talus
Trail Wise!
Posts: 560
|
Post by talus on Dec 10, 2015 10:27:17 GMT -8
A cheap fleece sleeping bag is also an easy way to add some warmth to your sleep system. That and a cheap blue foam pad can add 20 degrees of warmth for about $30.00.
|
|
mk
Trail Wise!
North Texas
Posts: 1,217
|
Post by mk on Dec 10, 2015 18:54:52 GMT -8
A cheap fleece sleeping bag is also an easy way to add some warmth to your sleep system. That and a cheap blue foam pad can add 20 degrees of warmth for about $30.00. A silly question maybe, but do you put the fleece bag inside your regular bag? Or use it like a blanket over the top? I used a liner last time to add warmth. It did help, but it was annoying trying to keep it in place while moving around. These are some great ideas. Looking forward to employing some of them and sleeping better!
|
|
almostthere
Trail Wise!
putting on my hiking shoes....
Posts: 696
|
Post by almostthere on Dec 10, 2015 21:02:16 GMT -8
I'm not a fan of liners - I use a quilt anyway. But regardless a liner just gets twisted around me and since I was too claustrophobic in the bag in the first place, I love a good quilt. And a decent pad to use with it. A heavier set of base layer/long underwear works better for adding warmth - form fitting. And a good balaclava or wool hat/neck gaiter helps a lot too.
|
|
|
Post by Lonewolf on Dec 11, 2015 4:31:49 GMT -8
I have "modified" my pair slightly by spreading a thin coating of silicone on the bottoms with a butter knife so that I can walk around camp in the snow/dirt without getting them wet. REI has down booties that have cordura on the soles and partway up the sides so you can do that. I wear mine around camp and even to sleep in and also use them at home in winter if I need to pop outside for a few minutes and don't want to put on real footgear.
|
|
amaruq
Trail Wise!
Call me Little Spoon
Posts: 1,264
|
Post by amaruq on Dec 11, 2015 5:21:26 GMT -8
^ The cordura is primarily for toughness and longevity. I would still recommend applying a generous helping of waterproofing (silicone applied via knife ;-) ) if they were to be used in wet outdoor conditions.
|
|
tigger
Trail Wise!
Posts: 2,547
|
Post by tigger on Dec 11, 2015 7:41:35 GMT -8
The cordura is primarily for toughness and longevity. I would still recommend applying a generous helping of waterproofing (silicone applied via knife ;- ) ) if they were to be used in wet outdoor conditions.What he said. Mine have a cordura bottom as well (just like the REI down booties). They did fine the first season and then I noticed wet coming up through the bottom which is why I applied the silicone. I use the serrated side of the knife when spreading the silicone which gives a bit of traction.
|
|
talus
Trail Wise!
Posts: 560
|
Post by talus on Dec 14, 2015 0:36:09 GMT -8
A silly question maybe, but do you put the fleece bag inside your regular bag? Or use it like a blanket over the top? I used a liner last time to add warmth. It did help, but it was annoying trying to keep it in place while moving around. These are some great ideas. Looking forward to employing some of them and sleeping better! You put it inside. It does make it harder to get into the bag and can get twisted up if you move around a lot.
|
|
|
Post by High Sierra Fan on Dec 14, 2015 9:30:58 GMT -8
The only caveat would possibly be were your bag to already have a wind block outer shell such as many manufacturers offer as an option. Then the addition doesn't add anything that I can see since the central role of a bivy is eliminating the "windchill" factor and if that's already dealt with by the outer shell there's no need. Since the topic is temp rating.
|
|
dh024
Trail Ready!
Posts: 10
|
Post by dh024 on Dec 14, 2015 21:23:58 GMT -8
I have two of the Survive Outdoors Longer Escape Lite Bivy Bags, and swear by those things. They are a super lightweight, very breathable, radiant emergency bivy, and they add at least 10 degrees to my Western Mountaineering 32F bag. Temperatures close to freezing were my limit with this bag, but with long underwear and the SOL bivy inside, I have been toasty warm sub-zero. I was skeptical before trying it, but there are a lot of positive YouTube reviews if you search, and I always carry one now. On warm nights, it is all I use for a bag.
|
|
tigger
Trail Wise!
Posts: 2,547
|
Post by tigger on Dec 14, 2015 22:34:32 GMT -8
Then the addition doesn't add anything that I can see since the central role of a bivy is eliminating the "windchill" factor and if that's already dealt with by the outer shell there's no need. Since the topic is temp rating. Less air space to warm up equals warmer. The one annoying factor of using a bivy is having to constantly adjust for moisture. Condensation can be an annoyance if not properly vented - something I constantly have to adjust for. I find it much easier to use my bivy in single digits than temps closer to freezing.
|
|
|
Post by High Sierra Fan on Dec 15, 2015 10:13:31 GMT -8
A secondary dead air space? I can see that.
|
|
|
Post by hangingtrekker on Jan 2, 2016 12:08:05 GMT -8
I tried the SOL bivvy with my warmer sleeping bag. For adding warmth it did help some, however comfort-wise it was not a good set up as it did not breathe any. I tried opening the vent at the foot end. No luck. I ditched the set up at 2am and went to my 0deg down bag. MUCH more comfortable.
Just for reference - the air temp was above freezing when I did this, maybe mid-40's or so.
Maybe the breathable version would be better. At least for now I'll skip the bivvy idea until then. I'm glad I tried it, though.
|
|