Anyone Else Claustrophobic?

[BGreen]

I'm not claustrophobic, but I do have to have my feet sticking out from the blankets so they can "breathe." Call me crazy, but I don't do well in sleeping bags for this reason. I have a bag, but I've purposely cut the bottom so my feet can stick out.

[wvbreamfisherman]

Originally Posted by BGreen

I'm not claustrophobic, but I do have to have my feet sticking out from the blankets so they can "breathe." Call me crazy, but I don't do well in sleeping bags for this reason. I have a bag, but I've purposely cut the bottom so my feet can stick out.

I'm guessing you don't do a lot of winter camping...

[JeepThrills]

At times I am claustrophobic and at other times I am okay. It seems to be more when I feel hemmed in around by people than when I am hemmed in around by objects. That being said, I can't crawl under the house because it feels like it is closing in on me, but I have had no problems walking a narrow pass in a cave.

[ghostdog]

Originally Posted by Judy Ann

My LightHeart gear solo tent only has one way out. I don't think that I am claustrophobic, but I always sleep with the fly partially unzipped and a knife ready to cut my way out if the need arises...

Years ago I had my local outfitter set up a rather expensive bivy that was like a tiny tent with hoops to keep the structure taut and up off your face about 12" or so. I felt like I was in a clammy coffin and felt like clawing my way out. No thanks. I like to sprawl, sit up when I want or spread out my stuff. Easy and quick exit is a must.

[hummingbird]

Originally Posted by Sagebrusher

Nope I tested it. Been in this cave, the tightest guided tour cave at Carlsbad Caverns, not my photos...

Flickr: Morgan Maher's stuff tagged with spidercave

Beautiful pictures but I could NEVER do that. I would be having a panic attack and not be able to breathe by the time I was only partially into the cave. I'm glad there are people who can do it, but I just can't.

[wvbreamfisherman]

Originally Posted by Sagebrusher

Nope I tested it. Been in this cave, the tightest guided tour cave at Carlsbad Caverns, not my photos...

Flickr: Morgan Maher's stuff tagged with spidercave

That looks an awful lot like the little passage I wrote about, except that it got narrower as I went. Cool pics there.

[Hikenhunter]

I once watced a movi where a little girl had fallen into an abandoned well. Her rescuers dug a hole paralell to the well and then tunneled to the well so they could break thru below her in an effort to rescue her. While watching the scenes of the rescuers in the tunnel I bacame tight on my chest and my breathing bacame labored, just from watching a movie. Funny thing is I was once Confined Space Certified, obviously I no longer hold that certification.

[Sagebrusher]

Originally Posted by Hikenhunter

I once watced a movi where a little girl had fallen into an abandoned well. Her rescuers dug a hole paralell to the well and then tunneled to the well so they could break thru below her in an effort to rescue her. While watching the scenes of the rescuers in the tunnel I bacame tight on my chest and my breathing bacame labored, just from watching a movie. Funny thing is I was once Confined Space Certified, obviously I no longer hold that certification.

A movie? It really happened...

Jessica McClure - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Sagebrusher]

Originally Posted by wvbreamfisherman

That looks an awful lot like the little passage I wrote about, except that it got narrower as I went. Cool pics there.

I might feel differently about caves and claustrophobia if I got stuck!

[Theosus]

I suffer from it a little bit. I would never want to go in a cave where the sides were touching me, but a "normal" touristy cave where you can walk around is fine.
I once did a Geocache in Asheville where we spent two days crawling around in drain pipes and walking through underground tunnels. Most of them were big enough to doggy-crawl through (at least, one was over twenty feet in diameter), but one I had to do when it was my turn to offshoot a tunnel, was about twenty feet long and definitely tighter than I wanted. I gritted my teeth and scrambled quick, but it scared me.