Bedding question

[bigbore442001]

When I was a kid, I could literally sleep on bare ground . In fact we sort of saw it as a right of passage. if Jim Bridger and Hugh Glass could sleep on the ground with nothing more than a sheet, we could.

Now that I have hit eight lustrums in age, the ground is a lot harder,colder and less conducive to obtaining the four stages of sleep.

When I camp in a regular campground, I inflate an air mattress to soften the earth beneath me. But I know that at the 'vou or a trek, it ain't too kosher.

So any ideas as to what you people do to be more comfortable?

 

[Trina]

I dont do well getting up off the floor anymore, old knees... so we have a bedstead we set up, and on that I put a hide-a-bed mattress we salvaged, and on that a feather mattress.. pretty comfy. The bed frame goes together in a few minutes and is held together with pegs... my brother uses an air mattress on theirs.... in this area air mattresses and so on are ok as they are in the tent.... I have seen folks take basically a big pillow case with a zipper and fill it with straw... and use that for a mattress... I have no idea if one was trekking, maybe a pile of pine naedles...will be interesing to read the responses here..

 

[bnail]

Hey big bore, if you're alone, how about getting a simple wooden cot. the wooden army cots are actually quite similar to rev war officers' cots, they just lack the head and foot boards. the only problem becomes all the cold air flowing around you. :sleep:

 

[The Kansan]

bigbore442001,

I went down to Lowe's, bought 4 landscaping timbers, stained them dark brown and made a rope bed. (for my Sweetie, of course!) the removable legs are made from 4X4's 14 inches long with 3/4" dowels connecting them to the bed frame. The corners are mortise and tenon with 7/8" holes drilled through and through to accommodate the dowels from the bed legs. I drilled 1/2" holes for the rope on 4 inch centers and used 3/8" sisal rope. Over all dimensions are roughly 78" X 60". Size of the bed is determined only by how much room you and your better half need. A simple straw or feather tick completes things and makes for a warm and wonderful sleeping experience.

Quite simple to construct. I made ours in an afternoon with no plans, but just an idea on how things should go together. The most difficult part was figuring out the corners.

When I'm camping by myself, I generally sneak in a self inflating air mattress when at rondyvoo. On a trek, I opt for a layer of grass or leaves under my blanket.

...The Kansan...

 

[Cruzatte]

I got hold of a big piece of some sort of canvas duck, or something akin to that anyway. It was the perfect dimension; 36 inches wide, and 120 some odd inches long. I took the raw ends, folded 'em under, stitched 'em down, and put button holes at regular intervals. Then I sewed up the selvege sides, and I had a bag a bit under 3 ft. by 6 ft. Filled the bag up with straw, and laced a leather thong through the button holes shoelace style. The only drawback is that it is a real pain to pack, but it sure is comfortable on a cold winter night on the prairie. :winking:


I am told that the French Canadian troops were issued a bag similar to mine called a paillasse in the 1740s or '50s. I have no documentation, so perhaps some of you F&I re-enactors can fill in the gaps here.

Cruzatte

 

[Pork Pie]

What you refer to is called a " Tick" in English you will find plenty of documents refering to Ticks.
Cheers
Pork Pie

 

[Pork Pie]

So any ideas as to what you people do to be more comfortable?

A few thoughts on sleeping
Some things I have found handy to sleep comfy.
Just so you know I ain

 

[CrackStock]

I gouge a bit of a trough where my hip bone meets the ground. Being scrawny, this has been a problem for me. I also use a movers furniture pad (folded lengthwise in half) to pad the ground on top of the gound cloth. I cover this with my top blanket. During the day, I roll this up in the blanket and place it on top of the gound cloth.

I am allergic to hay, but straw does not bother me, so I applaud the earlier comments on this item.

Alcohol may help you drift off initially, but I understand that it actually inhibits the later sleep stages. Doesn't stop me, but a specialist told me this and I thought that I might pass it on.

CS

 

I took a foamy and blanket sewed a wooly blanket like an second skin around it. I use this for my 12 year old. We put this at the back of the wedge tent. He makes his wool blanket bed on it. We make up four more beds in our wedge so it looks like there are more than the two of us. Doing this also hides this blanket wrapped foamy well, out of sight from the tourists. I sleep on the ground sheet. However I do place an extra double folded wool blanket under the ground sheet were I sleep.
:hatsoff: Best regards Loyalist dawg... :thumbsup:

 

[Mad Irish Jack]

Overnighters and some rondys (depending on time of the year) I would use a ground pad or extra blankets under me.
At a rondy and long weekenders I have a willow bed. :sleep: It's made just like the willow back rests but the widths are even and lengths are fitted for the user. Mine was made 36" X 6'9" long. I had it longer to be able to eliminate a rod or two that may break. That was a hint I got from other owners of the beds. You store them rolled up. To use it you unroll it on two poles and tied in place.It has a little give or bounce to them. You can put a couple deer hides, other skins or blankets on it to pad it up. I usually slept on it about at about 4" to a foot off the ground. :winking: And slept well.

 

[chipper]

I do a bit of camping in the mountains here in Colorado and Wyoming. I learned at a young age that the ground is your worst enemy. At least 2/3's of your insulation should be used to insulate you from the ground or snow. As a kid I was allways cold, no matter what kind of sleeping bag or blanket that I used.
Here's what I've learned....

Hammocks get you off the ground but give you no insulation. They are actually very cooling in the summer.

Air mattresses offer no insulation, and actually cool you to air temperatures, Unless they are Therma-rest type mattresses. Exspensive mattresses but worth it.

The ground draws heat out of you, it can be very dangerous in the winter time.

I solved my delema by digging a trench and filling it with pine bows as a young scout. This works great but pretty destructive.

Later on, I used to bring a bale of straw and bust it up on the ground.

These days I use modern stuff covered with canvas. Closed cell mattresses are by far the lightest, cheapest, and best. In the winter on top of snow, I use two of these mattresses, one on top of another. You can tell for sure if your system is working the next morning, if you have enough insulation below you, the snow will not be melted. You can do the same thing in normal weather by feeling your hand on the ground under your bedding. If it's warm, your loosing heat.

Most of my friends use military issue mattress covers "fart sacks" and stuff them with hay or old blankets. They tend to be bulky but are very period correct for the 1800's.

Regards
Loyd
The Saxton Barbarian