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sleepin in tent is oh so hard.

Old 07-25-11, 08:25 PM
  #76  
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I wonder whether eating well-- good hot meals-- might help you out. I sleep hard when hiking and bike touring, but I know I sleep better after a nice hot meal.
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Old 07-26-11, 10:56 AM
  #77  
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thanks anything is worth a try guess i need to harden up as someone else said and maybe do a lot more touring.
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Old 07-26-11, 01:14 PM
  #78  
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Originally Posted by Connell
I generally have a hard time sleeping the first couple of nights away from my own bed, whether that be on the ground, in a hotel room or someone else's house. I'm a frustratingly light sleeper to begin with and when camping, this is compounded by the "Gee, I hope I don't have to get up to pee" syndrome. I rarely get up in the night at home, and if I do, it's generally only once. In a sleeping bag, it's every couple of hours. :-)

But, I do like sleeping in my tent, or under the stars so generally I try to find as flat a spot as I can, then take the time to clear away any rocks, twigs, pine cones or whatever from underneath me. If I can find a nice grassy spot, then better still. I try to limit my liquid intake as I get closer to bed time and take every opportunity to pee before turning in. If I don't sleep well tonight, then I probably will tomorrow. Or if not then, hopefully the night after.
This. But I'm getting better at sleeping well in my tent.

But riding hard makes for a good nights sleep.

Last year after the first day of Bicycle Tour of Colorado: 110 miles, over 12,000ft Slumgullion Pass, 7 hrs of riding. I set my tent up on a rocky crummy piece of ground right next to a gravel road. Slept so hard that I never felt the rocks and I never heard the shower truck semis drive right past my tent during the night.
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Old 07-26-11, 03:32 PM
  #79  
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Originally Posted by eofelis
This. But I'm getting better at sleeping well in my tent.

But riding hard makes for a good nights sleep.

Last year after the first day of Bicycle Tour of Colorado: 110 miles, over 12,000ft Slumgullion Pass, 7 hrs of riding. I set my tent up on a rocky crummy piece of ground right next to a gravel road. Slept so hard that I never felt the rocks and I never heard the shower truck semis drive right past my tent during the night.
but what about a handy days cycling would you sleep as well.
btw great bit of cycling i think even i would sleep after a ride like that.
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Old 07-27-11, 07:29 PM
  #80  
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I also vote for bringing your pillow from home. Even a small improvement in quality of sleep would overcome the weight penalty of hauling it during the day. Almost nothing is more important to day-after-day cycling performance than a good night's sleep. At least that is my experience.

I bought 3 smallish and light weight but not very compressible pillows from IKEA for when my family tours. This was after trying a number of other options (clothes bags, inflatable, etc.). They work well for us, but I would haul full sized pillows if needed.

Sleep well.

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Old 07-27-11, 10:21 PM
  #81  
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Sometimes I am wakeful at home, and even when I'm tired. Even de-caf coffee at dinner will affect me. Lately I've gone back to having a cup of Sleepytime tea if I feel restless. It's chamomile, spearmint, and lemongrass, made by Celestial Seasonings. Just a thought - it helps me.
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Old 07-27-11, 10:51 PM
  #82  
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good ol Sleepytime, nice tasting too.
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Old 07-28-11, 03:27 AM
  #83  
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Dem bones, dem bones...

I've read that one way to improve comfort, for the majority of people who sleep mostly lying on their side, is to create, ie (usually) dig, a small cavity in the ground underneath the tent to accommodate the hip-bone. Size about 25cm diameter by about 15 cm deep, I guess. Of course, this assumes that your sleeping mat - if you use one - is sufficiently thin to conform to the contours of the cavity, if you get my drift...
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Old 07-28-11, 09:11 AM
  #84  
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Originally Posted by camcycad
I've read that one way to improve comfort, for the majority of people who sleep mostly lying on their side, is to create, ie (usually) dig, a small cavity in the ground underneath the tent to accommodate the hip-bone. Size about 25cm diameter by about 15 cm deep, I guess. Of course, this assumes that your sleeping mat - if you use one - is sufficiently thin to conform to the contours of the cavity, if you get my drift...
don't think the camp ground owners would appreciate me digging up there beautiful grassy area hah hah.
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Old 07-28-11, 09:31 AM
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Originally Posted by antokelly
don't think the camp ground owners would appreciate me digging up there beautiful grassy area hah hah.
Good point ant! I guess good campers, like good golfers, should always replace their divots...
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Old 07-28-11, 01:07 PM
  #86  
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Hammock

I'll just echo what others have said. I recently switched to hammock and I will never go back. Sometimes I even set up the hammock at home. I sleep faster, longer, and wake up less sore. The only downside is feeling like a human pinata in bear country...and places with no trees that aren't worth touring anyway.
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Old 07-28-11, 02:17 PM
  #87  
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<<and places with no trees that aren't worth touring anyway.>>

I disagree. Iceland is definitely worth touring.
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Old 07-28-11, 02:38 PM
  #88  
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i think i would have to go into training to try the hammock ,no i would much pref air the tent honestly.
i just need to get my pillow sorted and then i'm quiet comfy, then the next thing is getting the mental side sorted .to be honest i think the only hope i have is to take a sleeping pill. mind you its not just the tent i'm a very restless sleeper at the best of times and when i'm away from home i'm cat balue altogether.
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Old 07-28-11, 09:55 PM
  #89  
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Originally Posted by lucille
<<and places with no trees that aren't worth touring anyway.>>

I disagree. Iceland is definitely worth touring.
ah. good point.
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Old 07-28-11, 10:12 PM
  #90  
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I've always had problems sleeping when camping, it's the pillow thing. If i had the pillow from home I know I'd never have another sleepless night. However that isn't an option on a cycling tour, I've tried the inflatable pillows and the stuff sacks with the lumpy clothes stuffing. The latest is a travel pillow designed for an airplane or bus, seems odd but is working for me....I'm getting my rest....Finally
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Old 07-29-11, 08:08 AM
  #91  
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Originally Posted by Trikin'
I've always had problems sleeping when camping, it's the pillow thing. If i had the pillow from home I know I'd never have another sleepless night. However that isn't an option on a cycling tour, I've tried the inflatable pillows and the stuff sacks with the lumpy clothes stuffing. The latest is a travel pillow designed for an airplane or bus, seems odd but is working for me....I'm getting my rest....Finally
Trikin i came across a site in America that sells down illows of all sizes ,i did email them two weeks ago but got no reply. but they really looked the business ,over here in ireland i tried to look for a compressible pillow but as yet no luck, but i shall keep trying.
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Old 07-29-11, 12:09 PM
  #92  
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I just got my hammock in the mail today. I got a Warrbonnet Blackbird. Unfortunately I have to leave tomorrow for work and won't be able to use it until I get back.
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Old 07-29-11, 09:19 PM
  #93  
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Originally Posted by phughes
I just got my hammock in the mail today. I got a Warrbonnet Blackbird. Unfortunately I have to leave tomorrow for work and won't be able to use it until I get back.
The double layer is my favorite. They're roomy, you can lie flat, and the little storage area comes in handy. I liked mine much better than my Hennessy for ease of entry.
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Old 07-30-11, 04:19 AM
  #94  
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Originally Posted by Braighs
I'll just echo what others have said. I recently switched to hammock and I will never go back. Sometimes I even set up the hammock at home. I sleep faster, longer, and wake up less sore. The only downside is feeling like a human pinata in bear country...and places with no trees that aren't worth touring anyway.
Hammocks aren't for everyone. I sleep on my side, the one time I tried a hammock (for about a week) I was miserable and didn't really get much sleep. I like having an area out of the rain to stow my gear anyway.
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Old 07-30-11, 05:25 AM
  #95  
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like I have said before. I sleep on my side or stomach. I cannot sleep on my back... in the hammock, I sleep under a tarp, out of the rain and on my side and sometimes end up on my stomach..... I guess I have just had better luck than you Medic Zero.

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Old 07-30-11, 02:18 PM
  #96  
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Originally Posted by robow
The double layer is my favorite. They're roomy, you can lie flat, and the little storage area comes in handy. I liked mine much better than my Hennessy for ease of entry.
robow have you a link
to that hammock just that i have no idea what you mean, i know nothing about hanging from trees in a sling, seriously though would like to see what your talking about.
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Old 07-30-11, 03:23 PM
  #97  
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Motel 6 works for me.
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Old 07-30-11, 04:32 PM
  #98  
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two of the lads i cycle with do a bit of touring but no way will they sleep in a tent it's either a b/b or hotel, now whats the point in that, even though i can't sleep well in a tent i would still prefair it to a hotel.might as well stay at home as to go down that route.
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Old 07-30-11, 06:43 PM
  #99  
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$
£
Euros

thats a darn good incentive to sleeping in a tent. Thinking of all the food or bike stuff one can buy with savings sleeping in a tent....
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Old 07-30-11, 09:39 PM
  #100  
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Hammocks may not be for everybody, but they're great enough that they're worth giving a try for everybody.

You can create a spot to stow your stuff out of the rain by having a big enough tarp. If bike touring, I'd take an extra-large tarp to be able to fit the whole bike underneath it.

As for places with no trees, there are tons of them that are definitely worth touring. For those places, you just have to suck it up and sleep on the ground.
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