Sleeping bags...and what to do about them

imported
#1

March 1st start, in case you forgot…
Anyway, i really only want to buy one bag. I know it’s going to be cold at the beginning, but would i be able to get away with a higher degree bag with a liner, and just use my coat for extra warmth? I have a down coat that keeps me really warm in the winter. What degree do you think i could get away with if i did this? (As for summer, i might use the bag, or just the liner and keep a long sleeve themal or fleece for the chillier nights) Any comments? Thanks!

C-Giddy

#2

I extended the range of my 20 degree bag by pinning my down
coat atop my sleeping bag, too. When you’re out there you
must make equipment do double duty.

You can also wear your long johns for even more warmth.
I was nice and warm at 15 degrees using my bag/coat, and
I’m a cold sleeper(I hate cold).

Keep improvising like this and you have a good chance to finish.

G’Luck.

Scamp

Scamp

#3

Don’t forget about what goes under you that keeps you from losing warmth to the ground. You can have a really warm bag, but if you don’t have any insulation between you and the ground you will still get cold.

A 25 degree bag with a liner and adequate clothing worn at night will probably keep you toasty to about 10 degrees. The North Georgia mountains are known for being wet and cold. If you can keep the damp out you’ll stay warmer. It is the wet that will get you. It goes without saying, keep you and your stuff as dry as you can.

You haven’t said what kind of shelter you are carrying. That will also influence how warm your bag keeps you. All things work together. It isn’t any one thing that will keep you the warmest. It is good to go with just one bag for what is mostly a summer hike. Just figure in the other pieces that will increase its effectiveness at minimal weight gain.

Just be prepared for anything. I have seen the weather between Springer and Neels Gap go from the 40’s to freezing rain covering everything for the next two days in the middle of March.

Ragnar

#4

Here’s a nice one, Chris.
Saw this at REI last year.

http://www.mountainsmith.com/store/?page=shop/flypage&product_id=19&category_id=99bb4e0f11527359778ddeacf2a66401

BW

#5

As above, with a few clothes this would also make a nice March bag.

http://www.westernmountaineering.com/ba_MegaLite.htm
Both have high quality down for extra poofiness. Poof is important, ya know.

BW

#6

Put a bunch of dry leaves on the ground, then put ground cloth on top of them. This will give you some dead air space (insulation) between you and the ground. The more leaves the better, because they will pack down quite a bit when you lay on them.

If you see or camp near a pine thicket, then pine needles are great for this also. Also some small pine branches with live needles on them can be used.

Pitch tent or tarp downwind side of a large log, downed tree. This will provide a good windbreak. It’s the wind (air movement) that sucks heat away from you big time.

Get some of extra large heavy duty garbage bags and put sleeping bag inside of it or several of them. This adds dead air space and of course extra warmth for you.

If all else fails and it’s gets really cold at night and you are miserably cold, then get up, pack up, put headlamp on, and hike on into the night. That will really warm you up. It is when you stop hiking, sit down, rest, or lay down to sleep that you really get cold.

So I think that if you do all of the above or whatever of it is needed, then it should work out okay for you. Hope this helps.

See you out there. :cheers

Maintain

#7

Ragnar asked about shelter…I have a MSR Zoid 1. And yes, this is helping alot. Any opinions on fleece vs silk liners?

C-Giddy

#8

C, it’ll add like 10* inside vs outside temp…and no wind!
Don’t forget to avoid camping at the bottom of hills. All the air goes down hill when the sun goes down. The warmest place to camp is half way up to near the top of the hill on cool nights. Dinner at Deep Deep Deep Way Deep Gap Shelter and walk on to the top of the next hill to sleep.
Down liner works great, also doubles as a full summer bag. Packs to a grapefruit. Friends have fleece ones, gray turd and purple turd as they’re know. I used one once and they worked great too. Just not that compressable.

BW

#9

When I camp in the winter here in NH I use a flannel liner I made from a sheet to add warmth to my zero degree bag. The flannel prevents that awful feeling you get from sliding into cold nylon and adds about ten degrees to the bag. I used a silk liner and a twenty degree bag in Georgia and was never cold. A couple of nights I had to put on my polypro long johns though. The liner has the added advantage of keeping your bag clean without having to wash it too often.

Big B

#10

Maintain:

I alway thought covering your sleeping bag in garbage bags would cause heavy condensation to formon the bag. Without any air getting at the surface of the bag, that condensation would soak the bag during the course of the night. Or did I misunderstand what you were saying?

Big Boy and anyone else:

Due to size and weight issues, I thought I would go for a silk liner. When I opened it up at the store, it was very thin and seethrough. I am mainly interested in it to keep my bag clean. Is something that thin gonna stinky me from getting the inside of my bag dirty/stinky? Or should I go fro something like fleece or coolmax?

Sleeper

#11

I ran the gammit of bags… started with a twenty degree bag… only had one night that was slightly uncomfortable… switched to just a one pound fleece bag right after Mount Rogers. Then switched to only a silk liner during the summer months… then to a 30 degree sierra designs bag for the finish. This year I will be using a western mountaineering 20 degree Ultralight bag. I slept outside the other night in the windy city and stayed so fricken warm. Probably will go to fleece for the summer.

Aswah

#12

If you want to use only one bag and are starting in early March -

Option A: Use a down 20-degree bag and be prepared for some extra some extra weight and sleeping somewhat warm at other times; or,

Option B: Get one of the down 30 or 32-degree bags and sleep cold at beginning and end.

If you go with option B, I’d recomend either a Marmot Hydrogen (30-degree, 22 ounces) or a Mountain Trails Phantom (32-degrees, same weight). A silk liner should add between 7-10 degrees of warmth.

Brutus

#13

A large heavy duty garbage bag is a good thing to slip your bag into at night and also to carry your bag in during the day, roll it up in it. Done like this, you can tie it to the top of your pack or to the bottom or carry it in your pack----however you want w/o fear of it getting wet.

I did not say seal the thing super tight when you sleep in it at night. You are going to need air to breathe, so the bag and outer bag will be able to breathe too. Hence no condensation. Also if you leave a little air exchange hole open just a tiny bit, this will also stop condensation within your tent. Also will give you some fresh air to breathe.

It is also good to use a garbage bag outer shell in case your tent or tarp leaks during a heavy rain, then hopefully the outer shell garbage bay will keep your bag nice and dry.

Also using a large garbage bag as an outer shell will help keep your bag nice and unsoiled by the ground, etc.

Now there are some waterproof bags out there that you can supposely sleep in when it is raining heavily and not get wet, but don’t think most are waterproof and even if yours is, the zipper opening will/can let lots of rain in.

Whatever you do, you do not want to get your bag wet from the outside or the inside, because it will be real heavy to carry and not very nice to sleep in----a cold wet bag.

Now suppose you hike in the damp drizzle during the day. At night, you want to be able to slip on some dry clothes and jump into a dry sleeping bag-----so waterproof, and waterproof, and take extra precautions to waterproof and keep things dry some more.

Perhaps others can advise you how they managed to keep their bag nice and dry for sleeping in at night.

See you out there. :cheers

Maintain

#14

I ended up getting the Marmot Sawtooth. Rated at 15 degrees. 600 fill down. 2lbs 14oz. $199. Now…was this a bad idea? I mean…is this gonna be too damn hot in the summer? If I go with this bag, I’m thinking for the summer months, i’m just gonna bring a quilt or sheet or something i already own, and stich it to make a sort of liner…and send this bag home…I dont know…what do you guys think? Too heavy to use for hot summer months? Or worth keeping on me?

C-Giddy

#15

harder to take care of on the trail. I used a 3#, 20 deg synthetic
bag and could wash it easily in most towns. You’ll be fine
with a 15 deg bag and a coat.

In the summer I slept on top of it. Sometimes you get chilled,
even in the summer, then I climbed 1/2 way into the bag.

I always used a therm-a-rest air mattress for ground insulation.

You might try a poly/fleece blanket for the summer.
Temps can go down to 50 degrees or so at night.

Scamp

Scamp

#16

If you sleep sans shelter/tent in a down bag and the weather is “frightful” - might consider carrying a bivy bag for a water-resistant shell. But keep the bivy well ventilated. Try not to zipper the bivy opening shut - just use the snaps or keep the opening open.

Please correct me if I’m wrong - if you are really concerned about your bag getting wet then don’t carry a down bag - use a synthetic.

Brutus