Bough Bed

If you need to get off the ground in a cold environment and you're not too worried about rain, this is a good bed to make. It doesn't take long and is incredibly comfortable

Start with 4 poles, wide enough and long enough to facilitate your body

You can either use stakes to hold the poles in place or as we've used here a piece of cordage..the recommended knot is what Mors Kochanski calls the jam knot or what I called the turtle knot when I used it for fishing

build it up until it's about 18 inches high

then fill with leaf litter or as we prefer, spruce or fir boughs. This takes a lot less time than leaf litter and we find doesn't compress as tightly and therefore gives a better  nights sleep. Once it's about half filled, lie down in it to compress the boughs..

then get out and fill to the top.

then get in for a very comfortable nights sleep..This bed is easy to adapt if you need to make a roof like a lean to or wiki-up, or even better if you have a tarp and just fit it over.
You would be surprised at just how comfortable and warm this bed becomes..especially if you make one that can fit two people!