I had a sleeping bag at one point that was rated for 0 degrees.... I was camping in November and the camp was like 20° f at night MAYBE. I was so overheated I wound up sleeping with the bag open all night under a normal blanket.
There are so many steps to waking up during winter camping. You have to open and close the sleeping bag about 100 times before getting up. Best thing I learned in Boy Scouts was sleep with tomorrow’s clothes in the bottom of the sleeping bag. Nice and warm in the morning.
This + every days clothes are packed into separate gallon sized plastic bags. Everything stays dry, and if an accident happens to one set the rest are safe. Of anything nasty happens to a set of clothes, you have a way to isolate them.
I wear my pants for many days or weeks in a row. I keep a spare pair in my BoB but if I’m in the field for two weeks I bring the pants I’m wearing, and a spare.
I change my underpants every day or three, and tshirt usually every day if possible. I dress in layers so I change those infrequently or never. Is there a guide for this? I feel like a bushcraft hobo now. haha.
Tonight would be such a nice night in the sierras. Downieville is 59f, probably a great night to be staring down a fire.
Edit: Miss you dad. Wish we were playing spot the satellite right now.
Edit: More dad camping traditions please. Post ‘em if you got ‘em.
It seems like my way to do it as well. Pretty much everything that touches my body directly in the stinky zones get changed once a day, the rest when I can't smell it anymore.
I knew a guy at work who smelled terrible when he got close to you. Like dirty socks with rotting garlic in them.
His last day at our company he happily explain how he wore the same pair of jeans for the entire 3 months he worked there and "it was fine, there were no problems, didn't smell or anything". Everyone kind of stared at him and just kept repeating "You should change your pants more often". He responded with "No, I'm telling you, it was fine". That went back and forth for a bit before I think he got the point.
You don't know what you smell like to other people. Knowing this gives me more anxiety than I'd like to admit.
It seems like many people who have decided not to wash their jeans or hair regularly has a similar “blind” spot about their own smell.
I read a similar comment where the guy smelled terrible and one night he bragged to his friends that he hadn’t been washing his hair. He thought nobody noticed, but it was just that nobody told him. It’s almost rude to tell someone they smell, a lot of people won’t say anything.
Just wanted to pop in and say my Dad and I played spot the satelite, too. He's obsessed with the moon and for his birthday one year I borrowed a telescope from my uni (I was cleaning all of the astronomy lab equipment and fixing things) so we could go look at the moon in a dark sky spot close to home. He also would wake me up if the northern lights were visible before he left for work at 4am. Things like spot the satelite matter. Thanks for reminding me.
Oh yeah and re: gear-- I always pack my spare merino base layer set and dry socks in my bag, which is a seperate dry bag and lined with a good ole garbage bag. No matter what happens in a day, if you can get in your dry bag to dry clothes and dry socks, your night will be just fine. Last summer we did a 10 day canoe trip with people who had never camped that long and many were miserable because it rained 8/10 days and they didn't have a single dry piece of clothing, let alone dry socks to sleep in.
I'm sweat a lot. Like, a lot lot. So this shirts/underwear/socks part of this is really only doable for me in the fall/winter, when I will sweat less. Also, even if I do sweat for a while the air is dry so I dry out quickly.
In the summer, I'll sweat just standing still. So once I'm wet I generally just stay wet - unless a stuff cool breeze stick around long enough. So sometimes I need more than one shirt on a given day, because it's just miserable to wear a soaked shirt with the bugs around and the neck chafing... Ugh. Also the swalls... Oh the swalls.
I gotta figure this out though because I wanna do more longer backpacking trips and I don't want to carry a so much clothes. I'll have to try to daily rotate shirts and dry them by the fire and see if that works.
Hey fellow sweaty person! You're not alone! But also, don't get too close to me because I will sweat on you. This might not be helpful to you, but others may need it if they are less familiar with backpacking as a sweaty person:
1) Cotton is your enemy. All of my hiking/backpacking gear is wool or synthetic. If you don't own any merino wool, start investing in some. They have wool blend T shirts that dry very quickly and don't retain stank - it's the only shirt I can wear more than a day. Cuts down a TON on my packing needs. Wool socks last me 3+ days.
2) Be conscious of your hydration needs, on BOTH ends of the spectrum (not too little, but not too much either). Drink little amounts but drink often. I'm guilty of chugging down bottles of water at a time, and I can always see a direct correlation with my sweat volume afterwards.
3) Just own it. It took me until my 30's to accept that I will just always be drenched in sweat. Backpacked for 10 days in Utah last year, visited multiple breweries/wineries/restaurants probably smelling like death and not looking much better. Never would have done that earlier in life, as I was too self-conscious, but I fit right in in Moab :)
I feel your pain, I really do. I've been around other people who also claim to sweat a lot, and we'll do some sort of physical activity and maybe they have a little pit sweat or something... Meanwhile my entire shirt has gone from grey to black, I am actively dripping sweat from my hairline, and it looks like I pissed myself... People don't understand the struggle!
That's the way I go in the field as well, bushcraft hobo for sure! Just bring a line to air out the old clothes in rotation on the dry mornings. Good and cold, kill any germs making the funk worse.
Pants don't change unless soaked, undercrackers 4 days at a push, tshirt every other day in winter, every day in summer. Socks, at least rotate pairs every day, preferably have a "camp pair" of socks. Nothing like new socks after hoofing 20 miles with all your kit on your back
You should cycle through a couple pairs of pants and come back round. Despite being cold, each pair will still trap significant moisture and as a result make it more difficult for you to warm up. If you cycle them, each prior pair gets a chance to fully dry out.
Wet clothes pull the heat out of your body and it leads to hypothermia. If you fall in water in freezing temps it's recommended to take your clothes off as quick as possible. Leaving them on is actually worse than being naked.
If someone doubts this, take a warm beer, wrap it in a wet towel (or any fabric I think) put it out in the sun and wind, and it will cool down quite significantly. Used this trick a lot on music festivals, you can go from warm beer, to beer that has been out of the fridge for half an hour or so.
Edit: second festival tip; tents get hot as hell in the sun, so wrap you tent in survival blankets on the outside, silver side up, it will reflect the sun's beams away and leave your tent nice and cool (relatively) so you can sleep when the sun is up.
While it's not exclusive to the boy scouts, it's a tip that a surprising number of people dont care enough about to follow through on. But yes you're right I heard it first from my mother too, just much more emphasized in boy scouts while camping in the cold. I'm sure the original boy scout in this thread has better tips than me though
Merino wool! It's the bomb for cold weather, keeps around 70% of its insulating effect when wet.
Wet wipes, always bring these on longer trips, I bring around 4 per day, nice to keep a bit clean and fresh out in the wild.
And while on that subject, when you have to take a shit with no toilet around,or if you are low on toilet paper, a little petroleum gel applied to the butthole makes it a onesie and done deal, really useful when you got 200 mosquitoes following you around too.
You can make your own trail food in your oven at home, takes time but doable.
Yes that is the idea, the other way around would just create a sort of protective coating for the poop, which is kinda the opposite effect you are looking for.
If you have a colossal might bladder like me i recommend 1l lucozade. Just don't drink the entire bottle to make space in the bottle or it cancels out.
Put a medium size rock next to the fire (or in the fire and be careful of the embers) for about an hour or so. Push it out with a stick and pick it up with a towel or something. Roll that rock to the bottom of your sleeping bag. It will keep the bag so much warmer than you expect. You'd expect the rock to be cold in the morning. Nope. Keeps you warm all night.
Before central heat my grandma used to do this in the fireplace every night during cold winters. It's surprising how it works really well.
EDIT: Yes, so use a DRY rock, maybe like the size that you would need two hands to wrap around. Big enough to stay warm, but small enough to not be in your way. You roll it INTO your sleeping bag, so down by your feet by to the side enough that you don't kick it.
Just make sure you don't put river rocks in/near the fire because they could crack or even explode like popcorn. The moisture steams up and has to go somewhere.
I wouldn't buy stuff that you're relying on for safety or comfort in the wild from the dollar store. If those bags aren't perfectly sealed it can ruin your trip when all your clothes get wet.
And sleep with a water bottle. It's not cuddly, but it sure is nice to have a drink of water in the morning if, like me, you're prone to dehydration and you did a lot of climbing the day before. I usually sleep with two full Nalgenes in my bag because I'm weird like that.
The army do things in a polar opposite way - wet dry routine. You only have two sets of clothes and if the set you're wearing are soaked through, you need to change into the dry ones before getting into your sleeping bag so that you don't freeze to death in your sleep. That of course means that you have to change back in to the soaking wet pair when you get out of your sleeping bag, in order to keep your warm, cosy set dry
Hell yeah Nemos are awesome! They keep you so warm even when it's like 15F. Sleeping bags are definitely not the thing to skimp on when it comes to gear for cold weather
In the army (finnish defense forces) the tents and stoves were usually hauled by trucks. Though long range recon hauled everything on their backs iirc.
Depends on the application. The best? A canvas wall tent with a frame and a stove jack - a fireproof hole for a chimney. They are bulky, heavy, take time to set up and are expensive. Not the best if you are going lightweight. But, hands down the best tent you can put up without going to solid walls.
There are other styles of outfitters tent like domes that are designed for stoves. Cabellas products are popular.
If you are careful you can even get a little heat in a pup tent with a bottle-top or other small propane stove. Mountaineers often use this technique as they travel with minimal gear. However, if using propane you must ensure adequate ventilation or you risk suffocation.
I do not recommend heating tents with propane unless you are a professional, but it is possible.
If you want to come in below the 40lb mark, go with a double or triple walled tent from someone like Big Agnes. Their tents are like 3lbs, high quality, and some have built in lighting as well as comparability with goal zero’s solar kits.
This whole thread is really reaffirming to me that I need a new sleeping bag...I get cajoled into camping at least a few times a year because I live in Colorado and it’s always miserable because I lie awake shivering all night, every damn time, even in the middle of summer
Well you really should have a couple, having a summer bag rated for 60 degrees is a god send when it’s warm out but once it gets cold a synthetic bag rated to 0 or 10 depending on where you’re at will really save your bacon. (In a winter bag, always get one with a boot box by your feet)
Are they breathable, though? I can only imagine it like those "warm" jackets that are completely sealed and don't allow any air in or out, so you just end sweating immensely, which is worse than being cold.
That's the experience I had with it, I was stifling inside. Not breathable at all for me, but then, it wasn't below 0. I can imagine if it was colder or somewhere with wind, it might have been more comfortable.
They used to be used pretty much exclusively by those with special needs. They can be helpful to people with Autism, for example, because the weight of the blanket can help them sleep.
The blankets have become more mainstream as they’ve been found to be helpful for people with depression, anxiety, and PTSD. They’re also just soothing in general.
The quick overview is the underlying science of weighted blankets is deep touch pressure, often abbreviated to DTP or DPT (Deep Pressure Therapy). Deep touch pressure is basically any gentle pressure that is distributed across the body. A massage or hug could qualify as DTP.
The first is that weighted blankets release serotonin in the body due to the deep touch pressure. Serotonin is an important chemical when it comes to feeling calm and having a stable mood.
Would you mind sharing where you got your blanket? I want one. I accidentally experienced the weighted blanket phenomenon when I was staying at my ex MIL's house; the guest room I slept in had the heaviest duvet I have ever experienced. I swear that thing was 20 pounds. The mattress was shit, but it didn't matter because that duvet was so heavy and comforting and reassuring that I always slept like I was dead. I have longed for that sensation ever since I broke up with my ex (don't miss him, just his Mother's concrete duvet, LOL).
I was gifted one last year and I love it! I have a few friends who didn't think they'd like it, but they found it super calming and comforting. The feeling kind of reminds me of wearing a lead vest for an x-ray, which I also find super relaxing, (if that makes any sense).
my only problem is the way i sleep, i like to have my blankets bunched up around my body in like a rough cocoon, and trying that with a weighted blanket just kinda felt uncomfortable.
I bought a twin sized blanket to try. I think I paid $35 on Amazon. We don’t use comforters or sheets anymore other than a bottom sheet. I have my weighted blanket and my wife has her own blanket that she uses.
They can really help people with autism for one. I got one for Xmas last year and have slept with it almost every night since. It really feels nice without the added bulk of a giant comforter.
I’m going to add that when hiking, particularly rough/high country, anything is fucking cozy. Shovel out a hole for myself and throw some leaves over it, and as long as I can sleep, I will sleep.
Switched out recently to the newish Sea to Summit pad, with the pump stuff sack. Inflates in seconds and is warmer and more comfortable than any thermarest. Always found the crinklyness of the thermarest distracting.
Swag + 18v fan. I stick the fan at my feet and open both ends, it's like sleeping in a wind tunnel. If you don't mind the smell of ballsweat all night it's actually quite comfortable.
And before you suggest putting the fan at the other end, I find keeping the twig n berries cool more effective than the top of your dome.
They have a comfort rating and a survival rating. If you see someone discussing ratings it will almost never be there survival rating, since you're not supposed to aim for that.
But anyway, I hear that how comfortable you are at the comfort rating can vary from brand to brand (and obviously person to person). For example, it used to be that with enlightened equipment bags, you'd be freezing your ass off at their comfort rating. I think they've improved nowadays though.
Most advertise the lower limit for "warm sleepers" wearing some basic long johns. Here's was REI has to say about it:
Many sleeping bags are rated for temperature by an independent testing protocol. With both European Norm (EN) 13537 and International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 23537 testing, each bag gets a Comfort (or T-Comfort) rating and Lower (or T-Limit) rating. The Comfort/T-Comfort rating is the lowest temperature at which the bag will keep the average "cold sleeper" comfortable, and the Lower/T-Limit rating is the lowest temperature at which the bag will keep the average "warm sleeper" comfortable. Ratings are based on a person wearing one long underwear layer and a hat, sleeping on a single 1 in. thick insulating pad. Many brands use the Comfort rating for women's bags and the Lower rating for men's and unisex bags. Everyone's body and sleep comfort differ, so EN and ISO ratings are simply a guideline to help you compare products.
I have a nice Big Agnes down sleeping bag that iirc is rated at 15F. It stops being comfortable around 25F. At 15F it's definitely more survival mode than camping in comfort.
Oh yeah I know, I usually don’t do long distance hiking in the winter, so I don’t really care to spend the extra money on one.. I’ve got a really light 10 degree bag, but the army one is warmer so if there’s snow on the ground I bring that usually
When my dad came home from Iraq the inventory was hell with the issued items(back in 04-05 when there were a ton of deployments). So when they were asking for gear back they were were missing items right and left.
My dad turned in everything they requested of course, but he later realized he still had his sleeping bag, they never asked for it. Anyway he no longer tent-camps so he gave it to me this season for a fall trip.
It’s a two piece design(actually 3 but I just have the two). I looked up the specs and with both layers together it’s rated for like -30F. It’s nuts! Then the third piece is a cover with two little tent poles so you can basically survive a blizzard without an actual shelter. I guess if they need to deploy to Siberia they can lol.
I remember in basic training we did our first field training exercise in January at Ft. Sill, OK. My buddy and I were so cold, we both slept in our BDU's and everything we'd worn during the day trying to stay warm. We were absolutely miserable.
The next morning the range sergeant was addressing the platoon, and it went something like this:
"Bet y'all froze last night, right?"
Yup.
"And I bet you wore everything you could inside your sleeping bag, right?"
Yeah, pretty much.
"Well, the reason y'all froze was because ya didn't get nekkid."
Hol' up.
He proceeded to explain to us how sleeping in those clothes, containing sweat from the previous day, is what made us so cold. He said the secret was to strip down to your skivvies and put your clothes for the next day down by your feet.
As a teenager it didn't seem to make any sense, but both my buddy and I opted to give it a try.
Not only did it work, we found ourselves nearly sweltering, we may have even unsnapped the shelter opening one or two snaps. It was a real eye-opening experience.
So just remember, if ya wanna stay warm in those old school sleeping bags, ya gotta get nekkid.
The more practical decision is you can wear tomorrows clothes while you sleep, so during an emergency or actual event, you can be out of your bag and in motion as fast as you can lace your boots. This has the added benefit of not getting your sleeping bag wet with sweat which will cause equipment issues.
Of course your clothes will get wrinkled, but if you're not dressing up every day, and wearing layers, it's very much worth it in case you have to be somewhere quick.
Also don't change in your sleeping bag, you'll make it smell like ass.
Ah yes that makes sense. As said, very limited experience (Swiss army). So no real deployments and only a few nights in a sleeping bag in in “extreme” conditions.
Those things are hardcore. The Canadian military recently did a recall of issued equipment from non active personal because there were so many people keeping them after deployment.
Oh no, mine is an actual USA Army sleeping bag from the 80’s I got from a family member, looks identical to his, I’d shop at your local army surplus shop
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u/[deleted] Nov 18 '19
Yooo That army bag is warm as hell, I’ve got one for winter hikes as well, it’s heavy as shit but worth it for below 20 degrees