Cold weather bags and room for clothing/boots

nrh6.7

WKR
Joined
Oct 10, 2016
Messages
1,149
Location
Fort Worth, TX
So I am about to buy a nice down bag for late season hunts and want to know if anyone keeps their boots inside your bag at night.
How do you keep them from possibly freezing if not? Reason for asking is I am 5' 11" and am considering a 6' 6" bag for the space at the bottom. What are your thoughts on this idea?
 
I've done that, but I was concerned about damage to the inner shell of my bag because I move a lot during the night. Now I use a floor-less tent with a stove.
 
Well, after doing a lot of reading today I think I'll get the longer bag, but only to keep electronics and such from freezing. If anyone else does this I would like to hear your experiences.
 
Not sure what kind of temps you're thinking about running your bag in, but it's important to note that a bag that is too tight or too loose is not going to be as warm as one that is a perfect fit.

You mentioned late season, so maximizing warmth is likely near the top of your list.

I run a stove to thaw my boots and would recommend the same. I'll toss my clothes for the next day under my quilt with me and keep my phone and gps covered to avoid running their batteries dry, but boots will tear a bag/quilt up in short order.
 
I personally wouldn’t want my boots inside my sleeping bag and if I was going to do it, I’d want them inside some sort of sack or something. Down bags are expensive, boots are expensive too but just last 2-3 years.
 
Thanks for all the feedback on this. Reading different forums, it's a pretty divided camp, but if I were to put boots in my sleeping bag, they would go in a light weight plastic bag first. However, I am starting to lean to just buying the 6' bag and just put the inserts at the bottom and use a stove to warm them up in the morning. Less weight, less space in the pack, easier to keep warm and a less expensive bag. I appreciate the answers.
 
One thing I’ll keep in mind for late season hunting when boots are frozen is a tip I heard on the Journal of mountain hunting podcast . heat up some water and throw it in a nalgene then put it in one of your boots then put the other boot on top of it , sounds like a good idea anyways...


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One thing I’ll keep in mind for late season hunting when boots are frozen is a tip I heard on the Journal of mountain hunting podcast . heat up some water and throw it in a nalgene then put it in one of your boots then put the other boot on top of it , sounds like a good idea anyways...


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I heard the same thing, and was another reason I decided to not buy a longer-than-needed bag.
 
Ive tried this and it didnt work for me. My issue was all of the extra air space that needed heated up with a longer bag. I slept cold which was way more of an issue than dealing with frozen boots.

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