3 helpful hints to make tent camping more comfortable

If you want to get back out to nature, and not have nature put your back out, here are three helpful hints to make camping in a tent much more comfortable.

Sleeping under the stars in the great outdoors can be a magical experience that reconnects your soul to the beauty of nature. Or, it can leave you with crippling back pain that makes it impossible to turn your head.

• Before you can choose how comfortable your camping bedroll will be, you have to decide what kind of camping you’re going to be doing: car camping or backpacking.

When car camping, you’re basically shoving all your favourite home comforts into your hatchback to get filthy for the weekend. Here are some tips for maximizing your nighttime ZZZs, without breaking the bank.

In order to create the ultimate in camping comfort, make sure you’re giving yourself space to work with. Sure, your one-person tent only weighs eight ounces and can be harnessed to the side of a cliff, but it also means you’re sleeping in a body bag.

• Count the number of people who plan to sleep in the tent and get a tent that holds double that number. You wouldn’t put four people in your bed at home, so why deny yourself the ability to stretch out when camping?

• Put your tent on a flat surface and remove rocks and twigs. Lay down a sturdy tarp, as the only thing worse than a boulder poking you in your back is water getting into your sleeping bag.
• Line the bottom of the tent with connectable foam floor tiles—the kind that you see in daycares so toddlers don’t bonk their heads. These foam tiles are cheap, easy to pack, and can be cut to fit your tent floor. Having a layer of foam insulation will prevent the ground cold from seeping into your comfy bed.

• A queen-size air mattress is a camping classic. Use a fitted flannel sheet and unzip a double sleeping bag for cuddly comfort. Or, bring your duvet from home, since you can just wash the cover.
• Don’t forget the air pump or you’ll spend all weekend wheezing into a nozzle.
• Some mats are self-inflating and compact, perfect for those camping solo. Put two side-by-side and cover them with a fitted flannel sheet and you won’t accidentally roll onto the ground.
• Bring your pillows from home. Don’t mess around with airplane blow-up pillows or rolled-up sweaters. Use two pillow-cases so each end of the pillow is protected from dirt.

If you’re the type who prefers to hike uphill for miles into the woods lugging a backpack filled with water purification tablets and packages of dehydrated stew, then there’s only one thing you need to know to give yourself a comfortable sleeping experience:

• You’ll be so exhausted you’ll pass out on anything.