Sleeping on the ground

C

coyotlviejo

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Mar 26, 2001
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313
I heard once that if you sleep on the earth for one week during autumn it will help keep some winter weight off by getting your electromagnetic something-or-other more in tune with the natural gravitational something-or-other of the earth. Anyone ever hear of this? Aside from new-age mysticism, might there be something to it? I guess it goes with magnetic therepy-type theories.

And while I'm on the topic, what is everybody's favorite way to stay comfy while sleeping outdoors (artificial pads not included)?
 
On some backpacking trips in the summer, I do not not carry a sleeping mat such as the air mattresses or blue foamies. Instead, I simply sleep on the floor of my tent, comfortable tucked in my sleeping bag. This saves weight and works really well when tented on grassy terrain. However, it can get quite chilly if your tent is over a rocky surface so I may put some soft cedar branches under my sleeping area beneath the tent. I find this more than sufficent.

Some people I know do not even carry a tent but only a tarp and cut away at branches to make a soft ground pad. I find this too time consuming every night to do especially if you enter a campsite late at night and exhausted.
 
Well I guess if you sleep on the ground for a week in any season, you'll starve a good bit of weight off:D Anyway, never heard of that new age stuff, however if you want to stay comfortable on the ground during cooler times then build a fire bed. Basically you dig a pit the length and width of your body 8" deep and line with rocks (NOT river rocks, as they may explode as the water in them boils). Build a fire and let the coals get good and going, burning for at least 2 hours. When the fire dies out and the coals are cherry red, cover it with 4" of packed dirt (no less, and not much more). Lay a sheet of plastic on the ground to keep the steam and moisture off you. In a couple hours, the ground will be nice and comfy, and you can sleep in freezing temps with only a light sheet or blanket.

Mike
 
Nothing like waking up tired from a cold nights sleep. I find a nice big spruce or cedar tree to sleep under , nice and soft from years of fallen needles.

Not sure about the magnetic field stuff but there are two different magnetic fields that are right where we live. One is at the earths surface and another a few feet above the surface. These do exist and are measurable. Quite interesting :cool:
 
" . . .what is everybody's favorite way to stay comfy while sleeping outdoors (artificial pads not included)?"

I don't know if this counts, but I got a Hennesy Hammock this spring and love it. Very comfortable, albeit cool, and good shelter from critters and rain.

Barring hammocks, my favorite non-sleeping pad MO is to curl up with my sleeping bag in my bivy sack on the spongy detritus that accumulates next to rotten logs.

I don't know about the field theory stuff, but sleeping on the firm ground in the solitude of the forest for a few nights makes me feel a lot better in a lot of ways.

Scott
 
My vote is for a hammock.

But, if you mean on the ground, then there is one trick that really help me. If I sleep on a flat surface (especially a hard one), my back is killing me by morning. Carve-out a small indentation in the ground about 2 or 3 inches deep and about 2 feet square. Use this as a place for your hips when you are laying down. No sharp edges on the hole - slope gently toward your shoulders. Makes a big difference in your comfort.
 
So, what I'm hearing is that I should build a fire bed, cover it with adequate soil, topped by a layer of cedar boughs except for where my hips go, fill it out with soft detritus, then cover up with a tarp. Hmmm. Sounds like some pretty nice arrangements. Now if I can only convince my wife to camp out with me... :D

I've used the cedar bough idea before (with fir boughs), and it was downright comfy, plus it smelled like Christmas. The drawbacks I've encountered are the time & effort involved, plus I feel like I'm somehow defacing the forest when I cut off so many live boughs.

I've yet to try the fire bed, so I'll have to add it to my list of goals. I'll have to keep the detritus suggestion in the back of my mind, too. It would be great to try on one of my minimalist expeditions.

I think the electromagnetic thing was reported in one of the leading outdoor rags like Field&Stream or something. It was a one-paragraph mention that my brother read to me. Regardless, I'd rather be sleeping out there anyway - even if it didn't help me trim off some spare fat.
 
Daniel,

A few months ago I slept on a lot of different surfaces and I found it all depends on your environment. On rocks and ice, i.e. Glacier, you need some type of pad. Other than that pretty much anywhere you go you don't NEED to take a pad unless you want something really quick. In my estimate they usually take up a lot of room when something natural would be readily available, especially in Oregon, at least that would be my guess with all the different Pines around. I Yeah it does take more time and effort than a polypad or some type of matress but I prefer the natural stuff most of the time. I don't like Thermarest because they seem to puncture easy, maybe its just when we practice evasion that it tends to occur. On normal trips I would guess it to be fine in a tent.
Also like you mentioned, carve out the area for your back if alone. In the Alpine section of AK, we slept on an area with peat on top of rocks and it was not comfortable due to my body not fitting in the tight space. I woke up very uncomfortably a few times due to not having enough piled up. It was not due to unavailability, merely due to laziness cause I was soaking wet and miserable. :grumpy:

"If it ain't rainin', it ain't trainin!!!"

I hope my two cents helped. When you can go natural, pine needles are very comfortable and if you have Pinion or Ponderosas around you can gather a great insulation bed in no time at all. Ahhh, good times:)

Take care and God bless,
Jamie

PS. Is your wife's maiden name Kincaid?
 
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