I use to sleep on the ground

[Northern Dancer]

There was a time I slept on the ground with a cheap sleeping bag.
Do you remember those days?​

This year my sleep system for canoe trips [the whole nine yards, as they say] looks like this.



Cot, mattress, sleeping bag, pillow & toque.

Everything folds down to take up less space but when folded out it makes for a very comfortable evening. I wear a toque when the evenings get cold. There are some evenings the temperature drops considerably. This year I purchased a Chinook Fireside Hooded Rectangular down-filled sleeping bag that weighs 1.9 pounds. There is nothing like stretching out on a full-length cot, on a soft mattress, in a cozy sleeping bag, with a comfortable pillow for my head and a toque that comes with a night light.

 

[Cappy]

It got harder and harder to get up off the ground and go pee as the years slipped by. Thats why I started with pop ups they had cots and later bathrooms ya didn't hafta go in the woods to use. The years continued to slip by and the pop ups began getting harder to set up. my sweet wife could not crank it up and that was no good so we bought a lil camper and thas where we are to date. Sure we cant hit the wilderness like we did but there are some truly beautiful camp grounds some of them with great walking paths. It may not be fun like shouldering a pack and hitting the trail but instead of mourning lost freedoms we revel in the joy of what we can.

 

[Northern Dancer]

It got harder and harder to get up off the ground and go pee as the years slipped by. Thats why I started with pop ups they had cots and later bathrooms ya didn't hafta go in the woods to use. The years continued to slip by and the pop ups began getting harder to set up. my sweet wife could not crank it up and that was no good so we bought a lil camper and thas where we are to date. Sure we cant hit the wilderness like we did but there are some truly beautiful camp grounds some of them with great walking paths. It may not be fun like shouldering a pack and hitting the trail but instead of mourning lost freedoms we revel in the joy of what we can.

-----> I think that's fantastic "Cappy". A lot of folks would simply give out and give in and sit before a TV watching what they use to do. All power to you and your "Sweet" wife. I like your last statement - it's prophetic and romantic too.

 

[Cappy]

During this plague paranoia we have been doing camping activities in the yard. Sitting around the fire pit burning stuff(she does) roasting things and enjoying the fire. cooking outside on our 2 burner camping stove, setting up our corn hole game even crocket when I can cut the grass. fun out door stuff at home when we cant visit one of our OTHER favorite spots

 

[Northern Dancer]

During this plague paranoia we have been doing camping activities in the yard. Sitting around the fire pit burning stuff(she does) roasting things and enjoying the fire. cooking outside on our 2 burner camping stove, setting up our corn hole game even crocket when I can cut the grass. fun out door stuff at home when we cant visit one of our OTHER favorite spots

----> You paint a picture that is easy to see. I've been doing more things on our property too. I built a platform for my tent and bought a small fire pit gismo to enjoy a campfire. It's great fun.

 

[Roybrew]

I helped Dad setup his Viking popup one day. Cranking that thing was a work out. Then him and Mom would pull out the bed ends, snap and zip the canvas, and then pull out the dining room slide. They were very efficient, and they liked that camper. My brother tried to get them to buy a full up right camper, but they wouldn't have it.

That is a great looking setup Dancer. Is that a fitted insulated cot pad? Cool. That will be an investment that you won't regret.

 

[Northern Dancer]

I'm missing the outdoors already though I have a few campout weekends coming up and I'm looking at the fall.

Roybrew - that's a fitted insulated cot pad that folds down nicely and tucks away along with the rest of the equipment. The sleep system is warm and cozy enabling me to get a good night's rest. The toque with the light permits me to put on a light immediately without rummaging around looking for my headlamp. Just have to press the button. We had a few cold evenings and it was a welcomed part of the system.

We like what we are familiar with and tend to stick to it. It amazes me all the innovative and creative ways equipment can be designed. I'm a weakling and can often be drawn in to purchase some new and gadget. Though I'm a lot better now I'm often tempted. At the same time, I like the standard tents and such that I have and am not really interested in changing them.

 

[Roybrew]

Oh the toque has a light on it. I thought that was a brand patch. Cool idea. Hmm I like light thingys.

 

[ppine]

We used to sleep on the ground with old kapok sleeping bags Then we got some Army surplus down bags. There was an outer bag, and an inner mummy bag with a dark green canvas cover. They were great and either piece could be used alone or one inside the other.

Then we discovered Ensolite to sleep on for insulation. Later we got Thermarests and were more comfortable. Around 1960 we used to bring a bale of straw to sleep on. It was warm and comfortable.

Now I have a regular cot, and a small Thermarest cot that weights about 2 pounds. I use it for boat trips where there is sometimes a lot of rocks and gravel.

I have a travel trailer with a great bed and a mattress topper of foam. Very comfortable. I still pull a boat around and sleep in the back of the truck fairly often. Just got a Subaru Ascent and plan to build a little platform to sleep in it.

Keep going out there no matter what. Never apologize for anything.

 

[Denni2]

I miss sleeping on my Thermarest mattress and I miss the tent. I will often use the mattress on the floor watching TV. My husband finally talked me into buying a small Class B after a two week trip west was ruined by unseasonably cold, rainy and misquote tent trip. We could sleep in the minivan but some bad storms sent us to hotels and restaurants. It was impossible to cook. It is nice traveling in our mobile hotel but it doesn’t feel like camping. I still cook on the Coleman as much as possible and will not give up the army blankets for sitting outside when it’s cool.

 

[Northern Dancer]

HI DENNI2

Sorry about the trip - though I think we can all related to what you shared. We had some of that kind of weather this year on our canoe trip. BUT, I was well equipped and simply refused to let the elements wreck our trip.

Nice to see you online and hope to see you again.

LAKE HURON​

 

[Denni2]

HI DENNI2

Sorry about the trip - though I think we can all related to what you shared. We had some of that kind of weather this year on our canoe trip. BUT, I was well equipped and simply refused to let the elements wreck our trip.

Nice to see you online and hope to see you again.

View attachment 3071

LAKE HURON​

 

[ppine]

Denni2,
A couple of questions. Do you have warm down sleeping bags? Do you have a rain fly to set up so you can get out of the weather sit by a fire, cook and look around? Do you have good warm insulating inflatable mattresses like Thermarests? That kind of equipment changes everything.

In the West, we can get frost or some snow any time in the high mountains. It is best to just buy the good equipment. Then you don't need motels and restaurants. I love being out there. We have a lot of smoke and too many people in the summer now. I have started camping mostly in spring and fall with some trips in winter in the desert.

 

[Northern Dancer]

Denni2,
A couple of questions. Do you have warm down sleeping bags? Do you have a rain fly to set up so you can get out of the weather sit by a fire, cook and look around? Do you have good warm insulating inflatable mattresses like Thermarests? That kind of equipment changes everything.

In the West, we can get frost or some snow any time in the high mountains. It is best to just buy the good equipment. Then you don't need motels and restaurants. I love being out there. We have a lot of smoke and too many people in the summer now. I have started camping mostly in spring and fall with some trips in winter in the desert.

=====> I do have a warm-down sleeping bag. I have a rain fly. I do have an up-to-date inflatable mattress. What do I win?
You express a good point, Pine - responding to, being cognizant of, and being in tune with the weather conditions + equipment, goes a long way to enhance the positive experience. It takes some of us a tad longer to get the drift and respond in a proper manner.

 

[Denni2]

Denni2,
A couple of questions. Do you have warm down sleeping bags? Do you have a rain fly to set up so you can get out of the weather sit by a fire, cook and look around? Do you have good warm insulating inflatable mattresses like Thermarests? That kind of equipment changes everything.

In the West, we can get frost or some snow any time in the high mountains. It is best to just buy the good equipment. Then you don't need motels and restaurants. I love being out there. We have a lot of smoke and too many people in the summer now. I have started camping mostly in spring and fall with some trips in winter in the desert.

Ppine,
We have a good tent with rain fly and ground cloth, Thermarest mattresses and great sleeping bags. We have a waterproof awning. We had planned on a few days at our favorite spot outside Estes Park. We don’t have campfires when we’re west. Storms popped up before we had a chance to put the awning up. Before we got the B we always had a bed in our vehicle so we had an option if it was raining and we didn’t want to set up the tent. That year we had sever weather from Colorado to Illinois.

 

[Northern Dancer]

The weather certainly can have an adverse effect on our outdoor adventures. I tend to use outfitter's tents and other equipment to match the elements. There have been a few times that I have used an Adirondack but usually tents - good ones. I've paid more attention to being prepared for the weather, especially these days. There were two occasions that I got caught in really frightening weather patterns with nowhere to go other than staying put.

​

 

[Denni2]

Ppine,
We have a good tent with rain fly and ground cloth, Thermarest mattresses and great sleeping bags. We have a waterproof awning. We had planned on a few days at our favorite spot outside Estes Park. We don’t have campfires when we’re west. Storms popped up before we had a chance to put the awning up. Before we got the B we always had a bed in our vehicle so we had an option if it was raining and we didn’t want to set up the tent. That year we had sever weather from Colorado to Illinois.

I’d like to add I tent camped for 30 years. I am not inexperienced. We tent camped in Yellowstone in the snow and were quite comfortable. That last year was not the usual. Another factor for the B was we were not camping. It seemed to be rainy every weekend. We are minimalist campers, even now. More time relaxin, less time getting stuff out and putting it away.

 

[Northern Dancer]

I was getting carried away with the "extra stuff" simply because it is so readily available. I didn't graduate from the sublime to the ridiculous but I came to a sudden halt on buying equipment. I frequently ask myself, "Do you really need it?" I'm certainly a minimalist camper when it comes to canoeing - there is so much a canoe can carry and this is so much you don't want to hall over a portage.

When I'm in a basecamp situation I can tell you now I will have this ----->

Outfitters Tent
"Rug" on the Floor [floor protector]
Cot/Bed with Mattress
Appropriate Sleeping Bag
Portable Chest of Draws Containing Necessary Clothing
Coat Rack - great for drying clothing
Heating Device Should that be Necessary
Cooking Stove, Utensils, etc.
Food & Recreation Items like Camera




​

 

[Roybrew]

If I'm fixen to go camping and it's going to be cold and rainy most all the time, I'll try to reschedule. I get no thrill from being wet, cold and clammy. I love when a light rain passes over in the night, or a small thunderstorm. The sound of the pitter patter of rain drops on the tent lullabies me to sleep. But I prefer nice weather when morning comes. I've camped in freezing, 20*, weather and when it was in the 80's. Throw in consistent rain, and I'm ready to go home. We've been kicking around the idea of a small pull behind camper.

 

[ppine]

I never go home because of the weather.