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A4 checklist with all illustrated steps. Tick the boxes on paper as you go.

FeatherSticks · Skills

Your First Night Out: How to Plan a First Overnighter (Microadventure)

One night outside, close to home, back by breakfast. Here is how.

Quick facts

Time
About 14–16 hours door to door; 1–2 hours of planning
Difficulty
Easy – the hard part is deciding to go
Best for
Beginners, first solo overnight, families, after-work trips
You need
Mat, sleeping bag, tarp or bivvy, headlamp, water, cold food, warm layer

What you need

  • Sleeping mat (foam or inflatable, R-value about 2–3)
  • Three-season sleeping bag with a comfort rating at or below the forecast low
  • Tarp of about 3 × 3 m with lines and pegs, or a bivvy bag or small tent
  • Groundsheet
  • Headlamp with fresh batteries
  • Water bottles for 1.5–2 litres and a vacuum flask
  • Insulated jacket, hat and dry sleep socks in a dry bag
  • First aid kit, charged phone, power bank, whistle and a rubbish bag

Step by step

  1. Pick a legal spot close to home

    1 Pick a legal spot close to home

    Choose a place where sleeping out is allowed, 20–60 minutes from home or the car, on ground you already know by daylight.

  2. Wait for a mild, dry night

    2 Wait for a mild, dry night

    Go when the forecast shows a dry night, light wind and a low of about 10 °C or warmer. If it looks doubtful, postpone – the woods will still be there.

  3. Pack the sleep system first

    3 Pack the sleep system first

    Mat and a sleeping bag rated for the forecast low come first. Then shelter, headlamp, water, cold food, a warm layer, first aid and a charged phone.

  4. Set up before dark

    4 Set up before dark

    Arrive two hours before sunset. Check overhead, pitch the tarp low, lay out mat and bag and have the camp ready one hour before sunset.

  5. Eat, get warm, sleep

    5 Eat, get warm, sleep

    Eat, change into dry layers and get into the bag warm. Keep lamp, water and shoes within reach. Rustling is normal; so is waking up a few times.

  6. Pack up and leave no trace

    6 Pack up and leave no trace

    Air the bag, pack, walk the site once for pegs and litter and leave. At home, write down three things to change next time.

Common mistakes

  • Leaving too late and pitching in the last light – plan to arrive two hours before sunset.
  • Saving weight on the mat. The ground, not the air, is what makes most first nights cold.
  • Picking a spectacular but far and unknown place instead of a boring one 20–60 minutes away.
  • Not checking whether sleeping there is allowed, then lying awake listening for footsteps.
  • Going to bed cold, hungry or in the damp clothes from the walk in.
  • Telling nobody where you are, or having no turn-back rule and feeling trapped at 1 a.m.