POOR WINTER CAMPER’S SLEEP SYSTEM

1.) light to medium insulated jacket 2.) down or synthetic insulated pants.
I am not that keen on wearing down gear inside a bag or quilt: the down absorbs a lot of moisture from my body overnight and any down under me is squashed very flat. Instead I find good thermals work better – for me at least. Polyester thermals, not Merino: they dry infinitely faster.

Some head covering: certainly. Almost essential, even with a good hood on the wuilt. There is an old saying: ‘if your feet are cold, put on a hat’. Very true, for physiological reasons.

Gloves? Never used them, but my hands are always inside my quilt!
So are my ski boots and socks, in a sealed plastic bag, my water bottle and my gas canister. Fluffy socks on my feet – socks which have never been inside a shoe.

One of the biggest boosts to a warm night is having my wife next to me, snuggled up. Don’t laugh: instead of losing heat out from one side to the cold air, I have a warm ‘wall’ next to me on that side. Doesn’t help if you go solo of course.

Cheers

On the other hand using a -20*f mummy in 20*f weather can be a bit more challenging.

True Terran, a mummy or quilt that’s TOO warm can be difficult to manage but not as bad as being too cold.

Roger, you and I are of different religious persuasions when it comes to down garments.  1st I always use only down with DWR treatment. It does work and I’ve tested loose DWR down v.s. untreated down so I know. 2nd. If it is colder than 10 F./-12 C. I’m using a very light “topper of 60 weight Alpha Direct fleece cover with very light polyester so my moisture it mostly trapped there and not inside my mummy. I should have mentioned that fact above. It’s held on my bag with 3 light elastic cords.  3rd I’m always sleeping in a tent or quinzhee.

Hi Eric
Ah, religious fervour … No matter.

On the other hand, I LOVE your idea of a ‘topper’ to keep ice crystals out of a down bag. A wonderful idea. I did something similar with our (two-man) down overquilt, but it was much heavier. Actual weight of yours? Please!

Cheers

Roger,

Trying to get that “topper” on my little scale was like herding cats but I finally rolled it up and tied it with the elastics. so it weighs over 9.6 oz. (270 grams). Considering it keeps moisture form building up inside the bag, DWR treatment or no, over  or 4 days it shows its extra weight is worth it. Plus it keeps the mummy warmer as well.

I’d say it maybe adds about  5 F. in warmth inside a tent where there is no wind. HOWSOMEVER… the fact my mummy’s (3 season and winter) both have DWR treated down your “mileage” may vary with untreated down. Probably my DWR’d down releases more moisture or grabs less as it rises toward the topper.

This past winter, due to recovery from a nephrectomy of my cancerous left kidney last November and especially the 8 rounds of chemo preceding that surgery I only got out once and then only in 5 F. (-15 C.) nights. I was car camping at 8,000 ft. (2,438 M.) but even so it was in my solo winterized Tarptent Moment DW.  Hope to do some ski camping this winter at a similar altitude on a fairly level plateau.

Hi Eric

Sounds good!
Question: you covered both sides of the Alpha Direct?

Cheers

with a -20F mummy you should be able to sleep down to -20F without wearing much else inside the bag?  Have you tried that system in 20F weather?

I wear a down vest inside my down quilt when it’s cold.  As long as I don’t have too much insulation and start sweating, it all stays dry.  When I get back home I weigh it and it doesn’t gain any weight so I know it didn’t get wet.

If I sleep without tent, there’s often dew or frost on the outside of my sleeping bag so it weighs a few ounces more, but it seems like all the water is on the outside nylon layer, not the down itself.  But, that’s when a topper would be useful.

a mummy or quilt that’s TOO warm can be difficult to manage but not as bad as being too cold.

You’re in colder weather. In warm weather with varying night temperatures, dipping down to say 0* up to 30*F in the early morning, it’s good to have the versitillity of a lighter quilt or bag. I wear the synthetics on the inside and or use an AD liner. Some nights starting out with just the liner.

I have a Thermarest synthetic “quilt” that fits to a cover for a Thermarest foam insulated mattress. The quilt can be placed over my WM down mummy and add at least 10 F. and also be a moisture trap.

Got the mattress pad cover and quilt combo on a lucky drawing at a Sierra Club training at the Donner Pass Lodge.