Comfortability - if that's a word

poeticphoto · Post by **poeticphoto** » Sun Mar 07, 2004 12:37 pm

I was questioning if it would be worth the money and a little packing space to get a small space heater for our tent at night. I've heard it gets pretty cold after the sun's gone and I'm someone who's actually pretty chilly in room temperature. I dunno, guess I'm just cold blooded so to speak. I would guess that it wouldn't be used that much, and I'm not even sure how much sleeping in our tent we'll actually do at night, but if I do decide to crash there, will I be freezing? I haven't actually seen any portable heaters that run on batteries, but I'm sure they're out there. Should it be considered?

MrMullen · Post by **MrMullen** » Sun Mar 07, 2004 3:17 pm

Well, living in San Diego, California I am no expert on space heaters, but I can throw some caution flags up.

Make sure when you use a space heater that you have plenty of ventilation. Every space heater I have seen requires that you have proper ventilation for it since there will be a danger in built up gases (Carbon Monoxide).
In fact, I recommend you do not use a space heater and take a couple extra blankets. Also, I gives a real good reason to snuggle up at night!

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Mon Mar 08, 2004 5:37 am

There are compact catalytic heaters than consume (but don't openly BURN) propane and are rated as safe for inside tents....I don't think either Hank Hill or myself could actually SLEEP in a confined space with a propane heater, but they're supposed to be safe....Unless you're a thinblooded southie, a sleeping bag should do you fine.

III · Post by **III** » Mon Mar 08, 2004 8:49 am

second robotland on the safe indoor heaters, and add:

it better be a pretty big tent, cause otherwise you'll probably just melt a nice hole in the side of your tent to let all the warm air out of.

i spent the weekend in the mojave, with temps down in the 30's, with just a couple of extra blankets. i suggest that's probably the way to go.

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Mon Mar 08, 2004 9:16 am

....I'll add that I slept in a big Brazilian hammock all week last year, with blankets on top, and my front roasted while my backside froze. A sleeping bag in a hammock is an invitation to Gilligan's Island-style comedy, so bring a separate something for behind. Very comfy, once I worked all of that out, and not bad for my back as I had dreaded....

juanicoheal · Post by **juanicoheal** » Mon Mar 08, 2004 4:36 pm

Hee hee har har har.

Robot - just had a picture of the skipper in the head of your dome-man trying to get in his sleeping bag, and ending up in the bottom...and taking a few others with him...

poeticphoto · Post by **poeticphoto** » Mon Mar 08, 2004 8:45 pm

Thanks to everyone for posting. I'll pass on looking into the heaters and will take the advice on a bunch of blankets. I do like the idea of having to snuggle close.

precipitate · Post by **precipitate** » Mon Mar 08, 2004 10:38 pm

I highly recommend making a real bed rather than doing the typical
camping thing of sleeping bag + pad.

A decent mattress (this year I'm using foam rather than an inflatable; the
damn things just spring leaks and you have to keep pumping them up)
with real sheets, real blankets and real pillows makes a huge difference.

And I concur that a tent heater, though they do make such an animal, is
not necessary if you have decent sleeping materials.

III · Post by **III** » Mon Mar 08, 2004 10:53 pm

>>not necessary if you have decent sleeping materials

by which, of course, she means me. unfortunately, i will not be available during burning man this year...

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Tue Mar 09, 2004 5:24 am

juanicoheal wrote:Hee hee har har har.

Robot - just had a picture of the skipper in the head of your dome-man trying to get in his sleeping bag, and ending up in the bottom...and taking a few others with him...

Gilligan-"Vampire bats....vampires..."
Skipper-"Wake up, little buddy! You're having a nightmare!"

.....how about a Burning Bed, ala' Farah Fawcett Majors? Stuff a plain cotton liner with corn husks, clean cotton rags or what-have-you, and burn at week's end? Not exactly posturepedic, but a good design challenge.....

poeticphoto · Post by **poeticphoto** » Tue Mar 09, 2004 7:54 pm

Interesting, but I'm afraid I've already bought the inflatable.

precipitate · Post by **precipitate** » Tue Mar 09, 2004 10:31 pm

Then use it. And see if in a year or two you don't curse its existence
because you wake up with your ass on the playa (or, worse yet,
whoever's on top gets some nifty knee bruises). But use it while it lasts.

DVD Burner · Post by **DVD Burner** » Tue Mar 09, 2004 10:38 pm

when I first went to BM we used inflatables and had no problems, great sex on them and all. we only used them once at the playa for a week. i'll admit, they were well made and worked out great. I have no idea who they were made by. my roomate bought them.

_tears_ · Post by **_tears_** » Wed Mar 10, 2004 11:52 pm

I personally would say no.

Just bring good blankets & body heat.

---Tears---

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Thu Mar 11, 2004 6:40 am

Oh, inflatable MATRESSES. Never mind.

Juju · Post by **Juju** » Thu Mar 11, 2004 9:38 am

Twin-size down comforters are cheap, and they pack down very small. Also, a Therma-Rest pad works amazingly well for keeping your bottom half warm. A combination of those two items kept me cozy on top of a snow covered mountain, so they'd work swell on the playa.

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Thu Mar 11, 2004 10:06 am

....Thanks! A thermarest pad sounds like the remedy for Hammock Freezeass Syndrome!

RingO'Fire · Post by **RingO'Fire** » Thu Mar 11, 2004 8:06 pm

I know it's been a long time since the last post, but if you haven't already bought your thermarest, here's my $0.02 worth. There are all kinds of lengths and thicknesses of thermarests, from the super thin, ultra light 3/4 length models for ultra lightweight backpacking fanatics to the double wide queen size model. For maximum comfort, I would definately recommend getting the thickest, fattest thermarest you can get your hands on. I bought the CampRest Deluxe, about 2" thick and about 4 lb, a couple of years ago for around $60 and absolutely love it. I do mostly car camping, didn't care about weight, and was looking for the most comfortable model they had. I've never had a bad night's rest on the thing; it's "da bomb!"

diane o'thirst · Post by **diane o'thirst** » Fri Mar 12, 2004 7:19 pm

Ditto on the car camping. The back of a mid-size SUV or pickup with top is just the right size for a queen mattress.

Took an Aerobed last year. It deflated, then it ripped. Getting foam, one of those down+memory foam mattress toppers and a sheepskin rug from Costco this year (in addition to bringing the sheets, the fleece blanket and the down comforter). Yes, it's spendy, but I've got bad joints and to me, a comfortable bed on the Playa is every bit as essential as water. BRING plenty of water, a bike and a comfortable bed, everything else can be fudged and/or consolidated.

One thing I found that saved my ass in '99 and 2000: stuffies make <i>great</i> insulators. Keep an eye on your local Costco and Albertson's, they're probably going to start selling the $20 lifesize recumbent jaguars and tigers shortly. They make great backrests and pillows, too. I took my jaguar to the Portland Decomp a couple years ago and myself and two others fell asleep nestled into his paws, haunch and back

Captain Goddammit · Post by **Captain Goddammit** » Thu May 13, 2004 9:39 pm

robotland wrote:.....how about a Burning Bed, ala' Farah Fawcett Majors? Stuff a plain cotton liner with corn husks, clean cotton rags or what-have-you, and burn at week's end? Not exactly posturepedic, but a good design challenge.....

Screw that (no offense intended), burn an inflatable.
Inflate it with a propane tank.

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Fri May 14, 2004 5:15 am

Now SOMEBODY is going to HAVE to do THAT! Science must be served!

angelface · Post by **angelface** » Fri May 14, 2004 11:34 am

I've used the same inflatable mattress (purchased at Target) for 2 years on the playa, and a few other camping trips and it's been fine. Get a battery operated pump in case it needs more air mid week. For the most part, a few minutes of manually adding air (by mouth) before bed each night kept it and me quite happy. I second the "real bedding" comment above.. sheets and blankets kick ass over a sleeping bag any day. Another person not only provides additional warmth, but they also help to balance out air mattress, making it less likely you'll be hitting your ass on the ground in the middles of the night..

don't do a heater, seems like way too many things could go wrong with that.

Captain Goddammit · Post by **Captain Goddammit** » Fri May 14, 2004 4:58 pm

I wrote:
robotland wrote:.....how about a Burning Bed, ala' Farah Fawcett Majors? Stuff a plain cotton liner with corn husks, clean cotton rags or what-have-you, and burn at week's end? Not exactly posturepedic, but a good design challenge.....
Screw that (no offense intended), burn an inflatable.
Inflate it with a propane tank.

And kids, remember what the Captain ALWAYS says... No smoking in bed!

robbidobbs · Post by **robbidobbs** » Wed May 19, 2004 6:18 pm

In 99 the temps got really low, and my blow-up bed failed. I learned valuable lessons. I can't sleep in sleeping bags (or ear plugs for that matter) so my sleeping arrangements are quite elaborate.
I recommend:
Acrylic blanket, lightweight. It acts like a plastic bag and doesn't take a lot of real estate
A couple cotton (breathable) blankets that you can switch off and on.
Esp the bedding from your own bed, and foam is way better than air mattresses. No maintenance or failure! They're bulky though.

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Thu May 20, 2004 5:25 am

I've found that whatever bedcovering I have while sleeping in a hammock ends up either on the ground, under my ass or around my neck....I took a BIG sheet, folded it once and hemmed, creating a roomy, lightweight sleeping bag. Not as warm, but at least losing a top blanket won't leave you with nothing....

VerbenaMaya · Post by **VerbenaMaya** » Thu May 20, 2004 6:07 am

The best bed warmers are sometimes the warm snuggly human kind...
(also provides for comedic elements in a hammock I'm sure.)

_tears_ · Post by **_tears_** » Thu May 20, 2004 2:17 pm

robotland wrote:Oh, inflatable MATRESSES. Never mind.

On the topic of those, if some new person happens to read this, its a good idea to glow your air mattress up buring the day when its at its hottest. If you fill it up while is evening and cool when the heat hits the air will expande and you will end up with a hole like my next door tent did.

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Fri May 21, 2004 6:21 am

...another job for GOOP, the miracle-in-a-tube. Patches inflatables, innertubes, hull breaches......

missmann · Post by **missmann** » Fri May 21, 2004 9:07 am

I purchased an inflatable matress two years ago for a camping trip on the coast and through the Canadian rockies. It does get quite cold at night (you can see your breath!) but I didn't have any problems with deflation. It was totally comfy, and fit into the bottom of my 2 person tent perfectly. Also, it helped keep out the damp from the ground and allowed me to set up my tent on top of things that would have normally sucked to sleep on like pebble beaches and gnarly tree roots (hey, it happens in the dark sometimes).
I think I payed $25 Canadian for a double(full) size at Wal-Mart. It came in a box with a happy family sitting on it. Its blue, and one side of it has that fake flannely shit. I can't remeber the brand.
Wal-Mart has a no questions asked return policy, so say you use it at Burningman, decide you don't like it or will never use it again, or you just need the cash or whatever, you can just take it back for a full refund. They don't care- they only pay Asia like two cents for it anyhow, big bad corporation.

Just remember to bring a pump coz it takes about an hour to blow up my mouth. Plus you'll get dizzy.

Charity

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Fri May 21, 2004 10:26 am

missmann wrote:Just remember to bring a pump coz it takes about an hour to blow up my mouth. Plus you'll get dizzy.

Charity

!!!!!!!!!!!

Comfortability - if that's a word

Comfortability - if that's a word

Not an expert

Too much is better than not enough