Camping can be one of the most relaxing experiences you’ve ever encountered.
No noise from cars passing by or cities bustling, just the sounds of nature.
If you’re lucky enough, you might even be close to a waterfall or brook for extra soothing sounds.
Watching the wildlife go about their day, seeing clouds in the sky slowly rolling along, taking in all of the beautiful sites; it’s all very relaxing.
But there’s one thing that always gets to me, and that’s sleeping.
I’m not very good at going to sleep in a normal bed, let alone a tent.
Because of that, my tent needs to be as comfortable as possible.
And if you’re like me, you’re probably wondering how you can do the same.
So, how do you make your camping tent more comfortable? Picking the right mattress, mattress pad, pillow, and sleeping bag will do wonders to keep you comfortable while camping in a tent. Bringing along sleeping clothes that are perfect for the temperature are also great ways to stay comfortable.
There are actually quite a few things I do to stay comfortable in my tent while camping.
Check out some more great ideas below!
There’s Always That One Camper
If this is you, you definitely need the advice of this article (sorry for singling you out!).
But there’s always that one friend in the group that just becomes a different person when they are tired.
And if they don’t sleep well they become quite the downer, complaining and/or taking offense to everything.
If you know one of those campers, pass this article on (or at least the tips) so they can get a great night’s sleep and become that friendly person everyone knows and loves.
Great Ideas For Making Your Tent More Comfortable
Use the right tent for your climate/weather situation
The best and easiest way to be comfortable is to use the right tent.
I go into more detail in my tent comparison post, but essentially you want to use a tent that is built for your camping conditions.
That means if it’s going to be hot and humid, a lighter weight tent with lots of mesh will help the cool air ventilate in.
And if it’s snowing out, you’ll want a more heavyweight tent that has less ventilation and helps to keep things insulated.
If you are going to be using a 2-season tent with a mesh roof in the summer, it’s always a good idea to bring along a tarp or rainfly to keep you dry in case of rain.
Cause being wet in your tent is not my idea of being comfortable!
If you don’t want to purchase multiple tents, a great one to look for is a 3-season tent that has a removable rainfly.
That will set you up to be warm enough in the cooler months (you’ll need a heavier tent if camping in heavy snow), but you can also remove the rainfly to allow more airflow in the warmer months.
Make use of your tents features
This is somewhat similar to the last idea, but I think it helps to mention them both.
You want to be utilizing the features your tent comes with to stay comfortable.
That means zipping up all the windows and doors if it’s too windy, opening everything back up when it’s warm inside, and removing the rainfly when it’s super hot out.
Ventilation is great to play around with to try and get your tent to be the proper temperature to be comfortable.
What you sleep on is important
If you’re like me, you need to be somewhat cozy in order to fall asleep.
My family members are versatile sleepers.
They can fall asleep sitting up, on the couch with no pillow, pretty much however they’d like to fall asleep.
I even used to have a picture of us on the train where my sister and dad are sleeping in the exact same position while sitting up in their chairs.
However, I have to be comfortable to sleep at all, let alone sleep well.
And that’s no different when I’m out camping.
You’re camp sleeping preferences will likely differ from mine, but the main things you can try out are:
- Climate-friendly sleeping bag: getting the right one for the temperature you will be in will really help you to keep from either being too hot or too cold throughout the night. If you are car camping, you could also bring along sheets and blankets depending on the temperature outside.
- Sleeping pad: these inflatable pads will help create a much softer surface to sleep on than the ground. Most sleeping pads nowadays are self-inflating, so no need to bring anything extra to help blow them up. Some even come with a pillow built in! Sleeping pads will also roll up very small, so they are great if you want to take them on backpacking or hiking trips.
- Sleeping mat: very similar to a yoga mat, these camping mats are just sheets of foam material that help soften the surface you sleep on. You can get them in varying widths depending on how soft you want them, but remember that the thicker mats will usually be heavier and will take up more space if you are backpacking.
- Blow up mattress: if you plan on camping not too far away from your car, a blow up mattress can add a whole new level of comfort to sleeping in your tent. Just make sure it will fit inside of your tent before you blow it up!
- Cot: similar to a blow up mattress, but you won’t need to blow anything up with a cot. A cot can be nice as it raises you up off the ground and allows cool air to flow under you.
- Pillow: again, if you are car camping you can bring your pillow from home if you want. Just be sure to keep your tent clean! If you are looking for a lighter weight solution, as I mentioned before some sleeping pads will come with an attached pillow, or you can find a blow up or foam pillow specifically built for camping.
- Hammock: while this isn’t necessarily going in your tent, sleeping in a hammock can be very comfortable for some. As for me, while I love lounging in hammocks, as soon as I close my eyes the world will not stop spinning. In other words, I use the options above on my camping trips and keep my hammock for relaxing at the campsite.
A clean tent is a comfortable tent
No one likes a muddy tent or sleeping in a dirty sleeping bag, so it’s very important for your comfort to keep your tent clean.
The biggest way to avoid a dirty tent is to keep your shoes either clean or outside the tent.
Your shoes will most likely be muddy (depending on where you are camping), so taking them off right at the entrance of your tent will help to keep the inside clean.
Changing into clean clothes when you go to sleep will also help keep any debris from getting in your bedding (and it can protect your sleeping bag from wear and tear!).
Hygiene products
Being clean is a great way to feel comfortable in your tent.
As I mentioned before, getting dirt and debris inside your tent (and especially your sleeping gear) can make your trip uncomfortable quickly.
Depending on where you are, you might have access to showers.
If not, try to find a way to wash off or bring along a camp shower to help clean you off.
At the very least, a pack of wipes will help clean you up a little.
Maybe it’s just my personal preference, but keeping my tent and sleeping gear as clean as possible helps me to feel comfortable.
Don’t stray too much from your routine
A lot of people fall into a routine before going to bed or just after waking up when they are at home.
Trying to break your body of this habit while out camping can be difficult.
So why not bring your routine with you?
Brushing your teeth and washing your face, reading a chapter of a book, or even making a cup of coffee while camping can help you keep your routine and make things feel more like home.
Bring along comfort items
Sometimes camping can feel a little too disconnected from the real world, and you may want to bring some extra comfort items with you.
Go for it!
If you aren’t a morning person, bringing something like an eye mask will help you get that extra hour of sleep you desire.
If the weather seems like it’s going to be cold, bring along a tent heater to keep your tent warm.
And if you want some tunes while sitting around the campfire, why not bring along a speaker?
It seems that almost everyone has that one item that they personally find useful that a lot of others don’t.
But it’s your camping trip, feel free to bring whatever you’d like!
Proper lighting can make things more comfortable
Knowing where everything is in the middle of the night is a wonderful thing.
And what if you wake up and have to go to the bathroom?
You don’t want to be stuck without a way of seeing in the dark, so be sure to bring along at least a flashlight.
I prefer to bring along a headlamp as well for hands-free lighting so that I’m prepared just in case I have to set up my tent or do something else at the campsite while it’s dark out.
Lanterns are also a great way to light up your tent, especially for times of the year when it gets dark really early.
A Quick Note On Food
I didn’t mention keeping food or drinks inside of your tent as a way to make things more comfortable.
And you’d think it would make things better since you’d have easy access to them should you get hungry or thirsty.
But you should keep in mind that you are not alone in the wilderness.
Many critters will come rummaging through your campsite at night in search of food.
And that includes bears.
If you’re in bear country, you’ll want to store your food properly to make sure your tent remains a tent.
And even if you aren’t, it’s still a good idea to leave food out of your tent in case raccoons or other animals end up being your bunkmates while searching through your tent!
Did I Miss Any?
What are some other methods you use to make your tent comfortable?
I’d love to hear them, and your fellow campers would too!
Leave them down in the comments below to share with everyone.