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Breathing in sleeping bag?


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  • #1289208
    Kier Selinsky
    Member

    @kieran

    Locale: Seattle, WA

    Some say that stuffing yourself completely in the sleeping bag and breathing in there is bad for the bag because of the extra condensation. I've heard others say "meh". Me? I get cold, for psychological reasons I'm sure, if my face is sticking out of the bag.

    What's the truth? Is it ok to cocoon up?

    #1871576
    Luke Schmidt
    BPL Member

    @cameron

    Locale: Alaska

    Obviously it would be worse in a down bag. I haven't used a mummy bag in a long time and I never tried it. I did sleep with my head on my down jacket one night (in 18 degree weather) and the next morning it was moist enough to seriously compromise the insulation. I can't say that was all my breath but I'd kept the jacket dry during the day. The only other way it could have got damp would have been from humidity in the air.

    #1871577
    Jerry Adams
    BPL Member

    @retiredjerry

    Locale: Oregon and Washington

    I've done that before in synthetic bag and when it's cold, everything gets wet, and thus less warm.

    Better to have proper head wear – like a balaclava – fleece is okay but not that warm for the weight – synthetic or down hat would be better if it's really cold – has to cover up your neck too

    #1871580
    Andy F
    Spectator

    @andyf

    Locale: Midwest/Midatlantic

    If it's cold enough to bother me in the winter, I bring an acrylic knit balaclava or fleece neck gaiter to wear covering my face.

    #1871583
    Richard Fischel
    BPL Member

    @ricko

    there's a hole just big enough for my lips and nose to breath outside of the hood of my sleeping bag. if it's truly brutal i can wear a face mask that covers my mouth and nose but has holes to breath through. i cannot think of a good reason to ever breath into my sleeping bag. the volume of water vapor exhaled in a night would degrade the loft of my down sleeping bag and that would be bad.

    #1871595
    Mary D
    BPL Member

    @hikinggranny

    Locale: Gateway to Columbia River Gorge

    I cinch the collar down tight but make sure my nose and mouth are sticking out. If it's cold, I wear a balaclava. If it's really cold, I pull the balaclava over my nose and mouth. There's a lot of condensation in the balaclava in the morning, but it's polypro fleece so nearly all of the moisture shakes out. It takes a lot longer to dry out the sleeping bag.

    I'm still working on my 12 year old grandson not to breathe into his down bag at night!

    #1871616
    Roger Caffin
    BPL Member

    @rcaffin

    Locale: Wollemi & Kosciusko NPs, Europe

    > I cannot think of a good reason to ever breath into my sleeping bag. The volume of water
    > vapor exhaled in a night would degrade the loft of my down sleeping bag

    Exactly. Head gear is needed.

    Cheers

    #1871620
    David Thomas
    BPL Member

    @davidinkenai

    Locale: North Woods. Far North.

    >Head gear is needed.

    Unless you exhaust your breath outside the bag. For instance, a swim snorkel in your mouth – which would take a little training to use, but people with sleep apnea learn to use a CPAP machine all through the night. Ideally, there'd be two check valves so you breathed out one tube and in through another.

    If you take that step, you've got the possibility of saving even more heat. Because typically we breath in ambient, cold, dry air and exhale warm, moist air. The breathing passages in your nose help to retain heat and moisture but an external heat exchanger could do even more.

    Aside: absolutely try to train yourself to nose breath instead of mouth breath – you'll retain more heat and moisture (and moisture in air IS heat).

    There are heat exchangers and difusers sold for skiiers and mountaineers. They each want them for the larger surface area in the event of being buried in an avalanche. Additional, the HX function retains more heat and moisture – a big issue at 25,000 feet where you're always dehaydrated and liquid water is hard to carry or melt.

    For BPing, the added surface area doesn't help, but the HX and moisture retention would. Simplest would be exactly a swimmers snorkel with some sorbant packed in it to capture heat and moisture from the exhaled breath and transfer it to the inhaled breath.

    #1871639
    Kier Selinsky
    Member

    @kieran

    Locale: Seattle, WA

    Well I guess that one's settled pretty unanimously lol. Thanks for the feedback. And good thinking on the HX, but I think I'll keep it simple and just go with the balaclava. I think keeping my head out of the bag will be the hardest thing to change honestly.

    #1871668
    Mary D
    BPL Member

    @hikinggranny

    Locale: Gateway to Columbia River Gorge

    You don't have to keep your whole head out, just your face!

    #1871669
    Ryan Nakahara
    Member

    @kife42

    Locale: Hawaii

    my bag has some netting in the footbox and is a little long for me. when i go tarping, sometimes i forget my bug net. so if there are lots of things flying around, i go into my bag head first, tighten the drawstring under my feet, and breathe close to the netting. honestly i think they should make all bags like this. ^_^

    #1871691
    Elliott Wolin
    BPL Member

    @ewolin

    Locale: Hampton Roads, Virginia

    In the 1970's, when temperatures got below -10F, we just cinched the bag until only a small opening remained, then stuck a wool sock or mitten into the hole on the inside and breathed through it. The thick fabric warmed the air as it came through, the wool never seemed to get very wet, and it dried quickly after wearing it a while.

    I haven't tried this with fleece, it probably should work.

    #1871694
    Justin Baker
    BPL Member

    @justin_baker

    Locale: Santa Rosa, CA

    I have never owned a down sleeping bag and I always do this. I sleep with my sleeping bag backwards and the hood directly over my face. I haven't had problems and I generally feel warmer. I have done in 15-25 degree weather as well, sometimes I end up with a small cold spot but it didn't bother me, but those times were all with keeping a large fire going all night… so that might make a difference. Keep in mind I am talking about a synthetic bag.

    #1871707
    rOg w
    BPL Member

    @rog_w

    Locale: rogwilmers.com

    deleted

    #1871737
    Warren Greer
    Spectator

    @warrengreer

    Locale: SoCal

    put your mouth near the where fresh air enters the bag. I usually cinch down to a small hole left in the hood or top bag and I've never had a problem. Just expel outside the bag and you should be just fine. Give it a shot.

    #1871795
    Michael Ray
    BPL Member

    @topshot

    Locale: Midwest

    The few times I've winter camped so far, I just leave a hole over my face and parts of the edge of that hole have been wet/frozen in the morning. I use a down bag.

    #1872224
    bill berklich
    Spectator

    @berklich

    Locale: Northern Mid-West

    Out this Feb and temp dropped from 32F to 0F. fortunately we were expecting mid-teens so we were prepared. Found tossing my fleece over the head of my bag kept the moisture to a very low level and allowed a bigger breathing space so I didn't feel confined. Done it without the fleece many times and the bag edge usually gets damp. But it drys fast at that temp too. R.H. is about 10%.

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