Cheap bed

That's really handy, as long as you're careful not to place it over sharp objects or thorny plants and perforate it by accident. In an urban setting they are very handy, but in the wild it might be too out in the open to use.
For a wilderness setting another nice bed, is a hammock. Either the classic canvas hammock or making a makeshift hammock out of a blanket and some rope. That way you can sleep elevated, to avoid creatures that roam the grounds.

 

That's definitely handy to have. I have definitely been a victim of ground critters and learned that lesson a long time ago. I actually built a hammock stand out of PVC pipes and keep it in my camping gear. It's super easy to assemble and my hammock was made out of a down comforter (I sleep in style sometimes). I made it to where it's a hammock/blanket built into one, and I have enough material to make a pillow if needed. I have thinner material that I use for hotter times of the year and the stand works out great!

 

How can I get those plans to make a hammock stand? I'd like one for the backyard. My daughter bought a hammock last year, and I'd never tried one before. Now that I have, it's like heaven! There's nothing quite like it on a slightly breezy day, just a little cool so you can cozy up in a blanket or comforter. Lovely.

 

We have rolled mats that we keep on our backpacks. They are narrow and about 1/2" thick. Around 4 feet long and they roll up and attach to the outside of our packs. You might not think there would be much to that, but it truly does make for a more comfortable sleep. You can buy special mats at REI and stuff like that, but these suffice. I think he got them at the hardware store. And then he cut them out himself.

 

That's awesome! A makeshift air mattress. It will be a cheap addition to my survival stuff. I'm sure I'll be thankful if I ever need somewhere to sleep.

 

This is similar to the plans that I used to make mine.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Fre...eating-the-Stand-Cut-PVC-Pipes-Into-Sections/

Hammocks are great. I love them. My yard has trees, but they're so far away from each other and none are in the shade so I just made this and put it on my porch. If you're lucky enough to have trees that are in a tri-pod design, you can rope the hammock to each tree and then tie a rope to the other next to you so you can pull yourself and rock yourself with little effort. I have a heavy duty plant hook attached to the house where I have mine set up and I tied a rope through. It's great when you can literally rock yourself to sleep.

 

Hmm that's rather cheap for a mattress.Maybe you should check if the mattress is in good conditions,as any hole will make the mattress useless.As correy said, you should be careful with your surroundings,otherwise those 5$ can go to waste really quick.

 

In comparison to the cost of quality survival tools, that bed seems like a bargain even if it doesn't survive long in the wild. If you can get 35-40 nights out of it, declare victory and move on if it pops, degrades or otherwise becomes relatively unusable. Just treat it as a temporary but valuable tool in your survivalist toolkit and you won't be disappointed.

 

Oooh loving the PVC pipe hammock stand idea! I don't think an air mattress would hold up well for camping, there are way too many chances for it to puncture. It could work great for sleepovers or shelters though in a pinch!

 

A hammock would be a better bet for me. I believe it would be lighter and easier to transport and a safer proposition because it's elevated from the ground where more bothersome creatures may be and there is not the risk of it being punctured.

 

Even in the wild I am for having the best of comfort that is available. If there are is enough vegetable compost and animal manure there is the possibility of creating biodigesters to produce methane gas which is a clean source for cooking similar to propane. If pigs were been raised on a reasonable scale there would possibly be enough material to maintain this process. There is possibility of having electricity from installing a small generator which is driven by a water wheel which is turned by the force of the river of fast-flowing stream

 

I am leery of items that need can have a hole easily punched in it. Sometimes, even with the best intention of being careful, inflateable mattresses pop. I personally prefer items that can stand being roughed up a little and still work.