up your camp. If this happens to be the case, simply find the best camping spot that you can and set up your bedding as discussed above. The key here is to avoid setting up your bed so that your head will be facing downhill. If you make this mistake, your blood will gradual flow to your head while you sleep, and this can lead to waking up with a terrible headache in the middle of the night. Similarly, you should also avoid sleeping perpendicular to the hill's incline so that you do not find yourself sliding over to the side of the tent during the night. Ideal sleeping spot to find when you are camping on a hillside is one that allows you to position your body with your feet facing toward the bottom of hill.

Use the Right Equipment

Although some people like to rough it when they are camping in the backcountry by bringing as few supplies as possible, many campers prefer to take advantage of the high quality camping equipment that is now on the market so that they can take full advantage of a nice sleeping spot. With a well insulated sleeping bag and simple bed roll, you should find that it is pretty easy to sleep through the night in comfort.