Patrol Basics: How to Sleep in a Non-Permissive Environment, Tips and Tricks 

A honest question: Who is this video for? I think it is interesting and entertaining, but I am a bit unclear of the target audience. My hypothesis: 1. Experienced military people, who want to know what someone else says about the subject 3. Everyday youtube watchers, who just want to see camping content with a military twist. 2. Aspiring soldiers, who want to learn. 4. Doomsday preppers / militia people When I see content like this I get a bit worried that is content like this mostly for people in category 4. What do you think?

Me, in a completely permissible environment, knowing I have work in the morning, watching this instead of sleeping

I was homeless for 5 years. You can learn a lot about sleeping in non-permissive environments by simply not having a home.

In British army reserve doing infantry officer training I slept 7hrs across 4 days in the field. Often we simply didn’t get chance to sleep, and led to 90% of my platoon falling asleep while waiting for an ambush, I made sure I stayed awake by aggressively blinked all the time, later that evening after a day of patrolling and mock assaults I was on guard duty with 2 others and I couldn’t help but fall asleep, but it was safe as the other 2 guys slept during the ambush so they were able to stay up. I simply don’t get how we were supposed to stay awake as much as the training staff intended. This was in 2019 btw

as an experienced wild camper who hunts on private land with public access (ie without security), i'd add 3 nuggets of hard won experience: 1. practice practice practice - take your gear out and use it and train and test and try things and program that muscle memory to always do the same things with your gear, practice can help diagnose and fix problems that aren't ever going to come up in a youtube video. 2. if you lie down and something ain't right, get back up and fix it immediately regardless of how tired you are, because it will only get worse and you will have a miserable night 3. cold feet are the worst, your body closes off circulation to preserve heat but it means they'll never warm up. one trick is to briefly stand barefoot in a stream before bed, it'll open up your circulation and when you get in your bag that'll warm the air around your feet, keeping them toasty all night. it'll also help keep them clean and foot health is life or death cause you can lose an arm and still walk out but if your feet are messed up your either dead or someone else's problem.

Solid info. Not too many gear companies producing content like this. Very grateful.

In the British military we had a saying " any Muppet can rough it ". There was always those that left things behind because they didn't want to carry it, and they would end up in shit order due to being cold, wet and tired. Cracking vid, looking forward to the next one

Good stuff.... I'd add, in the Nam our primary issues were different from what you described for cold weather. Some of the team carried full gear (very heavy), I was disinclined to do so, as we were going on long-range patrols thru jungle. Biggest issue was insects (leeches, and mosquitoes). Had to carry a lot of insect repellent to put on boots and exposed parts of the body... which was only partially effective. Water purification tablets a must as well. A good water proof poncho is only partially effective when in monsoon rains, but also helped with the insect problem. Some places we had to standup to rest (or sleep) as the ground insects (leeches, centipedes, spiders} and venomous snakes wanted your space and body heat as well. But hey, one learns what works best thru trial & error, if you live long enough.

I came in the Army in 80. Never had enough sleep in the field. We did Platoon Confidence Training in n Germany. On the FTX we did 50% security and only got a couple of hours of sleep at night trekking through the mountains. After three days we were walking into trees, walking half asleep. The entire platoon fell asleep waiting to do an ambush. We couldn’t concentrate and think straight. We did still get a lot out of the training despite being tired. I as Mechanized Infantry. We generally tried to get most of our sleep in the back of the track while moving. If closed up. During Desert Storm . I was driving a HMMMV and took turns sleeping with the Captain I was driving when we stopped for short periods. After we set up an AA, and pulling guard for a couple of hours I was finally able to get some real sleep in the vehicle. Never called the sleeping pad a puss pad or anything like that.

I am actually surprised there isnt more videos about this on youtube. Everyones worried about "Oh CQB, oh high speed gear oh, oh muh target transitions at 10 yards." But during training, my biggest thing was how much the fiekd sucks and how to make it suck less, especially sleep. Thanks for getting this out there! Hopefully it opens some eyes and gets people thinking outside of the tacticool box!

That 'your mom' joke in the middle of the video was fucking hilarious.

A concept that stuck with me from a NOLS semester was the idea of “storm proofing” your gear- if you remove anything from your pack, put it back or close the pack up. So that if it’s rains in the next 5 mins or your have to grab your gear and move its closed up ready to go.

In my experience, getting a little sleep is substantially better than getting no sleep. On an exercise, we patrolled for hours to and from the objective, doing a recce and attack when we got there. Afterwards we had to dig out shell scrapes and set up sentry positions. That one hour i got in the morning made me so much more functional and had me feeling a damn sight more functional. Ive heard even 10-20 mins can make a significant difference. If the environment and situation permits, get some sleep. It's essential admin.

After doing a 3-night backwoods camping in TN in early August I 100% agree on the bug net. Having a half shelter set up with no bug net, I made friends with the frogs every night

Sleep deprivation is no joke, it's not just about performance but genuine physical danger, from blue on blue to catching pneumonia due to suppressed immune function. And the worst part is even with 8h a night in a non-permissive environment makes proper sleep essentially impossible, because heightened baseline cortisol reduces deep sleep to the extreme level. Degree to which we can adapt and to which we're responsive to "mental tricks" is genetic too so that's why sleep deprivation is so crucial during selection and school (especislly for special operations), you just can't know what's up until you try it.

Pair of soft ears has been the best sleep aid I’ve found in my career. Blocks out all the background noise and helps you sleep deeper by not being startled awake by every little insignificant noise in the bush

You are well spoken. Nice to listen to someone articulate

Never heard someone obsess so much about the details of sleep. As a former night shift worker I notice and appreciate your craft mate. Well done.

I have 823 hostages in my basement.

High quality stuff here. Really great advice and finally someone that shares thoughts about things that really matter on the field.

Hell I learned this stuff from my dad at a very young age. He's just a woodsman. We were taught not to sleep in the clothes that we sweated in all day if you can help it. He even used to take us winter backpacking on snowshoes in northern NY when it's -40 with windchill and we'd sleep in our own snow shelters. Good times.

To add regarding 4hr sleep, I think there's a huge difference between physical and mental exhaustion. Physical I believe you can overcome, but mental exhaustion definitely needs more sleep.

My own personal experience with this is using the micro sleep technique. sleeping 3 hrs here, 4 hrs there in a 24 -36 hr period really helps me maintain my physical and mental health in order to continue working. I understand that it doesnt work for everybody, just my own personal experince.

Excellent video. My first 10 years from 1979-1989 we were issued an air sleeping mat which we had to blow up. Problem was that they could get a slow “leak” from tiny holes you wouldn’t notice until too late. As a 17 year old soldier at my first duty station at Ft Carson I found out the hard way about heat conduction when my leaking sleep mat deflated and I was freezing in the Colorado night on my truck bed sleeping bag direct to truck steel. I was cold all night despite having a an Arctic bag with feathers in it. My last 10 years especially attached to the light infantry it was a rolled sleep pad with our ponchos and liners. We weren’t allowed to use our sleeping bags unless it was extreme cold. During the invasion of Panama in 1989 we only used our ponchos because of the Jungle rains. Ponchos were our most valuable shelter and weather protection in the light infantry. Your video is absolutely spot on and I thank you for getting this information out. 👍🇺🇸

Thanks Adam, I got a lot out of this video. I also said to self...”Duh, why did I not think about that?” Experience is priceless! Thanks again!

When I was training on Camp Pendleton, I had a rotating watch and we were in foxholes. My battle buddy and I took turns sleeping until our watch was over. Biggest mistake I ever did and still remember it to this day. It was 40 degrees or so with a coastal breeze. The ground sucked the heat out of me inside of an hour with my cammies and gortex on. Luckily our shift was up not long after. I was so cold for the rest of the day and still remember that day 20 years later. Good lesson learned that could have killed me.

What is often overlooked, but especially in the winter time, is the neckgaiter. Most people especially beginners tend to sleep in their sleepgear with their heads tucked inside the sleepingbag, not a good idea. Because all that co2 will condense and soak up the sleepingbag, making it lose insulation. When lying inside a sleeping bag, put on your watchcap (As a lot of bodyheat leaves through the head), cover youe face with a neckgaiter, leave your head outside of the sleepingbag and you're good to go.

Brilliant video. Clear and honest. This information is essential to everyone, military and non military. You never know when any of us will be in a bad situation where we need to sleep on the move. I've just subscribed 👍

I truly appreciate your hard work and service. Thank you for sharing some of your knowledge.

+1 on the extra poncho, bug net and beanie. Complete game changers for the quality of sleep.

For small units, rather than each member carry an entrenching tool we would carry a 1:2 or 1:3 of tool to team member. As there will always be guys on security, it was often enough to consider the tool "mission specific" and pack enough that one or two guys can be digging while others are dealing with security, comms, and possibly beginning observation.

This information is very valuable especially in a emergency where you must traverse a bad situation.

This is great. This helps to prepare for getting bumped at night, and those are bad times if you aren't ready

“Pack up ready to go”, one of the first things I was taught on my first field exercise in boot camp in Guards Depot Pirbright Surrey UK in summer of 1974. And if you watched what your instructors were doing you got a better idea if SHTF was going to happen lol. If they are not eating or getting kit out it’s a pretty good idea that things are not going to go well for you in the training environment. Still use this as my mantra when I’m just out in the woods camping today.

I experienced far more sleep deprivation though out selection and training than I ever did in combat (non-permissive and semi non-permissive). I think that training to function while sleep deprived has value but I strongly agree with you that after 2-3 days/nights of minimal sleep you definitely start seeing capability drop off. I have always struggled to sleep since childhood so for me personally four hours of sleep is plenty. Only now as a fifty something adult can I sleep a little better. My problem was that I would wake up at the drop of a pin and never be able to get back to sleep. I just had to learn to function on less sleep. Apparently some people function normally on less sleep and I was told I am one of those people but I disagree. I may have learned to function at what is considered a "normal" level but I still felt tired and I know it had some negative longer term health impacts. Bottom line, sleep is far more important than most people realize! Great video, great topic!

THE Best, TO The Point Survival video i EVER Saw Mate!

Sweet! Adding a few things to my buy list! Woobie, E Tool and Poncho were three things I didn't have yet. As a concerned citizen, these all sound like important pieces for a Get-Home gear setup. Thanks guys!

I did military service in Finland and we use THICK sleeping bags, with the clothes under, or pants in your ankles. Also works as a great dryer for wet socks and such, they just magically dry during sleeping. With enough practise you can get out of a sleeping bag real quick lol

I have 3 kids under 5 years old. This was a useful video.

I'm so glad that youtube recommended this video for me. Great video!

When I was in the Marines in the late 90s we were issued the older style roll up sleep pads at Camp Pendleton. Guys would buy them from surplus stores out in town. We would cut them down to double our upper body size and fold it over and duct tape them together. We would place them in the pack frame of the ALICE pack between your body and the pack for travel, thereby saving space on your pack and it acts as a cushion between you and the pack.

"Ranger holes" are awesome for softening ground and exposing either cooler or warmer ground depending on the environment. Sand is a terrible insulator.... but youll still find warmer ground underneath when those winds and cold roll in

In the first few minutes I realized you wanted to sleep. I cannot hold that against ya because ya keep it real and you got right to the points. Thank you for advocating sleep time

gloves and balaclava in the cargo pockets at all times, great info here, especially 'drape it over your alice pack and use the belt as a pillow', brilliant.

Great video sir. 12 years in the army and I used common sense with my gear. The older stuff mind you. Never the less, my gear was used just as intended. Thanks for sharing.

I'm looking to whittle down my larping setup to do similar things. This video came at a great time, thank you for putting it together. ❤

Thanks for mentioning the mosquito net. I always bring it plus leather or lined gloves. Thanks for your fine video.

Spandex long-sleeve turtle-necks are super nice. Clinging to the body like a 2nd skin, warming & wicking moisture. I've found it crucial to minimizing my layering requirements and carry weight for snowboarding, kayaking , hiking, or desert raving in Colorado.

Best part about being a FiSTer was never having to pull guard. Also using the woobie as a poncho liner instead of a standalone "blanket" can be an expedient ground pad/sleep system. Lay on it and then use the left over material to cover your self up or fold it in two to double up the insulation from the ground if you have something else to drape over you. Just 550 cord the woobie to the poncho so they stay together. Poncho keeps the wind off of you and the woobie keeps you warm.

This is amazing content you are putting out here on YT. Funnily enough, I was going through my own research of what makes a good sleeping system, what is a good weight/warmth ratio, etc. and then I see you guys posting a video about it. As I have quickly went through the comment section, I will also join the ranks of people who say that such "small" things are vital for your average minuteman or infantryman. I myself a firm believer that a good soldier is somebody who can create a comfort for himself even in the worst environment possible because, as it usually happens, you might spend much more time in this environment then expected. Love the content, looking forward to the next one!

Great tips and outstanding presentation, and highlighting the psychological necessities of sleep even in combat situations!!!!

Great Video! Thank you for the content. I actually view these end to end.

I had bad insomnia at 24 and did 4 hours asleep and 10-12 hour work days for about a year and that definitely left a mark.

Fantastic video! A couple of thing I would like to add (may or may not have been addressed). - Waterproof as much you can anything that can absorb water. Besides the obvious, stuff soaking up water will add weight to what is probably already a heavy pack. Use wet weather bags or heavy duty trash bags in a pinch. Also for stuff like a fleece cap, socks etc that you might want to keep accessible in an outer pouch on your pack, sandwich bags work great, are cheap, and transparent so you can see what you are grabbing before opening it up. - A good tarp with some decent tie down points for a more deliberate shelter is a must have. - Stakes with 550 tie downs already attached are fantastic for these deliberate shelters. Raptor tactical sells some polymer ones that are super lightweight and work fantastic for this purpose. - Bungee cords. Fairly multipurpose and they make setting up a deliberate tarp shelter super fast and just as fast to break down. Additionally they help keep constant tension for said shelter. Also, if you have an alice pack they can be easy to store on the frame itself. - That old school jacket liner (basically a button up woobie jacket) is a super cost effective insulating layer that brings me almost as much joy as the fleece cap. I could go on but if your attention span is anything like mine you stopped reading awhile ago.

Very cool, man! Thanks for this. i love it because i can take my LC-1 medium, i use with no frame, my patrol bag and poncho, and ranger mat on top, and get through almost anything out here. i'm also in NC on the coast, outer banks Southeast 💯🙏 i know i'm not in combat but it's very fun stuffing tiny minimal kits and bugging out stealthing for a night or 2 out here, there is so much wilderness! Great video.

My mother sleeps very terribly on campouts, no thanks you very much Sir! Hahaha great dig, but for real, this was video was super informational. Never ceases to amaze me the practical sense "i Know" but have to be reminded of frequently. Thank you for this video!

I used to use the MSS goretex bivy and poncho liner. I would crawl inside or drape over like a blanket depending on context. Sometimes would wrap or drape poncho depending on temp level. this in addition with a ground pad, pine boughs, leaves, gloves, neck gaiter and beanie and additional insulation layers I had, worked fairly well for most conditions. as opposed to using the whole MSS system which was heavy and took up a lot of space. That goretex bivy was awesome! I felt like you could float away in that thing! I am also a big fan of the head net.

Great Tips. As a medic I like being as light as I can be to hold more medical supplies. Went with a Wilderness Innovations Poncho and insulation options they have. Allowed me to ditch my issued insulation options, go lighter and warmer in some instances. Depending on temps and environment I have been able to ditch the pads. That said, the colder it is the more the pad does come into place even with my system. Nice to see others put the concepts together.

I am an ultra marathon runner and attempt two night trips on minimal gear. 20 liter hydration vest and depend on a water filter. cant tell you how much I appreciate the minimal gear but practical gear approach!

Good overview with some great points. It's important to learn this stuff because when you get deployed and must go out in the field, your mental state and your image of reality is skewed because you're constantly in survival mode. Good phyiscal fitness and solid nutrition/diet is also a huge factor here. Great teamwork is what ultimately ties it all together. Stay frosty brothers.

LOL mom jokes for the win! You guys are absolutely putting out gold.

These videos rock. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience! I’m not a soldier and I hope to never have to use this information, but I am happy to learn.

Really good informative video. Thanks for taking the time to put it together & publish it. Stay safe & well.

Glad to hear someone talking about falling asleep while walking. One of my old PLs experienced that plenty of times at ranger school, his group referred to it as teleporting lol

The internet needs a tutorial on how to poop in a non permissive environment. 😐

One thing about buying Gortex rain gear from a surplus place. Look for stuff that is lightly used. Speaking from experience when guys get out or change units they have to clean their gear to a pretty ridiculous standard when they turn in back into CIF, even though its probably getting dermo'd anyways. So if your Gortex is covered in red dirt (dudes from Schofield Barracks and K-Bay know what I'm talking about) you probably sent it through the washing machine and dryer 15 times before you turned it back in. All that laundering significantly reduces how water proof the material is.

Thank you for your service. Excellent and very informative video!

I'm really glad to hear about sleep time , I believe it too . I have heard do may people say you only need 3 or 4 hours of sleep . I could not function after a couple of days .

I always carry either two ponchos, or a poncho and a tarp. This way I have one that can be dedicated to creating shelter as needed, and the second to whatever other purpose I need. I will often lay out the poncho as a ground tarp, and if I need additional insulation you can fold it in half and stuff it with leaves, grass, or pine straw. You can then roll that up and reuse it when you move, or just stuff it again in your new position. More you know, less you need to carry.

For patrolling, I would take a cut down sleep pad just large enough for my torso. It kept me warm enough to catch some sleep and saved a lot of bulk.

That's really smart using the ruck as a tent in a way

The Stone Glacier Grumman down puffy coat you’re wearing is the best thing I’ve ever purchased and put in my pack! Little space, little weight, lots of windproof warmth!

I’d love to see a pack video, external frame vs the civilian backing internal frame models. With the collective experience of Spiritus, I think that’d be super helpful

Cap always! Great you mentioned it. Appreciate the video, thank you.

This is a great video. I am watching it again! ...and again

Never been in the military, don't plan on it ever, but I backpack and sleep out when I can (really just fun, it's never non-permissive). I thought this was great content, and also think it's funny the amount of excusing you had to do! Especially for sleep pads... pro tip: cut yours to 1/2 or 3/4 length. Saves weight, and you really don't need it for your legs/feet, just your core. ✨✨The cold does not care if there's a war on, it will kill you just the same ✨✨

Body heat is the currency and nature is the thief. Amazing video, thank you so much 👌

Bravo my friend. What a practical and informative presentation. Very well presented. Thank you.

Very knowledgeable dude . Great cinematography. Well done including all of the gear.

First! Can’t get enough of these videos. Put all of this into practice during my last field op. Outstanding work. Semper Fi Gents

I don’t sleep on the ground really but I’m a new EMT and we get put in a lot of crazy environments and the whole thermodynamics and cold weather gear portion of the video helped me out a lot. I work with a lot of ex military/NG/68W types and its like these guys just have a secret survival guide or a magic fucking bag that pulls out the correct garment for the weather that day. Being new and underprepared has been a big challenge but I’m learning a lot from the seasoned guys. So frustrating though to realize some of the shit I bought is just fucking impractical in the field.

Beautiful lighting, framing and general camerawork/editing!

Massively interesting. Thanks 👍

Excellent info. The Kifaru Woobie and HPG Serape together are pretty bombproof. Also, change your socks and don't tighten your boots laces as much as normal, it will keep your feet warmer. You can also use your rain jacket to zip around your feet is it is colder.

Brilliant stuff!! Please keep it coming. I’d have my dog in my Bivee with me if I was going all NPE and all. She’s my early warning system, in case someone’s trying to creep on me. The whole kit would probably end up on my dual sport motorcycle (yes, including the dog). 😅

This content is for people like me! Thanks boys

Thanks for this excellent video man. I really liked this video. I also really like my sleep.

As a health care worker who works 3-13 hour overnight shifts a week for the past 25 years, fatigue is my constant companion. Ive functioned 48 hours with no sleep. It can be done but it cannot be sustained. By night 3 or 4 the exhaustion kicks in. 4-6 hours of sleep if i am lucky during the day between shifts. Weight gain as one consumes calories to stay awake. My brother served in the Airforce as security, he was Ranger certified. They told him back in the 80's for every 5 years of overnight or swing shift, it takes 6 months off of life expectancy. I believe it. So i am already at least 2 years less than average. Fatigue though can be held off, WILL take its toll eventually in one form or another. Rest can make a difference.

Good information, you guys keep doing stuff like this, its appreciated.

Превосходные, ценные рекомендации, все самое необходимое перечислено и актуально!

Hey man... thanks for what you do. I appreciate it.

The "Your Mom" got me, with a mouthful of coffee.

I would add an industrial thick mil trash bag. Good for keeping things dry and doubles for ground cover. Little strips of it burn 🔥 great too for fire in wet terrain Also add Dyneema 800lb cordage as it is better than paracord in most applications as it is UV resistant. Also comes in fishing line which can be used for perimeter alarms, traps, fishing, and sewing up torn gear, or replaces shoe laces.

i look forward to the sequel thank you

I love outdoors and your background is great. I can join in your next adventure 🫡

For hot and cold areas I have found that the shemagh is more than capable of keeping bugs away, keeping the sun off you, keeping you that much warmer, and it is lightweight

Pro tip. One need not sleep all eight hours in one shot. Two, four hour intervals is ideal. But three, three hour intervals works. The most important part of sleep is to get into REM sleep so that one’s brain resets and one’s body starts repairing itself.

Great Video. Keep Performing & Sharing Info.

Alot of good info, thanks for your time 👍

I had a mountain serape and the kifaru woobie when I lived up north and will definitely recommend them for anyone who likes winter camping/excursions. I used them in place of a sleeping bag at times with a hammock or just a pad. I gave my serape away to my neighbor, but kept the woobie, which I still use even here in the southeast. I can't recommend not having a woobie amongst your sleep gear as they are the closest to a mandatory survival item as you can get! 😂 I'd also recommend the helinox swagman in place of a poncho liner if you can get one.