I do not like hot weather. My last three tours, two of which were partly or all in Canada, the other one was in the month of April. There was snow on the ground at my home when I got home after the April tour.

I used my summer bag on my April tour, I do not recall if I used a three season bag or summer bag on my Canadian trips.

But one of those Canadian trips, I terminated the tour early when the forecast said 90s (F) and dewpoints in the 70s (F) for the next week. I had already had two weeks of great weather, was not looking forward to a week of miserable heat, so I bailed out out early since there was an Amtrak station nearby that enabled an early bailout.

A gal I used to work with always used a sleeping bag liner, she said it was to keep her bag cleaner when she was grungy. I started using a sleeping bag liner for that reason, but found that the liner was great by itself on hot nights, then as the temperature dropped I would pull my bag over more of me as if it was a quilt. Thus, I used the liner the same way you used the fleece.

That said if you find a sleeping bag too confining, you certainly would find a sleeping bag liner to be just as confining.

Heh. One night in IA I slept in only my undies without my tent fly. It was very warm and humid at night. I draped my bag over my midsection for modesty reasons.

Being in the mid-Atlantic region, I think an inexpensive summer bag is a great idea for summer trips close to home. REI might have something on clearance.

You people with quilts that try to be mummies part time, I have the opposite, a mummy that tries to be a quilt part time and I think it's great.


I got it this year looking for something much less hot than the bag I had and found this one on sale for just over 90$ US.
It's been discontinued along with all Marmot's other funny mummies.

While riding yesterday it occurred to me the reason some don't understand why I need such a long sleeping bag or quilt is because I left out an important detail. I am a belly sleeper. This adds about 7 inches or more to the required length.

Marmot has always seemed to make nice stuff, as I remember.

I was not aware of water-resistant down. I haven't bought anything outdoorsy in decades.

Gosh me too, I hate heat, especially humid heat, hence my retiring to the pacific northwest, generally cooler summers, and surprisingly low humidity, despite being a mile from puget sound.

I've used a liner for a very long time. First, a cheap one made of non-woven synthetic, which didn't last, the surface pilled and otherwise decayed. Then I was gifted a silk liner, not cheap, but has held up well, and packs about 2/3 the size of a soda can. Not needing to wash a bag improves its life. The silk liner I washed carefully in my old agitator washer, mostly just soaked with a little detergent and rinsed. Horizontal tumbly washers are easier on fabrics, but I still do an abbreviated cycle if not heavy soiled, just sweat or skin oils.

Not sure why that matters? Are you saying you want to have it pulled up over your head? If that is the case, when you exhale, all that extra moisture goes into your insulation. If it is a synthetic, not a big deal, but damp down does not insulate well.

In a sleeping bag I sleep with a stocking cap (or skull cap) on my head for warmth. That cap also reduces how much skin oil is transferred to my sleeping bag hood fabric.

I think the additional length when belly sleeping is that the feet are both pointed down, instead of retracted like when standing, or sleeping on back or side.

Sleep hat: Yep. My light pillow cases were not getting clean on full cycle in washer. Discovered I need to pre-soak in diluted bleach, that dissolves the skin oil, rinse well, put in washer. Black fleece sleep hat seems to wash ok without bleach, thankfully, I think cotton pillowcases hold onto the oil better. I don't want to need to use bleach on my sleeping bag, I'm sure it's bad for the nylon, and I'm sure will smell like bleach forever. Borax might help, I haven't tried.

I hear you about weight loss for gear. FYI, I just went to Walmart on-line and found a Wakeman Outdoors Compact mummy sleeping bad. It's temp rating is 77 deg F to 25 deg F, weight at "2.98 lb", and $39.00. I'm currently using freestanding tent (+/- 6 lb, and less than $20.00 Temu). I needed to cut back on packing clothing, tour with 3 changes (t-shirt/underwear/sox/bike shorts). Gore-tex rain suit and other weather specific clothing added as needed.

Pillowcase? Get one of these, although I don’t like the current colors:

https://seatosummit.com/products/aer...ow-ultra-light

And maybe the OP would dig on this comforter. 82.7” long and $200, although it’s only rated to 45F:

https://seatosummit.com/products/tan...42585354174637

Indy, I have looked at that comforter and it is a real contender. Will be watching for a sale price in the coming weeks. Have found a few others as well, one of them is made in USA and around the same price. Of course the materials are not US sourced, but the labor is.

If I ever bike tour or backpack ever again, it will be with synthetic underwear and socks, not cotton. Cotton takes forever to dry. Synthetic, I can hand wash, wring out, and they'll be dry in a couple hours, even if not sunny. With 3 pair total, small hand wash nightly, the washed pair always has 48 hours to dry, or 24 hours if washing 2 sets at a time. Before sleep, I always take a bottle shower and put on fresh undies. Oh, and synthetic towel as well.

That usually works.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...d40fce6e9a.jpg

Sometimes it does not work out so well.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...83ce15e689.jpg

Even with good rain gear, sometimes you need to use the laundry machines.

I am well aware that many on this forum dictate that you never wear underpants with your bike shorts, but I do. Synthetic ones that dry quickly. That way bike shorts do not need to be washed as often, and bike shorts are slow to dry because of the padding. I used to favor ExOfficio brand which cost a fortune, but the elastic went bad after a short time. Now use REI synthetic undies.

A nice breeze always helps.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...78bb2e294.jpeg

Riding with three women (wife and daughters) takes a lot of clothesline, but it is worth carrying a few extra ounces:)

https://live.staticflickr.com/1899/2...48d745e6_z.jpg

When I did an ACA trip, I made a huge mistake. I put up my clothesline before I did my laundry. When I got back, my line was already overflowing with other people's stuff.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...3fdf15ead1.jpg

Lesson learned, do your laundry before you put up the line.

Sorry, but 🤣

Seriously…That’s so “people”.

The Never Ending Quest. Bravo!

Be sure to post your changes both before and after...

Yeah I've always used undies and non-padded stretch pants for the same reason, though I did change to boxer briefs, as the bikini briefs had leg seams in the saddle area. In warm weather, I just use nylon baggy shorts.

My one and only bike tour in the mid-90s, I had not yet discovered synthetic undies, but I had plenty of space with a recumbent towing a B.O.B. trailer. But even back then, when car-touring Europe, I already had discovered casual pants, shorts, and shirts made from a lightweight brushed nylon (I can't think of the fabric brand name), EMS and Eddie Bauer brands (REI had not yet come to my area), very soft and fine weave, and the brushed surface didn't feel "cold" against the skin like a typical nylon taffeta. Quick wash in the sink and hang up in the shower, with no wringing, just drip drying, easily dry by next morning. However, a summer spent using those outside all day for volunteer work, and I found that they quickly shredded from UV light exposure. Thereafter I bought same styles made from polyester fabric, those hold up to UV.

I first went synthetic undies when snow skiing in the late '90s and noticing that my microfleece first layer and above, all dried in the length of a lunch, but the undies did not. A silk top was better, but still not as good as synthetic.

The fall back when you haven't brought clothes line...

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...6e6e6b741d.jpg

And of course, the bike too, We've all done that.

Ah yes, the smelly socks hung under the brake cable on the top tube 🥰

Light laundry day for Joy crossing the country.


https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...baa1ed537.jpeg

Take a look at Garage Grown Gear for Ultralite gear

I have settled for 25-27 pounds for gear weight, but have gone down the rabbit hole far enough that I have turned attention to the bike itself. Ditched the touring specific bike at about 27 pounds for a road bike running 28mm tires at 25 pounds including rear rack. Overall rig weight has dropped from close to 90 pounds to 54-57 pounds. I'd like to go lower, but it takes a lot more money to get lower and I'm not willing to go there.
One other thing, using Shimano SPD pedals on the bike instead of MKS Lambda pedals with the Monarch platform extender. Lighter by far. If I do go with the better quality quilt, weight will be closer to the 54 pounds.

I'm more of a pannier person than bikepacking rigs, however I never considered the road-race bike variable; If going minimally, I could outfit that with bikepacking packs. I'd need to use P-clamps to put panniers on, it has no rack eyelets, but not so with bikepacking.

When I was doing 35 miles a day, this was the setup, not bad cargo for a race bike:

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f1b8051c32.jpg

But these days, it would be my folder, but 4 panniers and a trunk bag do add a lot of weight, just themselves. If I get a travel battery for my CPAP machine, there's no way of doing without panniers; The below pic was just a train trip with short miles at each end to a house, panniers hold just clothes and some food, not even any camping gear:

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...d708920171.jpg