What are the essentials in a good sleep system.

[Mightyhunter]

What are the essentials in a good sleep system. Doing my first back in hunt for 10 days and want to have great rest. Need to be light weight.

 

[Bearsears]

What season? What state?

 

[Mightyhunter]

Colorado, high country, mid-late September

 

[journeyman713]

A thermal break from the ground is top priority.
I carry an ultralight self inflating sleeping pad for that.

 

[LCguy]

A pillow, or a backpacking pillow at the very least. I would pack in a pillow 50 miles if I had to.

 

[NevadaMike]

A thermal break from the ground is top priority.
I carry an ultralight self inflating sleeping pad for that.

This! My first fly in Alaska trip I froze my ass off. I read all the cool ultralight quilt and pad stuff and bought in. What a big mistake for me anyway. I had to sleep at night wearing everything I had and was still cold. It was only around 30 degrees but the ground soaked up all the heat I could produce. The next year I went back with the appropriate Western Mountaineering bag and an Exped insulated inflatable pad to put underneath me and slept like a baby.

 

[Bearsears]

Yeah top priority in my opinion is a sleeping pad that is comfortable for you and is the proper r value for the conditions.

 

[Pilsner]

^^^ THIS!
Along with a pillow that actually works for you. I go so far as to grab a cotton fitted sheet for a kid's twin (?) bed that stretches over my sleeping pad and the flat sheet that I use between me and my quilt since I sweat at night despite the temps. After 7 or 10 days it makes a difference for my pad and quilt. Grab a pad that is thicker and has a higher R value than you at first think that you will need.
When we use the pack goats I take in a 2# UL Thermarest cot to get up off the ground just a bit. After 40 years old it makes a real difference to my sleep quality.

 

[kane.naruishi]

What are the essentials in a good sleep system. Doing my first back in hunt for 10 days and want to have great rest. Need to be light weight.

100% agree on the sleeping pad.

On top of that having the layers to be warmer than you think you’ll need. You can always layer down, but it is less fun having to layer up when you wake up freezing. Or worse to not have the layers you need to warm up.

Also doing some jumping jacks before you head to sleep will raise your body temp and help you heat up warmer in your bag.(without sweating of course)

 

[CountryAsACoonDog]

This! My first fly in Alaska trip I froze my ass off. I read all the cool ultralight quilt and pad stuff and bought in. What a big mistake for me anyway. I had to sleep at night wearing everything I had and was still cold. It was only around 30 degrees but the ground soaked up all the heat I could produce. The next year I went back with the appropriate Western Mountaineering bag and an Exped insulated inflatable pad to put underneath me and slept like a baby.

It’s funny you say this. I’m from Louisiana, so I started unfamiliar with the cold. On my first trip to Montana in November I bought a cheap sleeping bag and slept on a 99¢ shower curtain to keep my bag clean.

Needless to say, I froze my butt off. I have since spent thousands on my sleep system!

 

[hp3]

Have you decided on a quilt or a bag yet?

 

[Speaks]

Most important is a pad
A good light weight bag that has a comfort (not limit) rating to match conditions
I combine an inflatble pillow with a puffy jacket tucked into a buff to get to something that is light, packable and comfortable.

For pads I like Nemo, for bags zen bivy is very popular here for good reason. I like them as well as Western Mountaineering and Feathered Friends.

My default recommendation would be a Nemo Tensor (either alpine or extreeme) pad combined with a zen bivy bag and the zen bivy pillow. 25 inch pads are my go to though there are valid arguments for both 20s and 30s.

 

[mad_angler]

Agree with above. Pad is very important. I like Exped mats with R values of at least 5.

Quilts are nice and light. But I don't find them to be especially warm. When I roll over, my butt falls out and gets cold. I might still take my quilt since it is so light. But I'll probably wear my puffy pants since I already have them.

For base camp, I have not found anything better than a 0F Wiggy. They are super warm and ridiculously cheap:

SALE: Super Light Sleeping Bags - Wiggy's

www.wiggys.com

For wet climates like Alaska, I would consider a Wiggy to be essential survival level gear. I wouldn't think of going in without it. You can climb in damp, sleep warmly all night, and wake up bone dry. It's like magic.

 

[dtrkyman]

Comfortable pad, I don't have one currently and every time I use mine I cus myself for not upgrading.

 

[Pilsner]

What gear do you currently have? That will narrow down our suggestions.
-Doc

 

[mighteywhitehunter]

A benadryl and earplugs.

 

[TheHammer]

I’ve tried a bit of different ideas… there is a story on here of a cow skin blanket… don’t be that guy.

I like my tents to have a floor/insert to start with a barrier. Somehow after trying all the things I have, I accidentally landed with all Nemo products while in the mountains this season. Tent, pads and sleeping bag. I have zero regrets with the Nemo tracker osmo tent. Very impressed with how little moisture was in it this fall. How things dried out after daily weather events. And it stood up to some snow plus winds. A few more moving parts than I care for but I’m happy with it. Under the tent if rocky terrain I use the light weight tarp in my kill kit. I have 2 Nemo tensor wide pads, one with a 4.5 r value and one with a 5.4. I have a couple sleeping bags and this year I didn’t hesitate to use my 15* Nemo bag. Zero issues. Hope this helps.
*Pillow. I’ve had good luck with an inflatable klymit luxe.*
Whatever you purchase make sure to test it out, get familiar with it. Confidence in equipment is very important.

 

[nphunter]

Free standing tent - Kuiu MTN Star 2 person
BA Q Core pad- not super light but comfortable
Down Bag- 30deg or colder
Puffy stuffed into sleeping bag stuff sack or merino top for pillow.
Long John’s to not sweat to bag/pad
Advil PM or Melatonin
Pistol if solo

I’ve used trekking pole tents for years but a lot of places it’s a pain to set them up. Either super soft duff type dirt and needles or solid rock. I’ve spent too many nights stacking rocks and dragging logs to tie off to. I’ll happily take the very small weight penalty to have a freestanding tent.

I like a thick pad, I currently use a long wide rectangle. I might pickup a lighter mummy pad but I’m not sure if 6oz savings is going to be worth the comfort loss.

I’ve never cared for a blow up pillow. I carry a puffy anyway so it just makes since to either stuff it in a shirt or stuff sack as a feathered pillow. I’ve slept hundreds of nights like this.

I normally sleep in undies but found having a light merino layer keeps me more comfortable since most UL bags are slick material. The layer keeps a person from sticking to the bag. I’ve also considered a thin bag liner but I like items that serve multiple purposes so I use my zip off bottoms.

Sleep aids are not always needed but normally welcome the first night or two for me to adjust. I like to have Advil anyway incase I’m sore or have a headache so PM makes since.

 

[nphunter]

Free standing tent - Kuiu MTN Star 2 person
BA Q Core pad- not super light but comfortable
Down Bag- 30deg or colder
Puffy stuffed into sleeping bag stuff sack or merino top for pillow.
Long John’s to not sweat to bag/pad
Advil PM or Melatonin
Pistol if solo

I’ve used trekking pole tents for years but a lot of places it’s a pain to set them up. Either super soft duff type dirt and needles or solid rock. I’ve spent too many nights stacking rocks and dragging logs to tie off to. I’ll happily take the very small weight penalty to have a freestanding tent.

I like a thick pad, I currently use a long wide rectangle. I might pickup a lighter mummy pad but I’m not sure if 6oz savings is going to be worth the comfort loss.

I’ve never cared for a blow up pillow. I carry a puffy anyway so it just makes since to either stuff it in a shirt or stuff sack as a feathered pillow. I’ve slept hundreds of nights like this.

I normally sleep in undies but found having a light merino layer keeps me more comfortable since most UL bags are slick material. The layer keeps a person from sticking to the bag. I’ve also considered a thin bag liner but I like items that serve multiple purposes so I use my zip off bottoms.

Sleep aids are not always needed but normally welcome the first night or two for me to adjust. I like to have Advil anyway incase I’m sore or have a headache so PM makes sense.

I also sleep better with a pistol if solo, when hunting as a group someone typically has one so I don’t bother.

 

[Beendare]

Yeah, a quality pad is important. But just as important is to apply a non slip on your pad so you aren't sliding off of it all night. Applying Seam seal stripes or equal works good. A guy can make any pad better with one of the backpacking waffle matts. A pad is even more important with a Down bag vs Synthetic.

Bag wise, there is no such thing as a Cheap/Good down bag...there are plenty of good/cheap Syn bags but they are heavier. You want 800fill minimum and a higher rating than you think you will need with Down.

Some guys have a problem getting comfortable in a Mummy style bag. I think it's all about getting to where the bag moves with you vs trying to flip around inside the bag. Some can and some can't get used to this.

It seems to me, the Guys I know that twist and turn a lot at night tend to like quilts....a good system if you can prevent it from being drafty in very cold weather.