View Full Version : Good Ear Plugs?
What type of ear plugs work well for you? There's several kinds in the stores.
warraghiyagey
12-08-2007, 00:53
Squishy-foam. If you avoid shelters and sleep in your tent (hi Wolf :) ) you probably won't need them.
Appalachian Tater
12-08-2007, 00:57
I have found that the most comfortable and effective ear plugs are the plain foam cylinders over the shaped foam cylinders or any kind of harder material. They are cheap but get dirty over a period of weeks. Sometimes they are bright yellow or orange and the EAR company has been sold to some safety company so you may see them under other names.
http://www.uvprocess.com/products%5CSAFETY%20PRODUCTS.A4.HEARING%20PROTECTI ON.HEARING%5CSOFT%20FOAM%20EAR%20PLUGS.HEARING%20% 20E%5CHEARING%20%20E_primary_WebPic1.JPG
Egads. Is it just me or is anyone else starting to think this L.Wolf is the only sane person still hiking the AT? :eek:
Ditto the squishy foam rubber ones (not the ones with the obvious open cell look - the ones with the smooth rounded conical shape - various manufacturers).
I don't need them for hiking, I use them when working with power equipment.
As a courtesy, I probably should hand them out to others if I share a shelter (I usually hammock or tarp near a shelter). I snore rather loudly!:o
If I needed ear plugs to go hiking I'd find a different hobby.
Frolicking Dinosaurs
12-08-2007, 06:38
The soft, squishy kind that Tinker mentions work best for me in other situations. I don't use earplugs while hiking, but understand that are necessary if you plan to get any sleep in a shelter.
Mrs Baggins
12-08-2007, 07:38
If I needed ear plugs to go hiking I'd find a different hobby.
"Hiking" has nothing to do with it. I'm 52 and I do not sleep at all if I can hear any kind of noises -- natural or otherwise. I can hear a dog barking several blocks away and a watch ticking across a room. So I've been wearing ear plugs for years. I've tried them all and the only ones I buy are the yellow ones that have a spiral cone shape. They have a little "handle" to insert them and remove them. They completely block out all sound (including my very loud snoring husband right next to me). They don't hurt, like some types do, and one pair will last for several months at a time. REI sometimes has them as does Eddie Bauer in their "travel" section. They can be found on the web as well and ordered in quantity, which is how I get them so that I always can be assured that I have a pair. The only time I could sleep soundly without them was when we were camped on a beach very close to the roaring of the waves. Not alot of that happening on the AT or any other trail. So I'll continue to hike AND wear my ear plugs to sleep.
Lone Wolf
12-08-2007, 07:41
Squishy-foam. If you avoid shelters and sleep in your tent (hi Wolf :) ) you probably won't need them.
no s**t? really?
"Hiking" has nothing to do with it. I'm 52 and I do not sleep at all if I can hear any kind of noises -- natural or otherwise. I can hear a dog barking several blocks away and a watch ticking across a room. So I've been wearing ear plugs for years. I've tried them all and the only ones I buy are the yellow ones that have a spiral cone shape. They have a little "handle" to insert them and remove them. They completely block out all sound (including my very loud snoring husband right next to me). They don't hurt, like some types do, and one pair will last for several months at a time. REI sometimes has them as does Eddie Bauer in their "travel" section. They can be found on the web as well and ordered in quantity, which is how I get them so that I always can be assured that I have a pair. The only time I could sleep soundly without them was when we were camped on a beach very close to the roaring of the waves. Not alot of that happening on the AT or any other trail. So I'll continue to hike AND wear my ear plugs to sleep.
Thanks, that's what I wanted to know.
Just make sure you bring some if you plan to stay at a shelter. I snore and I sleep in a shelter, during bad weather. I figure that if I'm in the shelter before them, it's up to them to tent. Not me.:)
Blissful
12-08-2007, 11:43
I use Macks silicone ear plugs. They were the most comfortable for me and kept out noise the best but they can also get gooey and sticky. I kept them in a snack size Ziploc. I replaced them in my mail drops every few weeks.
Critterman
12-08-2007, 11:49
I use Macks silicone ear plugs. They were the most comfortable for me and kept out noise the best but they can also get gooey and sticky. I kept them in a snack size Ziploc. I replaced them in my mail drops every few weeks.
Don't they get your sleeping bag sticky?
ChinMusic
12-08-2007, 11:53
IMO the foam ones are the way to go. Replace them often (bounce box) and the issue is over. I usu carry a few extra pair as minor "trail magic".
Personally I do not like the "spiral" ones. They tend to dig in and make my ears sore.
Mrs Baggins
12-08-2007, 13:09
IMO the foam ones are the way to go. Replace them often (bounce box) and the issue is over. I usu carry a few extra pair as minor "trail magic".
Personally I do not like the "spiral" ones. They tend to dig in and make my ears sore.
You are probably pushing them in too deep. That happens to me if I do that. They don't need to go that deep to be effective. You'll also back up a lot of wax in your ear canals if you push them in too far.
Dirtygaiters
12-08-2007, 16:14
"Hiking" has nothing to do with it. I'm 52 and I do not sleep at all if I can hear any kind of noises -- natural or otherwise. I can hear a dog barking several blocks away and a watch ticking across a room. So I've been wearing ear plugs for years. I've tried them all and the only ones I buy are the yellow ones that have a spiral cone shape. They have a little "handle" to insert them and remove them. They completely block out all sound (including my very loud snoring husband right next to me). They don't hurt, like some types do, and one pair will last for several months at a time. REI sometimes has them as does Eddie Bauer in their "travel" section. They can be found on the web as well and ordered in quantity, which is how I get them so that I always can be assured that I have a pair. The only time I could sleep soundly without them was when we were camped on a beach very close to the roaring of the waves. Not alot of that happening on the AT or any other trail. So I'll continue to hike AND wear my ear plugs to sleep.
I'm like this too. At home, I sleep with a pillow over my head every night. My house or neighborhood isn't very loud, but little things like the furnace turning on or a car driving down he street are enough to simply wake me up. I'm pretty sure I could change my habits (I'm relatively young), but I'd rather be a light sleeper just in case the need for lightness of sleep ever presented itself and use some sort of sound muffler for the rest of the time. I dunno...
I detest earplugs though. They collect dirt and become gross too quickly, they're not comfortable in my ears, they always worm their way out anyway...maybe it's just me and my ears. I greatly prefer to wrap my head in clothing, like a pair of dark colored long underwear, or a fleece pullover. This can also make it possible for me to sleep past the sunset a bit and allow me to wake up more when I'm refreshed than simply when the sun's up (any light brighter than the moon wakes me up immediately).
trlhiker
12-08-2007, 19:31
If I needed ear plugs to go hiking I'd find a different hobby.
Thats a stupid statement. Who wears earplugs when they are hiking. When sleeping, thats different. I also wear ear plugs at night. I need complete silence when i sleep whether at home or on the trail and the only way to get that is with ear plugs. I use soft foam ones, the harder ones hurt my ears.
It really isn't a stupid statement. I like to hear stuff at night which is one of the pleasures of hiking. Of course I don't want to hear people, but I would rather hike an 10 miles in the dark to get away from people once I'm ready to sleep rather than not be able to hear stuff at night. I can see carrying earplugs though for sure though, just in case I can't get away from the people. I just wouldn't make it a habit to wear them. Is it really that hard to get away from the people?
Programbo
12-08-2007, 20:06
What type of ear plugs work well for you? There's several kinds in the stores.
I sleep with ear plugs in every night (Long story) and the best ones I`ve found are the little orange foam ones..You roll them up tight and insert them into your ears and as the foam re-expands it forms a perfect fit to the inside of your ear blocking sound really well..Plus they are inexpensive, can be used multiple times and are comfortable
Here`s the exact ones I use......3M Safety : 3M™ Foam Ear Plug 1100, 1000/Case (http://www3.3m.com/catalog/us/en001/safety/occ_health_safety/node_GSTY7S46XLgs/root_GST1T4S9TCgv/vroot_5SDD44F7DZge/bgel_GS855WK2M9bl/gvel_15GNZX1TWCgl/theme_us_ohes_3_0/command_AbcPageHandler/output_html)
I definitely want to hear what is going on around me in the bush and have no intention of using them, however since my snoring can set off avalanches and register on the Richter scale, I should have some with me just in case I have to camp close to others. ( sign outside the tent above little box: courtesy ear-plugs here")
Franco
Kerosene
12-09-2007, 01:46
You might also take a look at the Noise Reduction Rating (NRR), which is the number of decibels that outside sound is reduced by when the earplugs are properly inserted. Note that Programbo's 3M Foam earplugs reduce noise by 29 decibels, but are a number of comfortable ones with NRRs of 30-35 decibels. Here is a pair of 33 Db plugs (http://www.uline.com/Browse_Listing_1021.asp).
An increase of 3dB is double the intensity too.