Winter sleeping system… again

See previous post also.

Ely, Minnesota Hammock Backpack Trip….Minus 40ºF

I’m also wondering about my winter setup. I’ve got a Neo Air Xlite and I’m unsure if I should use it together with a CCF pad – or stay lighter with a TAR Xtherm or Exped Doublemat UL.

One consideration is pad failure.  Combining with a CCF pad means that you are not completely screwed if an inflatable fails in frigid temperatures.

Ralph, I think a NeoAir XTherm would be much better than the Xlite unless your temps will stay above 0 F.

Dan, I’m envious of your -27 F. and -37 F. temperatures. I want to see if I can get my -20 F. bag down to -40 F. with just extra puffy clothes.

So in winter hammocks where do you put your boot/mukluk felt liners to keep them warm overnight?

And do any of you use a VBL suit or bag for sleeping or VBL sox? I prefer US Divers 3 mm closed cell neoprene sox for a VBL with a thin poly liner sock inside them.

My winter outings tend to only involve 1 night and with temps around zero. I use oven bags on my feet, and they have proven quite durable compared to other bags (produce, etc). Have also used them when visiting Canada in the winter. I typically get a 4-5 days out of a bag. They are relatively thin and durable.

“So in winter hammocks where do you put your boot/mukluk felt liners to keep them warm overnight?”

Personally I put them on my feet or under my knees, maybe slide them under my rear at around 5 am if cold butt syndrome sets in. I have also left them in a plastic bag on the ground and then in the morning while drinking coffee in the hammock boil some water, fill a Nalgene with it, then place the bottle of hot water in a boot to thaw it out and repeat with the other boot during the second cup.

Thanks for the answer to Eric’s question, Windsor. This is at least one answer to what I have been searching for the past day or so.

Seems that having them in the hammock will be uncomfortable, but where else is there a warm environment for them? I will try that out tonight as there are yet a few more nights coming in single digits (with wind!).

Great video Dan. I envy you your wilderness accessor winter camping. I’ve got to settle for the 8,000 ft. to 10,000 ft. campsites in the Spring Mountains north of Las Vegas.

Our first snowfall of the season yesterday netted 18″ so I’ll be heading up next week for a few nights in my winterized  Moment DW solo tent. Hopefully there will be a sub zero night or two to further test my -20 F. LL Bean down bag.

I ended up buying the Western Mountaineering Antelope, rated for 5F. I used it last weekend with temperatures down to around 25 degrees. I used a Thermarest ZLite Sol with a Neoair Xtherm on top of it. I used  down booties for me feet (usually stripped off while I was sleeping). I managed to stay warm, although I am a side sleeper so keeping my head warm was an issue. I either bundled up in the sleeping bag so my face got way warm, or I exposed some part of my face and it got cold. With some practice, I can probably figure it out. Overall, I stayed reasonably warm. I’ll take it out in a few weeks for colder temperatures.

Antelope is a solid bag, you should be good to go :)

I did say “Partial Vapour Barrier” Matt.

I have no real idea why it worked and why it was warmer than other SB liners I have tried in the past but I can conjecture.

Perhaps it was simply that is was windproof but I think it was because it allowed water vapour saturated air a quicker escape via the neck hole in the top of the bag rather than percolating through the sleeping bag itself [ my winter sleeping bags have no zipper; just a single big wriggle in hole at the top; much lighter and warmer that way] but perhaps it was just acting as a space filler.

While technically breathable those cheap disposable Tyvek suits are not really all that breathable in real life if doing any real work and even sitting around still I find them a little clammy, others report no such feeling