Chilly nights...

i have very little body fat on me, i had allways pot it down to this ?
are other "coldys" got little fat on them ?

I'm not super skinny (I'm fair built from previous competitive cycling when I was younger and 6' tall, but you can see my ribs without me breathing in), and I do get cold, compared to sleeping in ones bed at home, but nothing too cold as to keep me awake all night. I find I warm up quite quickly, and I put some of that down to sleeping in a period Brit canvas tent. It holds loads of heat in compared to my modern plastic dome tent that I used to freeze in. As previously mentioned, I 'double bag' using two cheapo/"1" or "2 season" sleeping bags, and don't usually bother with a ground mat, only the rubberised cotton groundsheets.

Pictures below are of one of my WW2 Brit tents that I camped in up in North Scotland (Speyside - 1st picture is in Keith, 2nd picture is in Grantown-on-Spey) during October 2010. Note the frost on the tent in the first pic, and the rain in the second! Took a while to warm up, but got loads of sleep.-- attachment is not available ---- attachment is not available --

does anyone else find their stomach shuts down for the entirity of a weekender.

That is more related to stress hormones and/or testosteron hormones.

Stress hormones do shutdown the metabolic processes such as digestion, at high levels. This can take upto as long as 72hours.

i usually dont suffer from cold ,im an aa man and work outside all year round but i was cold at the Sevastopol event and i know it was -9c but i've done that before as a nipper in the cubs ,scouts and venture scouts and also slept rough numerous times while backpacking around Europe.i found the cold in my hands and from underneath me was very uncomfortable even on a ground sheet ,a roll-mat and an inflatable mattress.i eventually took one of the one of the sleeping bags from on top of me and turned it inside-out and lay on it and that was a huge improvement.i also use a flees lined hat to sleep in as i am also a little thin on hair.next time im thinking of getting a thick foam mattress to lay on for both comfort and warmth.oh and canvas tent beets plastic on the warmth front any day.

does anyone else find their stomach shuts down for the entirity of a weekender.

Yes but then the quality of what I eat completly goes out the window. Last event I survived on several cans of coca-cola, water, half a sandwich and chocolate. Nor do I get a particuarly good nights sleep. However I find that I dont suffer too badly because of it, and can just about survive the weekend and the journey home. Though I do crash out when I finally get back.

I'll second the double bagging idea. At Sevastopol I put my annoyingly short 58 pat. bag inside a roomy "pod" 2 season one and it seemed to work well. It's a low cost solution.

Another top tip is to wear a pair of eyeshades as well as the earplugs. It's surprising how even a little bit of light can disturb your sleep.

I can recommend a bivi bag and/or a silk liner for you sleeping bag. They make a big difference.

I've never really struggled with the cold though. I was toasty warm even when my tent was frozen solid.

Plus one for the eye shades along with earplugs, especially in the summer when the sun comes up before sparrows fart!

i've worn earplugs for years because the wife snores now i cant sleep without them.

Another top tip is to wear a pair of eyeshades ...

I third that, but my problem is that I am , shall we say, nasally gifted, thye tend to ride up my forehead and let light in at the bottom Still searching for one that doesn't do that.

Another top tip is to wear a pair of eyeshades ...

I third that, but my problem is that I am , shall we say, nasally gifted, thye tend to ride up my forehead and let light in at the bottom Still searching for one that doesn't do that.

US pup tents are pretty much completely blacked out inside.

That said, I thought that in the UK it was generally dark at night anyway...

i've worn earplugs for years because the wife snores now i cant sleep without them.

DITTO.............

Another top tip is to wear a pair of eyeshades ...

I third that, but my problem is that I am , shall we say, nasally gifted, thye tend to ride up my forehead and let light in at the bottom Still searching for one that doesn't do that.

US pup tents are pretty much completely blacked out inside.

That said, I thought that in the UK it was generally dark at night anyway...

Well given most games are in the summer months, you get first light about 4.30am in June! So if wake up and sort your kit out time is 8.30 thats 4 hours you've got trying to sleep in daylight.... given that *some* people (looking at you here Yith ) dont go to bed until 3am thats 1 hour of darkness to sleep in

i've worn earplugs for years because the wife snores now i cant sleep without them.

DITTO.............

Does your wife wear earplugs as well then Keith?

I've tried earplugs to muffle the noise you make (and others, but MartinR is a silent sleeper ) - but the stupid things just fall out, so the idea of using the headover to keep them in place is a good idea that I will try. That or gaffa tape

i've worn earplugs for years because the wife snores now i cant sleep without them.

DITTO.............

That or gaffa tape

Just use that on the snorers mouth

i've worn earplugs for years because the wife snores now i cant sleep without them.

DITTO.............

Does your wife wear earplugs as well then Keith?

I've tried earplugs to muffle the noise you make (and others, but MartinR is a silent sleeper ) - but the stupid things just fall out, so the idea of using the headover to keep them in place is a good idea that I will try. That or gaffa tape

Headover does keep them in all night and you can pull it down over your eyes. I've taken to using a balaclava lately as i like to have my head out of the bag to breath fresh air rather than warm musty 'bag air' but it's often too cold to do so.

The really spongy type of ear plug that you have to pinch down and roll in your fingers for a few seconds first seem to stay in all right. The 'shooting' type that look like foam in an condom just fall out straight away for me.

Tried army ear defenders too once and while they block out pretty much all sound they hurt your head after a while and you can only sleep flat on your back (which i find difficult)

MartinR is a silent sleeper

I generally seem to be my wife isn't however, hence the earplugs.

I use those yellow squishy foam earplugs from boots and jam them in sideways, the headover certainly helps keep them in.

I used to have the bizarre habit of only using one, then every time I turned over I would wake up and move it to the other ear. Strange the things you do!

Cheers
Martin

I use a `58 pattern sleeping bag, normally I`m fairly warm but do sleep fitfully when outdoors anyway. Age has a lot to do with it, years ago I used to do a lot of motorcycle rallies and slept like a log despite the weather, never felt the cold. As soon as I hit early `40s I started to feel the odd nip in the air and had broken sleep. A headover is a must for me nowadays as it helps the 'toasty' feel.
I always wondered how the blokes used to manage to get a decent kip during the war, and I think the fact is that a lot of them didn`t. When you look at old photos and the fatigued faces, it probably isn`t just the stress of combat but also the sleep deprivation aspect as well.
Several years ago I was working as a recovery driver/mechanic along the M4 corridor, 5 days on 3 off. In the 5 days I probably managed 2-3 hours a day kip on average, as we were on call the whole 5 day period. I once did a 14 day stint non stop averaging the same 2-3 hour a day average kip, and my body went onto a sort of autopilot after 6 days. On the 14th day I`d started to hallucinate and had to come off the road straight away. It`s amazing what the human body can do when pushed....but only up to a limit.

I always wondered how the blokes used to manage to get a decent kip during the war, and I think the fact is that a lot of them didn`t. When you look at old photos and the fatigued faces, it probably isn`t just the stress of combat but also the sleep deprivation aspect as well.

From a lot of accounts i've read they were so exhausted they'd just drop off as soon as they lay down. If you take arnhem for example some units were fighting for three days without sleep (the joys of benzedrine eh?)

Your earpugs shouldn't fall out, I know it seems obvious (eg. "stick them in your ear") but they come with instructions on how to put them in properly so they don't. I have tried loads over the years (motorcycling and insomnia) and the best I have used are Noise-ex foam bullet ones. Also on Gadge's comment about breathing, having your mouth out of the bag is best because all that breath condenses inside, gets the inside of your bag damp and you can feel colder.

If you roll the foam ones up like little worms you can get them well into your ear canal, then they slowly expand and fit. My fave are the ones you get from Boots. They are denser, expand more slowly and seem to fit better as a result