How to pack for a multi-day hiking/camping trip - Part 1: Sleeping

A few years ago, I decided that for my birthday I would like to do a hike-in camping trip with some of my friends. While I had done a few trips like this with friends before, this one was set to be a little bit bigger and more ambitious, and would require a little bit more planning on my part about what I was going to take. My friends and I made a packing list based on what we thought we needed, and then set out to acquire anything we were missing. Since that time I have done a number of similar trips with friends, my most recent one being in Waterton National Park. The stuff that I carry has evolved a bit over time as I bought better items, and found out through a bit of trial and error what worked and what didn't. Even though I've packed basically the same kinds of things for most of my trips, there is still a bit of thought that goes into the packing process before we venture out on a new trail. Today I thought I would share this thought process, and maybe help you in your own preparations, or even encourage you to try this type of camping yourself if you haven't yet.