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Actually we are not talking about who sleeps where but
rather about how to get a good nights sleep inside one of the shelter
discussed in our Shelters
section
In order to survive in the wilds you need your sleep
and the more comfortable it is the better you will be able to deal with
the chore of surviving.
Ultimately the main goal is to keep dry and warm. If
you are planning to go camping be sure to take a moisture proof
ground sheet like a piece of heavy duty plastic, an air mattress, or a
space blanket. Now that will keep you above the ground moisture but you
should have a sleeping bag rated for the coldest temperature that you
are likely to encounter. A tent would be nice.
Cold Conditions:
Branch blanket: Select some leafy
branches longer than you are tall and lay several of them out on the ground.
Weave some smaller branches across these to create a flexible frame. Lay some
grass moss or leaves and small twigs over this. Then using some small
flexible branches, poke them down through this matting and then under some
part of the frame and then back up again. By doing this you will be stitching
the small material to the frame, creating a comforter quilt. The more you add
the warmer it will be. However don't make your weaves tight or it will be so
stiff that it won't form to fit you body's shape. Of course a bearskin would
feel pretty good if you should happen to stumble onto one.
Buddy system: Of course if there is more than one person
on this survival or primitive camping venture then you have the battle half
beaten. Two bodies are better than one. The heat from more than one person helps
to raise the temperature of the surrounding area so that a single body doesn't
have to use all of it's resources just to keep the temperature in a tolerable
range. If you are fortunate enough to have a sleeping bag and 2 can fit in
it then do it even if you each have a sleeping bag. You can always put one bag
inside or on top of or under the other bag but you will be warmer
together.
Hot water bottles and electric mattress warmers: would be
nice to have but the likelihood of that happening out in the woods is slim to
none. However nature has given us the equivalents to work with. Assuming that
you have fire (see our Making Fire
section) You can carry it's heat into your bed.
Mattress warmer: Perhaps one of the best things to do in extreme
situations is to make the fire where you plan to sleep. Build fire as long as
you are tall and burn it for a couple of hours before you plan to turn in.
Scrape out the coals into your reflector backed fire pit. Place some green
branches over the hot ground at least 6 inches thick. Make up your fire in the
fire pit and place a large diameter piece on it. Lay down on the branches and
pull a mat of branches over you. and fall asleep as you watch the fire crackle
and feel it's warmth on your face and enjoy the heat radiating up from the
ground. Depending on how long you let it burn and of course the ambient
temperature, you should get nearly a full nights sleep in comfort.
Natures Hot water bottle. Select some good size rocks about the
size of cabbages or larger. Place them in a fire and let them cook. It is a good
idea to stand back fr the first 1/2 hour or so as some rocks with moisture in
them can explode and throw high speed fragments for several feet. After an hour
or so use a couple of sticks to pull the rocks out of the fire and place them in
your bed. These will need to be covered as described above in "Mattress
Warmer" or wrapped in cloth. These will keep you warm for several hours.
Sleeping Clothes: It is never a good idea to try
and sleep in damp clothes. They will just suck all the thermal energy out of you
and you will wake drained and possibly with a rash. Dry your clothes thoroughly
before going to sleep.
Everyone know that a nice pair of flannel pajamas adds to
the warmed when sleeping. Now here is the kicker. You will be warmer naked or
with just your underwear on in a sleeping bag if it is dry and has a
flannel lining. Not that we are encouraging or discouraging anything but this
works for two people as well. Of course if you are not comfortable with it
then don't let anyone tell you that you must because the difference in
temperature comfort may not off set other discomforts that may arise from
this sort of arrangement.
Some people with poor circulation may want to put on a DRY pair
of sox.
Long Johns made of wool of china silk makes for additional warm
as long as they are dry.
Damp or wet conditions:
Sleeping Platform
In a marsh or swamp, or any area with standing water or continually wet
ground, the sleeping platform keeps you out of the damp. Basically it is a
raised platform made of cross lashed poles covered with spruce or similar
branches and then grasses and moss. Continue to pile on material
with each layer running across the previous layer and using finer and finer
material for each layer.
Of course you could just pile a lot of branches until
you had a mat high enough to keep you out of the dampness.
Naturally if you were staying for a period of time you
would want to have this in an erected a shelter.
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