Rick D wrote:So do you actually routinely gather or scrape leaves and needles together for your campsite to act as insulation? Or do you just look for spots that already appear softer? Do you sleep on your side?
I almost never gather stuff to make the ground more comfy, although I do scrape off twigs and stones. Because I'm so tired, I don't need to do that, but in your case, you should try it, especially if you're not exhausted. Use that extra energy to gather stuff up!
Rick D wrote:
Also, a question on quilts. How do you pack them? Compress them down and put them at the bottom of the pack? Store them loosely? I am looking for a better way to pack them because they lose their loft if you compress them and put them at the bottom. I'm thinking of storing my quilt outside the pack in a large stuff sack and am looking for people who might have ideas.
If you have a down-sleeping bag, then you're fine whatever you do. Just don't use a special compression sack, just use the stuff sack that comes with the bag. If you're stay in a real bed one night, then take the sleeping bag out of the stuff sack.
If you have a synthetic bag, then you should try to minimize the compression, because it doesn't deal with it as well as down. So leave it as uncompressed as you can. However, carrying it outside the pack is more pain that it's worth, in my opinion. If you're worried about losing loft fast, then stick with down.
