gear that works as it should.
 

This time of year is great for testing out your gear what works and what doesn't.
you know the saying, As snug as a bug in a rug, well how do you folks achieve this:thumb:
on my last camping trip with our man george 12345;) up in the mourn mountains in northern ireland last week , i honestly thaught i was going to freeze to death, my akto was disappointing as was my down alpkit sleeping bag, i ended up wearing all my cloths to try and keep warm.there was a cold draught blowing on the inside of the tent all night:mad: now it could be i didn't zip up the air vents properly but akto owners do you suffer the same problem , or was it a case i just pitched it all wrong. in my defence it was dark and a gale of freezing wind blowing hard.:eek:
as for the down sleeping bag this was its first winter outing i need a better bag any suggestions please.
gear that does what its supposed to do really well are
exped down mat 7
thermarest compressable large pillow
thorn sherpa bike
assos cycling gear
ortlieb bikepacker plus panniers
and a simple wool hat.

http://thetouringstore.com/ORTLIEB/O...r-Holder-1.jpg

the filter, a handkerchief, or paper towel.

Which model Alpkit sleeping bag did you use and how cold was it? Did you have a good meal before sleeping and were you wearing loose fitting clothes or nice and tight?
Sounds like the Akto was pitched perfect for ventilation, not many people manage to pitch it that good I read ;)

Hope your next trip is a bit comfier :)

Lasse alpkit pipedream 400 no idea what the temputure was but man it was cold nof frosty to much wind for that. i had that many cloths on i felt like a old sheep , (but a cold one)lol
yes food wise i was ok. but is this the norm for winter camping it was my first time camping in winter conditions. thanks.
in summer touring my gear works fantastic but it is 4 season so no pressure put on it ,should i go for a much warmer bag.

Hi anto that night I had my Robens Down Lite 500 www.simplyhike.co.uk

That is a summer bag (fill weight is only 400 grams). It works as it should in summer.

certainly explains a lot.:thumb:

Get a goose down bag - preferably prime northern goose down and at least three pounds. That should be good for most situations. I have slept in -20 degrees F using a 3 lb goose down bag with a 2 lb duck down bag inside it, me inside that, and I was warm as could be. Gotta keep down bags dry though!

I'll say that my North Face Cat's Meow sleeping bag (20 F rating) does a good job down into at least the low 30s. The only time I know of that I took it below that, it was 18, and I supplemented it with an insultex quilt. Of course, my feet are always cold seemingly no matter what, but it's a good bag. Pretty heavy and bulky though.

My Carradice Longflap saddlebag is quite nice, though unfortunately the geometry of my newest bike (Surly Troll) makes it an awkward fit over the rear rack. It's supposed to hold up to 18 liters and I think it does -a great stash spot for light, bulky stuff (top quilt, hammock, etc) or for day rides or bikepacking.

Said Surly Troll is also great. The only negative so far - the handling gets sketchy when the rear is loaded up with cargo. However, that's true of pretty much any bike. In future trips I plan to have a front rack to distribute the weight better. I think this thing will make a great off-road tourer and a pretty darn good on-road tourer too, and based on several blogs I've seen of Alaska to Argentina rides using it, it's already well spoken for.

My hammock is a Grand Trunk Ultralight Skeeter Beeter. It is pretty darn light (although I'm hoping to make a DIY hammock that will be lighter yet) and does beet skeeters, and with custom suspension (Amsteel adjustable slings) is extremely easy to set up and get comfortable in. There's just no comparison to sleeping on the rough or wet ground in a tent.

One way I've found to extend the temperature range of my sleeping bag is to use a vapor barrier liner. But you don't want to be wearing much, if any, clothing inside the liner since then you tend to get moisture condensing in the clothes. I've found it to work well when the temperature gets below freezing in my 2 lb. (1 lb. down fill) sleeping bag that's rated to +20F (-7C) and have used it comfortably with the vapor barrier down to 0F (-18C). The liner only weighs a few ounces but makes a huge difference when the temperature is below freezing. An added benefit is that I lose less moisture during the night so when I wake up in the morning I don't have my usual thirst.

This thread interests me greatly.

What kind of vapour barrier liner are you folks using/talking about? Something made of tyvek?

Last year I used a North Face bag (cannot remember what the model is) in the Australian winter with a Hennessy Hammock. It was cold on a number of nights in the outback (July) when there was frost. High humidity did not help and my bag was covered with moisture on the bottom. I used a mylar coated piece of bubble pad insulation found in building supply shops and it worked well...

This year for my next bicycle tour in the Australian winter I am taking a Nallo 2 GT tent (because there are few/no trees on part of my route between Perth and Adelaide) and a MEC "long" bag rated to -12C shown in: http://www.mec.ca/AST/ShopMEC/Hiking...ng-bag-12c.jsp .

I am debating on taking a silk liner/silk pajamas with a hood. The vapour liner sounds "tantalizing" :p

The first one I used was kind of by accident. I had one of the 'Emergency' mylar bags in my backpack and when the night promised to get considerably colder than planned I decided to wrap myself in it and then get in my sleeping bag.
http://www.amazon.com/Mylar-Emergenc.../dp/B002V14***
I had never heard of a vapor barrier liner at the time, but found that it worked very well at keeping me warm even though the night temperature was well below the rating of my sleeping bag. These mylar bags work fine, but they are rather noisy when moving around. So a number of years later I got a North Face vapor barrier liner that's made of waterproof coated nylon. It's a little heavier than the mylar bag but is quieter and a little more comfortable on the skin. Don't know if North Face still sells this, but there are a number of companies that do.

I don't usually carry this on bike trips since I prefer to do bike touring when the temperature will stay above freezing. But I used it often on backpacking trips.

Thanks for this. As I am in the south Asia area, getting a VBL may be more difficult than going to a tailor and having a high-quality silk bag liner/PJs made. Holidays north of the equator are summer, but bicycling in Australia at that time means winter/cold weather. OTOH, when I am freezing my butt off in northern climates it is nice for bicycling in South Africa, Australia, and NZ :p

The title is “Gear that works” and this is what I have. I bought my sleep system Army surplus like new condition for 200 USD. It is not a super light system if you are packing all the parts for cold night but even without a tent the bivy will provide the best sub-zero night’s sleep. What I like about a MMS is you only pack the components you will expect you will need.

http://www.tennierindustries.com/rfi-mss.html

Gear that works? My Eureka Spitfire 1 tent. The Garmin Vista hCX. The Nebo Redline flashlight that doubles as a headlight. My Kindle. And the cup holder on my Tour Easy bent.

I always pitch my Akto for maximum ventilation. You need a good breeze to prevent condensation. In really high winds I have had problems with rain spray being forced through the end vent onto my sleeping bag so i closed the sides of the vent (leaving the top open).
Does that downmat thing work? I found that my inflatable mat developed an undetectable leak after hard use so I reverted to a piece of closed cell foam. Maybe you should carry a foam sitmat and use that under your torso for extra warmth.
I always have an issue with sleeping bag ratings, I always get cold. I bought a 3 season Ajungilak kompact and finally had some warm nights. They are very good for synthetic bags but carry extra bulk and weight compared to down.

yes i need a better sleeping bag for winter conditions thats for sure but would a silk liner be a option to my alpkit and would that cause dampness inside which would be a disaster for down. i know you need a stream of air to keep condensation at bay but a gale force wind is another thing lol.

Gear that works like it should:
MSR Whisperlite
Arkel panniers
Camelbak Unbottle

All of these items have their limitations, but I knew them going in, and have no complaints. Maybe that should be the second question asked when purchasing gear. The salesman (woman) is always willing to tell us what a certain piece of gear can do, maybe we should ask what it can't do.

ahh now that you mentioned stoves my optimus crux is knackered damm i loved that thing, i email optimus to see if it can be fixed before i go spending yet more money.