What gear do you put in your sleeping bag at night?

@jens

Yeah, a bit of snow overnight. Just out of curiosity – did you have the lee end open at all and was there any wind? I find that even if I have the windward end fairly closed to block spindrift, the wind pumps enough air in and out of the lee end if I have a big enough opening there.

Cheers

I keep my phone in a pocket in a mid-layer I’m wearing.  My liner gloves are usually a little damp, those get tucked into the waist band of my bottom base layer- they’re always dry (and warm) by morning (ditto for my fleece mitts if they happen to be damp)

My clothing worn- usually just my pants and socks, go under my inflatable and over the ccf pad- this keeps them decently warm for putting on the morning.

I carry two 16 oz Nalgenes that get boiled water in the morning to help unthaw frozen boots.

>> two 16 oz Nalgenes that get boiled water in the morning
That would work, but it takes a lot of fuel. We bag the boots (reliable plas bags) and keep them warm overnight, ready for immediate use in the morning.

Cheers

“I carry two 16 oz Nalgenes that get boiled water in the morning to help unthaw frozen boots.”

Mike, if I recall, don’t you use a pillow for your legs at night? I found that bagged boots placed opposite of one another makes for an excellent leg pillow. For side sleeping, the opposing outer soles help cradle the legs. For back sleeping, I generally just have one of my legs cradled and lifted. To my surprise, I was able to find more leg comfort with the boots being used as a pillow than an actual pillow. It’s worth checking out… It also helps for a shorter sleeping bag (assuming you are under 6ft).

Garrett- I do.  Like shoes/boots come in a box- mirror image/soles out?

Mike

Exactly. It’s sounds bizarre, but works quite well for me.

definitely worth a try, would save bringing another pillow, no need to thaw boots in the morning either :)

What exactly is a “leg pillow”?

It’s just a pillow that goes between your legs to help keep your spine aligned. It helps alleviate lower back pain for some people.

So it separates the legs so the upper one isn’t angled down when side-sleeping, keeping the thigh parallel to the spine/exiting the hip at a “straight” angle?

pretty much, also for some reason side sleeping it’s uncomfortable when my knees are against each other- bony knees? :)

I’m ordering a new winter bag, this one long, with the idea of keeping my boots, fuel, etc warm in the bottom (in a dry bag).

Having not to fight frozen boots sounds like a little slice of heaven! :)

Boots, in good plas bags, fuel canister, one PET (1.25 L) water bottle, camera in plas bag, all at the foot of the quilt.

Contact lenses and watch attached to wrist. Warm contact lenses are so much nice than ice-slush in my eyeballs first thing in the morning!

Watch and camera are kept warm overnight as the liquid crystal displays are water-based and do not like being sub-zero. And I can’t read the watch when the display is blanked out by the cold. During the day the camera is inside my jacket for warmth.

Cheers

EDIT: also my socks in their own plas bags. They are often slightly damp when I take them off.

If you carry a magnetic compass, do you need to keep that in the sleeping bag/quilt also? I don’t think I’ve ever done it, but I don’t often have one along on my short trips.

Magnetic compass? No, it can stay outside my quilt, in my shirt.
The liquid in it is a very light oil, NOT water, so it does not freeze.

Cheers

Climbed forever. Slept in my clothes and changed my socks. Couldn’t handle sleeping with stuff inside my tight sleeping bag. If it was cold enough to freeze my water bottle I would tuck that in around my belly as I sleep on my side. Fun times when I rolled over.

I typically just put on frozen socks and shoes in the morning. It’s cold, but they warm up pretty quickly.

Couldn’t handle sleeping with stuff inside my tight sleeping bag.
That could be a problem. I use a generous quilt: no problems. It is worth the extra weight, although it is only ~700 g anyhow.

I typically just put on frozen socks and shoes in the morning.
I have done that, but it took a long time and much effort before I could get my feet into my frozen shoes. A big struggle, left me puffing.

Cheers

My wife and I use a quilt inside a two-person bivy, waterproof bottom with netting top, very breathable, and even keeps warm air in if there’s not too much wind (worked great in an ADK lean-to in 15 degF weather, no wind).

Anyway, we put some things inside the bivy but outside the quilt, and there seems to be enough heat that they don’t freeze.

RE boots-

Use VBL’s during the day so less wet than otherwise.

Put any liners, socks, insoles etc in bag.

Tie laces together and put boots on pad outside of bag under the knees with the soles facing out to the sides near the edge of the pad. Keeps the boots from freezing and helps keep me on my pad.

Something to consider in all of this:
You have wet socks and want to dry them out, so you do what many people do and put them in your sleeping bag overnight.
Now, what happens? Well, the water in the socks evaporates off and starts to head ‘outwards’.
But it is -2 C overnight, so the surface of your bag is kinda cold.

So, what happens to the water vapour? Short answer: it condenses INSIDE the filling in your SB. Now you have a degraded SB. After a few nights, your SB has lost most of its insulation and you freeze overnight. ‘My SB is not good enough’ you cry.

No, nothing the matter with your SB: it’s what YOU did that is the problem. YOU trashed the insulation.

To be sure, you can safely store your wet socks at the foot of your SB so they don’t freeze overnight – IF you store them in good plas bags first.

‘But my socks will be wet in the morning.’ Moan, winge.

So what? If it is a fine day your socks (and clothing) will quickly dry out on your body. Not a problem. If it is another wet day, then your socks and clothing is going to be wetted out fairly soon anyhow. Tough.

Look after your down and fleece gear, and it will look after you.

Cheers

OK, yes, a fuel canister in the foot of a sleeping bag for those SO enamored of canister fuel that they carry it even in the winter.

(like some we know from Oz… jus’ sayin’)

Yeah, some people can’t stop themselves from enjoying breakfast coffee in the snow.

Very reprehensible, I am sure.

Cheers

“Now, what happens? Well, the water in the socks evaporates off and starts to head ‘outwards’.”

Yes, so? I have done it for a month at a time in consistent sub freezing/sub zero F temps. It is how you keep your feet from getting frostbite in the daytime by having dry boot liners and socks. Vapor barrier socks inside and outside of your wool ones keep them from getting too damp to dry out at night. Use a synthetic over bag and if your sleeping gear starts to get too damp or cold over time (which it will just from your body giving of vapor at night), put a boiling hot water bottle inside the sleeping bag . That dries out everything as well as keeps you warm.

Warning about trying to dry boots around camp fires, the heat from close flame can release the glue on boot soles, causing them to fall off as one hikes. A speedy stitcher and thin wire can keep them on til the trail head if someone lets that happen.

I think the problem with really cold temperatures and water vapor is that water evaporating from your body or clothing or socks will travel out through your sleeping bag and if it hits a point where the temperature is below freezing, then it will freeze and stay at that point.

But it has to be like 10 or 20 F air temperature for this to happen.  For one thing, there’s an air layer on the outside of your sleeping bag that has about a 10 F drop.  So, inside your sleeping bag will be 10 F warmer than air temp.  And it will accumulate over days – if you have some warm days then your sleeping bag will dry out.  This is more of a problem with multi day arctic expeditions.

20 F is about the lowest I ever go.  I’ve never had this happen to me.  The warmlite website talks about this.  I’ve read about it elsewhere.

As long as the inside of your sleeping bag stays above freezing, any water will just evaporate.

Except, if you breath inside your sleeping bag then there’s a lot more water vapor.  Especially if you have a WPB shell, water will likely condense on the inside of the shell.  Don’t do this.