Camping tips – Getting a good nights sleep
My biggest advice I can give on camping with kids is this, forget about time!
If you are having a break from your day to day life, don’t get hung up on getting the kids to sleep at their usual bedtime, let them have fun, stay up late, burn as much energy as they can in the fresh air. Chances are, they will probably still wake up at their regular time but, unlike a school day, there’s no rush to get out the door, embrace the fact that you have nothing to do and no time limit to do it in.
Can’t beat a good camp fire with some marshmallows for toasting,
One of the hardest things to do as an adult is to switch off and go with the flow, our lives are filled with deadlines, appointments and “doing the right thing for the kids”. Camping in nature gives you that freedom to forget about time, your only priority is to eat, sleep and relax.
Everyones set up is different, do what works for you.
When the kids eventually get tired, the key to a good night sleep for them and us is comfort and warmth. Like tents, air mattresses have come a long way in the last decade. If you are like me, your early memories of sleeping on a air mattress will consist of it being lumpy to start and flat by the morning. Thankfully, this has changed, even the budget products retain the air and are designed to evenly distribute your weight allowing for a better sleep. Equally important is the material used these days are no where near as noisy when you inevitably roll over in the night!
Along with air mattresses, folding camp beds have developed into worthy alternatives. Previously they would be a construction nightmare with poles and canvas that never quiet go together as they should. Nowadays, they fold out effortlessly and given that they are off the ground, can offer better warmth.
Now, the next bit is probably going to be a bit controversial. For years I stuck to the sleeping bag and travel pillow (or even a folded up jumper) but I’ve moved to the comfort over practicality version of camping and it makes sense, why suffer? Sleep can make or break a camping trip. If the pillows from your house are comfy, take them, if the duvet is warm, take that too! Basically, if it will make you, your partner or your child a happy sleeper, then it’s worth taking.
No matter how much you go before you get in to bed, someone in your tent will, without doubt, need to pee in the night. You can fight the urge but if you do need to get out of your warm sleeping bag, then the next few lines could make that trip to the can more smoother.
Our luxury toilets at Everest ABC, Intermediate camp toilets were over a 20m drop!
Everest Advanced Base Camp
Firstly, know where you will put your bits that you will need. Depending on what you are sleeping in will determine what you will need. If you are clothed sleeping then just a hoodie our a coat will do but if you are going all naturey then you don’t want to scare your fellow campers by dashing out with it all out, get some kit on.
When on expeditions in the high mountains, a pee bottle is a great idea as going outside the tent could mean going into extreme conditions so a quick unzipping of the sleeping bag and a quick pee into the bottle can be very convenient. However, being woken up by the sound of pee hitting a plastic bottle is not the best wake up call. Sharing a tent with one other on expedition is one thing but when sharing with the family, you may not everyone’s best friend in the morning!
Essentially, what I am trying to say is this, camping is a time to take a break from the norm. Accept before you go that it’s not your house, not a 5 star hotel, it’s different. There are no rules (except keeping the noise down after 10pm).
You make the rules for camping!
