Reducing sleeping bag loft when overheating

[Edward Barton]

I have an idea to use shock cord, normally used for attaching a sleeping bag to a mat, to run OVER the bag in situations where I’m too hot, to compress the bag and reduce heat.

I’ve been on some trips lately with bigger temperature variance, and been too warm one night and just warm enough the next.

Has anyone tried something similar?

[R]

The usual trick for down is to push it off to the sides so less is on top of you. You can also try unzipping your bag and laying it on top of you like a quilt. Lastly, pull it down to your mid to lower torso and put on some thinner insulated clothing.

Adding bungies will add weight and complexity and make for a constricted night’s sleep.

 

[Franco Darioli]

Some sleeping bags have continuous baffles so that you can shake more  down over or under you.

 

[Edward Barton]

I’m thinking of this with a winter side-block baffle bag, where you can’t easily move the down, and shock cord which would be used otherwise to keep the bag on the pad, shouldn’t weight more than a couple oz.

[James Marco]

Like clothing that takes a little while to warm up when you put them on, Down will cool down some as you sleep if you are too warm. The perspiration you release will dampen the down somewhat causing it to collapse a bit. It sort-of adjusts by itself, but it takes a bit of time to do that.

Loft is only one component of a bags entire warmth. By compressing it down (mechanically) it will only hold lesser amounts of air generally, but, smaller trapped air pockets usually mean better overall insulating. I don’t believe this will have any great effect on the down, generally. Probably on the order of a couple or three degrees F overall. Unless you remove 1/2 of the loft, you won’t notice that much of an improvement. Dry, it will still trap air.

Damp down will compress by itself and the water will transfer heat away from you faster. You could wipe the shell with a wet bandana and see a greater effect, and, not have to worry about carrying extra weight. ‘Corse, it might take a while for the down to dry out over a cooler evening, too…difficult to regulate.

[Author]

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