Gear Guide: Sleeping & Camp

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Sleeping Pads

There are many choices for ultralight camping pads to cushion and insulate you from the ground. I’ve spent many dollars on the most premium ones, and still struggled to get a good night’s sleep, because when changing position during the night, I’d inevitably roll off the pad and struggle to get back in the center.

This happens, because as you shift your weight around the pad, air tends to move to the center of it, which forces your body to the side and eventually off the pad.

Enter The Static V sleeping pads from Klymitt. Their v-shaped center channels and articulated “side rails”distribute the air inside the pad it such a way that it keeps you comfortably centered on the pad throughout the night, even as you move and change position.

Klymit Static V Pad

With baffles engineered to keep you centered on the pad, Static V is game changer for getting a good night’s sleep at camp.

Static V Pads are available in an assortment of widths and sizes, with or without insulation, and even in a double size ideal for couples and car camping.

Sleeping Bags

The sleeping bag can be a very personal choice, but I have loved my Nemo Forte bag for its softness, good temperature regulation, and zero clamminess, even in a fully zipped tent. (I love it so much I also use it to hang out on my porch on chilly evenings.)

Nemo uses a trademark “spoon” shaped bag, which is more compact than the standard rectangle, but roomier than a “mummy”.

Bags come with hoods, phone pockets, a range of temperature ratings, and and zippered “gills” that can be used for precise temperature regulation on the fly.​

Check out the full selection fo Nemo sleeping bags here.

Camping Blankets & Pillows

For summertime camping and ultralight packing on occasions when you might not need a full sleeping bag, ThermaRest Stellar blanket offers next-to-skin comfort and lightweight warmth. I bring this along for summertime hammock camping, when a sleeping bag is overkill, and coffee outside during cooler months.

It’s lightweight and easy to carry along anywhere.

A pillow is a tricky of equipment that. For some, it is absolutely indispensable for restful sleep, and yet it’s difficult to find a truly comfortable pillow that’s non-bulky, portable and weather resistant.

The lightweight and inflatable Air Head pillow has a curved bottom edge that helps keep the pillow in place over your shoulders, no matter how you sleep. With just enough synthetic or down “loft” it provides comfort and excellent head and neck support for comfortable sleep.

Chair

Although it is last on this particular list, if you’re just assembling your outdoor gear collection, this would be one of the first items I would recommend getting. It will enhance even the shortest microescape, like coffee outside or a brief, pre-work morning hike.

Joey by TravelChair

This chair has been our nearly constant companion on our microescapes for years!

Being able to sit in a relaxed, lounging position just for 15-20 minutes any outing into a vacation. Trust me, you will not make a better outdoor investment than a compact, portable camping chair.

I lo-o-o-ove the ​Joey Chair​ we carry at Cosmic Bikes.