antokelly

what i find really hard on tour is trying to sleep at night ,i find the night to be oh so long can never get comfortable no matter how i try
my exped down mat and sleeping bag is spot on but i find i need a home pillow to have any chance of sleep.
so do any of you folk have this problem and how do you cope with it thanks.

chasm54

1. Take an inflatable pillow.

2. Ride enough to get tired.

plodderslusk

+1 to an inflatable pillow. Aside from that HTFU.

staehpj1

I sleep fine on tour. I am generally plenty tired.

MichaelW

I put some clothes under the mat in the small of my back and along the edge if sleeping on a slope.
For a pillow, I use a small nylon stuffsac full of clothes.

Flask of whiskey.

antokelly

i was plenty tired believe me and i had not one but two inflatable pillows, didn't work still awake all night.
nah i just can't seem to settle or relax ,
ah well thanks all .

Poppabear

I gave up sleeping on the ground quite a few years ago. Now I hammock camp exclusively and have have never slept better. I sleep like a bay and wake up refreshed and revitalized. My hammock and tarp weigh just a fraction of my old tent set up. Once you move up to the trees you will never go back to the ground!

Northwestrider

I've not had a problem. If the inflatable pillows didn't work for you, try folding a shirt or two to use as a replacement. Is there a chance you were over tired from too strenuous of a ride the day before? If so try shorter days.

spinnaker

Talk to you doc an get a mild sleeping aide. Try not to use it everyday. If you only away for a couple of weeks it is not going to hurt you but of course confirm with the doctor. You are away from home outside your comfort zone. That is plenty to give many people sleeping issues.

Alcohol is a poor sleeping aide. The effects wear off quickly and you will be up in the middle of the night, possibly with a headache.

Cyclebum

6 hours of pedaling, stuff sack of clothes for a pillow, and a not-too-interesting book for a sleep aid does it for me.

Rx sleeping pills would do it short term if the doc will allow and they don't leave you with a hangover.

The Impossipede

So bring your pillow from home. If you need it for a good night's sleep, you can make room for it. Doesn't seem like a big deal to me.

indyfabz

Lots of red wine.

10 Wheels

Ride Hard...Put up your tent.. Take 2 aspirins...Sleep.

MNBikeguy

For me, the first couple of nights can be difficult. Along with the above recommendations for a make-shift pillow, Tylenol PM and a good book works. Wouldn't recommend alcohol. YMMV....

countrydirt

I have not used a pillow at home for almost 15 years. So, sleeping in a tent only requires that I get my head on the same level as my shoulders.

GeoKrpan

I had trouble sleeping in my Eureka Backcountry one and two man tents because they only had one door. The ventilation wasn't good enough nor was the view to the outside. I got another side entry rectangular dome with doors on both sides and I sleep much better.
The side entry feature is important because with end entry tents all I see is tent when I lie in them.
I have also noticed that I sleep better in larger tents than smaller tents so no more one man tents for me.
I'm sleeping under a tarp for my next tour. I'm pitching it as an a-frame using hiking poles. The canopy is 12x10 and the ground sheet is 8x10.
80sq ft verses 40sq ft for my tent yet the weight is about the same. Comfortwise there's no comparison.
I'll hang an Off Clip-On over my head for mosquito protection.

10 Wheels

These work Great..$6 to $10 at Kmart-Lowes

https://www.aftproducts.com/5_Desktop...02696afd1.item

fietsbob

Insulated Air mattress + a pillow

Yan 

I use one of my panniers as a pillow. Very lumpy, and I sleep fine.

Ranger Dan

My routine is more like:

Ride hard ... take a nap ... put up the tent ... try to eat something before I fall asleep.

A sleeping pad and some clothes under my head for a pillow are optional. But then I'm the guy who tried to mow his lawn the other day following a long shift at work and fell asleep on my riding mower.

Lasse

You could try a hammock. The hardly noticeable rocking movement should calm humans and help them getting to sleep, some research said... Aside from that, you always have a view of your surroundings as soon as you lift up your head. You can watch the stars when there's no need for a tarp and you're not on the hard, cold ground.
I have both a tent and hammock and carry one depending on destination, usually don't have sleeping problems though.

I'd advise against alcohol, it might help you get to sleep but the quality of sleep is lower and you might wake up in the middle of the night... Alcohol also dehydrates so drink enough water when using.

fuzz2050

While hammocks are great to sleep in, you have to remember, the air is plenty cold, if less hard than the ground. Without some sort of insulation from the air, a hammock can get chilly on all but the balmiest of nights.

antokelly

excellent advice everyone i think i might just ask the doc for some light sleepers on my next trip.
i never tried the hammock but to be honest i don't think i would fancy it sorry .
when i went to Britain last year i did bring a small pillow which worked a treat but clean forgot it on this short trip.

Rowan

Do you have a mind that is racing even though you are tired and feel you are ready to sleep? Are you a nervous type, hyperactive, thinking or worrying about the next day or next week?

Applying some mind-calming techniques might be useful rather than taking sleeping pills.

Inflatable pillows are OK. As are pillows we have available in Australia that have a lightweight stuffing that allows the unit to pack down quite well. I can't stand putting clothes inside a bag and using that soley as a pillow -- the clothes inevitable pack down to a rock-like feeling, and there are creases and seams to deal with, too. But an inflatable or stuffed pillow as mentioned above on top of a bag of clothes gets my head to a good height.

A pillow slip might be useful, too

robi

no better way to sleep than a hammock... www.hammockcamping.com for starts... I have several that I have made myself!


I usually take a foam pad with me in case I cannot find a place to hang the hammock and I sleep on the ground... also on chilly nights I put it in the hammock.... no better way to sleep, period.

I am a side sleeper and stomach sleeper and I do just fin in the hammock.

robi