Sleeping Bag Advice for Wild Camping and Backpacking
We recently wrote a blog post about the AdventureSmart campaign and staying safe whilst hill walking. For this blog post we have put together some additional advice, based on our own experience, relating specifically to wild camping, backpacking and using sleeping bags on these activities.
Wild Camping Gear
In addition to the basic hill walking gear listed in our previous blog post, the gear that you will need for wild camping is as follows:
Tent, bivi or tarp, groundsheet protector, sleeping bag, camping mattress, separate dry clothes for sleeping in, additional layers of clothing for wearing around camp, stove and fuel, lighter or matches, plate, bowl and mug, washing up liquid, water filter, rucksack protector, toothbrush and toothpaste, personal hygiene products, toilet paper, trowel (for burying your poo), rubbish bags (you should leave no trace of having been wild camping)
Our Advice for Wild Camping and Backpacking
If you are going on a multi-day trip and will be carrying your kit with you, we have the following tips:
Make sure you keep your sleeping bag dry. A damp or wet sleeping bag will make you cold, drain your energy and stop you from sleeping well. Also ensure that you have dry clothes to sleep in.
Take the essentials but remember think carefully about whether or not you require non-essential items. Your heavy backpack will weigh you down, drain your energy and add to the risk of a sprained ankle.
Top Tip
When you are carrying a heavy rucksack full of camping equipment, you will not be able to walk as far as you can when you are carrying a daysack containing fewer items.
When wild camping look for a suitable place to pitch your tent before it gets dark. Even during daylight finding a reasonably flat spot on the fells can take time. Keep a reasonable distance away from the footpath so as not to inconvenience other walkers who may be using the path overnight.
When pitching your tent, think about where the water will go if there is heavy rain. Streams and water channels can quickly over flow so avoid camping near them. Likewise, dips in the ground and boggy areas can soon become flooded.
If possible avoid pitching near a cliff edge. You may need to get out of your tent in the night and if you are half asleep or trip on the way out of your tent, you could easily take a fatal tumble.
When leaving your tent in the middle of the night take a torch and whistle with you. Even if you only intend to go a couple of metres away to relieve yourself, on a moonless night it can be very dark and you can easily loose your bearings, get lost or take a fall. Another hazard in the dark is tripping over your tents guylines.
When camping at altitude the winds can be strong. If possible, pitch your tent so that it is streamlined with the prevailing wind to help prevent it from blowing away. Bivis or low profile tents are good for windy conditions. Always use your guy lines.
Before embarking on your trip make sure that you know how to pitch your tent. If the tent is new to you practice pitching it at home or in the park. Try to get an idea of the footprint of your tent since this will help when trying to find a suitable camping spot on the fells.
Check that your tent has not become damaged in storage and that you have all your pegs and guylines.
To protect the environment, washing up liquid or detergents should not used or disposed of in, or within 30 meters of, streams or water courses.
The cornerstone principle of wild camping is that you leave no trace of you having been there. All items that you brought along should be taken home with you, including toilet paper and sanitary products.
Wild camping does not include the use of a barbeque. If you use a barbeque where they are permitted on a campsite, make sure it is put out before you go to bed. Do not leave hot or warm charcoal in your tent. It gives off carbon monoxide which can kill you whilst you are asleep.
Tents, sleeping bags and most, if not all, of your clothing is not fireproof. Be careful with flames and only use your cooking stove at a safe distance from your tent.
Top Tip
If you are carrying a heavy backpack, walking poles can help take the weight off your knees and feet. This is especially true when going down steep slopes. Walking poles can also help you keep walking if you sprain your ankle.
Our Sleeping Bag Tips to Help You Get a Good Night’s Sleep
Once you have pitched your tent, take out your mattress and sleeping bag straight away. Inflate your mattress and shake out your sleeping bag so that it can loft. Since your sleeping bag will have been compressed in your rucksack it is important to give it time to loft properly. Lofting will trap air in your sleeping bag that will help provide thermal insulation which will keep you warm.
If you will be wearing different clothes to sleep in, put them on underneath the clothes you are wearing around camp. This means your sleeping clothes will already be warm when you get into your sleeping bag.
Eat a hot, hearty evening meal to warm yourself up build up your energy.
When you first get in your sleeping bag it may be tempting to stick your head inside your sleeping bag to let your breath warm it up. This is counter-productive since your breath contains moisture which will become cold and damp during the night.
Keep your phone inside your sleeping bag to stop the batteries from getting cold. Cold batteries do not hold their charge so well which will reduce the amount of time for which they can been used. Criterion sleeping bags have an internal pocket for this very reason.
In the morning open up your sleeping bag to air it. This will help remove the moisture that has built up overnight from perspiration. If the weather is sunny and the air is dry, open up your sleeping bag and drape it over your tent. Over several nights of camping your sleeping bag may become quite damp if it is not aired, which will lower its performance.
