Sleeping Bag Snorkel

[F. Thomas Matica]

I've thought about the idea of a sleeping bag snorkel. Some soft rubber device that one holds in the mouth and sticks out of the exit of the cinched down hood. Outgoing air would warm a felt or wool "heat exchanger" and then incoming air would be heated by the warm felt. This might also prevent icing of the felt or wool heat exchanger. This would allow sleeping with the head fully covered by the bag and being able to breath warmed, moistened air. It might also prevent wetting of the bag around the "blow hole". I've experienced breathing warm air just by using a wool hat pulled over my face.

Well, I thought this was a pretty weird idea until I found the following patent:

http://www.google.com/patents/about?id=xLIzAAAAEBAJ&dq=sleeping+bag+snorkel

Not really the same thing, but at least someone else had been thinking along these lines.

Comments????

[nanook ofthenorth]

looks like its to cut down on breathing cold dry air – I like the concept if not the execution… Seems like its the exact opposite of what your thinking of though

[F. Thomas Matica]

Robert,

I thought that my concept would also cut down on breathing cold, dry air by first heating and moistening the felt element in the tube on the out breath and then heating and moistening the air on the in-breath as it passes over the "warm and moist" felt element.
Anyway, that's my concept. Probably a picture would make it more clear. This thing would basically be a straight snorkel with a piece of felt pushed into it.

[t.darrah]

Integral Designs has been offering a similar design with the Crysallis Bivy for some time.

[S Long]

I considered the same idea. Thought it was silly but had potential merit under very cold conditions. My idea was to use an actual face mask, like a ski mask type deal, with a hose attached to it. Psolar has a good reputation for heat exchanger masks. Maybe incorporate something like that into the design? With the snorkel idea, my concern would be actually keeping it attached to me or in my mouth while I slept. With a comfy polarfleece balaclava type thing it wouldn't be such a big issue.

[Colin Krusor]

That was my conclusion, too, when I considered this idea awhile ago. I would never be able to sleep with something in my mouth, and probably not even with something strapped to my face, but a balaclava with a heat exchanger on the front and a soft fabric duct to the outside might work.

If you're sleeping in a liberally overstuffed Feathered Friends Snowy Owl or Bask Kashgar with a vapor barrier and a bivy in -80F conditions, I could see this kind of apparatus performing brilliantly. At temperatures most of us encounter, though, I think it might be uncomfortable and too heavy to justify.

[F. Thomas Matica]

I'm used to using a sports mouth guard and like to sleep with a hat pulled down over my face. I guess I'm out on the fringe and ready for the snorkel!!!

Nothing new under the sun…..in this case anyway.

[David Goodyear]

Try this:

http://www.talusoutdoor.com/shop?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage_images.tpl&product_id=8&category_id=1

It is made out of medical-grade plastic and is suppose to pre-heat the air.

Dave

[Dan Yeruski]

Here are some masks with attached hoses just to give you an idea what kinds are available.

masks with attached hoses

http://www.cpapsupplyusa.com/CPAP-Departments/CPAP-Masks.aspx?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=CPAP%20masks-Exact&utm_content=Nasal%20Masks%20-%20Exact&utm_campaign=CPAP%20Masks

[Joe Newton]

That's what I was thinking also zelph. I sleep with one of those every night at home (sleep apnea). Some never get accustomed to using the mask. Took me about two weeks.

[F. Thomas Matica]

Dave,
I think I saw that one in Pulp Fiction!

Dan,
I think I saw that one in Aliens!

Thanks, guys!

[. .]

This has been a back-burner head-scratcher for me as well – especially to incorporate the ability to vent expiration to the outside of the tent!

Keep the ideas coming. I want to see the cutting-edge fashion photos.

[Daryl and Daryl]

In the early 70s MSR (Larry Penberthy) sold these masks to help breathe "warmed, moistened air". If I recall correctly he told me he made them out of polyester blanket material. I've used the mask when running in cold weather and it really helps keep the cold, dry air out of my throat and lungs.

So one could simply sew a fabric snorkel to the front of the mask and perhaps add another fabric filter to the other end of the snorkel.

Photos show inside of mask and mask on my face.

[Webster Jorgensen]

I think you could utilize a Y shaped tube and incorporate one way rubber flaps at the entrances to the two Y parts. One rubber flap opens one way, and the other rubber flap the other way.

One part of the Y goes in your mouth, the other inside the bag, and the last one outside the bag.

You could inhale air inside the sleeping bag through one tube (may have to add something to the end of that tube), but when you exhale it would push that flap closed and push open the rubber flap for the tube going out of the sleeping bag.

Warm, moist air in, and then exhale outside of the sleeping bag.

[Matthew Stephenson]

I haven't tried this yet, but how about an ordinary disposable dust mask – the ones with the exhalation valve.

When you breathe out, it should go out of the valve, which you can point out of your sleeping bag (possibly with the tube from the inside of a roll of toilet paper as an extension, taped to the mask). When you breathe in, the air should come from around your face, inside the sleeping bag, which will be warmer.

I've bought a pack of 5 on ebay – if it works, I'll report back…

[Eugene Hollingsworth]

How about just throwing a very small wool blanket over your head and not having your face in the bag? No safey issues. No moisture in your bag.

Or a CPAP mask, already mentioned, is designed for safety. You could run the hose down into your bag a bit to warm the air. If anything goes wrong on the intake side, you won't sufficate. CPAP users go through a ton of masks to find one that fits right without air-pressure leaks, (that won't be an issue for you) so you might be able to get a hardly-used one cheap. There are more designs than you can shake a stick at.

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