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Traveling without a Tent - in Africa? Traveling without a Tent - in Africa?
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Photo by Hendi Kaf, in Cambodia

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Photo by Hendi Kaf,
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  #1  
Old 30 Jul 2021
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Traveling without a Tent - in Africa?
I have found that 95% of my happiness is in direct correlation to with how well I have slept. Also I don't fancy carrying a tent + mattress + pillow on my bike.

What are your thoughts on travelling with no tent? I've heard that in SEA it makes a lot of sense, since guest rooms are so cheap. But what about Africa?

Would it be feasible to travel down the west cost with no tent? Would it be smart? Would you miss out on things? How bad are the costs of rooms? Anything I am missing?
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Old 30 Jul 2021
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One-person tent, yes; I've tented in Morocco, Namibia, and South Africa, and have slept out without a tent in Niger. They're lightweight and tiny these days, and I've been glad to have the option.

Sleeping pad, yes: I use these in all sorts of circumstances, including sleeping in airports when planes are canceled, on the floors of mud huts when invited to do so, and for afternoon naps when weary of riding. These are even smaller and more lightweight, but bring a patch kit.

Pillow...wait, are you serious? A sweater or stuff sack filled with some clothing does for me. I've used flat rocks topped with a folded t-shirt, too.

I don't carry a tent in areas where there are a lot of people and no camping culture--SE Asia, for starters. I always carry an inflatable sleeping pad, which in Asia I generally put under the remarkably thin hotel mattresses they favor. I never carry a pillow.

And rooms in West Africa range from pretty cheap to the same as Europe or the US, depending. It ain't SE Asia.

Hope that's helpful.

Mark
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Old 30 Jul 2021
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As with inflatable mattresses, you can buy inflatable pillows too (which fold up to smaller than the size of your fist) - and having done the stuff-sack/rolled-up jacket thing for way too long, can confirm you get an immeasurably better night's sleep with the neck/head support of a proper pillow - particularly if you've been riding your bike all day.

Big Agnes, Sea-to-Summit and I think Exped all make them, and most will tuck inside the hood of a sleeping bag too... they can also double as a handy cushion should the need arise.

Recommended.

Jenny x
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Old 30 Jul 2021
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I’ve travelled around West Africa without a tent and (some years later) with one and for me it was worth the extra weight etc that camping equipment takes up as it does give you freedom to overnight away from towns etc. You don’t have to use it every night and it doesn’t have to be some expedition grade thing + sleeping bag rated to -20 so it can all be pretty compact. Sleeping under the stars (which I did a fair amount of) is perfectly feasible once you’ve gone south of the Atlas Mountains but it’s nice to have the tent to ‘retire’ to after ‘strange black shadows’ start crawling over you when you’re half asleep.
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