If you want to be prepared for crises, you need good sleeping gear. This starts with the accommodation and ends with the sleeping bag. It would be good if you have a tent available for this occasion. If possible, you should even have material (such as plastic bags) that seals any holes and leaks in the tent. However, all this is not always guaranteed. You should also be able to sleep outside without a tent. In this post, we have brought together some of the important features of outdoor sleeping equipment. You should plan your time outdoors very well.
The need for housing in Germany is increasing and increasing even without a crisis. Politicians have no answers to the skyrocketing rents, as you can read every day. If energy costs continue to rise or even remain at the current level, many private households will find it almost impossible to maintain their living space. Even without a particular crisis, you should at least know how to survive out in the great outdoors.
However, current events also suggest that you must assume that you will have to live in the great outdoors due to the crisis. You should prepare yourself to set up your camp anytime anywhere.
Here is a simple mountaineering tactic. Build temporarily – and set up a base camp.
Sleeping outside: basic advice
If you want or have to sleep outside, the right place on the site is particularly important. Our tip: You should always look for a place to sleep outdoors. Then you see more of the environment and possible risks. You also have a better feeling just because you know the area.
Base camps have an eminent advantage: they can store large pieces of luggage, tools and instruments in order to set off and explore from there. This is how great mountaineering is undertaken: larger teams stay at the basic base camp, while the climbers with lighter packs climb the last hundreds or more than 1,000 meters.
You should then set up such a facility and plan how long you a) want to stay there or b) stay away. If such a camp is to be valid for a longer period of time, then you should plan it to be larger and more solid.
The best way to set up a more solid base camp is to use caves or at least near slabs of rock to camp under. Make sure there is enough open space to also set up fireplaces that keep animals away etc.
If you only want to make a camp for a few days to sleep outside, a temporary setup will suffice. The simplest variant is a fabric or plastic tarpaulin that you stretch between two trees. You can also anchor the tarpaulin to the ground to build a pitched roof. However, you should always staff such a base camp with 1.2 people to secure supplies and, in case of doubt, to literally break up the tents in very bad weather. If this is the case, mark the path you travel with predefined characters. These can be rock formations on the ground or notches on trees.
To sleep outside you should have good equipment:
- A headlamp: when it gets dark, nothing else lights up when in doubt. The headlamp helps you move outdoors with your arms free.
- We also recommend a very good sleeping mat, which can protect you from the cold – and sometimes also the wet – from below.
- After all, you also need an orientation in the terrain – if you move away from your sleeping place. You can use the sun for orientation, among other things, but the safest thing is a GPS system that is suitable for off-road use, in other words: you shouldn’t have to rely on your smartphone if you intend to sleep outside.
- We also recommend that you bring tools with you to start a fire. Lighters and, for various occasions, matches are the means of choice. If you have this, you should also take cooking utensils and containers for water with you. Cookware over a real fire pit should help you boil water too if you find a stream or something near where you sleep.
- Your sleeping bag is also important: the sleeping bag should be able to withstand and withstand a wide range of temperatures. A good sleeping bag will cost a three-digit amount – it’s definitely worth it.
You need a plan if you want to sleep outdoors:
- Find a roost sheltered from the wind, such as under a larger rock, next to a larger transverse log, and so on.
- You should look for this place to sleep in daylight – otherwise, you will be afraid in the dark; moreover, you cannot assess the surroundings.
- Find a place to sleep that has a quick retreat if it rains heavily. Ideally, you should be able to return home or to other permanent accommodation quickly during training.
- Prepare for unforeseen incidents: You need both a smartphone and a network in training. Searching in daylight helps here too.
Sleeping outdoors can quickly become an interesting adventure with a little fire (and food prep) at least – and it prepares you for everything unforeseen.
