Warmth question

[pawlinghiker]

I currently own a Patagonia R4 zip up fleece. This paired with several different base layers is a great fit for warmth control.

I am planning a 2 night winter camping trip on the AT near the NY CT border.

I have been on the fence about purchasing a down coat or down sweater as a insulation layer.

Does anyone have experience with the R4, is this good enough or do you think packing a down layer is the way to go ?

Obviously I would only be bringing one.

I have a winter camp check list I am working on. I will post this when I have it completed so it can be scrutinized by the experts on WB.

Thanks

looking forward to camping in the cold... have not winter camped since college in the early 90s.

[hikerboy57]

I currently own a Patagonia R4 zip up fleece. This paired with several different base layers is a great fit for warmth control.

I am planning a 2 night winter camping trip on the AT near the NY CT border.

I have been on the fence about purchasing a down coat or down sweater as a insulation layer.

Does anyone have experience with the R4, is this good enough or do you think packing a down layer is the way to go ?

Obviously I would only be bringing one.

I have a winter camp check list I am working on. I will post this when I have it completed so it can be scrutinized by the experts on WB.

Thanks

looking forward to camping in the cold... have not winter camped since college in the early 90s.

kinda depends on how cold you expect it to be. i usually bring the down along unless its going to be no colder than 40s. the days are short and its a lot nicer to hang out with the down jkt instead of climbing into your bag at 7pm.

note:the down is for camp, not for hiking.

in ga. this march i wore a patagonia mid weight cap, under an ems powerstrech polartech fleece, under an ems micropuff pullover and i was fine down to the teens. didnt bring the down parka and just went to sleep a bit earlier.

[Feral Bill]

For a night or two, I think you could do without down, at least if it's not exceptionally cold. Do have a warm sleeping bag to hole up in, though.

[pawlinghiker]

Far as weather, I want to wait until 1st snow fall to go out so temperatures will be in 20s for sure.

If hiking in down is a no no then I will have to pack both , my R4 to hike and the down to hang at camp in.

is there a big difference between 500 and 800 fill ?

Im leaning towards the Patagonia down sweater because I always wanted a orange down coat.

As far as my bag I have a North Face cats meow 20 degree bag.

I was not sure if I should get a good liner or just get a 0 degree bag.

I figured the liner might be cumbersome to sleep in .

Also I will be using a BA fly creek UL 3 season tent while its snowing. I dont think it will be blizzard condition probably just a few overnight inches. will this tent make it ?


I would like to post my winter camping list , under which topic would be best, maybe general.

[Feral Bill]

A 20 degree bag would be iffy. If you add a warm down jacket you should be OK. You might consider using shelters and using atarp to keep the wind out. Or just use the shelters evenings, and sleep in the tent. You won't be far from help, so plan for the forecast and bail if needed.

[Wise Old Owl]

FB I like the way you think!

[rangeley]

The biggest bummer for me about cold weather camping is waking up in the morning when everything is frozen. The waterbottles you can just throw in your sleeping bag, but what do people here on whiteblaze recommend to deal with frozen boots? It only sucks until you start hiking, but I'd like to know if there's any way to prevent FBS -frozen boot syndrome

[Wise Old Owl]

Foot warmers tossed into the boots the night before and throw them under the vestibule.

[Teacher & Snacktime]

Does that work WOO? 'Cause I was thinking the same thing.

[Leanthree]

Get the down. Best purchase of my backpacking life.

Depending on the forecast you may want to bring both but you can make that decision before you head out.

[Second Hand]

The weekend before last I did a did in overnight in Southern VT. I stayed at the Goddard Shelter on top of Glastenbury Mountain. It was 18 degrees when I checked at 8:30PM. We had snow, sleet, hail..The weather was awesome. Anyway, I combined a packable Marmot Down jacket w/ a north face fleece. I only wore the Down jacket around camp and in my sleeping bag. I had an Alps Mountaineering 20 degree bag w/ a fleece bag liner, and I wore the Down Jacket, hats, gloves and thermals to bed. I was very warm.

[Shonryu]

No one answered the question about fill weight so ill chime in on this. Fill weight determines how much a jacket lofts and compresses. The higher the fill the more the jacket will compress and themore it should loft. Lofting equates to warmth. But you also need to take into consideration how many ounces of down is in the jacket and how the baffles are designed which also play a role in how effective it will be in keeping you warm. When I was getting a custom TQ made from Adam over at Hammock gear we were talking about how many ounces of down to put in my TQ. He brought up a valid point. Out of all the things you can bring with you the last thing you should be concerned about is a few ounces of down. Having something reliable to keep you warm is always important because conditions can change drastically and depending on elevations we all know that you can see some pretty major drops at higher altitudes.

I say all thos to say take the R4 and a down jacket. Look for an UL one. Now a days there are a lot of companies who make them sub 8.5oz and at that weight there is really no reason not to bring one. I own a lot of down jackets but one of my recent favorites has become the Golite Selkirk at $139.99 and 6oz weight. Because of the weight I even carried it in the summer during warmer weather and had to pull it out a few times. That and it doesn't hurt to have It incase you need to supplement warmth.

[Shonryu]

I ment to say supplement warmth in your sleeping bag.

[1azarus]

glenn, owner of gossamer gear, suggests you get an extra big rain jacket and wear your down sleeping bag under it. a little wierd, but it has worked spectacularly well for me. warmer than a lightweight down jacket -- and obviously inifinitely lighter. and, wow, what a warm down hood! i bring a synthetic micropuff jacket, a windshirt, a patagonia R4 (i think...) as my base layer, and my sleeping bag for torso warmth, and have been fine to about 5 degrees. you might want to sneak up on trying this one out to make sure it works for you... i hesitate to encourage cutting it close, but... as others say, nice to be near a bail out!!!

[1azarus]

hey pawling hiker. you are in the neighborhood. consider joining the Harriman Park winter trip being planned in Groups...

[pawlinghiker]

when do you guys go out ?

I was going to ask this next...

I want to do a night out alone, is this safe ? I figured I would hike a mile or so from my car and set up off the trail somewhere. I figure keep it close so bailing will be easy of needed.

Its more for practice since I have not winter camped in 20 years. I want to go out with a friend for a 3 night trip later in the winter, i just want to have done it before I go out for a few days.

besides heavy snow and high winds is there a reason I cant use my BA UL Fly creek 3 season tent. I dont expect to encounter either so I dont think I need to buy a 4 season tent.

Thanks

[hikerboy57]

going in january, details here:http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/group.php?groupid=36

[Tri-Pod Bob]

Frozen boots.......+1 on foot warmers for the overnight. Or you can bring a couple of plastic grocery bags. Boots into bags & then into the sleeping bag works ok.

[Second Hand]

I was trying to ask this on the Harriman Park winter walk forum, but I couldn't figure out how to ask a question. Sorry guys, I'm fairly new to this. What are the dates for the winter trip and how many people are going?

[1azarus]

January 17th through the 20th. somewhere around 10 coming for parts of the trip, i think, so far. will be friendly. will not be very organized, I think!