Ear Plugs

[peter_pan]

Let's see how many hear the wisdom of these little joys.

Do you carry and use ear plugs?

Heck no, I hike alone and camp alone, no snorers no need for plugs.

You bet, I hike alone and camp alone, don't want to hear the scary night critters.

Carry and use them, They are the key to a good nights sleep in a shelter.

Carry and use them, They help within 100 yards of a shelter.

Carry and keep them handy, use only if required.

use TP,

What's an ear plug?

[Lone Wolf]

Used them way back when but now I never stay in shelters or hostels or share motel rooms.

[Bloodroot]

What's an ear plug? I would just go out and size up some deer skat.

No using ear plugs here.

[peter_pan]

BTW dispoable/ reusable (within reason) foamies weigh less than 1 Gram. A small plastic case weighs 2 grams for a total of 3 grams or O.1 oz. This is a very weighty decision...

[Youngblood]

I use them at times and have found that not all ear plugs are the same. The ones I like are the ones that are like a piece of soft wax (but they aren't) in that they form somewhat to block the ear passage without leaving anything sticking out. They do a good job and are more comfortable, especially if you move around and sleep on your side at times.

As for snoring, I do. I have tried using a fleece headband with elastic, such that it helps keep my mouth closed and cuts down on my snoring. I do this by placing it under my chin and over my head... I have two different bands, one is too tight and is uncomfortable but the other one is just right. I think it helps a good bit?

Youngblood

[grrickar]

I didn't on my first section hike in the GSMNP (where you are supposed to stay in shelters) and I would only get about 2-3 hrs sleep a night. After several days of that, it got really old. Next time I will carry those foam earplugs people who shoot carry, since they should block out a LOT of noise.

[Frosty]

I find them helpful when tenting. Not that I'm afraid of rambunctious chipmunks running amok through the dead leaves, but sudden night noises tend to give me a sudden shot of adrenaline before my brain can say, "Don't worry."

It takes a few minutes for the adrenaline rush to subside, and by then some other tiny night creature dashes though the dead leaves, and on it goes. With ear plugs, I sleep more soundly.

As far as using them in a shelter, I need them because when I sleep in a shelter, everyone complains that I snore loudly. WIth my earplugs in, their complaints don't keep me awake.

[Kerosene]

Ear plugs aren't enough if you're in a shelter with a hacksaw snorer. I use them most of the time, especially when I'm sleeping next to a babbling brook where my mind keeps thinking that it hears someone talking in the distance.

[Youngblood]

Ear plugs aren't enough if you're in a shelter with a hacksaw snorer. I use them most of the time, especially when I'm sleeping next to a babbling brook where my mind keeps thinking that it hears someone talking in the distance.

Some earplugs work better than others at reducing sounds, but they can only do so much. Maybe you can find better ones? Some of them might specify the 'db' sound reduction.

There is one spot on the Benton MacKaye Trail in Georgia where I have camped twice before in different years. Each time I have had to resort to earplugs to get any sleep because of the whip-poor-wills. There must have been half a dozen of them around that gap all night long. It was at a location called Payne Gap, about 25 miles north of Springer Mountain. I have also used them because of katydees(sp) being so loud that I had trouble sleeping on at least one occasion.

Youngblood

[SavageLlama]

I just added ear plugs to my gear list. I had two sleepless nights on the Long Trail this year due to hikers that were snoring like wild hogs.

[hikerdude]

I carry a lightweight air mask for in the shelters.

Smell ya later dude.

[jackiebolen]

Without earplugs I would have been a walking zombie. I loved them! Very necessary when sleeping in shelters, especially when there's a known snorer in the shelter but you're much too lazy to set up your hammock at the end of a long day.

[Patco]

"Not that I'm afraid of rambunctious chipmunks running amok through the dead leaves, but sudden night noises tend to give me a sudden shot of adrenaline"

I agree with the above quote. After tenting on Mt Mitchell (6684' highest peak in eastern US) and having 400 lb bears visiting the site at night, every little noise became a bear in my mind. Now I hang my food, Take nothing with tasty odors in the tent, and put the plugs in and trust God for the night. I use those foamy types that you roll in your fingers then push them in and let them expand. They reduce noise by 29 decibles. Cheap and light and at all Walmarts and pharmacies, etc.

[Alligator]

I'd give some thought to plugging the ears to avoid the animal sounds. One night I was tarping alone with the wind blowing strongly. The tarp kept vibrating and waking me up, so I thought, well, I'll reconfigure the tarp and put my ear plugs in to get some sleep. My tarp was set up low, like a green tunnel. Worked well for a few hours until...

I awake very groggy to the sound of a rustling. Now, if you can HEAR rustling through ear plugs, it must be a LARGE mammal. But I woke up in one of those states wear you just can't move anything. (I think its evolution to keep us from falling out of the trees when sleeping .) I couldn't get a word, not even a mumble out of my mouth. That's when I started to panic. In what seemed leki forever, I was able to lift one foot and tapped the ground. Like that would help but hey, it was all I could manage . Whatever it was, it went straight past, never changed speed or direction. I'm very reluctant to sleep with ear plugs anymore.

It's what you can't hear that will definitely get you...

[Lilred]

BTW dispoable/ reusable (within reason) foamies weigh less than 1 Gram. A small plastic case weighs 2 grams for a total of 3 grams or O.1 oz. This is a very weighty decision...

My husband is a musician and uses these kinds while playing on stage. They come in two colors, yellow and green. The green ones work better. He snores horribly, sucks the plaster off the ceilings. I use these at home and they work great. (the green ones)

[Ridge]

I have nothing against them; I've just never needed any. Plus, I like hearing all the noises of the night. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>

[Youngblood]

I'd give some thought to plugging the ears to avoid the animal sounds. One night I was tarping alone with the wind blowing strongly. The tarp kept vibrating and waking me up, so I thought, well, I'll reconfigure the tarp and put my ear plugs in to get some sleep. My tarp was set up low, like a green tunnel. Worked well for a few hours until...

I awake very groggy to the sound of a rustling. Now, if you can HEAR rustling through ear plugs, it must be a LARGE mammal. But I woke up in one of those states wear you just can't move anything. (I think its evolution to keep us from falling out of the trees when sleeping .) I couldn't get a word, not even a mumble out of my mouth. That's when I started to panic. In what seemed leki forever, I was able to lift one foot and tapped the ground. Like that would help but hey, it was all I could manage . Whatever it was, it went straight past, never changed speed or direction. I'm very reluctant to sleep with ear plugs anymore.

It's what you can't hear that will definitely get you...

I definately look at a lot of things differently when I am alone... I don't know that I ever use my earplugs at night when I am camping solo.

This summer, my buddy and I camped on what turned out to be a 'game trail', he in a tent and me in a hammock. I woke up thinking for some reason that he had gotten up and was pounding his tent pegs with a huge mallot or something. He wasn't, he was in his tent. Some animal was upset about where his tent was and was pounding the ground with its hoof just outside it. While this starled me since since I was about 20 feet away, my partner may have had to change his drawers, I didn't ask. But flashlights came on quite often that night at most any noise.

Youngblood

[illininagel]

Some animal was upset about where his tent was and was pounding the ground with its hoof just outside it.

That kind of reminds me of a backpacking trip at Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. My brother and were tent camping at a site (the site was called "July") with numerous elk in the area.

Late at night, it sounded like a horse was galloping directly toward our tents. You could hear rocks flying and branches breaking. Needless to say, I was concerned that I was about to be trampled by an elk that weighed God knows how many pounds while lying defenseless on the ground.

A few seconds later, the large animal veered to our left towards the creek. It sounded like it fell down the slope into the water. The racket was incredible.

In a way, I wish I would have been wearing earplugs so that I would not have heard everything that went on that night.

[Happy]

I always take my small AM/FM/Weather Band radio with headphones, to use when I hit the bag. It serves double duty in shelters with noise and is entertaining until I am real sleepy.

This time of year can mean long hours in the bag and the radio helps pass the time, plus check the weather forecast for the next day.

[fiddlehead]

Earplugs are practically weightless and come in many different ratings. (and cheap) I buy mine here in Asia in the Carrefour store which is a lot like a k-mart only bigger. they have about 8 or 9 different ones based on how much noise they block. I've seen them in CVS and Rite-Aid stores back home although maybe not quite as big a selection as these super stores they have here (120 check out registers at this one)

I don't see why any one should complain about snoring, early risers, late night arrivals, tin roofs, etc. with these things so readily available. They are not only good for shelters, but for bus rides, bad hitches, hostels, town noise, bike week, Linkin Park concerts, hiking partners telling you how hard it was getting out of the Doyle, etc.