apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I'd love to, but only in a fully screened-in porch or something similar. I don't like dousing myself in chemical bug repellent (which is the only kind that seems effective) and would otherwise get eaten alive.

No, I'd be eaten alive. To be honest, I've been wondering what people with these beautiful garden areas do about mosquitoes (another southern tradition!)

On a porch surrounded by redwoods. The mosquitos are only bad around dusk, so I duck inside for that portion of the evening or light something that will drive them away.

i sleep outside sometimes on my porch....they sell Citronella candles that work fairly well.

I only sleep outside during the day. I'll have to think about it for the night. I seriously consider sleeping in my basement as an alternative - nice and cool. And, once I get the dehumidifier working not too damp.

No... I'd love to have a screen porch where I could, but the back yard isn't really an option because of 1) the mosquitos and 2) narrow lots in our neighborhood that would mean anyone walking/driving down the alley would have a clear view of me fast asleep, which feels kind of creepy.

We don't really sleep outside at night, but we do nap in our hammock in our big back yard during the afternoons! check it out here:
http://www.makemineeclectic.wordpress.com

Yes, in fact I've had a siesta outdoors three times last week alone. First in a hammock, second on a blanket after a watermelon snack, and third time was under the oak tree in our yard.

I live in Florida and I'm not sure where the mosquitoes are, but I'm certainly not missing them.

A nap outside is the perfect way to relax after a long morning of weeding the garden, swimming in the pool, or resting a full belly after a picnic. I made homemade peach iced tea and mixed berry popsicles to enjoy before my naps. Oh my, I'm such a Southern girl. Aside from Monday when the heat index was 110, I've been outside every single day as much as possible.

i live in seattle and sleep outside as often as i can during the summer months. naps I opt for the hammock, hung between two cherry trees, and at night the bf and i blow up the air mattress and bring out the double sleeping bag. it's the only time i allow myself to smoke in bed!

I live in Chicago, and I wouldn't feel safe sleeping outside. Plus, the heat and the noise would prevent me from being able to sleep. Plus, plus, my dog would be barking her head off at everyone who walks by, which wouldn't be very restful.

On weekends, I'll take a lakeside afternoon nap.

I wouldn't and couldn't sleep outside a lot for the noise. Living near the train tracks is not suitable for sleep and there's too many kids screaming most of the time. Plus I'd have to sleep on the shared balcony and I just wouldn't feel safe asleep where a bunch of college students could literally stand right next to me.

Yes! Sort of! I have a fully covered sun porch with 3 walls of windows. It's just big enough to accommodate a twin sized bed, and it's lovely on hot nights.

If I can get my act together I'll send in pics for My Great Outdoors.

Yes, we sometimes sleep in the hammock outside, would love to have an outside bed as sometimes we get smooshed together at the center of the hammock, would be nice to stretch out. I get the best nights sleep when sleeping outside.

Nothing better than a nap in the hammock on a Sunday afternoon. Mosquitos around here can be bad, but having lots of birds around seems to help a lot. We keep three feeders full and have tons of birds and don't seem to have any mosquitos whereas most of our neighbors do.

In the hammock, which is inside our screened back porch.

Nope, not in the summer! It's too hot and sticky now that we're starting our "how many days in a row can we hit triple digits with no rain" count.

But if I had a secure screened porch, I'd sleep outside during the spring and fall!

I take naps in my backyard, on a blanket under my melaluca tree.

In fact, I take a lot of activities outdoors. For instance, I am working from home, on a chair outside my bedroom deck. The fresh air does wonders for productivity.

After May, it's too hot to sleep outdoors in southern Louisiana. It's like 105 outside right now and it won't cool down until well after 10pm and by cool down I mean go down to the 80s. Other than that, if it's not the summer here, mid-May to mid-September, I nap in my hammock in the backyard.

palmetto bugs - another Southern tradition

No. It gets cool here at night. Sometimes outright cold.
This week is 90 degree weather, dropping to 58 at night.

Sleeping outside is awesome except for mosquitoes (which we have a lot of here in Manitoba), so I usually opt for a screen star-gazing tent or a screen porch.

I live in NJ so sleeping outside in the Winter (when temps drop below 40) is ill advised.

but the summer....

I live in NJ so sleeping outside in the Summer (when temp and humidity creep up above 95) is ill advised.

When I was living at my parent's house, the backyard deck was always a great option.

Now that I live in a small apt. in SF, Golden Gate park serves as a nice outdoor napping spot.

No way. Right now it's barely dropping into the 80s at night. It's been 90 something at 10 or 11 o'clock. There's a reason the population in the south and southwest exploded after the advent of air conditioning.

Has anyone constructed a porch awning similar to the one shown in the fourth picture (with the cables)? I'd really like to do that at my condo.. using a more sturdy canvas for a more permenant use.

I recently found this wonderful example of a Southern sleeping porch while perusing the local realty listings in Birmingham:

http://realtysouthimages.fnistools.com//Images/Listing07/45001//Large/424157_20.jpg

Unfortunately, at one point in the last 80 years, the sleeping porch in my house became more of a storage room with cheap carpeting. This picture has been inspiring me to restore it back to its golden days.

That's not a realistic option for me... We've had several days in a row of 100 degree weather, and at midnight it is still 90 degrees. Plus, the bugs out there make me feel like I am in a jungle!

i'd love to have a sleeping porch, but like ChrisGal, i live near train tracks - one of the main lines to the US is 1.5 blocks north of me and a secondary line is 1.5 blocks east of me - and that line is most active at night. which makes me thankful i didn't buy the house backing on to it the first year i moved here!

today is cool - but most of the summer, it isn't...

:-(

Do open windows count? We'd sleep outside if we could - and do when camping, of course. There's nothing better then opening the windows wide (with screens, of course) and drifting off to sleep to the sound of wind in the trees.