Spending a night under the stars

Have you ever dreamed of spending a night under the stars? Discover all the necessary tips you need to know to prepare your future weekends!

1/ Choosing the right equipment

Whether you are trekking during 2 days, or you are simply escaping for the night, it is important to take the right equipment so that you enjoy the moment!

In the first case, it will be necessary to favour lightweight equipment, easy to carry.In the second case, you can allow yourself more comfort

The first essential is obviously the sleeping bag!Choose it according to the outside temperature at which you are going to sleep. This depends on the season but also the altitude and the humidity of the spot where you are going to sleep, so find out in advance! The nights remain cool in the mountains and especially when in altitude, we recommend a sleeping bag with a minimum comfort temperature of 0 ° C, it is better to be too hot than too cold!

Tip: in order to deal with humidity and dew, consider equipping yourself with a sleeping bag made from water-repellent fabric, or an over-bag.And so that you keep your sleeping bag longer, and keep it odour-free, we recommend that you opt for a bag liner which will allow you to keep it clean.

Inseparable from the sleeping bag, a mattress will allow you to be well insulated from the cold and the humidity of the ground.

If you have to carry it, choose a foam or self-inflating mattress. The foam mattress is very light, but not very compact.On the other hand, the self-inflating mattress can be stored more easily in a bag but is often a little heavier.

If you don't have to carry it for long and you can access the camp by car you can afford to take an inflatable mattress, pump and pillow to ensure maximum comfort. In winter, we advise you to place an extra insulating foam under your mattress to insulate from the ground.

Also remember to take with you a lamp or a Clic type headlamp to provide you with light during your installation or if you need to get up at night.

A big plastic bag or waterproof cover will allow you to protect your belongings from humidity during the night. You can also use them to protect food from wildlife! Bread, biscuits and cakes, very popular with marmots and other ungulates, are bad for their digestive system.The yeasts found in these foods can cause serious damage to them.

2/ Finding the right spot

We advise you to identify the spot where you want to sleep in advance.Remember to take a map, a survival blanket, and check the weather forecast carefully before setting off. Ideally, think of a "plan B" in case of bad weather: a night in a mountain refuge, a tent or at least a tarp. Do not hesitate to postpone your outing if the weather is unstable and you have no fallback solution.

An ideal bivouac site is characterized by a few very simple points:

- a nearby source of water is important.It limits the amount of drinking water you'll need to carry with you and to make mountain water drinkable, a few purifying tablets are sufficient. However do not install your camp too close to the water source to avoid rising humidity or being devoured by mosquitoes.

- A flat and dry area, as sheltered from the wind as possible (well below a ridge or pass, if possible, backed by a rocky barrier). Flat is a fairly relative concept, a very slight slope of 2 or 3% is interesting to exploit so that your head is slightly higher than your feet.

- A beautiful west or east exposure.This is a question of personal choice:choose the setting sun to take advantage of the beautiful light for the evening meal or choose the rising sun for obvious reasons of temperature in the early morning! If you opt for the "rising sun" option, the logic is to orient your tent entrance to face east.

In the forest or a clearing, the night is often very pleasant (air temperature in a forest environment being generally 1 to 3 ° C higher) on the other hand, in coniferous forest (fir trees, spruces, stone pines, Scots pines …) The acidity of the soil is very favourable to ants! Check that there is no anthill within 100 meters. On the other hand, you can hang up your backpacks on a branch so that they are not accessible to rodents and other small animals such as foxes or weasels who will enjoy your food!

Please note!

- On a mountain pass and immediately below it, and for reasons of the venturi effect (wind acceleration due to the relief) it is the preferred impact zone for lightning. This is also the case under a big isolated tree ;

- In peatland (a former glacial lake filled with sediment), because beyond the trampling of fragile flora, these flats, although soft, are generally very humid. The pressure of your body on the ground would show you the proof in the early morning!

- Near a herd of sheep or goats in the sleeping area. Your presence will disturb them, you risk mobilizing the guard dogs and this favours the presence of ticks and possible droppings.

- Near a cultivated field (possible machine operations at dawn, deterioration of seedlings).

Good to know!

A municipality can prohibit camping on its territory by municipal decree (find out about the regulations in force at the town hall or the tourist office). On the other hand, bivouac is often tolerated (it is the case for certain national parks, and in the mountain). Bivouac consists of settling in the evening and leaving the next morning. In National Parks, bivouacs are prohibited unless organized more than an hour's walk from a refuge or from the park boundary. The condition is obviously to respect nature and to leave the place as clean as when you arrived.

3/ Extending the experience

If you had only planned to go for the evening, take advantage of the view for longer by taking something to eat and have breakfast on site. Discover our 7 special camp recipes, easy and delicious.And don't forget the water if you don't have a stream nearby!

A small camp-fire is very appreciable both for the late evening atmosphere and to ward off small prowling animals (even when extinguished, the smell of burnt wood keeps them away for hours). Before leaving, review the safety basics to make sure the fire won't light-up again!Are you feeling adventurous?Our "Camp-fire advice: the instructions" will also teach you how to light a fire with a flint ... New challenge!

Tip: if you opt for a stove instead, slip your gas cartridge into your sleeping bag, so as not to risk finding it frozen at dawn!

NOW THAT YOU'RE READY, SPEND A GOOD NIGHT UNDER THE STARS!

All about hiking and camping

It's true that when we start hiking, we can sometimes have some apprehensions. What are your thoughts about hiking? How do you set up a camp-site? What do you need to take? What do you eat? How do you hike safely?What about the children, how do you keep them occupied?

This is why we created this hiking and camping guide.Here, you will find the essentials you need to know so that you can explore the paths freely, while taking care of nature.

Margaux

Copywriter hiking tips

My Top 3 walks: Lac d'Anterne, the West Coast Trail and the Vercors (but I can't choose)!

I like: going on an adventure off the beaten track, on the old paths used by shepherds or postmen.

I don't like: people who throw their litter in the forest.

Continue preparing with our hiking advice

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