I come from a huuuuuuuge camping family and have been since i was 6 weeks old, and camp once a month and I have never camped sans the tent, but I think it would be interesting to try? Has anyone just laid out under the stars, and would you reccomend it?
You are really missing out. It is such a good feeling when it's just you, the ground, and that gorgeous sky. Have a tent handy for bad weather of course, but yeah, definitely don't use it unless you have to.
for sure, sleeping sans tent is awesome, as long as the bugs aren't too bad. they can make you crazy after awhile if you're sleeping in a swarm of mosquitos. if there's a bit of a breeze to get rid of them though, it's just lovely. when i was little i used to sneak out of the house with my duvet and sleep in the grass.
ive done that so many times. Ya man. If the nights good and you know its not gonna rain and the skeeters arent bad, do that.
I've done it, and I like to fall alseep like that, but I have to admit I don't like waking up freezing because I'm covered in dew. If I could fall alseep under the stars and magically have a tent form around me as the night goes on, that'd be perfect.
Natural Home magazine did an article once on sleeping outdoors. Some people had made these amazing beds. One was created in the style of Thai beds, complete with bamboo and all. Looked very comfortable yet I wouoldn't sleep outside w/o some kind of netting around me. Maybe if I had a blow up mattress I'd sleep in the back of the truck...
i've done it. Had one bad experience... i covered myself up as much as possible, but the only skin that was showing (my forehead) was so covered in bites the next day that it looked like a vicious rash! But on the whole it is the way to go. I saw a picture of a guy who had a bit of netting on him, drapped over a baseball cap... the ends were then tucked into the sleeping bag, so he could breathe, but nothing could get in. I'm investing in that before I go again
We camped sans tent in October when the insects were gone but it wasn't too cold, it was wonderful. you hear so much more in the park. Let me recommend a tarp so you have some overhead. A ground cloth keeps your bag dry. Watch out for the bears though.
Well I have a BIVY tent, the entire roof is mesh. I wont sleep without it because I'm down here in TX with some pretty nasty bugs. But since the tent roof is all window, I can still sleep under the stars (unless it rains, then I gotta pull the rainfly over it, and for the hard TX rains, a tarp over that!) It's a nice tent, sleeps 2 and weighs 3lbs. It is a 3 season tent though, don't need a 4 since I backpack in TX.
