How many of you Leverage you Gear insulation w/ your Sleeping bag

[Magnum61]

After watching Barklow's dynamic rewarming drill, he mentioned that people should consider sleeping in their insulation in their sleeping bag so they can carry a lighter sleeping bag and leverage all of your gear.

I'm curious as to how many of you do this and what is your combo for certain weather situations?

Thanks!

 

[Bruce Culberson]

EE Revelation quilt rated to 0F. Down to freezing i wear base layers. Down to a couple degrees below freezing I add a fleece top. Colder than that I wear my Uncompahgre jacket. I tend to sleep cold.

 

[MuleyFever]

You have to be careful as you can actually reduce the warmth rating by stuffing too much into your bag. It probably works better in quilts than tighter mummy bags, depending on how much clothing you add. If you add too much and crush the insulation it is counter productive.

 

[Trial153]

For me the bag and quilts are confining enough. I would rather sleep with my base layers on rather then fully clothed. I will also make a case for being conservative and having bag/rating that will work without having to use all my layers to sleep....in that if things go south at least I have extra options to add layers. If I am already leveraged then what?

 

[idahohikker]

Glad you wrote a thread on this. I have backpacked in late fall weather that got down to 10 degrees over night. I want to work on my clothing/sleep system to get down to 0 degrees for safety reasons in case things hit the fan.

I think clothes are a great way to increase the warmth of the sleep system. I sleep in a jacket when the weather gets below 25 degrees.

A 20 degree bag and warm clothes could make 0 degrees pretty comfortable. I think I need a balaclava or neck gaiter at least with my beanie. What are the other clothes that help you stay super warm?

I like the idea of clothes adding warmth because 0 degree bags are pretty heavy from my research. You'll already have the clothes with you.

 

[Magnum61]

Glad you wrote a thread on this. I have backpacked in late fall weather that got down to 10 degrees over night. I want to work on my clothing/sleep system to get down to 0 degrees for safety reasons in case things hit the fan.

I think clothes are a great way to increase the warmth of the sleep system. I sleep in a jacket when the weather gets below 25 degrees.

A 20 degree bag and warm clothes could make 0 degrees pretty comfortable. I think I need a balaclava or neck gaiter at least with my beanie. What are the other clothes that help you stay super warm?

I like the idea of clothes adding warmth because 0 degree bags are pretty heavy from my research. You'll already have the clothes with you.

I'm completely rebuilding my kit from the bottom and I'm starting to look at all of this. I felt like taking the route with humility involved was the best so I'm forcing myself to relearn a lot of things.

Because of a move recently I need to hunt solo now and this seemed like a solid way to manage weight. My thinking was the same; get a 20-degree bag and use useful clothing to add to.

 

[*zap*]

Outer layers are a good insurance policy but it is probably best to have a correct bag for the ambient temps so you do not need to wear them other than a warm and comfortable balaclava.

 

[idahohikker]

Yeah, I agree with the humility. If you're a backpacker with some experience, you can go with what you've been doing but Rokslide always has a better way that leads to more gear purchases.

I think this system would be pretty solid for down to zero degrees depending on how cold you sleep:
Quilt rated to 10-15 degrees
Sleeping pad
Wool base layers
Beanie
Neck gaiter or balaclava
Down jacket

Or,
Tent with stove
Haha that makes all the preparing easier. But, good luck finding a decent backpacking tent and stove set-up for less than $500.

The clothes won't be messing up the insulation from the quilt because it's not so confined like a mummy bag from what I understand.

The weight savings on the quilt is pretty awesome compared to sleeping bags and people love them so I'm leaning that route.

 

[Poser]

I’ve had a 20 degree quilt Down Into some -0 temps. Since you are carrying clothes anyway, it only makes sense to use them as insulation to save weight, bulk and money.

 

[Magnum61]

I’ve had a 20 degree quilt Down Into some -0 temps. Since you are carrying clothes anyway, it only makes sense to use them as insulation to save weight, bulk and money.

I have a 20 degree Quilt and was wondering if I should do that. @Poser , Could you go into more detail on your setup and how you use it?

 

[Poser]

I have a 20 degree Quilt and was wondering if I should do that. @Poser , Could you go into more detail on your setup and how you use it?

The colder it gets, the more layers I utilize. Slept in a puffy on a particularly cold night that I would guess was -10.

 

[AK Troutbum]

My most commonly used system for mountain hunts, Aug-Oct. is a 35° EE quilt and my puffy pants/jacket, sometimes base layers as well. I figure I’m taking the puffy gear regardless, so I may as well use it to sleep in (if need be), and that allows me to only carry the 14 oz. quilt.


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[Magnum61]

My most commonly used system for mountain hunts, Aug-Oct. is a 35° EE quilt and my puffy pants/jacket, sometimes base layers as well. I figure I’m taking the puffy gear regardless, so I may as well use it to sleep in (if need be), and that allows me to only carry the 14 oz. quilt.


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This is a great example! thank you for this. What would you consider the edge of this setup for temperature?

 

[AK Troutbum]

This is a great example! thank you for this. What would you consider the edge of this setup for temperature?

It's hard to say really just because I haven't used it in any really cold temps. I've definitely used it in temps down around 20 and maybe a bit colder, but I'm not sure. I haven't had any issues with being cold in those temperatures though. If I anticipate colder weather I just bring a heavier quilt like a 10 or 0 degree and I have only done that on a couple of late Oct. hunts and one late Dec. hunt.

 

[renagde]

I just invested in a new system. I went with a 28* bag that weights 22oz, then I pack a down jacket and down pants that total about 25oz. Thats just under 3lbs for a system that should keep me comfortable to around 20, possibly below. It also cuts down on the amount of layers I have to pack so all in all I feel like it saves weight for my situation.

 

[Mike7]

Having a puffy hood and large enough quilt are critical for me when sleeping below 25 degrees.

I use my 20 degree quilt late fall and winter, and 40 degree quilt early fall and summer...and then just change what clothes I am bringing to supplement this as needed.

10 degrees is comfy in the 20 degree quilt in this fashion when combined with a baselayer on the legs + fleece or puffy jacket.

 

[KHNC]

So , the military cold weather training recommends sleeping naked or just in silkies in a mummy bag. Wonder why they dont train to wear insulation on your body? Are they wrong? I usually dont sleep with anything but silkies and a silk bag liner down to 15 degs. I dont camp colder than that! lol

 

[Blockcaver]

I've been sleeping in my hunting clothes for the past 40 yrs. How many layers depends on the weather, but sure makes getting up easy in the morning or for a night time pee break. I use a 15*F down mummy bag. I'll wear the base layers above freezing plus pants and shirt around freezing and start adding puffy jacket and pants when it gets down toward 15 or 20. The system seems good down into single digits, maybe even 0.

As a side note, last Feb out on the polar ice I took two sleeping bags...my down 15*F bag that is snug fitting plus a synthetic 15*F backpack bag that is a bit looser fitting that I can fit over the other bag. Worked like a champ, and saved buying an arctic bag for that trip. Never took off my base layers, zip-off 230 weight long johns, KUIU Attack pants, heavy synthetic shirt, Microtex shirt and Puffy pants and jacket for 11 days.

 

[Jimbob]

I have a a couple WM bags rated at 15 and 20 degrees and also just purchased the WM Caribou (a 35 degree bag).

I bought the caribou because I need it for family hiking trips but I will also use it for August hunts in Northern BC. I have not tested the bag yet but coupled with my Montbell puffy (that goes on every trip) I anticipate being comfortable to below freezing. I plan on getting some puffy pants in the future as well.

 

[tttoadman]

I spoon with my puffy jacket. It just takes up some of the dead air in my late season bag, and it makes quite a difference in comfort for me.