What ARE “summer nighttime temps” where you backpack?

Summer here in VA, too damn hot and usually rather muggy hot at night. Very occasional breaks from this. Not enough elevation to significantly reduce heat or humidity. I don't much like backpacking or camping in the summer here. Occasionally go to a state park (yes, dreaded CAR CAMPING [early halloween scare for bpl members]) near the ocean to be near the beach, but my favorite time for that (late summer like now) is the worst time usually for jellies.

Bah humbug, summer sucks. Give me fall, winter, and early spring.

At 9,000 to 10,000 ft. it can be up to 75 F. and down to 35 F. in June, July and August.

It depends on a lot of factors because those mountains can get weather systems from the Pacific Northwest and from Mexico.

And sometimes it rains fiercely in those mountains but almost nowhere else in the 'Vegas valley.

NOTE: I have experienced 25 F. on the PCT in August at the "bridge campsite" in the high (8,000 ft.) meadows near Olancha Peak. That morning as we hiked back to Kennedy Meadows it got down to 16 F. in that high valley! That experience showed me the value of my WM Megalite. It also showed me the need for a light down jacket, like the EB jacket in my avatar.

In the Rockies, above 10,000 feet, it can be cold enough to start freezing your milk while you're eating your last day's breakfast cereal (~ 15 degrees), and 100 degrees when you hit the first town past the trailhead ten hours later.

Cheers,

Bill S.

I couldn't tell you what the nighttime temps in summer are here because it is too damn hot during the day to backpack here in the summer. My guess is it'll be in the 40s-60s depending on katabatic air and stuff like that.

There is a huge difference between an overnight low where the temperature gradually drops and when it is that temperature all night long. I've been on a summer and winter trip where the overnight low was the same (30). For the winter trip the temp was 30 about an hour after then sun went down. The summer trip was 70 about an hour after the sun went down. Each trip required completely different sleeping equipment.

Night time temps here in Phoenix are 90°, winter temps can be as low as 17°. I only hike locally during the winter. Most of the year I try and hike in the mountains where the temps range between 30-50° depending on the altitude.

> it can be cold enough to start freezing your milk while you're eating your last
> day's breakfast cereal (~ 15 degrees),
Yeah, but if you're smart you let it freeze, then tap all the ice off and the washing up is all done!

Cheers

Being one of the very few idiots dumb enough to go hike during May to August here in FL, nighttime temps range from ~75* F to ~85* F, with most of the variation dependent upon whether a rainstorm hits right before or right at dusk (if it does, expect temps to be a bit lower overnight). I very rarely need to use any kind of under insulation on my hammock during the summer (the hammock is all that allows me to camp in those temps; any kind of a breeze and it's at least semi-comfortable), and my top insulation usually gets kicked aside until 4 or 5 AM, if not all night.

April and September vary a bit more; seeing temps down in the 60s is not unusual for those months, and I've occasionally seen stuff in the high 40s (though this is very rare).

Hope it helps!

Where I mostly hike it occasionally gets up to 110 in summer with little respite through the night, but generally around the 95 mark so sleeping bags are definitely not required. Extremely difficult to hike though as water is scarce.

Through winter it can occadionally get below freezing at night with day time temps around 53-60F

Summer time is the generally best for only day hiking or trips to Tasmania or New Zealand. Winter is great for heading north and Autumn/ Spring are beautiful for hiking more locally.

Benen