20 degree sleeping bag in winter?

[Danacus]

OK, I ordered a Marmot Lithium but it will not be here in time for my camping trip next weekend. I do have a down 20 degree bag; is it possible to get by with this bag by sleeping with extra clothing? Any other ideas?

BTW, I will be using an OR Advanced bivy, a 3/8 closed cell foam pad with a Prolite 4 large and may be sleeping in lean tos.

 

[Jkrew81]

If you wear all of your clothing to sleep and have a belay/down jkt for extra warmth when needed, you should be ok. I have done it a few times and while not to best night sleep, it works. Try wearing all your stuff and getting in your bag before you go to make sure you can fit in. Also I like to bring a pair of fleece socks to wear over my hiking socks to bump up the warmth.

Just make sure you eat a fair amount before you turn in to kick your metabolism up a notch and keep you nice and toasty.

 

[Chip]

I also have an inexpensive fleece sleeping bag I add as a liner to a similar set-up as yours (2 pads, nylon bivy shell, balaclava, capilene and/or fleece jacket and pants) when one of my boys needs my better down bag. I believe the fleece liner adds at least 10 degrees to your rating. Your OR Advanced bivy in the lean-to should be good.

 

[giggy]

I wouldn't if your heading to the whites/dax - if you going somewhere with less ele or car camping - you might be fine. not saying it can't be done -

the temps have not been too bad this year - so you might get lucky. not minus 20 and 30's yet!

 

[Reekee]

Hot Tip

A friend of mine has done this for years and he is a winter 46er. The real key is to have a closed cell foam pad under you. Also you can heat some water bottles and put them in the bag with you... warm as toast. Remember to burp the bottle a couple of times however. They can distort if you don't. A liner is also a hot tip. This friend just bought a -30 bag however because he hated carrying all the weight and bulk. My bag is also -30 and was worth every penny. Happy Trails, Reekee

 

[Danacus]

I wouldn't if your heading to the whites/dax - if you going somewhere with less ele or car camping - you might be fine. not saying it can't be done -

the temps have not been too bad this year - so you might get lucky. not minus 20 and 30's yet!

I am going to the Whites.

BTW, Dio ruled. I bought Holy Diver right when it came out. I was just a kid, but loved Sabbath (even with Ronnie). No one else had even heard of them back then. Vivian Campbell is a great player too.

 

[spider solo]

I might be mistaken but isn't there an extensive thread posted on the same subject ? Perhaps it wasn't on these forums though..

 

[Motabobo]

I can post a trip report if you want . I'll be using a 20F bag at -10F tonight...I'll be sleeping in down garments though, about the best there is IMHO (Feathered Friends). Oh and it's a MEC sleeping bag, kinda of a REI bag if you want.

 

[BillyRay]

Everybody is different. I would never go more than 10 deg below the bag's rating. If it were me, I'd be absolutely miserable pushing by 30 deg - probably shiver all night... Also keep in mind that lean-tos are usually drafty. I've been chilly in my -30 bag on drafty 15 deg nights... Some folks are more tolerant of cold than I, but I'm not a lightweight either. I say don't do it. If you do, I'd love to hear how you make out!

 

[whcobbs]

20 deg bag in the Whites

Danacus --

You should be OK if your down bag is dry and provides room to loft your clothes. Wear a balaclava. Although most heat loss is from the torso/head, don't forget the legs altogether. Extra long johns will help. Protect your hands and feet, socks, almost any insulating clothing will help. Use isometrics to warm up in the bag if you wake up chilled and eat some chocolate. I routinely use a 35 d F bag to sleep at 0 deg F in open leantos, but I use a VB suit and an all-synthetic system for clothing and bag. The learning curve was substantial.

Walt

 

[blownaway]

20 degree bag in Winter

MWO reports -12.6F right now.....are you kidding?

Taking a 20 degree bag next week would not be something I'd be looking forward to. If it's not a high quality bag your probably looking at sleeping comfortable in 30 degree temps....unless your a warm sleeper. Also, most 20 degree bags dont have the proper draft collar needed for Winter temps.

This season has been a very warm one......lets not forget how brutally cold it can get. If your looking for opinions I would say no, no and definitely no.

Go to N Conway and rent the proper rated bag and get piece of mind...and enjoy your "first winter overnighter."

Look at the 40 bucks as an insurance policy for safety, and overall enjoyment of your trip.

 

[Motabobo]

Yeah, better to be safe than sorry especially if it is a first winter overnight. You can have a great time or the worst time of your life... I think it's better to take a warmer bag at first and then test many temp ratings to see what range fits best your need. As it has been said, we are all different and have all different gear.

 

[Lawn Sale]

... why bring a three-pound 10 degree bag in addition to a one pound down vest you will only wear outside your bag? Instead, look into bringing the vest, putting it on and crawling in a one pound 30 degree bag. One pound saved and now you can use a smaller pack, which weighs less.

In the lightweight backpacking world, one reduction of weight always leads to another. I say it is at least worth a try.

I'd rather be comfortable with my extra pound and sleep well. After all, how fast will you be going if you didn't get any sleep the night before because you were shivering. Besides, in the Whites, how do you know what the temperature will be? It might be 40° or it might be -40°, it's impossible to tell. One will be nice for sleeping whereas the other could kill you, even with all your clothing on.

I would also rent a bag in the Whites, or borrow one off someone not going. If either of those were not an option, I would look into nesting two bags together. A lot of info has been posted about it (a search would be very helpful), so I won't go into it again here.

 

[HAMTERO]

your results may vary

I use this set-up for camping down to about 5 below(below treeline, not on top of the rockpile).
20 degree bag
belay coat with big hood
belay pants
primaloft socks
2 ridgerests 3/4 length-feet on pack
light bivy bag
MSR Twinpeaks no floor tent-share with partner
Works fine for me but if you don't have the extra clothes then you will need a bigger bag. I carry the clothes anyway and have used them several times even this winter. I don't know if I would do this for my first trip. I think in the whites you can trust the weather forecast for a 1 or 2 night trip as far as low temps anyway.
How long is the trip?

 

[ADKMan]

If you have a summer weight bag (or can borrow one), you might consider bringing both and putting one bag inside the other (assuming they fit without compressing the insulation). This would probably take a 20 degree bag down to zero, maybe a bit more with the bivy sack.

 

[Periwinkle]

I do have a down 20 degree bag; is it possible to get by with this bag by sleeping with extra clothing? Any other ideas?

This wouldn't work for me. I'm a cold sleeper, so a 20 degree bag for me is useless at about 30 degrees. I've tried adding my emergency bivy as a cover layer (massive condensation!) and chemical foot warmers (oh, good for about two hours). The only thing that worked was bringing both my 20 degree bags, with tent buddies (one other human, two dogs).

I dont' think I'd try this for a winter trip. I'm shivering sitting in my house typing this.

One last thought, tho: Mittens. If you can find another bag to layer, try sleeping with mittens on. It's the one extremity likely forgotten (hat for the head, extra socks, etc.) I tend to throw one arm out when I'm sleeping and have ended up resorting to sleeping with mittens on to combat waking up wtih frozen fingers.

 

[mafogle]

If I had to do what you're planning, I'd use a vapor barrier liner inside my bag. A VB liner will extend you bag's temperature rating by as much as 20F. So you'll live, you'll be uncomfortable, but you'll live.

I don't know why VB liners aren't more popular, probably because they're so cheap, you can get one from Campmor for $20, and a tall contractors trash bag for 50cents works as well.

Mind you, free advice is worth what you pay for it.

 

[DougPaul]

I don't know why VB liners aren't more popular, probably because they're so cheap, you can get one from Campmor for $20, and a tall contractors trash bag for 50cents works as well.

VBLs require some adaptation in technique to use properly. (They can be a disaster if used improperly.) Generally only useful below 0F. See Dave.M's page for more info: http://home.comcast.net/~pinnah/DirtbagPinner/vb.txt

This has been discussed before. A search on "vapor barrier" will bring up links to about 40 threads, some of which have useful info. (A search on "VBL" won't work due to poor criteria used in the search engine.)

Doug

 

[Motabobo]

I can post a trip report if you want . I'll be using a 20F bag at -10F tonight...

.
It's all good ! It reached -10F in the night but I was sleeping in my car, so there was no wind...very comfortable .I had nothing else than my 20F MEC Sleeping Bag and Down Garments + liner clothing; which consisted of a FF Icefall Parka and FF Volant Pants. God I love those....If I'm sleeping in the open at the same T, I'll be wearing some fleece on top of that.

 

[Warren]

I'll be using a 15° bag for a trip to the Catskills this weekend. If I was going to the ADKs or Whites, it being my first time out in a while I'd bring a heavier bag. A lighter bag maxed out with clothing is a valid option.

Test it first.