Skipping the bag all together

[justinspicher]

I think you should just give your thought process a try. If you freeze then you know it didn't work and you are back to the drawing table. By doing it now, you won't ruin a hunt.

 

[Jager]

Ha ha, love the intro.

Your mad if you don't take your 'blanky'. Your first night in the weeds will suck and you will be heading out at first light to get your bag or whatever.

I am hearing your theory with the jacket, however, a bag or quilt offers that 'thermal retention' effect of trapping warm body height in its free space and larger surface area around your body.

If you are that concerned with weight, ditch the sleep pad way before your bag.

I just know there are going to be some amusing posts from you.

Good stuff, have fun.

 

[EC4reel]

Thanks for the warm welcome! I appreciate all the advice!

I looked at those quilts, and too be honest I didn't even know these were a thing. The quilt idea is genius and like "bounds" said, I owe it to myself to have a good nights sleep. TREAT YO SELF! I'm going to bring my white noise machine now though. I'll be ordering a quilt shortly.

As far as experimenting in my backyard with different sleep systems thats a good idea. I'll give it a shot here in a few weeks and report back on how miserable it was.

Thanks again to everyone! I'll be posting more stupid questions in the near future.

 

[SHTF]

No questions is ever stupid man keep on asking away. We try to have fun around here. THese guys kick much behind and will teach you alot and have fun while doing it =-)

 

[badkneesbro]

Jager said to maybe ditch your pad. I accidentally did that once & was totally miserable. The ground can be cold, especially if you go with a quilt without a pad! In fact, I believe our quilts rely on the insulation of our pads to keep us warm. I guess you could go survivorman mode & use pine bows, but I wouldn't. Just my .02.

 

[amp713]

Im with you EC i hadnt ever heard of a quilt before this sight, sadly id just bought a new bag right before. Its doing good but i think the quilt would have been better. And as SHTF said, ask away stick around and have fun!

 

[charvey9]

Personally, I can't sleep without some sort of cover, blanket, or bag. I also think you'll be cold, even in the 40's. Try sitting all day in your puffy's at that temp and you will start to get cold. At least take a bag with you and give it a try first, but I don't think it will be to comfortable.

If money isn't a big deal, check out Zpacks bags. 16oz for a 20 degree bag. Can't go wrong. Where you live in Oregon?

 

[Hunt'nFish]

Jager said to maybe ditch your pad. I accidentally did that once & was totally miserable. The ground can be cold, especially if you go with a quilt without a pad! In fact, I believe our quilts rely on the insulation of our pads to keep us warm.
I guess you could go survivorman mode & use pine bows, but I wouldn't.
Just my .02.

I've done the pine bow thing, it's actually quite warm and cozy if you do it right.
Trick is to lay a down bed of larger 1" bows (bow up) alternating lengthwise & widthwise, then progress to smaller & smaller diameters as you build it up. Don't stop until it's at least a foot deep, the deeper the better. Make the perimeter slightly thicker than the center and that will keep you centered on your bow bed.
Anyway it's a good technique to know if you find yourself with a leaking pad.
Like I said it was quite warm and comfortable, even when it's cold and rainy out.
Hunt'nFish

A bushcraft tarp shelter pic on a multi day bear hunt from a few years back.
(kinda makes a Kifaru Super Tarp shelter look like a palace huh?)

 

[Jager]

That is a great pic Hunt'nFish.

 

[ChadS]

The old browning A5 Humpback!

 

[badkneesbro]

Maybe Im wrong Hunt n Fish. You make the pine bows look good!

 

[Hunt'nFish]

Maybe Im wrong Hunt n Fish. You make the pine bows look good!

Oh don't get me wrong, I still prefer my BA bag & Q-Core pad. (wink)
But I just wanted to point out it can be done and how to do it right.
After all, the OP was asking questions about "roughing it" & I thought this came close.

Chad, yep I'm a Browning fan as you can see by the A5 and A-Bolt.
I have a total of five Auto-5's. This one is a 26" Light-12 that I was using on grouse.
I think I gave $150 back in the 90's used. Gotta love that awesome Belgium cut engraving.
Hunt'nFish

 

[EC4reel]

Great pic Hunt'nfish. When I do some trial runs in the backyard I'll use the neighbors fir tree.

So do I have this right? The quilt and pad is basically a comforter and bed? What R value do you want in the pad to make this system work?

 

[badkneesbro]

Others are a lot more experienced than me, but Ive been toasty on my thermarest x lite down to about 25*. I think its R-value is 3.2? I think Ive read that the x therm is much warmer & only a couple of oz. heavier. If that's the case, then I don't know why Ive got the x-lite.

 

[badkneesbro]

Yes. The pad & quilt are a bed & comforter. Even with a sleeping bag, insulation from the ground is important if you wanna keep warm. The reason is because that insulation youre crushing with your backside, in a bag, is worthless. It isn't doing anything but adding weight to your pack, because wether you use down or synthetic insulation, they both require loft to insulate. That part of a bag that youre sleeping on top of, cant loft. That's why so many of us have switched to quilts. Just make sure you get one the appropriate size if you go this route. Im 5 11 @ 255lbs so my regular length xtra wide works well for me. This way, on cold nights I can secure the quilt straps underneath me to avoid drafts. A good lite weight bivy sack keeps it all together. Quilts aren't for everyone, with a good bag, youre less likely to have these draft problems. That's their primary advantage & that they have a hood. I gotta add though, I don't have problems with drafts & my next quilt will be xtra long in case I ever feel the need to cover my head. If you search these threads youll find all this stuff I just laid out & a lot more.

 

[Hunt'nFish]

The above is why I use a Big Agnes bag, pad pocket w/ no down insulation in the bottom.
BA bags are a hybrid, best of both worlds. I use the BA Q-Core pad and it's R-5.
In the summer & early fall you could definitely go with an Air-Core w/ lower R-Value.

I guess what R-Value pad to buy depends on your usage. If cold weather hunting is in your plan I would go with an insulated pad, if not, get un-insulated. Like said above a bivy sack over the pad & bag adds another 10F or more sleep comfort. And I suppose you could always add a SOL thermal bivy sack (with the reflective coating) inside your quilt to add another 10F comfort. And adding base layers, socks and beanie adds another 10F. And I've even slept in full clothes before (course 6" of fresh snow on top of you will have that effect). So as you can see, you have the ability to layer and control your warmth by adding or subtracting layers.

I have wondered when a sleeping bag mfg'er will add the reflective dots to the inside of a bag.
Not sure if Columbia w/ their Omni-Heat technology is using it on sleeping bags????
But I see an opportunity there if not.
Hunt'nFish

 

[cwoodyt87]

Sorry, first post....new guys need an intro.....cue music

Hello, located in Oregon and I like to hunt.

I use a bow as a walking stick for most hunting seasons and I'm just getting into the backcountry hunting hipster scene. This summer I plan on packing in 27 miles (or 2mi) and killing a 380+ (or 180+) bull this year that I digi-scoped from google earth, totally solo (with 3 friends who have quads).

My biggest pet peeve is when my Kuiu pants get dirty.....Uhhhhhgg #dirtsgross

hahahaha - there is a kuiu forum for that!

http://forum.kuiu.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4736&sid=8a5375f263d55ab03db09d6f01ea0f33

 

[cwoodyt87]

Yes. The pad & quilt are a bed & comforter. Even with a sleeping bag, insulation from the ground is important if you wanna keep warm. The reason is because that insulation youre crushing with your backside, in a bag, is worthless. It isn't doing anything but adding weight to your pack, because wether you use down or synthetic insulation, they both require loft to insulate. That part of a bag that youre sleeping on top of, cant loft. That's why so many of us have switched to quilts. Just make sure you get one the appropriate size if you go this route. Im 5 11 @ 255lbs so my regular length xtra wide works well for me. This way, on cold nights I can secure the quilt straps underneath me to avoid drafts. A good lite weight bivy sack keeps it all together. Quilts aren't for everyone, with a good bag, youre less likely to have these draft problems. That's their primary advantage & that they have a hood. I gotta add though, I don't have problems with drafts & my next quilt will be xtra long in case I ever feel the need to cover my head. If you search these threads youll find all this stuff I just laid out & a lot more.

The one thing I don't like about the quilts (i have not used one though) is not having a hood - I love cinching my bag down tight when it gets well below freezing, with only a small opening to breathe through.

 

[colonel00]

The one thing I don't like about the quilts (i have not used one though) is not having a hood - I love cinching my bag down tight when it gets well below freezing, with only a small opening to breathe through.

Where are you at in Misery? There are a few of us in KC that have quilts that you could check out if you wanted. You are correct, it is different but would it be a true assumption that you usually sleep on you back? I could never stand mummy bags and especially hoods because I sleep on my side most of the time.

 

[cwoodyt87]

Where are you at in Misery? There are a few of us in KC that have quilts that you could check out if you wanted. You are correct, it is different but would it be a true assumption that you usually sleep on you back? I could never stand mummy bags and especially hoods because I sleep on my side most of the time.

Saint Louis area - I switch on and off between side and back. I've never understood why people dislike mummy bags and hoods for side-sleeping, but I've read that plenty of people hate it!

Doesn't your head get cold w/ a quilt?