I had 3 BA pads fail on me, ended up going probably 3 weeks total without a pad because of it, sleeping on rocky beaches sucks without a good pad. A BA rep told me they had problems with the material delaminating, so it wasn't anything I did, but this was ten years ago so it's old history. Switched to Thermarest after that and haven't had a problem with any of their stuff, and have since upgraded to their ultralight Neoair pads which have been great and comfortable. Also always take an ultralight closed cell foam pad that doubles as a sit pad.
I got a quilt and have had it out for a summer weekend and it was great, slept like a baby, would highly recommend. It often takes me a night or two to get used to a sleeping bag, but first night out with the quilt and it was lights out.
Need to find a big boy sleeping bag.
I really like MSR tents for 3 season use, I think they're a good combination of light, usable, and durable, but they have got pricey.
Weight & zipper The advantage of a quilt over an unzipped sleeping bag is that you aren’t carrying the extra weight of the bottom of the sleeping bag that provides minimal added insulation & the zipper which is no longer needed. A quilt will pack smaller & weigh less than a sleeping bag.
Hammock Five years ago I bought a Warbonnet Blackbird hammock and haven’t slept in a tent since. Light, packs down to a small size and incredibly comfortable.
Obviously not an option if you are staying on gravel bars, but there are ususaly trees at the edge that can be used. Many hammocks can be staked out on the ground using hiking pokes or paddles if there are no trees available.
Backpacking vs paddle camping As a backpacker I care about ounces and have a separate set of backpacking gear. As a kayak camper who doesn’t portage I don’t care about ounces and I use a more luxurious tent, mattress, and sleeping bag. In that case the weight of the zipper and the packed size (of a down bag) are irrelevant. If you do long portages you might prefer backpacking gear.
I don’t agree that the bottom provides minimal insulation. In a zipped sleeping bag you can turn any way you want and you will be fully insulated on all sides, around your neck, and your head if you have a hood, with no worries about drafts. If you sleep on your side you’re compressing what, a quarter of the insulation? The other 75% is keeping you warm.
Temperature is a deciding factor. If it’s 50 below zero most sensible people are going to choose a hooded down bag. In the summer I’m sure a quilt is fine. For spring and fall (around 25F to 30F) I like a fully enclosed bag drawn around my neck and head.
Used it once on an overnight camp out in winter. The low temp was somewhere in the 5-10 degree range. Used it in a hammock with my Exped pad and a 30 degree under quilt beneath the hammock. In a tent with the Exped pad I’ve used it into the 20s. I’m not much of a winter camper, but I am a cold sleeper, so the zero top quilt was overkill to ensure I’ll be plenty warm.
I have a second, summer weight quilt that I use for summer camping. I like quilts because of their smaller packing size and no zipper to mess with. They are an acquired taste that I discovered when I started using a hammock to sleep in for camping. I found the hammock very comfortable to sleep in, but not always practical in many of the places I paddle. I mostly use my hammock now for camp lounging when possible, and sleep in my tent.
Backpacking vs sea kayaking gear I used to have a separate set for each, but now that I’m a weekend warrior and only get out for a handful of days (if I’m lucky,) but also a lot of camping gear has really lightened up, I’ve found more a convergence of my backpacking and sea kayaking gear. If I get a chance to get out I’m less concerned about having expedition grade gear, and trying more for fast and light, while still staying comfortable. I used to think weight didn’t really matter in a kayak, but if you’re going heavy and comfortable and everyone else is going light, it’s harder to paddle a heavy boat as well as those with light boats. As I age and spend less time paddling and conditioning myself for longer paddles, having gear that is half the weight (the reduced size doesn’t hurt either) means less wear and tear on my body, that’s energy I can use for a longer paddling day, or less trips carrying gear.
We’re talking about a few lbs here Tent: 3 lbs vs 5 lbs
Sleeping bag: 1.5 lb quilt vs 3 lb sleeping bag
Mattress: 1 lb vs 2.5 lbs
That’s 5.5lbs vs 10.5 lbs, a difference of 5 lbs. That’s a very significant weight penalty for backpackers but for paddlers I think it’s barely noticeable and well worth the added comfort and safety: you get a wider, thicker, longer insulated mattress made of more robust materials; a larger tent with stronger fabrics; and a full-zippered, hooded sleeping bag. Doubt anyone will notice those 5 lbs in the kayak. Add a 4.5 lb Helinox cot for the ultimate luxury.
Yup, the ounces start adding up. Pretty soon you also want a Helinox chair (3lbs) and table (1.3 lbs). Extravagent? Maybe, but for less than 20 lbs you’ve got a comfortable tent, sleeping bag, mattress, cot, chair, and table. Pretty amazing when you think about it. I’m enjoying camping more every year. No more sleeping on quarter-inch foam pads.
Luxury I’m coming to kayak touring from 20 years of whitewater rafting. My raft can carry a ton of luxury items, like a big tent , a roll-a-cot, lounge chairs, huge cooler full of food & beverages, etc. I was worried about sleeping in a small tent, on the ground when I started kayaking. I did have to adjust my gear to more " backpacker" type stuff, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how comfortable I can be with lighter and more packable items. I do have a wide, thick pad, a nice comfy chair. I can cram more than I expected into and on my SOT kayak, but I do try to keep the weight down as much as possible. Lately I’ve been enjoying the simpler and lighter gear for kayaking over my trailer full of heavy rafting stuff. Kayaking will keep me on the water once I get older and outgrow my desire for the adrenaline rush of whitewater.
5. Mega heavy (e.g. canvas tent, flannel sleeping bag)
Those categories also correspond to price to some extent (not always). So the gear we choose depends on our need for comfort, the weight and bulk we’re willing to carry, and what we’re willing to pay.
I don’t think there’s a need for paddle campers to deal with the high price and fragility of ultralight gear, unless you really want to. A lot of backpackers are satisfied with medium light gear, so that should suit paddle campers as well. If you look hard, you can find some sturdy, cheap gear in that category—Alps Mountaineering and Mountainsmith, for example.
Some examples in tents that one person “could” use:
ULTRALIGHT: Sea to Summit Specialist 1P: 1 lb 7 oz, 14.5 sq ft. $429
MEDIUM LIGHT: Alps Mountaineering Zephyr 2: 5 lbs 4 oz, 31 sq ft. Can usually be found for $120.
HEAVY END OF LIGHT: Kelty Trail Ridge 2: 6 lbs 7 oz, 34 sq ft. $230 with footprint.
I wouldn’t hesitate to use the Trail Ridge 2 for paddle camping but I would never take it backpacking alone. In fact I sometimes use the Trail Ridge 3 (46 sq ft) for solo kayak camping. A 3P is great for one person if you have to spend a rainy day in the tent—there’s room for a chair in a 3P.
Backpacking can be grueling—exhausting days on the trail, then nights in a cramped tent. Paddle camping is a lot more pleasant to my way of thinking.
Yes, hammocks and quilts solve some of these problems, if you can deal with the drawbacks (I can’t).
For bedding, everyone has an idea of the ‘best’ to buy.
I find that so long as you are comfortable, it all evens out. And when you spend 1/3 of your trip in that bedding, comfort is important.
That said, my suggestion is to use a foam pad on the bottom, then any air-pad partially inflated on top of that, followed by a half-sheet to cover and contain them both. Nylon sleeping bags slide off every bag made but do NOT slide off a sheet.
The foam protects the air-pad from punctures and provides at least something IF your pad pops.
If it is cold, like NYE-weekend, I ay a good aluminum blanket on the bottom to reflect heat up.
When I camped out of an OT Dirago-12, I could roll a thermarest between seat-and-side but my WS Whistler-145 lost that space so I went to a smaller air-pad.
If you aren’t sick of hearing about sleeping pad recommendations, here’s mine. I’ve backpacked and camped for 45 years (less as I’ve gotten older but it was nearly every weekend year round in my twenties when I was a guide) and have used just about every combination of pads under me. I like comfort, but I also like portability. Two years ago I picked up a Klymit Static V inflatable mattress and now use it on top of a 1/2" thick ensolite pad. For kayak camping I always carry an ensolite pad cut in two halves anyway, since I line the inside of the kayak cockpit with one piece. It’s handy to have the halves to sit on in camp as well and they do double duty under my sleeping pad at night, under the Klymit.
The Klymit is not only incredibly comfortable, it folds down to the size of one of those skinny energy drink cans and can go in the side pocket of a backpack. Weighs around a pound. It only takes about a dozen deep breaths to inflate and it comes with a nice little repair kit, which I have not had to use yet. I see that Sierra Trading post has some for sale (probably factory seconds or a discontinued color) for around half price. I found mine in a Dunham’s Sports store where it had been marked down to $40 (i doubt most shoppers there even knew what it was.)
Interesting article, but obviously written by someone with limited experience with using a hammock. Some of the information presented was not accurate with regards to using a hammock as a shelter & sleep system. I’ve been using a hammock on & off for about 5 years. In that time I’ve had the full set-up - hammock with integrated bug net, tarp, top quilt & bottom quilt. I’ve used it with great success & comfort. Hammocks are used quite extensively by ultralight backpackers and thru-hikers (AT, PCT, etc.) because they are light & compact. I still use my hammock set-up from time to time, depending on where I’m paddling. However, I have gravitated more towards my tent over the past year. Two reasons mainly…more paddling in desert canyons, and I was diagnosed with sleep apnea and now use a cpap machine. It was difficult to figure out an optional location for the machine & battery in the hammock. The tent just works better with my cpap.
The book “The Ultimate Hang” by Derek Hansen is a wonderful primer on how to use a hammock. You’ll need a quality hammock of the right length & width to suit your size. If you live in an area with mosquitos/bugs, then you’ll want one with an integrated or add-on bug net. You’ll need a tarp as part of the hammock system. The tarp provide weather protection, warmth retention, and privacy. You need to use a top & bottom layer of insulation. This was the most glaring error in that article, as it said you won’t be cold because you’re not on the ground…wrong!!! You will be more cold because you aren’t on the ground. A combo of sleeping bag & pad, or a top & bottom quilt will keep you warm. Staying warm is probably this biggest issue with a hammock. You’ll need to set up the hammock in your yard to practice getting it set up properly to get the optimal hang for comfort. You always want to lay on the diagonal to get a flat comfortable sleep position.
Overall, hammocks can be a great sleep & shelter option depending on where you paddle. Many folks get the most comfortable outdoor sleep of their lives in them. Especially folks with back problems. But some folks aren’t comfy in them, or find them too fiddly to deal with. They do take practice to get them just right. They are more compact than a tent, but weight wise it’s pretty much a wash once you add in the tarp & suspension gear. Getting all the hammock gear can also cost a bit more than a tent, so that’s a consideration.
Here’s a picture of my hammock set-up on a river rafting trip. Night time temps on this trip were at or below 32 degrees and I was snuggly warm. In the picture, my tarp “doors” are rolled up, but that tarp does have doors to close off the ends.
