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Does anyone ever sleep out in the open in the Berg? By this I mean not in a cave, hut or in a tent, but just in the open. I have done this several times and really enjoyed it. One of the key advantages of the Berg over many other mountain ranges (Alps, NZ Alps, Rockies, Pyranees, anywhere in UK, Patagonia etc etc) is the great reliability of the dry season weather. For many months of the year there is a huge, dominant, stationary high pressure system and no bad weather can come near. This makes sleeping out viable for many months a year.

There are many advantages to sleeping out - including:
1) a far, far greater variety of places to camp and the flexibility that goes along with that- e.g. at the bottom of Ifidi pass, bottom of Leslies Pass, halfway up Fangs Pass, anywhere on the escarpment - where the terrain isn't quite flat enough for a tent but where there are several flat areas for one person scattered about
2) lighter load - bivvy bag is a good idea but comes in much lighter than a tent
3) potentially better security - tents really mark you out and 75% of cave locations are probably known to locals
4) with the flexibility of sleeping pretty much anywhere you can string together some unsual days - days which are normally defined by caves and places where you can pitch a tent
5) great connection with the surrounds.

As I say, I've slept out in the Berg quite a lot and have done so for weeks at a time in the Algerian desert. It makes for memorable camp spots which really can be chosen with all sorts of other things in mind - like best late eve/early morning photos, best place to stop the night. I get the sense there used to be more of this in the old days in the Berg (e.g. Reg Pearse in Barrier of Spears) than now. Is that the case?

Yes, I've done this a few times when the weather has been fine, and really enjoyed it, but must admit it was never planned and the tent or cave was always there as plan A.

Most often the planned sleeping out option for me has come on night 1 - to gain flexibility at the foot of a pass which has no convenient cave (Injisuthi, Leslies, Fangs, Mbundini, Ifidi etc) and when the weather forecast is solid. It makes for a nice early crack at the pass and with the rest of the days sorted with caves, the tent can stay behind.

At times it also has been impromptu - e.g. half way up Fangs Pass for 3 nights when I was sick once (more risky under those conditions - no tent!).

Here is an impromptu 'sleeping out of the tent' story.

My dad, ST² and I did a trip up to Cockade Pass this past June when i was visiting in sa. I am a light sleeper, and my dad is a loud snorer, or should I say roarer! Anyhow, first night i just took sleeping tabs and slept through, the second night though after taking 1.5 tabs, the snoring was still keeping me awake. So i thought, 'stuff it' and dragged my sleeping mat and bag onto the path between our two tents and just went to sleep there. By that time i had taken another 1.5 tabs and nothing was going to wake me. Fortunately ST² did not climb up the small slope between the two tents for a nightly call of nature because he would not have seen me. That would not have a been a good thing.

Sleeping out in the open is a great experience although I have not slept out in the Berg, not yet. I remember once sleeping out when it was full moon, I had to keep moving throughout the night to sleep in the shade of a tree. Started on once side, ended up on the other.

Off topic but regarding sleeping pills on the Berg, I've heard of many hikers doing it but was wondering about the effects of altitude sickness being induced/worsened by them? Any comments?

It has been proven that sleeping pills shorten your life and do not cause natural sleep (ie the melatonin etc is not properly secreted, thus its not proper quality sleep). It would also make you less sensitive to sounds around you, so some locals can unzip your tent and help themselves...

Before a hike (like 2 days before) have a lot of fibre (in the form of a fibre suppliment or lots of fruit, not a laxative) and don't have anything to eat for 3 hours before you sleep, this helps you to sleep better. Also consider eating a massive breakfast and a small snack for supper... I'm not joking, I have used this technique to help me sleep when I'm stressed about the exam I'm writing the next day, it works very well. And if it fails, take 2 skinless almonds, half a banana and some milk, warm the milk and consume these 3 items together when you want to fall asleep, then lie in your sleeping bag and think about something not related to any form of stress or planning (eg a movie you enjoyed)...