Best Bit of (Sleeping) Kit that I ever used

Frankly the most successful piece of sleeping equipment I ever used was a huge plastic sheet. It was thin and 20 feet by 12. I have no idea where it came from - a builder left it at home - but it was exactly what was needed for Adrenalin Rush 2001. In August in Scotland the weather was never going to be really cold and we all had the same idea of how much discomfort we were prepared to put up with, which was lots, though it was a bit of an experiment anyway in that we weren't intending to sleep much atall. As a piece of plastic it didn't really matter if it was trashed. Most importantly though, we had a sleeping system that was eminently packable (it was small and folded up into any shape) and weighed less than 300 grams, even lighter than four space blankets.

It worked as expected. We folded it over, lay on it, pulled it up to our necks and then with the four of us lying side by side tucked in the edges. Plastic is sweaty but it traps in the heat so it was actually warm in there, particularly if you were in the middle. A few ants got in aswell, but that's all part of the game.

I suppose the main point of this review is that the most unexpected things can be useful and like so many things in adventure racing you should use your imagination. Even coathangers can be useful. I have one that holds my camelbak tube in place while I am kayaking.

Available from....

http://www.wickes.co.uk/