Have fun, Jon <3
Edit: I sometimes keep forgetting the meme communities on Lemmy are incapable of taking things as the joke they are. Y’all worry too much about taking shit seriously. Chill out lol
Have fun, Jon <3
Edit: I sometimes keep forgetting the meme communities on Lemmy are incapable of taking things as the joke they are. Y’all worry too much about taking shit seriously. Chill out lol
This entire post reads "I don’t know how to camp/go backpacking.
Get yourself a travel air mattress or sleeping pad, probably a better sleeping bag. Solves the lack of sleep and sore back.
Get a proper tent that’s water proof and learn how to set it up properly so water doesn’t pool under it. Make sure the vents have good mosquito netting to keep bugs our, and never have the entry unzipped a second longer than it takes to get in and out of.
For the mice, don’t have food in unsealed containers and if you’re in bear country you should be hanging a bear bag at least 100 feet (30m~ ) from you campsite, make sure cook wear and utensils are all properly cleaned too. Some newer tents even have a pouch built in near the door to seal a bag into, minimizing the chance of something deciding to make it a new home.
I hang my food and cooking kit even when I am not in bear country because I don’t want a raccoon to destroy hundreds of dollars in gear.
If you are bringing an air mattress, you’re probably car camping and may be able to leave the food / cooler in the trunk.
Once in Missouri I went camping with my parents and they love to cook at camp Tons of chopping boards, utensils, etc were left out overnight, which attracted dozens of raccoons. They had the coolers secure but it was still wild to see. Rookie mistake from people who actually have a lot of experience.
Also, hammock camping can be very comfortable if you have an under quilt and tarp
There are backpacking air mattresses.
Ah, true. I have several of the foam self inflating pads but I don’t really think of those as mattresses. They are very nice tho. I have seen the ones without foam that are even more portable too.
The inflatable ones are more portable in terms of size than the mats or the self-inflating ones but all 3 have their disadvantages.
Foam isn’t all the comfortable and they are bulky and hard to deal with in brush. Some are decent insulation, but most aren’t great. Most are the cheapest.
Self-inflating is more comfortable and insulating than foam, but they are often bulky and can be punctured. Some of them can still be used if they get a puncture and are just shitty foam, but that isn’t the norm. The more modern ones can pack down small, but still bigger than inflatables. You can adjust the pressure for comfort, but it isn’t super easy to adjust.
Inflatable packs down tiny and you can adjust pressure to adjust for comfort quickly, puncture is obviously a huge concern. They insulate really well and some are very insulating. These tend to be in the most expensive.
All this.
I went camping in MN when it was 27 degrees F overnight a month ago. Slept like a baby. Nice and cozy. It was really nice. Camping is great if you do it right.