12 Camping Tips For a Better Night’s Sleep

With these dream-worthy camping tips and tricks, backcountry bliss is yours for the snoring.

The Big Hat Blindfold

Bring a hat with a cuff or extra volume to keep your entire face warm at night and block the early morning sun.  Warning: late wakeups are probable, as you’ll have no idea when the sun rises.

The Puffy Pillow

Take extra clothes and stuff them neatly into a sack.  Cover with your puffy. Voila: the perfect backcountry pillow.  Make a second, a knee pillow, to ease back pain and add comfort if you’re a side sleeper.

Wet Weather Barricade

Tent condensation in heavy rain is tough to dodge.  Use your rain jacket and rain pants as waterproof barriers at the head and toe of your sleeping bag, areas likely to touch wet tent walls.

Don’t Hold It

Pee right before you go to sleep. If you wake up and need to go, don’t hold it. You’ll sleep better if your body doesn’t need to keep excess liquid warm – even to the sound of nearby streams.

Toastier Toes

Fill your water bottle with warm water and tuck it in the foot of your sleeping bag for toastier toes; double-check the lid before horizontal deployment.

Red Light Wake-Up

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When your tent-buddy is sleeping, utilize your headlamp’s red light setting.  The mellower tint is far less likely to wake them and it’s easier on your sleepy eyes.

Sleep on your Back

Easier said than done, this reduces stress on your spine. Many sleeping bags shed ounces with less insulation on the bottom of the bag so face-up is the way to go.

The Antifreeze Waterbottle

Store your water bottle upside-down on cold nights to prevent the opening from freezing; water first freezes at the highest point.

The No-Slip Sleeping Pad

Tired of surfing off your mattress? Apply thin dots of Aquaseal around the pad’s hip and shoulder areas and let it dry overnight.  Increased grip prevents slight inclines from becoming slippery slopes.

Sleepy Time Tea

This non-addictive sleep-aid warms and hydrates you as you crawl into the welcome cloud of your down sleeping bag.

Snuggle Up

1. Fill tents to their recommended capacity.  It’ll be tight, but empty space equals heat loss.
2. Buy sleeping bags that zip together.  All of REI’s men’s sleeping bags feature zippers on the left, women’s on the right.  Sharing body heat enhances temp ratings by 10 degrees or more.

Bring Ear Plugs

Spending two dollars on earplugs turns noisy campsites into silent sanctuaries.  Because rain will not wake you up, make certain your campsite is weatherproofed before sleep.