Sleeping and shelter.

So, if I'm spending an average of 6 nights on the trail, where am I sleeping? I have been asked this a few times so here's the deal.

I'll start with the shelter, basically a tent. A lot of thru hikers sleep under a 'tarp'. This is essentially the outside of the tent without any groundsheet so they sleep on the ground with the tarp keeping the rain off. This seems basic, and it is, the reasons for this are to keep weight to a minimum. I'm not fond of this approach. In the UK, fine, the only things creeping around on the forest floor over here are a few ants and harmless spiders. However, I don't relish the prospect of sharing the ground with the odd scorpion, spider or rattlesnake. I'm therefore using what most people would regard as a 'conventional' tent. A fly sheet sheds the rain and suspended beneath this is an 'inner' which puts a waterproof barrier between me and the ground and prevents critters getting in and sharing my sleeping bag. It costs me a few more grams but the piece of mind is worth it. The tent is a Terra Nova Laser Competition and I have owned it for a couple of years so it's well tested. It weighs in at 860gr / 30.1oz). See the link at the bottom to view the full specs.

So, that's my 'accommodation' sorted, how am I sleeping? You could argue that the sleeping bag is the most important item in the sleeping area but what you put between you and the ground is equally important. Most body heat is lost to the ground. If you have no insulation between you and the earth then it doesn't matter if your sleeping bag is made by NASA, you will get cold.

There are several forms of insulation. The conventional foam mat is still popular and still the lightest. However, it's bulky and not great in the comfort department. Self inflating mats are the way to go for me and I will be using a Thermarest NeoAir medium. Its light at 372gr / 13oz, insulates me from the ground and because it's a comfy 65mm / 2.1/2" thick I feel like I'm on a mattress. Again, see the link at the bottom to see the full specs.

Lastly, my sleeping bag. There are two ways to go here, either man made insulation or down. Both have advantages and disadvantages. Man made insulation tends to be a little heavier and bulkier but it is easy to clean (in the washing machine) and can get wet without too many problems. Down is much lighter, warmer, pack smaller and the man made fibres can't get near to the loft and comfort. However, it's a huge problem if it gets wet as it takes ages to dry and it will lose all insulation in the meantime.

My bag needs to good down to -7c / 25F which is what I'm expecting in the desert at night. I've always been a down bag fan so the choice was easy. I'm using a Western Mountaineering Ultralite Down bag which weighs 1 lb 13oz / 829gr. There's lighter bags about but this has more room which is important to me, I'm not great at sleeping in a bag!


My tent:
http://www.terra-nova.co.uk/Product_Type/Tents/Superlite_Tents/Laser_Competition_GREEN.html

My sleeping mattress:
http://www.cascadedesigns.com/Therm-A-Rest/Mattresses/Fast-And-Light/NeoAir/product

My bag:
http://www.backcountrygear.com/catalog/bagdetail.cfm/WE2199