how to dress in a sleepingbag
I did learn to wear nothing (or just some pants for hygenic reasons). But I'm not sure... what do you wear when it does become cold (below freezing point)???
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I agee. I will wear a base layer if I know it will get into the teens.Originally Posted by gunther11
If it gets colder wear more clothes. If you want to stay warm in a sleeping bag you need to slow down thermal convection. Thermal convention is heat transfer through the air. Our bags slow down convective heat loss by trapping the warm air radiating off our bodies, in the insulation. As the bag warms up warm air eventually gets trapped between our bodies and the bag. Your clothes also slow conductive heat loss. If you wear more clothes in your bag you are effectively increasing your bags insulation.
The tricky part comes in when you think about our extremities, legs and arms. Sleeping naked, with your legs together and arms tucked into the body, keeps blood warmer for longer than if you were wearing clothes. You could argue the more clothes you wear, the further you are separating radiant heat from your extremities. That maybe true, but I'm of the opinion that eventually you will warm up the whole sleep system and be warmer if you wear more clothes.
Ideally, you should wear just base layers, this allows your body to maintain radiant heat at the extremities, and slows down thermal convection. But, if you are too cold definitely put on more clothes.
Also, don't forget you'll need to have the proper sleeping pad for the temps you're in. A good sleeping pad is just as important as the sleeping bag.
I wear lightweight layers even in cool weather, 150wt merino wool, it's just more comfortable than the nylon sleeping bag against my skin. Even in hot weather wool boxer briefs and a light s/s wool top -- I can drape the quilt over my legs as needed.
I always wear some sort of lightweight wind pants and long sleeved shirt in my bag or summer quilt. Keeps the bag/quilt cleaner and at least I wearing something when I have to get up at night and pee.
I always wear undies of some sort and a t-shirt.
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A subset of my hiking clothes are designated "always clean and dry" and used only at camp and while sleeping. In summer, I carry a thin silk base layer for that purpose. Keeps the bag from getting icky, keeps my skin from contacting the bag's nylon surface (feels icky) and adds a bit of warmth. Some kind of hat on my head also, if it's at all cold outside.
Wearing too many clothes can be counter productive. However, as already mentioned, wearing a light base layer helps a lot, along with socks and a hat. I also use a silk liner and between the two can extend the range of my bag by 15-20 degrees (F) or at least keep me alive below that. But that's only good for the occasional nights where it gets unusually cold. It's not a good plan if the temps are consistently lower then what the bag can do to keep you comfortable by it's self.
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You have the clothes along anyway... might as well use them. Keeping the bag cleaner and peeing dressed are two advantages I highly second.I always wear some sort of lightweight wind pants and long sleeved shirt in my bag or summer quilt. Keeps the bag/quilt cleaner and at least I wearing something when I have to get up at night and pee.
keep in mind... EN ratings are established with the user wearing a base layer and light hat.
So you won't actually be as warm as the bag is rated in anything less. I grew up with the sleep naked myth too, but that has been disproven.
On the other end... your metabolism (heat output) drops 20-30% from resting to sleep. All your bag does is trap your heat. If you wear too many clothes, you won't push enough heat into your bag during that period when you go to bed and your metabolism drops off as you fall asleep. So while piling on clothes makes some sense, too many clothes means that you don't develop a nice cushion of hot air before you drop off. It's basically the same as getting up to pee.
A heavy set of thermals and two hats is a good limit to keep in mind. Perhaps a light puffy being the extreme.
Provided of course that you have enough room in your sleeping gear to maintain loft, if not you'll be warmer draping clothes over your bag than wearing them.
One final trick... your metabolism goes up 20-30% between resting and light activity. If you find yourself needing to pile on clothes (or just as good practice in general) do some jumping jacks, jogging in place, or whatever to warm up (but not sweat) just prior to climbing in your bag. Hoping in your bag with your metabolism revved up will help "push" more warmth through your clothes and into your bag, or get your bag ramped up faster if you're a cold sleeper who has a hard time warming up a bag.
During an unexpected stay in the boonies, we were left with only a ground cloth and a wool army blanket (little heavy for hiking). Temp got down to 30ish. I found a small depression bewtween the roots of a tree, ground cloth down, blanket folded once and over top from head to toe. Took my field jacket(with liner) off and put over my top torso. Boots off and tucked the bottom of blanket under feet.
Fairly comfortable night.
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I have slept down into the single digits with a Z-lite sol and an Apex quilt over top. Due to the cold, I also wore Smartwool merino wool leggings and lightweight + midweight top and Darn Tough thick wool socks. I had a knit cap on my head to trap heat there as well. This systems works for me. When my wife is hiking with me (most all of the time) and sharing the quilt, I take a layer or two off or I tend to sweat with both of our body heat together. As you can probably tell, I tend to sleep warm.
The last thing is that I bring miniature chocolate candies on winter hikes. Horrible for our teeth I know, but we eat a couple right before bed. This keeps some fire in the stove, so to speak, for a bit longer and might actually serve to ramp up the heat faster per Bill's attestation of trapping heat in the bag faster.
2,000 miler. Still keepin' on keepin' on.
Also dont forget the hat. Just liks during the day you lose a disproportionate amount of heat thru your head. Have a dry one for night time only.
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Mt. Katahdin would be a lot quicker to climb if its darn access trail didn't start all the way down in Georgia.
The issue with overdressing in a sleeping bag is that it can make the bag too tight - you compress the down (or other insulation) thereby decreasing its effectiveness. Layering is always warmer - it creates air pockets of warmth - but too much can cause problems.
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