Few things impact your performance, focus, and endurance on a multi-day hunt more than quality sleep.
When you’re pushing hard in the mountains for multiple days in a row, your body needs quality sleep to recover and be ready for tomorrow's hunt. Yet many backcountry hunters accept miserable, cold, or restless nights as an unfortunate reality. But there are many things that you can do to improve sleep quality on backpack hunts.
In the video below, Mark from Exo Mtn Gear shares common mistakes that backpack hunters make and how he has improved his sleep quality over the many years he has spent on the mountain...
Prep Your Site
The exact spot you set your shelter should be as level as possible and also free of roots, rocks, or other elements that could affect your body position and comfort as you lie through the night. Before committing to your spot and setting up your shelter fully, lie down in the exact area that you plan to place your sleeping pad, then make any needed adjustments. (Clearing the site of objects will not only help you sleep better, but it will also prolong the life of your shelter and sleeping pad.)
Level Your Layout
On rugged mountain hunts, finding a perfectly level spot to lay is often a luxury. You can "level" your sleeping pad by using clothing or gear to support low spots, or if you find yourself in a position where you will tend to roll or slide off of your pad due to the site and terrain, consider using a large item (such as your pack) to create a "guardrail" that will help keep you in position.
Deflate Your Sleeping Pad
Many hunters assume that a sleeping pad is supposed to be fully inflated. A sleeping pad, when "full," is going to be too firm for many folks. Take the time to experiment with pad pressure and find the right balance of support and "give" that allows you to sleep comfortably. Mark likes to inflate his pad, then slowly release pressure while lying on it to find a spot where he can just barely get his hip to touch the ground when lying on the side and "pushing" to try and get his hip to touch. At that pressure, Mark has the best balance of comfort and support through the night.
Pack A Pillow
Sure, you can ball-up extra clothing or gear to create a makeshift pillow. But modern backpacking pillows provide a ton of comfort for a few ounces, and the quality of sleep is worth the weight. Having tried a lot of options on the market, Mark recommends the Sea-to-Summit Aeros Down Pillow for an inflatable, or the Argali Elite Dream Backpacking Pillow for a more plush feel that feels like sleeping on a balloon. (When packed in the stuff sack, the Argali pillow also works well as a rear rest for rifle shooting.)
Last-Step Leak
When the day is over, and you are spending time before bed to make and eat your backpacking meal, swap stories or discuss hunting strategies with your hunting partner, or warm yourself by a fire, purposely delay emptying your bladder until just before bed. This small shift may help you sleep through the night without nature calling at 2 AM.
Get Some Help
This is not medical advice, of course, but if you really struggle to sleep in the mountains, consider a sleep aid. Personally, Mark finds taking a half-dose of Doxylamine to be helpful at times. Of course, sleep aids can have side effects and be addictive, so do your research and minimize how often you use them.
Freshen Up
As you crawl into your shelter, swapping into a fresh pair of socks (even if those "fresh" socks are the ones you wore the previous day of the hunt) and a dry shirt feels shockingly comfortable at the end of a long, hard day of hunting. Go even further by doing a quick wipe-down with a wet-wipe. You'll feel fresh, relaxed, and ready for bed.
Consider A Quilt
Many people feel confined in a mummy-style sleeping bag and also struggle to regulate their temperature — going from hot and sweaty, to damp and freezing. In our experience (having used them for many years now), a quilt is a more versatile and comfortable alternative to a mummy-style sleeping bag. Mark, being an active sleeper who turns from side-to-side during the night, also prefers a quilt because he can "roll" inside his sleep system, not roll off of his sleeping pad like he would with a sleeping bag. If you want to learn more about quilts, start this comparison podcast, and also see more of our experience here.
Understand R-Value
When it comes to staying warm at night, most people immediately think of their sleeping bag's or quilt's temperature rating, and they fail to realize the critical role that a sleeping pad plays in keeping you warm. Even if you do use a sleeping bag instead of a quilt and have the bag's insulation beneath you, the insulation that is compressed underneath your body is ineffective. What's keeping the cold ground from robbing you of your body heat? Your sleeping pad. A pad's ability to provide insulation against conductive heat loss (what makes you feel cold in this case) is rated in R-Value. The higher the R-value, the "warmer" the pad. As a general rule, look for a pad that has an R-value around 4 if you want a do-it-all or 3-season pad. If you want to learn more, check out our in-depth podcast episode on sleeping pads.