How to Sleep Better in a Tent

We know we’re biased, but there’s no better feeling than communing with nature via a good campout, whether you’re backpacking far from civilization or just hitting up your friendly local campground with the fam. We love the time out under the stars, the fresh air, the creative camp cooking, the fireside toddies … and best of all, waking up to the view outside your tent. This is what makes all the packing and prep work well worth it. There truly is just one downside … the grogginess of having only half-slept—lightly—for a few hours. It makes it tough to get started and embrace the coming day if you have to undergo a slow, bleary-eyed, achy emergence out of the tent and into the adventures ahead. The good news is that there are quite a few hacks to improve your tent slumber. (It’s a subject we’ve explored with quite a bit of passion and dedication.) Here we share a list of some of our favorite tips to try. Even if you can’t do everything on the list, checking a few of these boxes will definitely improve your camp z’s. Give them a shot, and let us know your own!

• Use a sleeping bag liner (also called a sleep sack). If you’ve never invested in a sleep sack, trust us—it makes a huge difference. It’s a fabric sack that goes inside your sleeping bag, and when you’re snuggled inside, it feels like a bed sheet. This feels far more normal than the crinkly, slick fabric of your sleeping bag. On top of that, the sleep sack makes your bag about ten degrees warmer—and gives you the option to unzip the sleeping bag and still have a light sheet over you if you’re too warm. You can get a fancy liner that weighs just a handful of grams and packs down to the size of a baseball, but a cheaper, bulkier one will do the trick too.

• Don’t skip the pillow! How would you sleep at home if your pillow were taken away? Not that well. Same goes for camp. Many brands make super-packable inflatable pillows that scrunch down to a tiny ball that takes up no space in your backpack. You can also stuff extra clothing into your sleeping bag’s stuff sack for an improvised pillow. Not perfect, but it will do the trick—and your neck won’t ache from a flat sleep in the morning.

• Change into fresh clothes for bed. Go ahead and skip the feeling of sweat-sticky skin on sweat-sticky clothes within the slick yet somehow grabby texture of your sleeping bag. Keep one clean top and pair of bottoms to sleep in—including fresh socks. It feels even better if you give yourself a quick camp shower or wipe-down with a cleaning wipe before bed. With clean(ish) skin and clean(ish) clothes, there are fewer distractions and scents tickling your senses in the night.

• Get the best sleeping pad you can—no skimping allowed. There are some fabulous sleeping pads on the market these days, so there’s no need to lug your clunky old foam mat around anymore. We love the inflatable models that fold down to the size of a water bottle. A sleeping pad with a higher “R” rating will insulate better against the cold. And keep in mind that, especially if you’re a side sleeper, a pad that’s thicker once inflated will cushion your shoulders and hips best.

• Invest in a great sleeping bag, too—and consider a full quiver. A sleep sack helps make your bag more adaptable to different temperatures, but it helps all the more to have a bag suited for the weather. Do a little research about what type of bag you’ll want, and rest easy knowing an UnNew budget will go a long way. An excellent bag will last for years of adventure.

• Store your food securely so you can sleep without disruptions from nocturnal thieves. We know you’re tired at bedtime, and it’s all too easy to “kinda” secure your food before bed or “pretty much” clear your tent of anything that might smell like food (peppermint toothpaste, we’re lookin’ at you). But take the time to secure things right so you’re not awakened by nocturnal sounds either real or imagined. The creatures whose habitat you’re visiting will shimmy up any tree or scratch at your tent wall for your double-stuffed Oreos. And in bear country, especially, tent-sniffing spikes the ol’ heart rate for the tent’s inhabitants. Not good for sleep quality.

• Find your bathroom spot before going to bed. Don’t bumble around in the middle of the night figuring out where to pee. Find your spot first, then do your midnight self a favor by leaving shoes or sandals right by the tent door so you don’t have to hunt around for them. Also, have one dedicated tent pocket for your head lamp (and glasses if you need them) so your evening bathroom foray will be smooth, quick, and fumble-free.

• Open the tent vents. Condensation forms inside the tent while you sleep, and once enough beads up on the ceiling, guess what … it drips! On you! While you sleep! Nothing will jolt you awake like a splash of cold water to the face, so simply make sure your vents are open and a little airflow will keep things clear.

• Protect yourself from your companions’ noises. Every time a tent mate rolls over, adjusts, snores, or gets up to pee, it will wake you up, so ear plugs and a sleep mask will go a long way. Honestly, if you’re a light sleeper, it can be well worth it to just isolate in a one-man tent—it’s worth carrying a little bit of extra weight.

• Be vigilant about finding a perfectly flat spot. The woods aren’t flat, we know. But if you don’t find or clear a perfectly flat nook for your tent, everyone inside will slowly slide toward the downhill end over the course of the night. You’ll repeatedly have to inchworm your way back into proper position, which is just-plain disruptive. Take the time to find or make a flat spot.
• Last but not least … don’t stress. If you’re worried about getting enough sleep, your mind might ruminate on this worry so much that it actually keeps you awake. Remember, just lying down and resting is better than nothing. You’ll be better off tomorrow for having relaxed, shut your eyes, and enjoyed the fresh air.

What are your tips for better tent sleep? A world full of tired campers want to know, so share away! And have fun shopping for anything mentioned here UnNew on Geartrade for a fraction of retail. Whether it’s a sleeping pad, sleep sack, camp pillow, sleeping bag, or one-man tent to serve as an escape fortress from your noisy companions … you can find it here. Beth Lopez is a seasoned writer and creative director who loves to tell tales of adventure and discovery—and finds writing a powerful way to give a voice to people, causes, and places. Beth runs amok in the Wasatch mountains when untethered from her computer. She believes there’s no such thing as a bad ski day and considers animals her favorite people. Don’t tell her mother about her Instagram mountaineering photos. Follow us on Instagram + Facebook: Tag us @geartrade with the hashtag #unnewoutdoor #wearitout on your post or story for a chance to be featured on our page.

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