Sleeping bag question

Joined
Feb 14, 2025
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So to start this out, I want everyone to know that I am very new to the world of hot tents and good sleeping bags.
I currently have an Alps Mountaineering 0° mummy bag. I have used it in temps as low as 20° and stayed fairly warm. I was just using a cot with no sleeping pad.
With all that said, what is the go to set up for a proper sleeping system in temps 0-30°? I have a lightweight air mattress but the bag likes to slip off at some point in the night. I also have a fan fold ground pad that I have yet to try. While reading many posts here I ran across something about a sleeping bag liner. Are liners a must with a sleeping bag that is of my bags quality or lack there of? Also is a low profile cot something that should be added or just stick with the Tyvek sheet on the ground?
Thank you all for all your responses thus far. I am learning so much.
 
Liner will keep the inside of your bag cleaner. Keep your sweat off the bag and help it last longer.
 
For me, the perfect system is cot/closed-cell foam pad/self-inflating pad/sleeping bag. I'll sleep happily in cold temps without additional heat source.

I would freeze on a cot with no pad. I even use a pad in my hammock, either the closed cell or self-inflating.

My self-inflating pads have a face fabric that is much less slippery than most air pads.

An air pad, by itself, is definitely kind of slippery. Deflate it a little and it's less slippery/more comfortable.

A bag liner is just an addition on warmth and will keep the bag cleaner.
 
I’ve always ran a 15 degree down bag for late season hunts with no issues. You definitely want a quality sleeping pad with a minimum R-Value of 4. Sleeping pad makes all the difference IMO. I’ve never used a liner.
 
I’ve always ran a 15 degree down bag for late season hunts with no issues. You definitely want a quality sleeping pad with a minimum R-Value of 4. Sleeping pad makes all the difference IMO. I’ve never used a liner.
So when you say sleeping pad, you mean like an actual foam pad not an inflatable right?
 
So when you say sleeping pad, you mean like an actual foam pad not an inflatable right?

Thermarest x-therm and exped are also popular cold-weather sleeping pads. You want something with decent r-value to keep yourself insulated from the cold ground.
 
OP, you could get a Zenbivy sheet for your pad to make it less slippery. I dunno what pad you have but pay attention to the R value like these guys are saying, the higher the R the warmer you'll be.
 
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