Very good video, JB - and a useful winter 'hack'. Yes, I can testify that a blow-up air mattress gets very cold at night. Pretty useless in winter. Your idea really good!
I sometimes, in very cold weather, light a fire and after a few hours put the fire out, remove the ashes and then places fern fronds over the ground where the fire was. I then place my sleeping bag on the fronds, and this is like having an electric blanket. I understand not everyone can do this, but it sure gives you a good night's rest. ATB Cheers from the mountains of NZ 😊😊
@@frogmaster83 Hi , new subscriber here.... Buffalo systems 4s outer, 4s inner and thermaliner... Made in sheffield... NOTHING out performs this system .. The aquatherm extreme pile lining Means you get full insulation with the mat outside the pertex... Obviously you pay for it ... But it cannot be beaten... Out performs wiggy's, feathered friends, carinthia, exped ultra,..etc.etc.etc I've tried them all .. Cheapo mat works like a boss with this kit .
I find an air mat with a foil sheet under it works for me. I also use a bivi bag which helps keep the heat in. …I last used this on the Yorkshire moors in the snow when it was -7 this year.
Good tip. I do the same with a DPM Z-Fold mat and a really old Thermarest self-inflating in a pretty similar setup to yours. I've had them both for 15-20 years.
Hi Jim Hope you are well. Last year, 15th Dec, I did a little wild camp in the corner of a field up near me. For insulation, I used armfuls and armfuls of dead bracken under my British army roll mat. I then just used my OEX sleeping bag inside my British Army goretex bivvy bag. I was suprised how much warmer I was using this method. I only had an MTP Basha over me and it threw it down most of the night, but I was warm and slept well. All the best.😉👍🏾🇬🇧
I use a full length self inflating mummy shaped mattress in my hammock. I let it inflate about 3/4 of the way before shutting the valve. By not over inflating it , it conforms to my body and the hammock for total support and insulation.
Wise words JB !.. I've frozen the heck out of my bones even in Australia with insufficient ground thermal layers ! That mummy bag looks awesome with the mat inside ! I was forever rolling off my old sponge thermal.. the blighter had a migration visa for 'Anywhere but underneath Andy' lol
Good 👍 advice I would just like to say that when looking around for a ground sleeping mat it should be put on the short list of dearer items to buy list because it will help prevent people from getting flu and colds 🥶 though heat loss . And it's important that you are warm before you get into a sleeping bag and basically stay in the bag to stop heat loss if possible. Ideas for moving about for the toilet 🚻 during the night 🌙 is another video.
Good tips there Allan I must move around a lot in my sleep. Everyone I use a sleeping mat I wake up and it's on top of me. But I could do with investing in a good one. Thanks for sharing buddy
Yes in winter at least two pads I have found that wrapping them together with a wool blanket really helps too…or at least putting them inside my US Army Bivi bag . You always have great tips and I love your videos…Have fun stay safe.
I have a fairly cheap self inflating mat for ground sleeping, it is 10cm thick but for hammock camping I can't fault my expensive blow up mat with a really high r rating, I can't remember what the brand is, I never fully inflate mats because then then become far too hard to sleep on, comfort and r rating are all important, even in the summer.
The configuration of a human body does not lay flat. It lays with a few curves, lumps, and hollows. If you have a thick air mattress, say, 4” thick, it can conform to the irregularities of both the ground and the person. Thin pads cannot make up for irregularities of ground and person. BEFORE you affix your sleeping site under a tarp or tent, first select a “raised location” of ground that will not collect - or flow - water from a heavy storm. Do that EVERY night, no matter how lovely the weather seems! Scrape the bed site clear of debris, ALL of the debris. If your pad is thin, then you must conform the ground to your body. A shallow (1”-2”) hip hole is sometimes sufficient, others may need a similar shoulder hole. Test the ground for confirmation. When it is comfortable, THEN, set up the tarp and pad and blanket or bag. Personally, I put up a 1 man tent with bug netting. I try to treat this 86 year old body kindly, so I can do this another few yeas. Courtesy of Half Vast Flying
That's a neat trick. I like to use electric blankets, a heating pad, and barring both of those, the thermacare back things that are supposed to help with pain. They do by the way. They help with period cramps too. It's single use but I think they're just wonderful when it's cold. Plus, it helps with back pain from sleeping on the ground lol...
As a last resort scenario, a "space blancket" under or around the body also helps maintain temperature. The problem is the sound it makes if we move...
Had the same idea before, good to see pos feedback on it, I don't like pads really, I have a cutdown but for the apocalypse one must plan for the arctic with tropical storms haha.
Some nice sound advice again, also I think the dd hammock with under blanked served me well last summer and with coffin dd mat it would be good even in winter. Thanks. Harry
Brilliant tip Allan👍👏 roll on the day when some of us actually get a good night's sleep at camp..if you had an oblong bag it would work aswell am sure..
Scrape out shoulder and hip holes before you lay out your sleeping system. Test it lying on the dirt or a tarp, when they're comfortable roll out the rest of your sleeping system, keeping the hip and shoulder holes aligned with where your hips and shoulders will be. This works for side sleepers too (I'm one). BTW this is the way to build a bow (tree limb) bed. Use more needles than sticks and these are very comfortable too. Don't use a bow bed under the tarp that you're using to lay under your sleep system. That's waaaay too comfortable and can't really be considered camping. 😀
Hi JB, Just wondering if a thin aluminum foil sleeping mat, cut to size and placed inside the bag ( silver side up! ) would help? Great video as always.
I'm able make my own version, I used layers of foam that come with the silver coating and put them in a sleeve. I also side sleep. Then I use a liner with sleeping bag all in a bivvy bag.
Wet weather fire making. Learn it. Know which trees have resinous sap wood or bark. (Silver Birch bark - dead and off the ground ideally but off the tree is fine. Always bring flame and a back up fire lighting rod and metal. You will feel more brave to adventure in weird weather if you know you can always access fire.
I'm a Floridian and it's always a pain to keep a fire going in wet weather. Honestly it's probably better to prepare to be warm without fire 🔥 and to treat fire like a luxury because you know that you are going to have to work very hard to make and maintain one.
Any group camps lined up Jim? So we can all meet each other, and build up a network of, "like minded thinking" also... On a "wild camp" site if need be to accomodate the numbers. We can always day hike into woods for a play.
You look at it like this : a night at hotel would cost you at least 50. So for 2 hotel’s night you get a decent mat. For 4 night you get a Rvalue 5 or above and spent a good night. And never forget the warm bottle of water, one on the feet and one upper, you’ll be toasty 😊
Very good video, JB - and a useful winter 'hack'. Yes, I can testify that a blow-up air mattress gets very cold at night. Pretty useless in winter.
Your idea really good!
Not my idea, a outdoors expert told me about it.👍
I sometimes, in very cold weather, light a fire and after a few hours put the fire out, remove the ashes and then places fern fronds over the ground where the fire was. I then place my sleeping bag on the fronds, and this is like having an electric blanket. I understand not everyone can do this, but it sure gives you a good night's rest. ATB Cheers from the mountains of NZ 😊😊
I use the foil windscreen protector on top of a camp bed with my Jura 2 inside a cheap summer bag, kept me warm in -7°c last month
Extra layers will always help.
Winter camping skills and wet weather skills are most important skills to know in times like these.
yes, its a bit rubbish out there at the moment.
@@frogmaster83
Hi , new subscriber here....
Buffalo systems 4s outer, 4s inner and thermaliner...
Made in sheffield...
NOTHING out performs this system ..
The aquatherm extreme pile lining
Means you get full insulation with the mat outside the pertex...
Obviously you pay for it ...
But it cannot be beaten...
Out performs wiggy's, feathered friends, carinthia, exped ultra,..etc.etc.etc
I've tried them all ..
Cheapo mat works like a boss with this kit .
@@davidjacobs828 welcome along. Not seen the Buffalo system, I will look it up. 👍👍
I find an air mat with a foil sheet under it works for me. I also use a bivi bag which helps keep the heat in. …I last used this on the Yorkshire moors in the snow when it was -7 this year.
😮
Yep, the silver foil helps also. Bivvy bags make a nice difference, especially keeping the wind off you. It all helps keep you warmer.
Good tip. I do the same with a DPM Z-Fold mat and a really old Thermarest self-inflating in a pretty similar setup to yours. I've had them both for 15-20 years.
Hi Jim
Hope you are well.
Last year, 15th Dec, I did a little wild camp in the corner of a field up near me.
For insulation, I used armfuls and armfuls of dead bracken under my British army roll mat. I then just used my OEX sleeping bag inside my British Army goretex bivvy bag. I was suprised how much warmer I was using this method. I only had an MTP Basha over me and it threw it down most of the night, but I was warm and slept well.
All the best.😉👍🏾🇬🇧
2 bag system works well, long as the bags are not too tight.
I use a full length self inflating mummy shaped mattress in my hammock. I let it inflate about 3/4 of the way before shutting the valve. By not over inflating it , it conforms to my body and the hammock for total support and insulation.
I've done this. Your body heat also heats the air in the mat. Works well. Great video
Yes it does, I didn't mention that. 👍
I agree insolation is key .👍
Wise words JB !.. I've frozen the heck out of my bones even in Australia with insufficient ground thermal layers ! That mummy bag looks awesome with the mat inside ! I was forever rolling off my old sponge thermal.. the blighter had a migration visa for 'Anywhere but underneath Andy' lol
Oh no! 😁
Good 👍 advice I would just like to say that when looking around for a ground sleeping mat it should be put on the short list of dearer items to buy list because it will help prevent people from getting flu and colds 🥶 though heat loss .
And it's important that you are warm before you get into a sleeping bag and basically stay in the bag to stop heat loss if possible.
Ideas for moving about for the toilet 🚻 during the night 🌙 is another video.
Good tips there Allan I must move around a lot in my sleep. Everyone I use a sleeping mat I wake up and it's on top of me. But I could do with investing in a good one. Thanks for sharing buddy
Thanks for watching mate.
Bubble wrap that has the silver back lining plus whatever mat has worked for me down to about 25F
Yes in winter at least two pads I have found that wrapping them together with a wool blanket really helps too…or at least putting them inside my US Army Bivi bag . You always have great tips and I love your videos…Have fun stay safe.
Thanks for watching mate.
I have a fairly cheap self inflating mat for ground sleeping, it is 10cm thick but for hammock camping I can't fault my expensive blow up mat with a really high r rating, I can't remember what the brand is, I never fully inflate mats because then then become far too hard to sleep on, comfort and r rating are all important, even in the summer.
The configuration of a human body does not lay flat. It lays with a few curves, lumps, and hollows. If you have a thick air mattress, say, 4” thick, it can conform to the irregularities of both the ground and the person. Thin pads cannot make up for irregularities of ground and person.
BEFORE you affix your sleeping site under a tarp or tent, first select a “raised location” of ground that will not collect - or flow - water from a heavy storm. Do that EVERY night, no matter how lovely the weather seems! Scrape the bed site clear of debris, ALL of the debris. If your pad is thin, then you must conform the ground to your body. A shallow (1”-2”) hip hole is sometimes sufficient, others may need a similar shoulder hole. Test the ground for confirmation. When it is comfortable, THEN, set up the tarp and pad and blanket or bag.
Personally, I put up a 1 man tent with bug netting. I try to treat this 86 year old body kindly, so I can do this another few yeas.
Courtesy of Half Vast Flying
That's a neat trick. I like to use electric blankets, a heating pad, and barring both of those, the thermacare back things that are supposed to help with pain. They do by the way. They help with period cramps too. It's single use but I think they're just wonderful when it's cold. Plus, it helps with back pain from sleeping on the ground lol...
Great tip! 👍
As a last resort scenario, a "space blancket" under or around the body also helps maintain temperature. The problem is the sound it makes if we move...
I think that would keep me awake, would defiantly help though.
Had the same idea before, good to see pos feedback on it, I don't like pads really, I have a cutdown but for the apocalypse one must plan for the arctic with tropical storms haha.
Very good! Thank you.
Glad you liked it!
Some nice sound advice again, also I think the dd hammock with under blanked served me well last summer and with coffin dd mat it would be good even in winter. Thanks. Harry
Every little helps Harry. 👍
Brilliant thanks!
Glad you liked it!
Brilliant tip Allan👍👏 roll on the day when some of us actually get a good night's sleep at camp..if you had an oblong bag it would work aswell am sure..
Yes it would work with most bags and a slim self inflating mat, as long as the is still enough room for yourself.
I will have to give this a go, thanks 😊
Works well for insulation on the cheap.
Great idea ,, bit harder for me Mr chubby .lol 😅.thanks for the information God bless you and your family and happy camping 🏕 🙏 😀 😊 ☺️. Lee
Could always put the second mat inside a big bivvy bag and then sleeping bag on top. 👍
Good Idee 💡 👍. I like the englisch tarp , top 👍
Glad you like it 👍
Scrape out shoulder and hip holes before you lay out your sleeping system. Test it lying on the dirt or a tarp, when they're comfortable roll out the rest of your sleeping system, keeping the hip and shoulder holes aligned with where your hips and shoulders will be. This works for side sleepers too (I'm one). BTW this is the way to build a bow (tree limb) bed. Use more needles than sticks and these are very comfortable too. Don't use a bow bed under the tarp that you're using to lay under your sleep system. That's waaaay too comfortable and can't really be considered camping. 😀
like the idea. good video. out here in minnesota. a nasty cold spell can get from -40f to -80f.
Thats too cold for me. I think the lowest I have ever seen is 14f and a high of around 110f.
Pretty much what I do in winter, unless I'm in the hammock, Underblanket sorts that out 😁
I dont know why more people dont do it.
Hi JB,
Just wondering if a thin
aluminum foil sleeping mat, cut to size and placed inside the bag ( silver side up! ) would help?
Great video as always.
It would help, but it would not store heat like the foam.
I'm able make my own version, I used layers of foam that come with the silver coating and put them in a sleeve. I also side sleep. Then I use a liner with sleeping bag all in a bivvy bag.
Great tip! 👍
How to stay warm? Stay at home and await the spring, especially if your budget doesn’t extend to proper quality winter gear.
Where is the fun in that?
Wet weather fire making. Learn it. Know which trees have resinous sap wood or bark. (Silver Birch bark - dead and off the ground ideally but off the tree is fine.
Always bring flame and a back up fire lighting rod and metal. You will feel more brave to adventure in weird weather if you know you can always access fire.
I think my fire lighting skills are fine thanks.
I'm a Floridian and it's always a pain to keep a fire going in wet weather. Honestly it's probably better to prepare to be warm without fire 🔥 and to treat fire like a luxury because you know that you are going to have to work very hard to make and maintain one.
Any group camps lined up Jim? So we can all meet each other, and build up a network of, "like minded thinking" also...
On a "wild camp" site if need be to accomodate the numbers. We can always day hike into woods for a play.
It would be cool to have a meet. I have tried in the past and its so difficult to get a time/place that people agree on.
Thanks for this 😁
As a side sleeper myself, I'm interested to know what you use for a pillow?
This is the pillow that I use the most. www.flextail.com/products/zero-pillow
@frogmaster83 thanks! 🙂
👍
nice video.....i put a secondary sleeping bag around the mat.....does the trick for me
That will help too, but a mat in the bag is more efficient. 👍
@@frogmaster83 read again.....thats what i said
@@user-sv8vn1be6b no you said a sleeping bag around the mat, not in the bag!
What bag is it
DD Jura 2.
Great tips. Recognize you from Mark's Vids!
Thanks for watching. Marc and I camp together quite often. 👍
I still not happy spend 100 for a sleeping bag, even after a number of miserable nights :D
To be fair, it would have to be pretty good for me to spend that on a bag too.
You look at it like this : a night at hotel would cost you at least 50. So for 2 hotel’s night you get a decent mat. For 4 night you get a Rvalue 5 or above and spent a good night.
And never forget the warm bottle of water, one on the feet and one upper, you’ll be toasty 😊
a second bag around the mat inside the first bag......lifes too short. never mind
Should of explained it better. I am not a mind reader. 🙄🤷♂️
if i had written a 5000 word dissertation on the subject, you would have disagreed with me anyway
An interesting video I use the DD jura2 multi cam regular quite often 🏕😎👍🏻
Its a good design, could be a little warmer though.
@@frogmaster83 yes it could be a little warmer but you get what you pay for I suppose 😉 🏕😎👍🏻