How do you sleep in the backcountry?

[dreamingbig]

I am lights out and praying I hear the alarm. My quilt and big Agnes pad at legit. Sometimes I take a silk liner as well.


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[orionsbrother]

You guys just need to have some kids. They're cute and kind of cuddly looking in the daylight walking around with some stuffed animal, but at night, they're like whirling dervishes, all pokey, nothing but elbows and knees, roundhouse karate chops to your throat and face, sleeping on your head, kicking you in the junk, you balancing on four inches of the edge of the bed. You haul them back to their bed and tuck them in, again, stumble back to your bed, climb in, roll over...and they're there again, like a Twilight Zone episode or a sequel to Groundhog Day.

I can be all jacked up, lying there, listening to bugles and yotes singing, plotting my strategy for the next day and looking at a topo for the thousandth time and all of a sudden, I'm waking up with a map glued to my face with some drool, feeling stupid and glad that no one is looking at me.

I've had some sleep screwed up by weather, but for the most part in good weather, I face plant and that's it.

 

[mtnkid85]

It can certainly vary for myself. I always sleep cold it seems so my cold feet generally wake me up if Im even remotely pushing temp ratings on my bags. I am also a... wiggle/squiggle/roll/toss/turn sleeper so sometimes I jump myself off my little pad and have to fight to get it back under me. I also need to have a pillow between my legs to feel normal.

So for me it can be a struggle at times, but here are a few things Ive started doing to help me sleep better.
1. CHANGE MY SOCKS! I often pack a pair of socks just to sleep in, it really helps with warmth not having damp/swampy socks.
2. Sleeping in a bivy helps keep my entire bedroll organized and helps limit my pad from squirting out.
3.Put in foam ear plugs. Sure it helps with all the bears snapping twigs and monsters breathing loudly, but it REALLY helps with howling wind and flapping fabric.
4. Bring TWO of these Graham Medical inflatable pillows. They are worth what ever they weigh (its not much)! One for my legs along with one for my head makes a world of difference.

 

[Jimbo V]

You guys just need to have some kids. They're cute and kind of cuddly looking in the daylight walking around with some stuffed animal, but at night, they're like whirling dervishes, all pokey, nothing but elbows and knees, roundhouse karate chops to your throat and face, sleeping on your head, kicking you in the junk, you balancing on four inches of the edge of the bed. You haul them back to their bed and tuck them in, again, stumble back to your bed, climb in, roll over...and they're there again, like a Twilight Zone episode or a sequel to Groundhog Day.

I can be all jacked up, lying there, listening to bugles and yotes singing, plotting my strategy for the next day and looking at a topo for the thousandth time and all of a sudden, I'm waking up with a map glued to my face with some drool, feeling stupid and glad that no one is looking at me.

I've had some sleep screwed up by weather, but for the most part in good weather, I face plant and that's it.

Thank you for reminding me that I'm not alone in this world of madness known as parenthood....FYI I got throat punched awake at 2am this morning.
To reply the post on how I sleep, when I sleep in a holiday inn with my kids I wake up saying "I should have slept in tent outside last night."

 

[Clinch]

I'm a side sleeper. Mostly on my left and flop to my right a couple times a night. That's on a mattress or a pad. The first night or two on a pad suck because I'm not used to it. After that I sleep better than at home. Case in point: a while back a buddy of mine had a Unit 10 bull tag here in AZ. Though there was a camper available, I slept on the ground for two weeks. I listened to bulls elk and coyotes all night every night. It took me two nights to learn to sleep on the ground, and a week after I got home to learn to sleep on a bed with a TV.


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[Drifli]

I don't sleep the first night or so. I was a side sleeper before my last back surgery, now I'm learning how to sleep all over again, as a back sleeper. I have had some interesting night time encounters with a rattle snake, rats, scorpions and bears. Funny, the animals that try to sleep with you in the wild.

 

[dreamingbig]

Thank you for reminding me that I'm not alone in this world of madness known as parenthood....FYI I got throat punched awake at 2am this morning.
To reply the post on how I sleep, when I sleep in a holiday inn with my kids I wake up saying "I should have slept in tent outside last night."

Right there with you both. I have spent so many nights on the floor of my twin 2yr old boy's room the past 2 years I could be sponsored by thermarest. Our 6 yr old is mostly in her bed now but those boys are up 2-3 x per night. They alternate!

 

[Colby Jack]

I have always slept like a baby until last season when I floated through Grizzly country without any sort of fence. We had bears outside our tent every night. Now every bump makes me cringe.

 

[MuleyFever]

The first night or 2 are not so good. After that I am so beat up I sleep OK.

 

[tttoadman]

I have narcolepsy. That helps. I stay up and listen to music for a couple hours sometimes. Then I take my nighttime ritual: 2 aleve, 1 Soma, 1 sominex. I have a broken neck, so I struggle with supporting my neck and head when I not on my home bed. I wake up every couple hrs. I never set an alarm.

 

[ipw20]

Thank you for reminding me that I'm not alone in this world of madness known as parenthood....FYI I got throat punched awake at 2am this morning.
To reply the post on how I sleep, when I sleep in a holiday inn with my kids I wake up saying "I should have slept in tent outside last night."

Totally agree with the kid thing. I love my kids to death, but a few nights in the wilderness with no one crying, kicking you in the ribs, jumping on your belly at the crack of dawn....is just heaven. No issues sleeping here (usually because I am gassed from going after it all day). As soon as I zip the bivy, I'm out.

 

[nv02cummins]

I have no problems sleeping. Usually wake up panicing about 2 hours before my alarm thinking I slept through it.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

Never considered elevation being a factor but it sure fits those trips when sleeping is hard. Storms always knock me right out. Weird eh?

 

[camping1601]

That's not helping the non-sleepers one bit. LOL

This might help.

http://myfox8.com/2016/05/12/bear-attack-reported-at-great-smoky-mountains-national-park/

http://www.wcpo.com/news/state/stat...hio-teen-pulled-from-hammock-in-national-park

 

[airlocksniffer]

Like Justin, getting better now that my sleep system is getting more dialed. Tylenol PM helps too.

 

[5MilesBack]

In base camp on a cot with plenty of padding, I sleep better than at home. On the Xtherm on top of the hard ground........not quite so much. I always look forward to coming back to base camp.

 

[Bubblehide]

Like a baby without a worry or care in the world.

 

[fngTony]

Once I fall asleep, fine. Getting to sleep is a problem. My mind is too busy planning the next day. O.c.d. kicks in triple checking that my gear is ready for tomorrow.

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[jtw]

Ive had some of the best and worst sleep of my life in the backcountry. The best is always in a bivy with a tarp while its raining. Worst is pretty much any time another person is around. Animals dont bother me. Ive had a bear check out my tent once but he left after sniffing around a bit. Doesnt phase me.

 

[Dos Perros]

I sleep fine enough to do what I need to do during the day. But, certainly I'm concerned about bears, and other stuff. Getting struck by lightning, too. Those are probably my two biggest fears.

One time I took my wife into the backcountry of RMNP, she was actually just my gf then and that was how I proposed, on a mountain top. Anyway one time I awoke to a bear sniffing walking through camp and sniffing the outside of the tent. I was petrified, didn't know what to do. I was considering grabbing my knife and charging out and defending us. As I was considering what to do my wife started to stir, and I squeezed her and said "don't move, bear outside." We both quivered with fear for a few minutes as we heard the bear walk, sniff, walk, sniff. Then, after what seemed like an eternity, I realized it wasn't a bear, but just the tag that the NPS makes you put on your tent blowing against the side of the tent in the wind. Relief, embarrassment.