What can you put in a tent instead of a mattress. What is better to sleep in a tent at night? Prepare insect protection

If you decide to go on a vacation in nature, then you can take all the necessary things with you. If you do not have the necessary things for your trip, then here are 8 options for you that will really help you spend the night comfortably in a tent.

Take an inflatable mat or mattress with you

Everyone knows that tents are perfectly equipped with a special water-repellent at the bottom, but you should understand that it will still let the cold through. And if you do not want to freeze or frostbite to yourself any place, then you need to purchase a special foam or mat.

A good and high-quality foam will help you escape from humidity or cold, but then you can forget about camphor sleep. But after about a few nights, you can get used to this sleep, and your back will no longer hurt. Narrow foams had to be overlapped so that the coolness could not get to you. An inflatable rug or mattress will be much softer. Sleep then you will be comfortable, pleasant, but such a luxury is more expensive.

Bring a warm blanket and sleeping bag

It will be your mistake if you thought. That an ordinary blanket can keep you warm when the weather is cold. In nature, in particular, it gets cold in the morning. If you have a tent with automatic heating, then you can use a sheet and a simple blanket. The most correct decision would be to purchase a sleeping bag. You need to choose it quite carefully and pay more attention to the temperature that is applied to the sleeping bag. This temperature means the indicator at which you can not freeze while sleeping in a sleeping bag.

Bring a heating pad

Purchasing a heating pad will be a good solution, it will not take much time, but it will keep you warm at night. The best option would be to buy a heating pad made of salt. This option will be durable and safe to use. If cool weather catches you by chance, and you don’t have a heating pad with you, then you need to take a plastic bottle and fill it with hot water, and then place it in a sleeping bag.

Take a comfortable pillow with you

Here is another important item that will help you cope with the comfort during sleep, of course, this is a pillow. You should not take a down pillow from home. In this case, all these pillows can be replaced with an inflatable pillow. An inflatable pillow can be bought not only in special stores, but also in a regular supermarket. You can also replace this pillow with a cover from your sleeping bag.

Make or Buy Insect Repellent

To prevent insects from getting to you in the tent, you need to tightly cover the door and windows in the tent. If, nevertheless, these insects were able to get into your tent, then the well-known remedy can help you - this is tansy. But you should understand that this tool will be quite difficult to find.

You can also buy special spirals in the store, which repel insects with their smoke. But such a smell is not very pleasant for a person, and the smoke will fill the whole space. In general, this option will be quite unpleasant for both these creatures and you.

Currently, there is another way, this is the purchase of a special device in a store. Such a device will work all night, but it does not emit an unpleasant odor and does not work loudly.

Bring spare socks

In conditions such as overnight in a tent, you will need a change of shoes and socks. These things won't take up much space, so don't be shy and bring a few spare socks with you for a few days.

Take a chair with you

In order not to sit on an uncomfortable log or on a blanket, then take a folding chair with you. Sitting on a folding chair is quite convenient and comfortable, and you can take it with you everywhere.

When I first decided to spend the night in a tent, I really froze to chattering teeth, although it was, in general, a warm September. How so? - you ask. But like this. Because I did not know what you need when you go to nature with an overnight stay.

It turns out that not everything is so simple - you came and spent the night, there are some rules and tricks, the knowledge of which will make your little adventure pleasant and comfortable.

So, you are going to spend the night in nature, not necessarily a hike, perhaps just a vacation with barbecue and a fun company, the essence of this does not change.

What you need in order to spend the night in nature without consequences for the body, and preferably with at least some comfort.

Tent

First of all, you need a tent. In some cases, this may be an awning or a hammock tent, but these are separate topics and we will not touch on them now. For most people, spending the night in a tent will be more familiar and predictable.

The tent protects primarily from the wind. And the wind is the main enemy in saving heat. And even in winter, in a thin tent it will be noticeably warmer than in a piercing wind. Also, the tent allows you to isolate yourself from various small living creatures and insects, especially mosquitoes and midges. In some cases, the attacks of blood-sucking insects can become simply natural disaster and without a tent with a mosquito net, you can hide only in a tightly battened down submarine.

Well, for a city person to sleep just like that on the street under the open sky is very unusual. And the tent gives a feeling of some comfort and security and closes you from prying eyes.

It is best if your tent is two-layer. That is, a waterproof awning on top, and inside a light tent with a mosquito net and a waterproof bottom. With this design, the awning protects you from wind and possible precipitation, and inner tent protects from insects and flooding from below. In addition, the main trouble with all single-layer tents is condensation. Due to the temperature difference inside and outside the tent and insufficient ventilation, moisture from the air condenses on the inner surface in the form of drops and slowly flows down the walls. In the morning you may find yourself lying in a wet sleeping bag in a puddle of condensation. Agree, this is not very pleasant. Therefore, you should not take the cheapest Chinese tents in the supermarket.

Mat

In addition to the tent, you also need some kind of tourist rug. In terms of comfort, the best would be, perhaps, a self-inflating rug, but it is quite expensive and requires careful handling. But there are plenty of other options, choose according to your pocket. It is considered a traditional rug for tourists. Sleeping on it is much more comfortable than on bare ground. After all, even in summer, in the very heat of the night, the earth noticeably cools down and by morning you can wake up with frostbitten kidneys. Health must be protected, especially since simple rugs are not at all expensive. Just do not buy cheap thin rugs made of very soft foam. They instantly become unusable, torn, crumpled and very poorly insulated from the cold from below.

sleeping bag

Even in summer it can sometimes be quite cold at night. This is especially felt closer to the morning, at 4 o'clock. Therefore, at least a thin summer sleeping bag will not hurt. If it gets hot, you can always unzip it or put it aside altogether. But if it suddenly freezes at night, and you don’t have a sleeping bag, you will have to hang around the rest of the night by the fire, laying firewood.

Choosing a good sleeping bag is not an easy task. There are many types, forms, firms, fillers, insulation, etc. But the main criterion for buying is the comfort temperature, which should be indicated on the label of the sleeping bag. That is, this is the ambient temperature at which you will feel fine in this sleeping bag and sleep well. Look at the forecasts for the average temperature at night for the duration of the trip and choose a sleeping bag. You can take a little warmer if you are a "frost" by nature. Of the designs, for starters, the simplest sleeping bag-blanket of a rectangular shape is quite suitable.

Pillow

On most hikes, you can omit a pillow to save some weight. As a pillow, you can use a sleeping bag cover or a backpack, stuffing unnecessary things into it or stuffing it with dry grass. But if you want comfort, you can buy an inflatable pillow. It weighs very little and takes up little space.

So, you have all the equipment in order. They came. Pitch your tent so that it is protected from the wind by bushes, trees, or terrain features. Inside we spread a rug, on it a sleeping bag, under the head a pillow from a cover from a sleeping bag. Everything, you can relax or cook dinner.

For a good sleep, it is very good to wash yourself completely, if the place and circumstances allow. Daytime fatigue is also washed off with road dust and after that one sleeps very well.

It is better to get into a sleeping bag completely undressed to the underwear. Extra layers of clothing inside the sleeping bag will only interfere, not warm. If the sleeping bag is not warm enough, it is better to cover yourself with something from above, at least with the same outerwear.

What to do if it's cold at night?

In order not to freeze at night, try to go to bed on a full stomach. Dinner should be quite dense and high-calorie. It is not necessary to eat right before going to bed, it is also difficult to sleep with a full belly. You can refresh yourself in a couple of hours, and then sit by the fire for tea and conversations, or spend time somehow more interestingly, if the company allows.

If the street is already cool in the evening, you should not climb into the sleeping bag when you are cold. Do a little exercise. Squat, do some warm-up exercises, in general, just warm up with movement, and after that go to bed. So you will immediately be warm in the sleeping bag.

You can heat water and pour it into bottles to take with you. But water only holds heat for a couple of hours, and then it starts to take it away. Stones retain heat much longer. You can heat a medium-sized stone or red brick in a fire (not “to a white heat”, of course), wrap it in several layers of fabric and put it in a sleeping bag with you in the same way. If the stone is too hot, the synthetic fabric may melt and stick and you will get burned. Be careful.

Sometimes feet or toes get cold in a sleeping bag. To further insulate them, you can pull a large plastic bag or an empty backpack onto the bottom of the sleeping bag.

Do not climb into the sleeping bag with your head and do not try to “breathe” the heat inside. Exhaled air is moist. This moisture will be absorbed into the fabric inside, and the wet insulation does not heat up and after a while it will only make you feel colder.

But a lot of the above will only happen if you've got the weather wrong or you've chosen a bad or inappropriate sleeping bag. And in most situations, with the right equipment, you will sleep in warmth and comfort.

What can spoil a beautiful starry night in the mountains, if not the feeling of cold?

And how the hell is it nice to crawl into a cozy, soft sleeping bag and wake up in the morning well rested and ready for new adventures! The following 10 tips will help make your sleepovers as comfortable as possible.

1. Build a camping stove. After dinner, do not put the burner away. We need to heat up some water for our mini heating pad. On the inner surface of the thigh, we have a very important artery responsible for thermoregulation of the body. Putting between the legs filled warm water plastic bottle, you will provide yourself with warmth and comfort. Just pretend it's a little camping teddy bear that you take to bed with you.
2. Use chemical heating pads for legs and arms. Why not? Small, light, affordable. Comfort is guaranteed for several hours.
3. Do 50 squats right before you go to bed. No, this is not a way to burn extra calories. It may seem strange to do this activity in the dark at night, but this method is very effective! If you have already cooled down before climbing into the tent, with a high degree of probability you will remain cold all night. Performing squats before bed (but do not overdo it) will ensure your comfort!
4. Go to bed with your girlfriend/boyfriend Or even just snuggle closer to your tent mate. There is nothing that will keep your body warm better than the warmth of another person.
5. Eat olive oil, chocolate, peanut butter... Eat something fatty. Once I heard the members of one of the winter ascents were close to hypothermia and to keep warm they passed a bottle of olive oil around. Saved.
6. Always wear a spare warm hat. Make sure your hats are different colors. Thus, you will be the most stylish member of the campaign. Joke) In fact, if you have two hats, you always have at least one that will remain dry and clean. Wearing a hat before going to bed, soaked after a day's march in the rain or snow, is not a very pleasant prospect ... Solution? Get two hats!
7. No need to panic and put on all the warm clothes that you have. In fact, a sleeping bag uses your own body heat, so if you're wearing a bunch of different layers of clothing that isolate your body heat, the sleeping bag won't keep you warm properly. Verified personally!
8. Alcohol is a bad choice to keep warm! Yes, it may seem that after a few sips of alcohol before bed, you will feel a pleasant warmth in the body, but this will cause unpleasant consequences. First, alcohol dehydrates the body, and dehydration leads to freezing. Secondly, alcohol gives a deceptive confidence that you have warmed up.
9. Don't sit on bare ground. Do not sit on the ground or rocks. They are cold and, accordingly, will give their coldness to you. Your own backpack or pad is a great and soft alternative.
10. Don't skimp on expensive gear. It's not really a way to keep warm, but if you have quality equipment, then the risk of freezing will be much reduced. You will feel the difference after spending a frosty night in sleeping bags for 5,000 rubles or 1,000 .. I'm not saying that you need to buy the most expensive one. There is always a "golden" mean. But by investing in the purchase of good things, you first of all invest in your comfort and health.

I wish everyone as many picturesque, stellar and, most importantly, comfortable overnight stays in

Our trip to Altai has ended. Since I am writing these lines, it means that I successfully survived it. And thanks in large part to the advice given to me by dear readers. The campaign turned out to be warm, or rather its daytime running gear. During the day, the sun, if not warm, then did not allow to die completely. But at night, starting actually from the first night, there was a noticeable frost. I am a cold person, but I think that everyone wants to spend the night warm)
So, how did we not freeze in the tent:

In the photo, our tent at the Stone Hut parking lot, at an altitude of 2700 meters

The first couple of nights were not very cold. There was a minus, but very small, although during the stop near the Akkem River, light snow fell. But these were all flowers compared to five nights at Belukha, on the shore of Lake Akkem. There, the night temperature was no higher than 8 degrees below zero. The dubak itself was at 10 degrees below zero. The surface of the lake was covered with ice, the bushes and grass were covered with a thick layer of hoarfrost. It was impossible to get out of the tent until 10 am, until the sun came out from behind the ridge and warmed the air. From the inside, the tent, or rather the awning, was also covered with a layer of frost. While you put on your shoes and get out of the vestibule - all white))
But the most important feat was going to the toilet at night. And try not to get out when four cups of evening tea are sitting in you .... At such moments, I could pass the standards for unfastening and zipping a sleeping bag and a tent)))

We solved the problem of insulation very simply. We bought synthetic sleeping bags with -4 comfort (in Barnaul it turned out to be a problem to buy something better) and took a third sleeping bag with us, which we covered from above. I will tell you that it was he who became the salvation from the cold. The rest of the heat, which could seep through the sleeping bags, was delayed by him.

The top of the tent was additionally covered with an awning, which in parallel protected the food packages. At night, some creature came and rustled the packages sooo loudly. Did not touch the meat, sausage. chocolates. cookies, and gnawed only black bread. It's a strange choice with such an assortment))

I put pants, fleeces on the mat - from the floor I felt such a good chill. But with clothes under the sleeping bag it was much more comfortable. Remains of clothes, a backpack. I put foam pop and other small things against the wall of the tent - it isolated the cold air a little.

I slept in thermal underwear a couple of times, then mated and slept only in the upper part of it. He never wore socks - it seems like his legs would not rest a damn thing. But he always slept in a hat, and pulled the sleeping bag over himself so that only the piglet looked out. Usually you wake up in the morning, and the piece of the sleeping bag you breathed on was disgustingly damp...
In fact, we didn’t freeze at night, once when we pressed against the wall of the tent, and everything was very comfortable. It would be possible to additionally insulate the floor, put spruce branches or moss, but we decided not to do so. We also had a gas burner, but we never warmed up the air in the tent. Hot stones were not brought in either, although the idea was to try to do this for the sake of the experiment))

And now the actual advice, comprehended from our own experience and tips from readers:

1. Need a warm sleeping bag. When choosing, look at the temperature of comfort, not extreme. There is a misconception that if the temperature is extreme -20. then you will be fine in it. Nevermind. This means that at -20 you have a chance to survive in such a sleeping bag, actively trembling with all limbs.

3. Insulate the bottom of the tent dry!!! moss or spruce branches

4. If it is very cold - sleep in a dry set of thermal underwear, warm socks and a hat. I would especially note the hat - the loss of heat from the sleeping bag is just from uncovered parts of the body - that is, your bowler hat)

5. Lies closer - the back of a friend is awesomely warm. It is easier to survive together in a tent than alone. Checked several times by the participants of the campaign)) Alone in a tent is not a warrior))

6. To maintain the temperature - catalytic heating pad in a sleeping bag. A bottle of hot water will help for a couple of hours, and then it will terribly cool your body (checked!)

7. Carefully use an open fire such as burners and candles in a tent - it burns out instantly, clasping the burning plastic around the body .. Better not even try ..

8. Very Important keep the ventilation window open to allow the condensate to escape. Otherwise, all the moisture will settle inside the tent on things.

In principle, the main points are everything. If I forgot something - correct and supplement! Post will be updated

In the photo, our tent is in a forest on the shore of Lake Akkem. Light frost has already melted

Thanks guys for the tips! The list is solid.)
mboyarskov , rome_lj , lisa_alisa , c_rims_on , timofeyteplikov , a_chernyh , vera_nata , makcnmka , konstantinlapin , parf_al , siticat , vovichv , luminograph , vlad_chu , sonnety , kvarkki , pavelfh , doroman , 9v1bh , timoha_spb ,

The first night in a tent is the most difficult night. And if you are traveling alone, it is almost unbearably difficult.

As a rule, everyone has the same feelings.

In the evening you set up a tent, spread a rug, a sleeping bag, put a backpack under your head. It got dark, you ate dinner. Climbed into the tent, into the sleeping bag and then it began. to the limit. Every rustle seems to you an unbearable sound that can drive even the greatest daredevil crazy.

And so, you lie in a sleeping bag with your eyes closed and do not sleep, what a dream it is, when something crawls around the tent, the moon is full in the sky, the shadow of the branches sways over the tent (if you spend the night in the forest) and it seems that something terrible pulls its clawed paws towards you, another minute and the whole awning of the tent will be torn apart by huge claws.

Thoughts may run through your head:

• animals came to eat you
• Something inexplicable, abnormal
• Snowman
• The local gopota spotted where you are standing and came to kill you, while taking away all the equipment
• And so on

You are trembling, but you are not in a hurry to get out of the sleeping bag, open the tent and look out into the street to make sure that no one is around.

You just open your eyes, peer intently and listen to the sounds and flickering shadows. Look at the clock and wait for the morning to come. you are not in a hurry to fall asleep, but you just can’t fall asleep. Finally, the first rays of light have dawned, and then satisfaction and calmness come, you “fall through” and fall asleep.

This is how the night goes for almost every novice tourist who spends the night alone in a tent. Do not think that you are a coward, this is quite normal for a sane person. No one has yet canceled the instinct of self-preservation.

You may even consider leaving the route and running home, but this usually resolves by morning.

The next night is already passing more gently. Fatigue is affecting. And finally, the day is like 3, you don’t care about all the rustles.

No matter how jokingly this post was written, there is a certain amount of truth in it. Adhere to the following rules so that your bad thoughts do not turn into reality:

1. Never argue with the locals
2. Do not drink on a hike, especially with locals
3. Don't look at the local women
4. It is advisable not to catch the eye of people at all and not to disclose the place of your overnight stay.
5. Buy yourself a flare (fire torch), it will help you if wild animals really came to your camp. Any animal is afraid of fire.
6. Do not set up a tent close to a village or city, there is a chance that you may be visited by locals ...
7. Don't buy flashy tents
8. Try to hike in a group rather than alone.
9. Buy a gas spray (pepper)

The first night in a tent is the whole truth

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