Which will drain less body heat: lying on bare earth or bare rock?
For years I backpacked without a sleeping pad, until one particularly chilly night during which I tried to heat up the earth with my paltry 98.6 degrees F (37°C).
In that instance, would I have been better off sleeping on bare rock, or on bare dry soil? No leaf-litter etc. was available.
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From experience I can tell you that lying on rock is the most effective way to become cold over night.
Bare Earth
- Has at least some air gaps in the soil, which insulate (not too much).
- If there is any soil, the vegetation and roots provide some insulation.
- Does not reach as cold a temperature as rock, 24" below the surface is a consistent 40-50 degrees during three seasons.
Rock
- Can change temperature dramatically from day to night. (60+ degrees)
- Has 0% air gaps for your body to warm up.
- Has great potential thermal conductivity against your body.
Conclusion
If you must sleep on one of these try the following.
- Attempt to find dry or dead grasses. Cut a lot of it up and make a bedding.
- If you cannot find grasses, or to provide more insulation, use extra clothes to make a layer between yourself and the ground.
- Use your empty backpack to provide even more of a buffer between your torso (where all the heat is) and the ground.
- Sleep with a hat on.
- Boil water, pour it into a one litre bottle, cover the bottle with a sock, and store in your sleeping bag between your legs or under your arms.
This post was sourced from https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/a/504. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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