Frequently Asked Questions
(FAQ)
Tips for Sleeping Outside
Not much. You know your way around on your balcony, your terrace and in your garden and can easily try it out. Even in the wild - at least in Germany - there are no animals that are dangerous to humans without their own intervention.
Sleeping outside is basically not very complicated. A sleeping mat is quickly rolled out, a camp bed or the SkyHeia quickly set up. Of course, if you take your bed out of the bedroom, dismantle it and set it up again outside, it's a bit more work. But it is so worth it!
Yes, absolutely! Our children love to sleep outside. At first we made ourselves comfortable with them on the trampoline, later we slept in the bed set up on the terrace. Even sub-zero temperatures don't keep them from this pleasure. And: they don't even miss their mobile phone and tablet. Sleeping outside is a wonderful opportunity to bring children closer to nature.
Above all, you need a comfortable sleeping surface, such as a good sleeping pad. If you don't want to sleep on the floor, get yourself a camp bed or, of course, the SkyHeia. You will need a sleeping bag or a duvet, of course of different quality and thickness depending on the temperature. And don't forget your toothbrush if you're sleeping away from home.
The best way to keep insects and spiders away from you is with a mosquito net. In outdoor shops you can get such insect protection in different sizes and designs so that they fit your sleeping setup.
You can protect the duvet and sleeping bag from dew with a simple foil or, better still, with a thin fleece blanket. Unfortunately, your head and pillow cannot be protected from rain and dew, but at least this saves you having to wash your face in the morning.
Sleeping bags or duvets (in Cologne: "Plümmo"), which are appropriate for the temperatures, will help you here. You will find information on this on most sleeping bags, with bedding you have to try out for yourself how thick the duvet has to be so that you don't freeze. If it gets really cold, you can put an additional metal foil under the sleeping pad, camp bed or mattress so that you don't get too cold from below.
If you want to celebrate sleeping outside, pack something tasty to eat and drink. If it gets damp at night, a waterproof bag or sack will help keep your clothes and shoes dry. Take all the things you enjoy with you: a good book, binoculars and your partner or friends, of course. Then you can look up at the night sky together and with a Stars-App or map determine everything you see in space.
The SkyHeia
The SkyHeia is 97 cm wide and 207 cm long and thus offers space for a 90 x 200 cm mattress. The bed frame is 42 cm high, and the assembly parts at the head and foot end ensure a total height of 84 cm. The ZweierHeia, i.e. the double bed made of two SkyHeias joined together, is 194 cm wide, with the same length and height.
The SkyHeia weighs 23.9 kilograms.
The SkyHeia is stowed in two carrying bags made of water- and dirt-repellent and very robust and tear-resistant fabric. The four slatted frame elements and the 4 side rail halves are stowed in one pocket (105 x 50 x 11 cm) and the 4 parts of the head and foot end in the other pocket (99 x 50 x 15 cm).
All components in the pockets are protected against rubbing against each other by fabric protectors. Most accessories such as the mosquito net and the tent poles required for it, including bed post extensions, also have space in this bag. Each bag is equipped with sturdy shoulder straps that are big enough to sling the bags over the shoulder.
The SkyHeia comes to your home in a sturdy corrugated cardboard box by parcel service. The package contains both bags with all 12 components. The package is 111 cm long, 35 cm wide, 59.5 cm high and weighs 29.3 kg.
The SkyHeia can be assembled and disassembled completely without tools - all parts are plugged together and some are additionally fixed with tension locks. You will find assembly instructions in one of the two bags. We have laminated them for you so that they don't get dirty. Soon you will also find a video with all the steps. By the way: Our record for setting up the SkyHeia is 1 minute and 51 seconds.
First you simply push the four bed post extensions onto the four ends of the bed so that the holes for the tent poles point towards each other in the longitudinal direction of the bed. You insert the locked telescopic tent poles into the holes so that there are two arches that you connect to the ridge pole at the highest point using the rubber adapter.
The dome is ready, in which you can now hang the mosquito net with the clips. To do this, first roll out the net on the slatted frame. With both the tent poles and the mosquito net, you don't have to pay attention to the front and back because both sides are the same. Soon you will also find a video about assembly and disassembly here. This will certainly help you and we will show you useful steps in it. Above all, we will also show you there how to connect two mosquito nets with each other if you want to turn two SkyHeias into a double Heia.
The SkyHeia is made of anodised aluminium. It is easy to clean with a damp cloth and a little washing-up liquid. It is important that you keep the connectors of the SkyHeia clean. Hard dirt particles, such as sand or small stones, damage the plug connections and in the long run lead to the fact that they can no longer be joined together precisely. Therefore, you should pay particular attention to cleanliness in these areas. We provide you with a care cloth.
The SkyHeia is designed for a maximum person weight of 120 kg, provided that you use the SkyHeia properly as a bed and not as a trampoline or climbing frame.
If you accidentally damage the SkyHeia, you don't have to dispose of the bed or take it to the scrap metal dealer. You can get each component individually from us. Just contact us if you need spare parts.
The Accessories
In principle, you can use any mattress with a size of 90 x 200 cm for the SkyHeia. Shortly, we will give you a recommendation for a German mattress manufacturer from whose online shop you can buy a mattress of your choice for your SkyHeia.
The mosquito net, which "hovers" over you like a dome, protects you from this kind of uninvited guests. To prevent creepy-crawlies from sneaking into the bed from below, the net is connected to a solid fabric bottom so that you are protected along with your mattress. The side parts of the mosquito net can be removed with a zip so that you can combine two mosquito nets into one big dome.
An exchangeable cover and a rain cover will soon protect you from rain and dew in bed. Give us a little more time so that we can finish developing and producing these accessories and offer them to you.
If you place the SkyHeia on soft ground, e.g. in the sand, you need wider bed feet so that you do not sink in. The wider bed feet are also available in height-adjustable versions and can simply be screwed into the bed posts after you have unscrewed the standard feet. Of course, we have many more ideas for accessories that we will put into practice as soon as possible. If you still have wishes. Just send them to us!
Tips for on the Road
Unfortunately, there is no clear answer to this question. While sleeping in a tent, camper van or caravan is generally prohibited outside of tent and camping sites, there are no clear regulations for sleeping outside and in the open air. Under no circumstances may you sleep outside in nature reserves. In other public areas, sleeping outdoors is often tolerated, but usually only for one night.
If you want to be sure that you are allowed to sleep in a place outside, you should definitely find out the owner beforehand and ask him or her. Of course, this applies especially to private property. Most of the farmers and forest owners we asked were rather amused by our intention and allowed us a nice night on their land.
That's a matter of taste. One likes great adventure and sleeps on the rock face or on the floating raft, the other is looking for the secluded idyll and prefers to sleep in a forest clearing or on the shore of a lake. It is certainly advisable in any case to take a good look at the place before you make your bed.
You should certainly not pitch your sleeping place directly on the banks of a stream or river, so that you are not surprised by sudden masses of water in heavy rain. Before spending the night in the forest, you should also inspect the trees carefully and not spend the night where dry branches could fall.
We will soon be making recommendations for exciting outdoor sleeping places here and are of course also looking forward to your suggestions and experiences. Feel free to write to us if you know of suitable places.
The small business should be done a little away from the sleeping area and for the big business please dig a hole at least 30 cm deep and cover the droppings completely with earth. Used toilet paper belongs in the rubbish.
Take it home with you, of course. Please leave the night camp as you found it.
You should refrain from having a fire in the great outdoors because of the risk of forest fires. In Germany, open fires away from designated areas are usually prohibited anyway. Again, if you absolutely want to light a fire, please ask if it is allowed.
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