Winter Temperatures for Southern East – how cold is cold?

[Chris Coleman]

I am planning on getting into some winter backpacking this season between November-February anywhere around Virginia, Tennessee, West Virginia, Georgia, etc., but not farther north (i.e., Maine, New Hampshire – maybe next season). However, the biggest difficulty I have had is figuring out the possible temperature range. I like to use the weather history, but I have a feeling that does not provide very reliable information when one may ascend 3-6 thousand feet. There is a different website that provides up-to-date weather information on a multitude of mountains (both at a lower elevation and at a much higher elevation) which is really cool, but does not help me figure out the winter temperatures. The main question is, should I aim for a 12-15 degree bag and throw in a liner to deal with a few unpredictable nights that drop close to 0, or start with a 0 degree bag? Since I am planning on going out for more than an overnight trip (anywhere from 3-7 days, probably start lower but I plan to go out longer later), the vapor barrier theory would be the best way to ensure the sleeping bag's integrity which means I also should not utilize all of my insulation layers lest I risk soaking them from perspiration making them thereby useless as well. That is, at least, how I understand the vapor barrier lining idea from all the reading I have done without testing it hands-on. Still, the main question is what are the temperatures like around 3-6 thousand feet in the southern states and more particularly how warm a bag should I go for as a baseline?

[Hiking Malto]

A did a few weekend trips last winter on the AT in Va and NC/TN. I used a good mat, xtherm, bivy and my normal Golite UL20 quilt (2008 model). Additionally I did use full vapor barrier on a few nights and had warmer gloves, hat and my normal lightweight down jacket. It worked well in all conditions I experienced which were significantly below freezing. I believe the xtherm was critical in keeping me warm and mats are often the unrecognized Achilles heal when pushing your gear into winter conditions.

One more thing. You are correct in not believing the weather forecast for the towns along the way. HUGE temperature difference and snow as well. It could be 50 in Roanoke and solid ice up on the trail. happened to me in January.

[Ben C]

You can have a few nights where you wish you had a 0 bag but I think most nights would be good with a 15. In Jan, I would probably want 0 bag if I was going to be out 7 days.
You could get a 15 and add a light synth quilt on top to catch the condensation for very cold nights.

[Hiking Malto]

I have had very good success with a cuben "rain suit" with nylon booties. This allows you to wear all your insulating layers without risk them getting moist. VBL also eliminates any need to protect your bag from condensation. My bivy has provided additional thermal help mainly by eliminating drafts under the quilt.

The cuben rain suit is nice because it can also be used as a rain suit above freezing. Cuben also doesn't hold water allowing it to be used as a VBL even when used as a rain suit earlier.

One final note. I am starting to be a big believer in modular gear vs replacement gear meaning my goal is to take my normal three season gear, add additional items and use it for winter. Two items that I still use as replacement are my pad, xlite vs xtherm and stove, alcohol vs white gas (extreme cold conditions such as melting snow for water.) forced, I would use my xtherm all year long but given the price I split the the nights between the xtherm and the cheaper and lighter xlite because I know I will wear both pads out within a few years.

[Chris Coleman]

For some reason I thought I would see an email when there were replies to my topic – might need to check my settings… Anyways, thanks for the insight. I did end up picking up a 0 down bag (I am hoping to be out for extended trips multiple times or for weeks w/resupplies, we'll see how I like the bitter cold), was going to add in a closed cell foam pad in addition to my Big Agnes Insulated pad, as well as try the VBL idea which seemed to make plenty of sense. But knowing that winter up in the mountains around here does not often get to 0 or below makes choosing other stuff easier – reading a thread about people's winter insulating garments and how they use them for -20 makes it hard to figure out what is applicable or not. :)

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