If you like the thought of not just scaling a steep mountain rock, but also sleeping in a tent practically dangling from an anchor that climbers nailed to the side of the mountain, then maybe cliff tenting is just right for you. ¹⁾

Cliff camping is how the famed Dawn Wall of Yosemite was overcome. As Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson accomplished their impressive, never-before-achieved free-climbing feat, the Dawn Wall of El Capitan took a whopping 19 days to ascend in 2015. They spent all of their time on the wall, climbing when the weather was cold enough, and sleeping every night on portaledges. ²⁾

Portaledges were first made from army coats. In fact, they are a comparatively recent piece of gear in the climbing world. Prior to the 1980s, large wall climbers mostly only strung a hammock between two slings attached to the rock. ³⁾

Portaledges are fantastic for stargazing. The mountain and cliff sides are guaranteed to have no light pollution, which means that you can have an amazing panoramic view of the dazzling night sky from your bed if you camp on a clear night, with no trees or tent roof to get in the way. ⁴⁾