Poor sleep camping

zenbivy is my go to system now. I now sleep in light base layers, top and bottom, because your laying directly on the pad. That alone helped tremendously because in a mummy I slept in just my briefs and my legs and torso would be sweaty & clammy from the days exertions. I use Sea to Summit etherlite XT insulated version. I did use zenbivys sleeping pad and it was not as good, but close. A bear got into camp last year and destroyed the zenbivy pad. So back to Sea to Summit with no regrets. Sorry if I'm rambling but that's all I got for now
 
I LOVE my SG bag as it is big enough to toss and turn in - my wife jokes that my sleep pattern is the same as a rotisserie chicken.
If I have to sleep in anything more than my sleep shorts/boxers and a t-shirt then I can't sleep well. I also very, very rarely get cold while sleeping. If I get even sorta warm then my sleep quality goes to sh!t. For instance, I keep our bedroom at home around 55 degrees when the wife lets me. Left to my own devices I won't close the bedroom windows until the temps get into the 30's.
As for sleeping with skin contacting the pad and getting clammy, I have found that a single sized fitted sheet over my pad makes a huge difference. I have several of them that I snagged at Dollar General for something like $1.50/ea. Cotton is the best for me in this case.
 
This probably seems foreign to many as it was to me for decades...give a properly fitted hammock a try for blissful sleep.

I'll never willingly sleep on the ground again unless it is above treeline.
 
The single most significant factor contributing to sleeping well while camping is to spend lots of time actually doing it. If the only time you camp is that one week a year you go hunting out West, then you likely aren't going to sleep well. Its not the same as your bed at home, its never going to be the same as your bed at home. But, regardless of what your setup is and what works well for you, when you lay down to go to sleep, it needs to be both familiar and comfortable. Familiarity and comfort is achieved through repetition and experimentation. If you spend 30,40,50 nights annually out in a sleeping bag, you'll be dialed in and when you slide into the bag, it is the 2nd most familiar sleeping situation for you: You know, by feel, the exact PSI your air mattress needs, what pillow combination you need and where you want them positioned, where you like your water bottle, headlamp etc and the sounds of the forrest are not foreign.

Show up to your $3,000 hunting vacation having not spent a single night in a sleeping bag that year, you're going to be complaining, uncomfortable, spending the first few nights dialing it in and getting comfortable in that environment.
 
The single most significant factor contributing to sleeping well while camping is to spend lots of time actually doing it.
This is a great point. I often sleep better camping than in my own bed, but also suffered through some miserable nights to get here.
 
ZenBivy for the win.. solved three issues. Im a side sleeper, my bag was constantly slipping off the pad when I would roll over and I swear its warmer than my WM Badger with the same temp rating....
 
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