I’ve been slowly working through the gear I own and carry, thinking about how well I might sleep if I had to spend the night outdoors. Depending on the kit and what I’m doing, I already had very good gear for things like disinfecting water, starting a fire, signaling for help, defense, and so on. Here’s where I’ve been making adjustments.

I have no affiliation with any products or manufacturers mentioned.

• A tarp — I’ve added a compact, lightweight silnylon tarp along with stakes and line. I’ve studied up on tarp shelters and set up a few in my back yard, under admittedly ideal conditions. I found what I was looking for in terms of weight, ruggedness and pricing at (https://www.shop.backpackingadventuregear.com/). I also splurged for a dedicated ridgeline from (https://dutchwaregear.com/) — in my mind I was building this shelter in the dark and with cold fingers, and thought about how much time and effort I could save with something easier to set up. I thought long and hard about a tent, but I couldn’t justify the pack space for an inexpensive tent or the cost for one more suited to backpacking. I’m not sure I could afford the pack space for this even if money were no object, for a day hike.
• A better bivvy sack — the bivvy sack I had in my kits had the advantages of being inexpensive, compact, but prone to tearing and very susceptible to condensation and the accompanying discomfort. I would have loved to buy a couple of very nice ones, but given the cost I ended up with something a lot less expensive than those used by dedicated backpackers in the SOL Escape Bivvy.
• My biggest lack was something to keep me off the ground, both for comfort and insulation in the cold. I settled on the Klymit Insulated Static V. For car camping, I’m sure I’d want something more comfortable, but I tried it out (in my house, not overnight) and it was pretty good for me, especially given the minimal pack space.
• I don’t sleep well without a pillow (or better, two) and bought a Thermarest travel pillow. It’s much larger than an inflatable pillow but it’s so comfortable it might end up in my regular overnight bag instead of my day hiking pack.

I’m still thinking about the best way to stay warm through the night. I have a military surplus sleep system (goretex bivvy and two sleeping bags that can be used independently or nested for extreme cold) and it sure as heck is warm, but it’s also super bulky. I’m reluctant to carry it in my car for winter road trips, it takes up so much space. I have some other options on hand that I’ve been experimenting with. I’m confident that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution for this, which of course makes it harder to figure out what to change.