Keeping Warm in Unquestionable Weather

If you're talking about using your poncho inside your sleeping bag, that doesn't sound like a good idea at all. My guess is that you'll end up soaking wet, since the poncho will trap the condensation next to your body.

That said, I'm sure there are other great threads here about how to stay warm. If I were you, I'd just bring a slightly warmer hat and set of gloves to wear while sleeping. I find that if my bag is right around it's useful range, that keeping my head, feet, and hands warm keeps me in a safe/somewhat comfortable zone.

best,
vip

Read the article on BPL on vapor barriers. I used one in my bag for winter camping and it really worked. You might get a little bit clammy is all. There are expensive ones, but Adventure Medical Kits makes the emergency bivy that I used which is fairly durable for occasional use, weighs 3.5 ounces, and costs $15-20 depending on where you get it.

The poncho would not work as well as it is still breathable, and won't cover your feet, which are most likely to get cold.

Yes, a hot water bottle in you bag is a time-honored tradition for staying warm, tho read the ongoing thread about hot water in different types of bottles.

You should probably have a light jacket with you for use in camp or while taking breaks in windy locations. If necessary, wear your layers to sleep in. If your bag is too narrow to do this without squashing insulation, throw them over top of your bag.

Worse comes to worse, if you are hiking anywhere close to Franklin, keep Ron Haven's phone number and a cell phone handy. Ron will arrange a shuttle at a reasonable fee to pick you up – he has rescued hikers before.

Umm…Yes, I plan to use my 30 degree Sierra Designs bag.

Would the poncho have any use whatsoever in keeping me warm if I placed it inside my sleeping bag?

I ordered a Golite Virga jacket, which is waterproof. So I could ditch the 10 ounce nylon poncho I think. In it's place I could get the emergency bag insert at 3.5 ounces.

I was talking about a jacket more along the lines of a Montbell Thermawrap or a mid-weight fleece. These will provide more warmth than a bag liner. Hiking in the NC mountains in April you are probably going to need some sort of insulating layer for camp use rather than just a rain jacket, and it can become part of your sleep system if necessary.

I haven't used a vapor barrier, so I can't speak as to what the poncho might do.

The best way to find out what you are personally happiest doing is to practice at home on a cold night (or somewhere else you can easily bail out).

Oops, I see you are from Florida, so it might be hard to catch a cold night now. Maybe you could try a weekend car camping in the Georgia Mountains?

Those temps are too warm to use a vapor barrier. You'll likely just wake up cold and wet. I wouldn't sleep with your poncho, it won't keep you warmer, but it will get you wet.

That time of the year I would carry a setup I know is good to the 20s. In my experience it would probably hover around freezing, but it can dip below. I've been snowed on in late April pretty much every time I've been, actually.

You've been snowed on in the NC section of the AT in April?

It's a long section, but at elevation in early or mid April I have seen snow dustings. I've also seen consolidated snow from before I was up there. For 3 years I would also go up to Virginia in late April and I got snow or hail every time. Always light, but still.

It can be cold, but it can also be a pleasent spring day.

Being prepared to be comfortable a bit below freezing would be mandatory for me, as well as the ability to put on everything I had to stay warmer if it got colder.

If you "30 degree* bag is warm enough for that, no worries. My "20 degree" Moonstone down bag wasn't.

Bring a decent pad too!

April 24, 2005 along the GSMP section of the AT. Got about 10-12" in the higher elevations.

Where are those guy's gloves? Eeek!