I havent not slept on a comfy bed with tons of pilliows in decades. I want to start conditioning my self to sleep in a tent without carrying an entire bed. Any suggestions? sleep on the floor? or is the floor harder then the ground would be and not a good test?
I suggest you take something like a Therm-a-Rest pad for camping. This could be used in your house for practice. I also have a small cot (CycleCot) that is comfy. I am almost 60, and my body no longer is happy to sleep on the ground unless it is warm, soft sand.
My suggestions would be one of the Camp Model Therma-Rests which are a little thicker and heavier but for the old bones it feels much better At least 2.5" thick for best results. A decent compressable camp pillow also is a plus. I am 71 and this setup works for me.
This Seriously, I started looking at some new camping gear and bought 2 of these instead. I realize it's perhaps not for everyone but it is the most comfortable sleep my wife and I have ever had camping and we'll never go back to a tent. Just my 2c.
Luxury Lite Cot is the only way to go imho, I've spent more nights on it this year so far than my own bed and I've slept wonderfully, perfect for sleeping in the tropics, similar to a hammock where the air can circualate underneath and help cool you but not requiring trees or posts around and work great on rocky and rought ground, also keeps you above the wet ground if sleeping sans tent under cover. I've gotten very used to it and sleep great on it and highly recommend it. Easy to recover the cost sleeping for free instead of paying for hotels. Here in Cuba using waterproof liner and mosquito net over head sleeping under starry night on rough ground on Varadero Beach the cheap way. Los Andes of Venezuela, all you need is some cover over head and it's easy to sleep sans tent even in heavy rains as you are suspended above the ground. I've holed out enough airpads on rough ground finding sandburs and everything else sharp to easily pay for my cot, lifetime guarantee for the parts I've worn out, only needed one replacement tarp over the last couple years traveling a fair amount.
Oy, I picked up this Aerobed Pakmat a few weeks back, tried it out yesterday. Pretty nice setup, it was plenty comfy with 5" and packs pretty small, and the carrying case is a built in pump, takes about 50 seconds to inflate the mattress.
I vote for naps in the yard. I take naps in the yard when flying bugs are thinner. When I visit my dad for a week or two I take naps on my dad's carpet, but that's not nearly as comfortable as the yard. Naps are significantly different from trying to sleep all night, but a missed night of sleep is worse than a bad nap. Floors are flatter and sometimes harder than camp spots. It's that flatness that is as much a problem (for me) as the hardness: inside the tent I fit myself into the subtle contours of the ground. I also use a tired, ripped, and punctured 3/8-inch foam pad that's about 4 feet long. I'm 57 years old. For camping I prefer state parks since commercial campgrounds often have pointy gravel pads to bring in the RV crowd. State parks are more likely to have grass on dirt for setting up a tent. (I have hit a few lately that are grass on hard-packed gravel. The pegs don't go far but I sleep great.) People are suggesting pads that probably work great. You may also want to give the ground a try somewhere.
Many find that a full day of riding/hiking/hunting/fishing, or other outdoor activity is conducive to making sleeping in non-normal conditions quite palatable (i.e. you are more tired, and don't notice the lack of extra comfort you are used too). So...practicing at home, may not be a TRUE comparison as to how you sleep after a day on the bike. I, personally like a closed cell foam (Thermarest "RidgeRest") sleeping pad over an inflatable sleeping pad (Thermarest inflatable). Since time has worked its magic on the body...I may add a cot as shown above (I have slept very well on full sized cots in the past).
This is what I was looking for. I had tried sleeping on the floor even with a thick blanket folded underneath and it was fine until I got well into the night and then it was uncomfortable. I also tried sleeping in my hammock which has a net outside however there is a lot of noise. My place is in the city plus on a bayou so I get lots of nature sounds as well as road sounds plus a light outside I cant turn off. I guess I could try it again with some ear plug. I am also glad to read about the ages of so many here which answers another question I had regarding age and riding. Now I have been riding for the first time in my life I notice that I use muscles that I never have before even though I do weight training (although admitly not a lot). so I was concerned about riding well into my 60s. I am 45 now. I am ready for Texas summer to be over so I can take some weekend trips!
I have a nice REI 3.5" self-inflating pad. It's a bit big when packed... 24x8 or so but it straps onto the bike just fine. It's VERY comfy, and my regular bed is a Tempur-Pedic! Rob Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
+1 for the thicker camping mattresses. I have the Big Agnes insulated air core. It, like the thermarest neoair, packs down small, is light, and still provides enough thickness to be comfortable. Look at Thermarest, Big Agnes, and Exped (I think they all make something similar) and decide what works for you. As far as training yourself to sleep on the ground, I think you will find that tile and hardwood floors are harder than what you will find at a campsite. What I might do is sleep on a carpeted floor for a few nights, both with and without your sleeping pad. My feeling is that would give you a reasonable expectation for when you are at the campsite.
Last year I bought the Big Agnes air core insulated pad and it is amazing. If you combine it with one of their sleeping bags you have a very comfortable bed that is warm and super light. It also packs down very small. I bought a bag for myself that the pad fits into and a double sleeping bag for trips with my gal. The pad fits in both. Very slick system and Big Agnes is top quality. As far as getting used to sleeping on anything less than a bed, I say go to Costco and get the big bottle of ibuprofen.
lol. Although I have no idea if its actually true I have been known to say that pain killers, although addictive, extended my grandmothers live by 20 years.
Interesting thread. I am trying to figure out how to camp comfortably without carrying a ton of stuff. I recently did my first long distance ride where I took camping gear. I camped 3 out of 5 nights on the road and didn't sleep that well. I had a 1" thick self inflating mattress. I may try carrying a regular air mattress but my "touring bike" is a 250 so I need to keep my gear fairly small and light. Some of this stuff was addressed in my ride report here: http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=803404
I second the hammocks. I use Eagles Nest Outfitters hammocks myself. There are lots of accessories to set them up for different climates and conditions. They eliminate the need to carry a sleeping pad which takes up a lot of room and in many cases I don't carry a sleeping bag either, just a small blanket.
Do you pack that on 1 bike or does your wife have her own? I have been considering hammocks but not sure about packing 2 on a bike.
