Sleeping comfort
I was wondering what folks do to maximize comfort for sleep. I am looking to make my sleeping arrangements as comfortable as possible all while keeping pack weight at a minimum.
This will be just one of many suggestions to try a hammock.
If that doesn't work for you, a Big Agnes insulated air core pad is great for ground sleeping.
I get myself really tired, and then I find that I don't care what I'm sleeping on, so long as I'm off my sore feet.
Seriously though, it's all about campsite selection. Don't sleep on hard bare dirt, slabs of rock or snow. Get a site that's protected from the wind and definitely not a path for cold air flows.
See about reading Trail Life by Ray Jardine. He has a few tips on campsite selection.
I tried everything, ended up in a hammock. I now have deep, rejuvenating sleep, with no sore spots and minimal muscle/joint stiffness.
Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair. -Kahlil Gibran
Hammock suggestions....
Thats what I was expecting to be suggested. I emailed Ed Speer about a hammock and mentioned that I am a big guy, 6'4'' 340lb, to see if a hammock was a realistic option. He responded and said my best bet was to get his kit and make it to fit my size. Although I greatly appreciated his feedback, I am not talented enough to do that, plus I suck at fine motor skills, except playing the guitar. Making my own would be a disaster. I love the idea of a hammock, but ground sleeping is what I think I am stuck with.
The BA pad has worked very well for me. Good luck
Thermarest NeoAir
Warbonnet?
Ask Brandon at Warbonnet to make you one. His double layer hammocks hold more weight and everyone raves about how the footbox design makes it more comfortable.Originally Posted by Heavy G
At 340, you're going to have a lot of pressure on your pressure points regardless of what you're using on the ground. I second the BA pad if that's the way you want to go. However, I would supplement it with something underneath, like a Zlite pad, just because it may be likely that you will have to let a little more air out to be comfortable and will likely still have some pressure points not supported by air in the pad. Overall, though, an air pad is going to help spread the forces out to reduce the pressure created by gravity. This is what a hammock does much more effectively.
Oh, and if you are supplementing with a closed cell pad, then I don't think you need an insulated BA pad.
"I wonder if anyone else has an ear so tuned and sharpened as I have, to detect the music, not of the spheres, but of earth, subtleties of major and minor chord that the wind strikes upon the tree branches. Have you ever heard the earth breathe... ?"
- Kate Chopin
Second on the neoair.
You might check the Clark hammocks. They are a little pricey but they may have one ready made to handle a big guy. My friend is 6'4" and is considering one. I'm not sure about the weight limits though.
"The difficult can be done immediately, the impossible takes a little longer"
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