Noise While Sleeping

[SantaCruzin]

Hey all!

I think I know the answer to this, but has anyone found a good way to quiet noise from outside while sleeping?

I spent last summer driving up and down California for mountain bike races and while it worked wonderfully for just me, sleeping proved challenging on a few occasions thanks to noisy campgrounds...in one instance, it was just one lady who had a particularly piercing voice talking with her family. I dealt with it (even if I was not stoked to be up until midnight with a 30-mile race the next day) but I'm hoping to spend this summer on some trips with my family (4 year old, 2 year old, and maybe my wife if I can catch her on a good day and convince her to join). If you have had kids of that age...you know sleep is incredibly important and not all-that easy to come by. I dropped the top one night and slept on the roll-over, but that certainly won't work with 3 (or 4).

I have a 1996 Hawk which I've pretty well outfitted (for me) with 150W of solar, a fridge, Joolca water setup, 270 degree awning, etc. I think it will be a great setup for the family and I plan to invest more into it, but the one thing holding me back is how loud those nights have been.

 

[m5040]

I find if it is hot, the roof fan is good for white noise or you can buy a battery op white noise generator so it sounds like rain or static or whatever you want.

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Short of not camping in crowded campgrounds there isn't much you can do.
Our pop up style campers don't have and sound insulation on the liner material.

You can always boon dock camp but that might not fit your biking schedule.
Frank

 

[BBZ]

Agree with the powered vent idea..
Ear plugs work great for me as I am a light sleeper..

 

[CPT Davenport]

More beer works great! Tho that doesn't work for the kiddos or an early bike ride. Do you have a thermal pack? Not much but it does help a little. Crazy that some folks were absent on the day common courtesy was being handed out. Always a bummer when camp neighbors get too loud too late. I would think that a FWC would have a few issues when used with a family of four (especially as they grow). This is why I ran a bigger rig for our masses of offspring (just wait, soon they will also want to each bring a friend!) Now that they are out of the nest, when we camp together they bring their own set ups. Our Hawk is proving to be the absolute ultimate rig for just the wife and I.

 

[Vic Harder]

Ditto on the earplugs and fan. My adult daughter sleeps with noise cancelling headset on!

As for room with the kids/spouse, maybe consider putting one or two of you into a tent?

 

[heinphoto]

That's one of the reasons we bought a FWC - to be able to get away from other noisy people! If you have to stay in a developed campground because of your races, then you don't really have many options. Soft side popup campers aren't really that much different than tents from a noise standpoint. When we do have to stay in campgrounds or close to other campers, we use a battery-powered white noise generator or the roof fans, which does help some.

 

[craig333]

I have noise cancelling headphones and they work amazingly great but I can't sleep with them on. White noise doesn't work for me either. Camping far away from others is the only thing that really works.

 

[JaSAn]

Things that have worked for me over the years.
Hunting cabin full of snoring men:
- ear plugs; custom fit the most comfortable.
- bluetooth ear buds with whatever sound you want piped in.
Grandby or tent in noisy campground:
- AM radio tuned to static.
- radio tuned to music or talk.
- noisy fan.

'da beagle doesn't like static, won't wear ear plugs, restless when noisy. Radio with music or talk, or fan sometimes works.

 

[PaulT]

Before retiring, when I was traveling often, I bought noise cancelling headphones. Worked great to make the plane disappear.

One drawback I discovered on a flight was that while it was easy to cancel the regular repetitive engine and wind noise, the sound of screaming infant with an ear infection and suffering ear pain due to air pressure changes was enhanced by removing the competing repetitive noise.

I switched to sound isolating ear buds that reduced all outside noise. You will have a new problem with the sound isolating headphones.
you won’t be able to hear the grizzly bear looking for entry. Everything has tradeoffs.

For sleeping, some foam ear plugs could be a solution. Cheap & easy to try.
Paul

 

[SantaCruzin]

Thanks all for all the insights! We don't have the thermal pack and while I've considered it, I don't know that the investment would be worth the minimal improvement. I knew it wouldn't be much better than a tent sound-wise, but what I hadn't accounted for was the fact that we're up above everyone else where the sound carries on unobstructed.

Certainly, one of the major draws of the FWC was our ability to "get out there" and away from others...or at least others who are more into camping for the large amounts of alcohol and late-night parties. But with racing...well, I need to be near the race. Generally other mountain bikers are pretty considerate, but occasionally you do get the odd parent of a teen who is racing that's overserved themselves. I've tried it all...tents, a toy hauler, a class-C RV, and our 1968 VW Westfalia. None of them have really fit the bill for what we need.

As for sleeping 4, we've done it once and it worked fairly well. I was up with the kids on the over-cab bed and my wife got better sleep down on the couch. Long term, the Rhino Rack batwing awning we have has the ability to add walls (we have one, saving up to buy the others) to make a sort of add-a-room for the kids to sleep in.

At the end of the day, I'm trying to avoid us having to buy a travel-trailer, which is what my wife would like to get again. I can't see getting rid of the FWC as it just works too dang well for me, but she is adamant that for family trips we "need" a better sleeping setup and a bathroom.

 

[camper rich]

As a last resort I use the Plug and Drug strategy (earplugs and a Tylenol PM). Not suggesting you drug your kids, but it works for me. Generally I prefer camping away from other people but it can also be wind noise or something else. I like the FWC because it is like camping in a tent but there are drawbacks.

 

[Jon R]

A lot of ear plugs start to irritate my ears after an hour or two. These ear plugs - Mack’s Ultra Soft - are the first I’ve found I can wear all night without them irritating my ears. I have to wear them all night on fishing trips sometimes due to snoring fishing partners. They also have a better sound reduction rating than most foam earplugs. I use them for hearing protection as well.

https://www.macksearplugs.com/product/ultra-soft-foam-ear-plugs/

Most major drug chains stock them.

 

[BBZ]

A lot of ear plugs start to irritate my ears after an hour or two. These ear plugs - Mack’s Ultra Soft - are the first I’ve found I can wear all night without them irritating my ears. I have to wear them all night on fishing trips sometimes due to snoring fishing partners. They also have a better sound reduction rating than most foam earplugs. I use them for hearing protection as well.

https://www.macksearplugs.com/product/ultra-soft-foam-ear-plugs/

Most major drug chains stock them.

I like the wax ones the best for comfort, the foam ones also bother me after awhile..