How many of you wear ear plugs at night in the BW?

I am a very light sleeper, so tend to wake up at the tiniest sounds when sleeping outdoors. However, I have been reluctant to wear earplugs during past trips to the BW because of bears. Even if they're just black bears. But it sure would be nice to not wake up multiple times every night due to mice scurrying about or owls hooting. Thoughts?

I think a very big part of camping is enjoying the sounds of nature at night. Enjoy it while you are there.

I have become a light sleeper over the years and wear earplugs some nights (hotels, kids/grandkids visiting and staying up late, etc.). I haven't needed them in the BW/Q yet. You probably know different plugs have different levels of sound dampening. I have found some that help enough to make a difference but don't seem to block louder noises. Some people swear by melatonin or CBD but neither did a thing for me. It isn't practical in the BW, but my most effective fix (better than earplugs) is white noise like a fan on in the background. It's probably why I love a camp with rapids/falls nearby. In your situation, I'd probably wear the "lightest" earplugs I can get by with and do my best to trust that I'll wake up in the very unlikely event a bear visits. That seems better to me than constantly waking up and being miserable after a string of restless nights.

I use them maybe half the time, usually ro reduce the volume of my friends' snoring!

I wear them because the birds wake me up when they start singing at 4 am.

Ausable: "I use them maybe half the time, usually ro reduce the volume of my friends' snoring!"

+1

Same reason I bring them. Not as bad since moving to hammock camping and not sharing a tent, but if staying in a bunk house there's no sleep without them.

I also bring them along. I usually lay there for a while trying to fall asleep to the sounds but I am a light sleeper as well so I put them in at some point in the night so I am able to sleep.

One of my joys of camping in the wilderness is drifting in and out of sleep and being comforted by that concert of sounds. It is the ultimate "live performance".

I also like getting up to pee in the middle of the night. I cannot get that "stellar" light show spectacle anywhere closer to home so I relish those stargazing opportunities.

People evolved with the amygdala being vigilant to danger at night by listening for sounds of approaching predators. For a really restful sleep, earplugs help. If you want to go back to your roots and sleep like your ancestors, no earplugs. I keep mine close for the 4:15 am bird chirpathon so I can go back to sleep after going out to the potty.

I use earplugs to help silence my snoring canoe pal.

There are very small, portable, rechargeable white noise machines. For parents traveling with kids. There are also white noise apps for phones, but the battery life would be more of an issue there.

I’m not advocating for it, but maybe something to consider. Seems kind of contrary to the BW ethos, and possibly rules, but it could be a solution for some.

I have a song on my album called "Not So Quiet Night". You might enjoy it. Possibly the only song written and produced about sleeping in a tent in Quetico... Kala Farnham, current state troubadour for Connecticut, sang it. Album is "Coming Home To Quetico" on all streaming services. Enjoy it!

I bring a small battery-operated white noise machine for those dead still nights. No need on windy overnights. More comfortable than wearing earplugs, but I do bring a pair in case of snoring companions.

Whatever gets you through the night.

I bring them for thunderstorms and the rain hitting the tent.

Minnesotian: "I bring them for thunderstorms and the rain hitting the tent. "

Oh man, I love being in a tent listening to the rain hit the roof. Crazy thunderstorms have the potential to be a bit unnerving, but to me, there's just something soothing about sleeping in a tent when it's raining (as long as it's dry inside, which it normally is).

grizzlyadams: "I also bring them along. I usually lay there for a while trying to fall asleep to the sounds but I am a light sleeper as well so I put them in at some point in the night so I am able to sleep."

I do the same. I enjoy dozing off to the night sounds but eventually end up putting them in for a more restful night’s sleep.

LindenTree: "I wear them because the birds wake me up when they start singing at 4 am."

+1 I agree the birds seem to go in nuts at four in the morning. I also bring eye shades To keep the light out of my eyes.. Cause it seems to get light at 4-5 in the morning.

Tony

I use Loop Earplugs when I go to EDM shows at the Armory. They have multiple levels of noise reduction. Comfortable to sleep in, I bring them everywhere now.

Yes I wear ear plugs every night. Also a light sleeper. I prefer a good night sleep and will deal with any overnight happenings in the morning.

Ear plugs are great for light sleepers in the woods. Out of sight, out of mind type mentality for me. If I don't hear anything, my imagination won't keep me up. Try ear plugs and it might help you too.

One additional option to help get a better night sleep in the woods is to take a benadryl or dramamine shortly before bed. Either will help you sleep (just don't get the "non-drowsy" version of dramamine), but are still fairly mild and don't come with the heavily sedating or other side effect of stronger sleep aids like Ambien. Benadryl can also be helpful in blunting your bodies response (aka the itch) from the plethora of bug bites that can be common while camping in the north woods.

If you ever are camping on a lake where there are mating whip-o-wills, you will want a set of earplugs. You can set your watch every night from 8:45 PM until 5:00 AM and they will call NON-STOP. They have driven my tripmates to utter insanity with no sleep the entire night.

Then there are others that are snoring loudly because they are sleeping on their back. To me, earplugs are an essential item.

I wear earplugs at home...actually I wear bluetooth earbuds to drown out my wife's snoring. I subscribe to the BetterSleep app, which is a godsend. I can listen to all kinds of background sounds, alone or in combination with others. The options are limitless.

Interestingly, the background sounds I listen to most often are "wind in trees," "rain on tent," "thunderstorm"... stuff like that. Sounds that I get naturally up north.

I don't use earplugs canoe camping because I love the sounds of the forest. Even when soloing, I love to hear critters scampering around, distant loons, wolves, beaver tail slaps. I'm a light sleeper, but that stuff has never seemed to bother me.

Mike

I bring them. Don't use them all the time, but they do get used when the "loon porn" activities take place for multiple hours some nights.

I used earplugs early on when I was just getting into wilderness camping to help ease anxiety, slowly I stopped using them, although I still bring them. I do still use them if I am tent camping at a city or state park campground to drown out the noise of unruly neighbors. As a side-sleeper though, the biggest drawback is pain in my ear the next morning from the plug being under constant pressure all night.

IF my Brother is on the trip , everybody needs ear plugs , now i make him bring his own tent and set up as far away from my tent as possible. One camp mate stated with my Brother's Snoring we dont have to worry about any bears coming into camp.

We were on road trip to Georgia about 35 years ago and decided to camp at state parks along the way. The first night was in Natchez State Park in Mississippi. Apparently it is next to a swamp, which we didn't see until it got light the next morning. I was pretty new to camping, so already a little on edge and freaked out. It was the loudest place we have ever camped. To start there were many different types of frogs croaking, including Bullfrogs nearby. Then we heard foxes or coyotes yipping and howling, and owls hooting. Racoons started raiding the campground trash cans which were just regular aluminum trash cans, so they were knocking the lids on the ground and then started dragging plastic plates around on the gravel and fighting over them. Add in armadillos cracking sticks and digging around outside the tent and it was the worst night's sleep outdoors I can remember. Ear plugs became standard camping equipment.

I love the night sounds but always bring ear plugs and often wear them, especially toward morning. Whip Poor Wills can be awful at night and crows and ravens in the AM, especially if they are nesting close. The foam ones can be pushed in or out to adjust for how much sound deadening you need.

Instead of ear plugs, why not ear buds??

I bring ear buds every trip, and have several audio books downloaded. At night I lay down and put a timer on the book for 30 min. I'm usually out within 10 min. It's like having someone read you a bedtime story ;-)