Sleeping outdoors is different than sleeping in your home, as there is usually no isolation, radiators, warm beds or bedding. But there is a lot of gear that will at least make it easier, or almost like home.

There is many factors and things to take into consideration when selecting sleeping gear for a trip, but some pieces are quite consistent.

Sleeping pad

Any experienced camper will put empathy on having a good sleeping pad when sleeping on the ground. While usually quite soft and comfy, the pads main function is to create an isolating layer of air between the body and the ground. Without this layer the cold from the ground will reach our bodies, causing us to freeze and wake up.

Sleeping pads come in several forms but can be divided into the following three categories: closed cell foam, manually inflated pads and self-inflating pads.

Closed cell foam pads are stiff rolls of foam that have small bubbles of air trapped in them, that will heat up when we lay down on the pad. A foam pad is usually quite cheap and a very bulky, but as it is of hard foam it will be weather resistant and can hang outside the backpack.

Manually inflated pads are the smallest pads and usually take less space than a bottle of water. When unrolled, they need to be manually inflated. Either through a pump or blow bag. These kind of pads are usually made with several layers of isolating material to keep the air in them from growing cold from the ground and are usually quite comfortable.

They are usually more expensive than the closed cell foam pads and are much more prone to breaking. Sharp objects such as belt knives, dog claws, a pointy stick or a sharp rock can easily puncture these pads. They are also vulnerable to rot if inflated by breathing into them, as this can cause moist and bacteria to gather inside. So always inflate them using a tool such as a blow bag or pump.

Self-inflating pads is a combination of a closed cell foam and manually inflatable pad. The exterior of the pad resembles an manually inflatable air pad but contains on the inside a type of foam that expands when exposed to air, much like a sponge absorbs water.

To empty them one just has to roll them tightly from the edge, pressing out the air again and sealing it with closing the air inlet once empty. When deflated they don’t take as much space as a closed cell foam pad, but usually quite more than an inflatable air pad.

Just as the manually inflatable air pad, these pads are prone to break because of sharp objects. But even if they break the foam inside them still functions and can at least serve as a sleeping pad. They are much more difficult to deflate though afterwards and will be much more bulky to carry around.

Resistance ratings

The sleeping pads R value defines how good the pad is to resist to heat loss. The rating range from 1 to 7 and is roughly and increment of the resistance value. So an R value of 5 is five times as resistant than 1.

The rate is roughly 8 degrees Celsius between each whole number with 1 starting at 10C. A rating of 2 is resistant to 2C, 3 is -6C and so on.

For women and generally cold people it is important to note that because of the reduced amount of heat generated in their bodies, an extra R should be added to the pad to be comfortable.

So if the pad is to be used in -10C an R value of 4 is good for a man while a woman should get a 5.

Sleeping bag

A sleeping bag is an insulated cover that been sewed together to form either a straight tube without a head or a mummy bag which comes with a closable hood and has a wedge like shape ends at where the feet are located.

The first thing to consider when buying a sleeping bag is to ensure it is intended for the night temperatures of the season it will be used. Sleeping bag models range from light summer to heavy winter and it is important to select the right bag for the trip.

Usually they come with four different ratings; Upper limit, Comfort rating, Lower limit and Extreme rating. These are used to give a an idea of temperature of which the sleeping bag is good for, but that is not all. It is important to understand that these tests are made with some additional gear than just being in the bag.

The tests are made with a doll and not a real human that measures the temperature effect on the doll. The doll then is clothed with knee socks, long underwear and long sleeved top. If the sleeping bag lacks a hood to cover the face the doll also get a cold weather face mask.

The conditions for the sleeping bag is also such as that the test takes place with expectations of a sleeping pad underneath and a tent around it. So there is a isolation towards the ground and there is no wind or other elements present.

Temperature ratings

The ratings are then defined as following:

  • Upper limit: At what temperature an 70kg “average” adult male is able to sleep without shivering, with the sleeping bag zip open, arms outside.
  • Comfort rating: At what temperature an 60kg “average” adult female is able to sleep in a relaxed position without shivering in the bag.
  • Lower limit: At what temperature an 70kg “average” adult male is able to sleep without shivering while in a curled up position in the bag.
  • Extreme limit: At what temperature an 60kg “average” adult woman can remain in the bag for 6 hours without dying of hypothermia.

Looking at the above the lower limit is usually what one should consider as a minimum rating for the sleeping bag. But then there is no adjustment for different body types, weight, general health, movement of the body or such. So take the ratings as an indicator of what you are looking for.

Generally if you weight more, been physically active or eaten before going to sleep, expect the sleeping bag to be warmer. The reversed is true as well and make sure to the into account the season and weather as this will affect this as well.

Pillow

When sleeping outdoors, bringing a pillow might be a good idea. It usually improves the sleeping experience a lot as we are used to having a pillow when sleeping.

There is several kinds of sleeping pillows, ranging from inflatable ones that takes very little space to self inflating and travelling pillows.

When buying a pillow for sleeping outdoors you need to take into consideration where you will be using it though and how you will travel. Make sure it fits inside your sleeping bag if it got a hood, otherwise it is of very little use. Also check how much it can be deflated, if it comes with a waterproof sack and most importantly that it is actually comfortable when lying down on the ground.

Make sure you test it before buying it.

Night lights

A night light is really not a sleeping gear, but it is still something that is very tightly related to sleeping. Or more accurately the nighttime situations where you need to wake up and relieve yourself. It gets awfully dark outdoors at 2 in the morning, so bringing one along will save you a lot of trouble when trying to find the opening, your shoes and to avoid tripping on stuff in the dark.

Make sure you got a small headlight that you bring with you into your sleeping bag, it can serve as a reading light but will then drain the battery quicker.