Cursing my other half
A few years ago, my husband, a friend and I went camping in Luxembourg for a weekend. Because we were going by car and trailer, we'd brought the large tent, etc. Just a weekend of comfort.
During the day, it fluctuated between 25 and 30 degrees Celsius, but I knew the nights could get very cold in the valley where the campsite was located. I wanted to bring an extra blanket, but my husband thought that was pointless. We were on the verge of a heatwave and thought a sheet was more than enough. Stubbornly, I decided to at least throw a fleece blanket in the car, much to my husband's frustration.
That first night of that weekend, it cooled down considerably, as I expected. Despite even wearing some clothing, it was far too cold under the sheet and on our simple air mattress. During the night, I decided to pop up and down to the bathroom and then wrap myself in the thin fleece blanket I'd brought. I'd cleverly placed it next to the air mattress.
I quickly shuffled back to the tent, anticipating my fleece blanket. The moment I opened the zipper of our tent, I looked at my significant other and all I could do was curse him profusely. That overgrown teenager had stolen my fleece blanket!
Step 1: Sleeping Bag
As you might have guessed from the above, we quickly went to a local camping store the next morning to pick up two synthetic sleeping bags. We still have them, but we no longer use them for motorcycle camping.
Synthetic or Down
I initially used the synthetic sleeping bag for motorcycle camping, but it took up too much space in my luggage. This prompted me to look for something else.
There are many different types of sleeping bags. From mummy to regular, from unisex to gender-specific. The fillings also differ. The most common are synthetic and down, but even within those, there are differences. For example, there's a difference between duck and goose down fillings, which affects the temperature gradient.
Setting Criteria
My criteria were:
- A comfortable temperature of 0 degrees Celsius;
- A mummy shape, but with sufficient room to move;
- Compact pack size;
- Preferably not too long, given my own height;
- Good price/quality ratio.
The first three criteria that served as good filters were pack size, comfort temperature, and mummy shape. This left sleeping bags with down filling anyway.
The Choice
Ultimately, I chose a RAB sleeping bag: the Ascent 700 for women. It was within my budget at the time, and despite being a mummy-shaped sleeping bag, I have plenty of room to turn and lie on my side. I do also use the Sea-to-Summit Reactor liner. In early spring and late autumn, I find it adds a few degrees to the comfort level, but for me, it's mainly about comfort and maintaining the sleeping bag. The liner feels more natural than the sleeping bag itself.
However, the sleeping bag will most likely need replacing in the future. As a woman, I sometimes experience uncontrolled temperature fluctuations in my body and I turn frequently. A potential successor is the Nemo Endless Promise Spoon sleeping bag.
Step 2: The Sleeping Mat
My sleeping mats have certainly evolved. I started with a Quechua self-inflating sleeping mat. While it did have the right insulation value (R: 5.2), it wasn’t compact. It wasn't bad in terms of comfort, but it wasn't exactly what I needed.
I then thought I was being smart and bought a compact Exped 3R. It was fine in the summer, but in spring and autumn, despite the good sleeping bag, I kept getting cold and often rolled off it.
Research
After more research, I quickly discovered that a good sleeping mat is perhaps even more important than the sleeping bag itself, and that choosing the right minimum insulation value is also crucial. Most cold comes from the ground.
My criteria for my sleeping pad were ultimately:
- Minimum width of 60 centimeters;
- Minimum insulation value of 5;
- Comfortable for a side sleeper;
- Compact pack size;
- Abrasion-resistant material;
- Within the set budget.
Filtering through many options
With my criteria, I soon noticed that I kept choosing Exped sleeping pads. Although the 3R was too small and had too low an insulation value, it was comfortable. There are sleeping pads that pack more compactly than Exped's, but were less abrasion-resistant. Therefore, they were more susceptible to leaks.
First, I bought the Exped Dura 5R in size MW, the Medium Wide. A great sleeping pad with the right insulation value that I enjoyed using. Only as a side sleeper did I notice that I had one small spot on my hip where the insulation wasn't sufficient when camping during periods of frost. Just a spot about 5 centimeters big that woke me up.
Reassessing the criteria
So I went back to my criteria, looking for one with perhaps an even higher insulation value to accommodate my sleeping habits. I ended up choosing the Exped Dura 8R. It's the highest insulation Exped offers. This insulation value is achieved through a combination of special materials combined with a small layer of down. I do have to compromise on pack size, but the comfort is exactly what I was looking for. No more bothering from that small cold spot.
Step 3: Pillow
I'm a bit more relaxed about this one. The biggest factor for me is that when I sleep on my side, my cervical vertebrae stay perfectly aligned. A down pillow seems comfortable at first glance, but quickly provides insufficient support and I find a memory foam pillow takes up too much space.
I ended up with a simple, inflatable pillow of Trekology with an elastic band that goes around the sleeping pad to keep it from slipping off. It's slightly contoured to provide some shoulder room. Unexpectedly, this turned out to be the best choice for me personally, compared to much more expensive competitors.
Conclusion
The enjoyment of camping largely depends on a good sleeping system. If you can't relax comfortably, you'll always curse camping.
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Weer een mooi blog.
Jammer dat de techniek nog niets gevonden heeft om ook synthetische slaapzakken in compact opberg formaat te maken met ook nog een goede isolatie waarde….. (dons allergie)
De ontwikkelingen daarin staan gelukkig ook niet stil. Al blijft het qua pakformaat nog wel achter op slaapzakken gevuld met dons. Gelukkig zijn diverse merken hierin mooie stappen aan het zetten.
Ben na jaren van thermarest matjes overgestapt op een Robens Outpost Low light veldbedje, klein en licht genoeg voor op de motor en tot dusver als prettig ondervonden.
Thermarest matjes hebben vak wel hoge isolatiewaarde. Voor mij persoonlijk boden die echter te weinig lig comfort als zijslaper. Hoe ondervang je de kou van onderaf op een veldbedje? Leg je er nog iets tussen als isolatie?