Hunting Camp Beds: Thoughts, Methods

[Spitpatch]

A Classifieds "wanted" ad for a wall tent got me to thinking about hunting camp sleeping methods/equipment, and a couple very similar incidents with novice hunters in my camp toward this concern.

Sleeping infallibly warm is absolutely essential to continue to hunt effectively and anything slightly less should be reserved for the "expedition-type" hunts (backpack, bush plane, etc.) where there are absolute limits on gear amounts by weight and space. In those instances, clothing serves a dual purpose by making up for any inadequacies of warmth your bed may have.

Speaking here of a vehicle or horse-camp where gear is not so limited. RV guys with furnaces may or may not remove themselves from this discussion.
(Take a fair-sized one of those into my antelope camp, and you should plan for the distinct possibility you have to come back in June to get it out.)

Twice now in the past 6 years, a couple guys relatively new to the hunting sport (and new to my camp) have

1) Arrived with a Buddy Heater for their sleep tent.
2) Ran it all night
3) When it ran out of gas during the night, they noted it in the morning, along with their having slept cold from then on out.

Both times, my reply was questions regarding their bed construction along with advice toward easy improvement (which they promptly ignored and I presume only made a resolution to not run out of gas again). Both times I also advised them,

"If you need external heat to stay absolutely warm in your camp bed, there is something wrong with your bed."

Both guys have since improved their beds greatly (even came to me for some help), and our consumption of Coleman cannisters dropped sharply. (I think they both ran out of gas at least once again, but chose not to talk about the experience.) One did connect his heater to a big tank not knowing he needed a filter with predictable results.

Don't get me wrong: I like the shelter to be warm when I roll out in the morning. If I can do that without rolling out, or if someone else does it, wonderful. But even at home, I sleep (better) with a window cracked open and little or no room heat.

My bed in camp is surrounded by whatever air is ambient, and I sleep warm!

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[Bobbygun]

We used the Big Buddy heater in our Kodiak Flexbow canvas tent over at Hart Mountain when temperatures were well below freezing during my son's mule deer hunt last year. We only ran the heater while we were playing cards before going to sleep, and then again before getting up in the morning to take the chill off. We use cots with pads beneath our sleeping bags for insulation. Neither of us like mummy bags because they are too constricting. So, we use our old flannel lined Coleman bags from Bi-Mart and put an extra fleece liner inside them. We stayed warm. The morning we were packing up to leave, I had the Big Buddy running on high. Despite it being freezing outside, my son requested I turn it off - he was starting to sweat. We were very impressed with the Kodiak tent. Stood up to gale force winds and, along with the Big Buddy, kept us cozy.

The third picture is of the frozen stream about 15 feet behind our tent.

 

[Xaevian]

Wall tents typically use small, portable wood stoves with the added benefit as a cooktop. A cold barrier between the bedding and ground is essential for < 40 degrees. Even if a cot is used, you should still have an under barrier. Without a heat source, try to get a bag that is rated for like 20 degrees below what you expect nighttime temps to be (unless you live where I live, then just get a -20 rated bag or lower). But you don't want to overheat, either.

 

[Tlock]

We run 3 wall tents all with wood stoves. 2 sleeping tents and 1 cook tent.

 

[Nosferatu]

I have a Cabela's tent with a woodstove I used for over a decade until 3 years ago when I bought a truck camper.

The tent was great and served me well. I always slept on a cot to keep me off the ground and used the appropriate sleeping bag and blankets for the conditions. It took some trial and error to figure out what bag worked best for me so I didn't freeze or sweat during the night. I didn't rely on the stove to keep me warm during the night. It was used to make it comfortable in the evening, cook on and heat water and usually went out sometime during the night. Sometimes I'd wake up and toss another log on it, but most of the time I slept through it.

In the camper, I keep the heater at it's lowest setting (~50°F) and let my bedding keep me warm. The older I get, the more I appreciate being off the ground and reasonably warm in the morning as I get ready to head out. Running water, power and a toilet are icing on the cake.

I've done the backcountry thing as well, sleeping in a pup tent or under a tarp, freezing my arse off and hiking for an eternity with 80lbs on my back. My knees can't do that anymore, so it's the truck camper for me until I can no longer hunt.

 

[41mag]

My absolute best bed/tent set up was Old Art who had the antique wall tent up and
outfitted before we got to camp late after dark. He had a thick layer of couple bales of straw spread out between one wall & a log curb. My 2x4' closed foam pad on top of that with an extra large mummy bag. Art had a WW2 era wood camp stove going with the sourdough ready for morning biscuits. He was prepared to feed us biscuits & sausage gravy in case we missed dinner.

Tent had seen umpteen multiple hunts over nearly 50 years, was still in top shape. Our morning coffee was augmented by peering out at the newly fallen 4" snow. Turned out I was the only one to take an elk that day, so Old Art got an extra take home helping of the cuts he favored.
The next year I towed my small camper trailer along. It was nowhere near as comfy.

 

[osprey]

My advice to noobs is, buy a sleeping bag with lower temp rating than what you think you will be exposed to. That zero degree rated fart sack will certainly keep you alive at zero but it will not be a comfortable nights sleep.

 

[titsonritz]

I have had a Dave Ellis traditional (lace-up) Cowboy Cavalry Bedroll for about 20 years, put whatever bedding I need in it. I've sleep in the open without a tent while horseback riding in the boondocks, woke up cover in snow and still snug as bug in a rug. In a tent on a cot or in truck bed with a canopy it is a deluxe accommodation. Even has enough room for two (if I like 'em enough).

 

[Ura-Ki]

We always bring in several bails of hay to spread out on the ground in our camp tent, EXCEPT for the area right near the camp stove. We have three water tanks that hang off the three sides of the stove, not only for hot water, but they hold the heat through the cold nights and keep the humidity up. For sleeping, a good air mattress, ,or cot with ground pad under you works well, and a good sleeping bag. I use a Wiggy brand artic rated bag, but the Alaskan outback Bags are also good, though HEAVY and take up a lot of space when rolled up!

 

[DirectDrive]

My favorite cot is Roll-a-Cot by CampTime Spokane, WA (I have their table as well)
No cross bars....a very comfortable cot and rugged.
Wide size available.

Commercial carpet squares work well to protect tent floors from cot feet.

Sleeping pad is Thermarest Performance line inflatable about 1-1/4 thick FULL LENGTH pad.
The pad stays located between the Roll-a-Cot rails very well.
Sleeping bag is REI Mountaineer down.....I often don't zip it.....too hot. It's a mummy.
For a heavy camp, get a good, RECTANGULAR shaped bag for maximum comfort.

 

[thorborg]

My favorite cot is Roll-a-Cot by CampTime Spokane, WA (I have their table as well)
No cross bars....a very comfortable cot and rugged.
Wide size available.
View attachment 1366182
Commercial carpet squares work well to protect tent floors from cot feet.

Sleeping pad is Thermarest Performance line inflatable about 1-1/4 thick FULL LENGTH pad.
The pad stays located between the Roll-a-Cot rails very well.
Sleeping bag is REI Mountaineer down.....I often don't zip it.....too hot. It's a mummy.
For a heavy camp, get a good, RECTANGULAR shaped bag for maximum comfort.

I spent decades on an old army cot and never really cared for it, especially being a big guy, they sag soon making turning while sleeping or just sitting on them uncomfortable. Being heavy, the cross leg system always wobbled after a year or so.

I have a cot like yours if not the same, wished I had gotten it decades earlier, my self inflating air mattress nestled well also, with very little sag, and adding the air mattress made sitting and sleeping a dream. The bag along the front made access to toiletries and other things handy. I too used a carpet sample for my feet when I got in or out of bed, our tents had no floors, we spread straw around.
Now back packing and tent camping would wear me out just setting up camp, so I'm using a nice little 16 foot trailer house...cant say I miss the tent and cot but would gladly give up the trailer if I could gain enough youth to do late season hunts again.

 

[nehalemguy]

The typical interior of my 12' x 12' wall tent. I typically stay alone in my tent. If others are in camp, we set up additional tents.

Cot and cot tree on the left along with storage trunks for clothing and gear. Wood stove and table on the right. Table holds food and cooking items. Storage underneath the table for additional boxes etc. Wood stove sits on a welding blanket to catch the errant spark.

I bought pre-cut squares of indoor/outdoor carpet several years ago to lay on the floor. Easier to walk on in bare feet and helps insulate the floor as well.

Staying warm and comfortable at night is essential to functioning well during the days hunt. A woodstove is required IMO in all wall tents. Also a comfortable chair to sip whiskeys and listen to tunes.

 

[2506]

Good bag, therm-a-rest, and a roll-a-cot is all a fella really needs.

I typically drape a heavy tarp over the cot to keep air from circulating underneath, then the pad, then the sleeping bag.

A good, comfortable balaclava does wonders in cold environs as well.

 

[Bobbygun]

@Spitpatch

Don't let my positive experience in post #2 above dissuade you from providing suggestions for improvement. One thing I do know is: "You don't know what you don't know." Just yesterday, after putting up with a reloading caliper that was a few thousandths off, a fellow member here was kind enough to suggest calibrating it. After nearly 15 years, I noticed the paperwork below the plastic mold that held the caliper. It clearly explained how to calibrate it. LOL

I've already been eyeballing the sleeping bags made by Kodiak Canvas. They look fantastic. Designed the way I would design one. I don't know that I can justify spending 4X what I spent for my current bag though, when it keeps me warm enough.

Full disclosure on the above trip: If not for the forecasted gale force winds, I would have taken our tent trailer instead of the canvas tent. I was glad I didn't. Not only would the wind have potentially wreaked havoc on the tent trailer, it would have been a miserable trip home on snow/ice covered roads. I was in 4WD for hundreds of miles. The year before a buddy of mine had the same tag. We made the trip with his 28 foot travel trailer and were about as comfortable as you can get. Truthfully, I wouldn't have minded if he had turned the thermostat down a bit. Microwave popcorn and Haagen Daz bars for dessert. It was a different kind of trip. Still fun, but just different. The weather that year was much better.

 

[Stomper]

When in the Northern German forests during the dead of winter, real men just don a USGI issued chemical warfare suit and gas-mask, wrap up in a USGI poncho liner, then curl up under a tree and use a tree root or a rock for a pillow and hug their rifle through the night.



Good times!

 

[Ura-Ki]

Sarijivo airport middle of winter 1993, 8 standard G.I. fuel cans laid on their sides with a G.I. wool blanket over top and a wubby, that was bed for 3 1/2 weeks!

 

[PORSCHE928S4]

Wall tents typically use small, portable wood stoves with the added benefit as a cooktop. A cold barrier between the bedding and ground is essential for < 40 degrees. Even if a cot is used, you should still have an under barrier. Without a heat source, try to get a bag that is rated for like 20 degrees below what you expect nighttime temps to be (unless you live where I live, then just get a -20 rated bag or lower). But you don't want to overheat, either.

Exactly ours has boot dryers welded around the base and when you get up to pee you throw a log on !

 

[Xaevian]

When in the Northern German forests during the dead of winter, real men just don a USGI issued chemical warfare suit and gas-mask, wrap up in a USGI poncho liner, then curl up under a tree and use a tree root or a rock for a pillow and hug their rifle through the night.



Good times!

A troop that did that in my brigade got ran over across his stomach by an M113 while sleeping. Didn't even leave a bruise, just scratches, but he found Jeezuz. Soft ground for the win.

 

[PORSCHE928S4]

A troop that did that in my brigade got ran over across his stomach by an M113 while sleeping. Didn't even leave a bruise, just scratches, but he found Jeezuz. Soft ground for the win.

I was in Germany when someone got ran over but believe it was a M1 Abrams 86-87ish from that time on there were a lot of chem sticks deployed .

 

[Stomper]

A troop that did that in my brigade got ran over across his stomach by an M113 while sleeping. Didn't even leave a bruise, just scratches, but he found Jeezuz. Soft ground for the win.

Prolly broke a road-wheel and 3 or 4 hinge pins, too!


God loves the Infantry!