So I just went on my first overnighter, 120km in 2 days. It’s also the first time I’ve been camping in years. My lower back was hurting in the morning and I felt a little cold during the night only at one point but once I put on extra clothes it was better.
I’m using the S2S insulated air ultralight sleeping pad and a sleeping bag rated for comfort at 3 degrees Celsius, and 8 for women. So let’s say I’m
Somewhere in between the two. The temperature went down to about 5 or 8 I can’t remember now to be honest. Where do you think the back pain came from and does it get better over time? Like getting used to sleeping like this?
by OtherwiseAfternoon78
2 Comments
What did you have on in the sleeping bag? Normally I put a (silk) liner if it’s cold and always wear some thermo base layer. Tuck my shirt into my pants and socks over the pants. It helps a lot. This was my setup a few weeks back when it got 2 degrees at night here (also The Netherlands) and I slept like a baby. That’s with a non insulated mat and 5 degree comfort sleeping bag.
If it gets even colder I wear beanie and/or really light gloves.
Being cold at night can bring out some muscle aches but also a bad fit on the bike can do the same. Do you get the same aches if you do this without sleeping in a tent?
EN/ISO-rating for sleeping bags assumes an R5 sleeping pad. You where probably cold because your pad is only R3.1. It’s quite thin at 5cm which might make it uncomfortable. You can add a closed cell foam pad if you have one to add some insulation and comfort.
I prefer using a thicker and warmer sleeping pad, Exped Ultra 5R, and deflate it a bit for comfort.