This post is part of the A to Z Challenge.
I suppose like most campers I like my sleeping arrangements to be as comfortable as possible, and when I first became a solo camper I tried a few different combinations of beds and bedding until I finally found something I was happy with - and the one thing I will never camp without is the double mattress from an old Conway trailer tent. Made out of four inch thick foam it's thicker than most, if not all, modern trailer tent mattresses and even though it's donkeys years old it never shows any signs of wearing out.
The first few times I tent camped I just used the mattress on the floor of the tent with a foam mat underneath it for insulation, but eventually I decided I'd had enough of sleeping so close to the ground and I would treat myself to a proper camp bed. A trip to Camperlands followed and though the double bed I really wanted would have been too big for the bedroom pod I came away with two single beds which just fit nicely together and which are fastened together with a couple of bungees. To combat the ridge down the middle made by the two adjoining sides I spread a duvet across both beds followed by two side-by-side single self-inflating mattresses, and these are then topped by the old trailer tent mattress; and the whole lot is certainly very comfortable. As far as bedding is concerned I find sleeping bags are too restrictive so I use the proper stuff; a fleece blanket instead of a sheet and a second fleece blanket plus a duvet for over the top mean that even in very cold weather I'm lovely and cosy.
When it comes to sleeping in the van, instead of the camp beds I have a double bed base made out of interior ply and which is in two halves for ease of packing. The centre seats are put into horizontal mode, the bed base is laid across them and the two halves slotted together, then the rest of the bed is made up the same as when I'm using the tent and it's just as cosy. The one big difference here though is the height - in the tent I'm just over a foot off the floor but sleeping in the van is almost like sleeping in a top bunk and I need a caravan step to climb up into bed. Needless to say, once I'm in there I make sure I slide the door shut - I'm not in the habit of falling out of bed, that's what kids do, but if it did happen for any reason I would probably do a fair amount damage to myself, so the door makes a great safety barrier!
About Me
- Tigermouse
- Hi! I'm Eunice and I live in Bolton, Lancashire, with my two dogs Sophie and Sugar and an assortment of cats - well it used to be Sophie and Sugar, now it's Sophie and Poppie. I first began camping back in 1997 when my then partner took me to Anglesey for my birthday weekend. We slept in the back of the car - a hatchback - using the cushions off the settee at home as a mattress, and cooked and brewed up on a single burner camping stove. The site was good, the views were great, the weather fantastic and I was completely hooked. Following that weekend we got a two-man tent and some proper accessories and returned to Anglesey two weeks later, then over time we progressed to a three-man tent followed by an old trailer tent, then a new trailer tent, a campervan and finally a caravan. When my partner decided that the grass was greener on the other side of the street - literally - in April 2009 and I suddenly found myself alone after fifteen years, I decided there was no way I was going to give up camping and caravanning if I could cope on my own. This blog is the story of my travels, trials and tribulations since becoming a solo camper - I hope you like it
