A few months back I posted a photo to my Instagram with the caption “we need not be pagans.” It prompted a surprising number of comments, including one from Alaska woodworker Zach LaPerrière asking that I share my sleeping setup. So here it is.
First: it always depends on conditions. My goal is simple — sleep outside under the stars and sleep well. That night I was in the Mojave’s Turtle Mountains Wilderness en route to Arizona. Most of my camping nights are in the arid Southwest, so rain and bugs are rarely the biggest concern. Temperature is usually the primary consideration, followed by wind.
My preferred foundation for car camping is the Helinox Cot One Convertible with the leg extensions that raise it about 8.5 inches off the ground. I’ve tried many cots; two stand out. The REI Wonderland Comfort Cot is the most comfortable I’ve used — adjustable, well padded, and it can double as a good lounge chair. It’s so comfortable that I could sleep on it without extra padding. The downside is size and weight: even folded it’s bulky and heavy. I sold mine for that reason. The Helinox, by contrast, breaks down small and weighs about five pounds, so it lives in my truck almost all the time.
Can you sleep on the Helinox without extra padding? Sure. It’s fine. I prefer to add either the inflatable four-inch Exped MegaMat (R-value 8.1) or, more recently, the Hest Foamy (closed-cell foam, R-value 8.8). The Foamy has a waterproof bottom layer and won’t puncture, so it’s great for ground nights — if I don’t want to set up the cot I’ll toss the Foamy on slickrock and call it good.
Insulation above the pad depends on temperature. On warm nights I’ll use a simple cotton blanket; when it cools off I reach for wool or a sleeping bag. I don’t have a single favorite bag — I rotate between NEMO, Marmot, and Exped models. A pillow makes a big difference: I used to use an old house pillow, but I’ve been testing the Hest Camp Pillow. It fits inside a sleeping bag hood; I’d like it a touch softer but it’s growing on me.
I’m a big believer that car camping can — and should — be comfortable. That said, I’m also obsessed with the idea of sleeping well in minimal kit: just the clothes on my back or a simple poncho. I remember a mule-packing trip in Durango, Mexico in the 1990s when one of the packers slept beautifully on the ground with only a wool blanket. Maybe that’s easier for a back sleeper than a side sleeper like me. Every time I’ve tried to sleep directly on the ground without padding my verdict has been the same: no. (Maybe I just need to be more exhausted.)
For backpacking and bikepacking I stick with tried-and-true inflatables like Therm-A-Rest’s NeoAir series. On a recent overnight in a remote Grand Staircase canyon I used Exped’s Flex 1.5R closed-cell foam pad. It worked well on sand but felt thin on hard ground. Exped recently released the Flex R3, which is twice as thick and weighs about 18 ounces — heavier than comparable inflatables, but sturdier and leakproof. That tradeoff is familiar: inflatables can be featherweight but must be inflated and can leak, while foam is heavier and bulkier but more reliable.
Is foam worth the extra bulk? Is a bivy better than a tent? A quilt better than a bag? Is a waterproof bag alone sometimes the best option? I love testing these questions. There’s no universal perfect setup — every place, every body and every trip has different needs. I’ve had plenty of miserable nights, but I still try to maximize sleep quality whenever I can.
One of my goals this year is 100 nights of camping, which gives plenty of opportunity to experiment. If there’s a pad, bag, or setup you want me to try and write about, tell me. Or share how you sleep comfortably when you’re roughing it.
— Stephen Casimiro
