Sleep well by the water and you’ll have the energy for the wind the next day. The Baltic gets chilly at night even in summer, and certainly in autumn , and nothing ruins your mood like a frozen night. Here’s everything for a good night’s sleep: the right sleeping bag, the right pillow and the little tricks for warm nights. (The cold from below , sleeping mat and R-value , we cover separately under Lying.)
The sleeping bag: what matters
- Temperature: look at the comfort temperature, not the optimistic limit rating. It tells you down to which temperature you sleep comfortably warm.
- Filling: down is light, packs small and is very warm, but dislikes damp. Synthetic is heavier but tougher and still warms in a clammy tent , often the more honest choice in the damp Baltic air.
- Shape: the mummy bag is warmest (snug, with a hood), the rectangular bag is comfier and airier for mild nights.
- Season: spring and autumn need a lot more reserve than high summer.
Mum says: Pick the sleeping bag a touch warmer rather than too thin. You can always open a warm one , you can’t conjure warmth into one that’s too thin.
Which comfort temperature suits your travel season will be worked out by our sleeping bag calculator (travel season and how cold you feel in, recommendation out) , it’s in the works.
Pillow & sleeping comfort
- Pillow: an inflatable or compressible camping pillow weighs almost nothing and makes a huge difference compared to a balled-up jumper.
- Liner: a thin liner keeps the bag clean inside (less washing) and adds another degree or two.
- Blanket: a small extra blanket is worth its weight in gold , over the feet or as a neck pad.
Warm through the night
- Hat on: you lose most of your warmth through your head, a thin hat works wonders.
- Sleep dry: never in damp watersports gear, always dry sleepwear, ideally packed just for that.
- Heat from inside: something warm to eat and a hot tea before bed, so you go into the bag warm.
- Hot water bottle: a small hot water bottle or a Nalgene with hot water at your feet , the secret tip for cold nights.
Mum says: Keep a pair of thick socks just for sleeping, they never touch the water and stay cosy and dry.
In short: sleeping well by the water
- Choose the sleeping bag by comfort temperature, a touch warmer rather than too thin.
- Down for the weight, synthetic for the damp Baltic climate.
- A camping pillow and a liner raise comfort enormously.
- Hat, dry sleepwear, something warm to eat, hot water bottle at your feet.
- The cold comes from below , don’t forget a good mat (see Lying).
Note: as soon as our shop and partner links are live, you’ll find concrete recommendations for the sleeping bag, pillow and the rest here. Until then: the content stands on its own, even without a single click.