Advice on sleeping bags...
09-15-11, 11:32 AM
#26
Avoid trauma
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My wife loves her Design Salt Coolmax polyester mummy liner:
https://www.designsalt.com/detail.asp...PRODUCT_ID=CMM
Personally, I do not believe these are weight-effective. Design Salt does have a good point that the liner will reduce the need to wash your sleeping bag frequently and that will extend the bag's life. Design Salt also has silk, nylon, cotton and blended-fabric liners: one for every taste!
https://www.designsalt.com/detail.asp...PRODUCT_ID=CMM
Personally, I do not believe these are weight-effective. Design Salt does have a good point that the liner will reduce the need to wash your sleeping bag frequently and that will extend the bag's life. Design Salt also has silk, nylon, cotton and blended-fabric liners: one for every taste!
09-15-11, 12:18 PM
#27
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It depends on whether you "sleep cold" or "sleep warm". I sleep cold, so I have to use a warmer sleeping bag.
Having said that, you can wear extra clothes to bed. If it's cold, wear some socks; they have to be clean socks though, the ones you wore all day are not dry enough. I wear a Headsweats (R) light beanie, it really does keep me warm. I sometimes wear a polypropylene balaclava. Backpackers carry down sleeping hats for cold weather. They are tiny and light compared to other garments.
I am a big advocate of polyester fiber-filled clothes instead of fleece: way better warmth-to-weight ratio than polyester fleece. If you have a way cold night, sleep in your fiber-filled sweater and you will be warm and happy.
Having said that, you can wear extra clothes to bed. If it's cold, wear some socks; they have to be clean socks though, the ones you wore all day are not dry enough. I wear a Headsweats (R) light beanie, it really does keep me warm. I sometimes wear a polypropylene balaclava. Backpackers carry down sleeping hats for cold weather. They are tiny and light compared to other garments.
I am a big advocate of polyester fiber-filled clothes instead of fleece: way better warmth-to-weight ratio than polyester fleece. If you have a way cold night, sleep in your fiber-filled sweater and you will be warm and happy.
09-15-11, 02:50 PM
#28
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My bag is an REI down travelsack. It weighs about 1lb and is rated 45F. I tend to sleep cold, and most of my camping has been in the Boundary Waters or WI... but I also do not go out for super long trips, and if the night temperatures are supposed to be 50F, I'm packing my long undies and wool socks.
Paired with some kind of reasonable mattress, and actually using the mummy hood like I'm supposed to, it works out pretty decently at 50F. Below 50F... well, I don't just sleep cold. It's easy for me to get really really really cold, so I am not into the idea of winter camping. And winter temperatures can last from September to May around here. Most years it's more like late October to early April, but I went to bed to a frost warning last night. Packing for Upper Midwest winter weather is no joke. If I think my bag isn't up to it, the rest of me probably isn't up to it either. (now if it turns out that I start camping more and more, and I get better at dressing for cold, that may change... but for now this is a very good reminder to not push the limits)
The one caveat is make sure you can test the bag. Mine claims to fit a 6' man. I am a 5'6" woman, and I am much smaller than the average 6' guy. I wear mens medium T shirts, and most 6' guys wear XL. Even so, my bag is very snug around the torso and hips. I am not sure it's physically possible to get someone who wears an XL T shirt into my sleeping bag. Plain large, maybe.
Paired with some kind of reasonable mattress, and actually using the mummy hood like I'm supposed to, it works out pretty decently at 50F. Below 50F... well, I don't just sleep cold. It's easy for me to get really really really cold, so I am not into the idea of winter camping. And winter temperatures can last from September to May around here. Most years it's more like late October to early April, but I went to bed to a frost warning last night. Packing for Upper Midwest winter weather is no joke. If I think my bag isn't up to it, the rest of me probably isn't up to it either. (now if it turns out that I start camping more and more, and I get better at dressing for cold, that may change... but for now this is a very good reminder to not push the limits)
The one caveat is make sure you can test the bag. Mine claims to fit a 6' man. I am a 5'6" woman, and I am much smaller than the average 6' guy. I wear mens medium T shirts, and most 6' guys wear XL. Even so, my bag is very snug around the torso and hips. I am not sure it's physically possible to get someone who wears an XL T shirt into my sleeping bag. Plain large, maybe.
