Drying clothes in winter

[sherpakid]

My method of drying clothes in the winter does not seem to work. When I first started winter backpacking, I was told that the best way to dry liners/socks/baselayers was to put them in the sleeping bag with you when you go to sleep and they'll dry out in there.

I've been doing that, but my clothes never seem to dry out. Rather they feel warm and moist. I've heard others swear up and and down that's the best way to dry clothes, but I haven't had much success.

Do other people get their clothes to dry well in winter? If so, I'd love to hear what you do.

 

[Papa Bear]

I was always told that you WEAR the things while in the sleeping bag to dry them. Works for me with damp socks. The body heat will dry out the moisture.

It's the same reason why gortex boots stay dry on the inside while you wear them, but may then get wet overnight if the outsides are wet. Without that heat engine inside (your feet) the moisture will just equilibrate on both sides of the membrane.

It may seem counterintuitive to put on damp clothes, but it really does work.

Of course if your body heat is insufficiet to dry a large volume of wet stuff, you may just die of hypothermia, not a good idea . So perhaps just put on the most critical things.

Pb

 

[Bob]

maybe if you got up in the middle of the night and moved around a bit?
Nothing like a little air circulation to help dry things out.
Or maybe you are trying to dry out too much at once.

 

[sherpakid]

My main concern to dry out is my fleece. I usually put it in the bag with me instead of wearing it. If I were to were it, I'd roast like a chicken. Perhaps the fleece is too heavy?!?!?

 

[David Metsky]

I have hung polypro up to dry, then just bang it on a tree to get rid of all the ice. I would image a similar thing would work for fleece, just wouldn't be as efficient.

I usually sleep in whatever I want to dry off.

-dave-

 

[sardog1]

If you're already doing what follows, then please don't be offended and just realize that I'm bereft of anything more useful.

I try to prevent moisture build-up throughout the day with a zeal that approaches fanaticism. First thing is to dress so that you start off feeling a little cold. If you're uncomfortable at first and then warm up adequately after a while, you're dressed right. But if you start off feeling comfortable, you've got too much clothing on. Also, some of the new clothing fabrics are so fabulously hydrophobic that it's tough to drag them over near a stream. They're worth the investment.

As I go, I vent, vent, vent at the least hint of excessive heat buildup -- zippers, then gloves, then jacket, then shell pants, then hat, etc. If I fall, I get up and brush myself off as much as possible before commencing to curse. If moisture collects on the outside or inside of any garment, I shake it off when I first notice it. When I stop for a break, I take things off and hang them on poles or branches to dry as conditions allow. When I go into the tent for the night, I try to dehumidify myself and my night clothing and cool down before getting into the sleeping bag.

The objective is to go to bed with as little to dry as possible.

 

[Warren]

When you're drying wet/damp clothes, you're using heat to pump moisture around. Wrapping the fleece in a hot water bottle and leaving it out (use it as pillow) or keeping it in the foot of the bag may help.

I've never dealt with a soaked fleece, most things I just wear dry.

 

[WBB]

I don’t like to introduce moisture into my sleeping bag so while I will keep dry clothes in my bag to keep them warm, I change out of wet/damp clothes before I get in my bag. Instead, I wring out all the moisture, and then hang my damp clothes until I go to sleep. I then slide them under my sleeping pad. Next time you set up your tent on wet ground, when you pack up the next morning look at the spot where you were sleeping, it will be dry. Even with sleeping pads you lose a lot of body heat to the ground. You might as well recover some of this heat for a useful purpose.

 

[Mark]

I realize that if you hang up a damp piece of clothing in the winter, it will freeze. In the dry winter air, does enough water sublimate off the clothing to effectively "dry" it out?

I recall stories of my Mom growing up in the days before clothes driers. My grandmother would hang up wet laundry in the attic where it would freeze. Eventually, the ice would all sublimate away, leaving dry, but very cold clothes. I'm not sure how long it took. It might have been days which wouldn't really help in a winter camp.

 

[SherpaKroto]

Air drying does indeed work, but figure in a few brisk shakings. Wearing the clothes to bed works wonders. I try to change my clothes in the morning, so I keep (or try to anyway), my dry clothes at the bottom of the bed. (I'm not real good at that when I get tired!). In the morning, I get up, swap clothes, air out the ones I slept in, and swap out the next day. As sardog1 noted, a bit of fanaticism re: temp regulation pays dividends

FWIW, I don't wear a lot of fleece, other than my vest - I'm a furnace and it's too hot for me.

 

[sherpakid]

Sardog 1 - I think perhaps I may start off a bit too warm. I'm going to try your approach next weekend (1/16) for our trip to Gothics. All of my layers are hydrophic and I try to be as fanatic as possible about keeping things dry while I'm hiking. I'm going to keep my shell off this time. Perhaps I should wear just my fleece vest rather than my full fleece. My base layer is a very heavy polypro.

Another reason may be my sleeping bag. For the past three years, I've been using an old 25F EMS down bag with no type of water resistance to it. I usually wake up wet and cold, so that could contribute to the inability of my clothes to dry. This year I'm going be using EMS's new -20F Winterlight down bag that has a higher fill rating and is waterproof/breathable. Hopefully I'll have more success!

 

[dave.m]

SherpaKid,

Sardog is on to something. My standard winter hiking clothing for below treeline is a poly (short sleeve) t-shirt, expedition weight Capilene shirt and a very light polyester (not GoreTex) windbreaker with pit zips. If it's really, really cold, I may toss on a vest.

So long as I'm moving I stay warm enough. The shell helps shed snow from branches. I keep my puffy primaloft parka at the top of my pack so its the first thing on when I stop for breaks.

As Sardog mentioned, the best way to keep fleece from getting wet is prevention.

Its another story when things warm up in above 25f and things get damp.

 

[TomEske]

This is a fascinating discussion for me. I have been winter camping/hiling since the 70's and have had the pleasure of introducing many youth and a few adults to the experience. I have therefore been thrust into the role of teacher.
I am a very 'cold sleeper' and have always taught to go to bed with only dry clothes (fresh is possible, for the best nights sleep. The thought is that anything that gets the sleeping gear moist will also make the sleeper moist and increase evaporation and cooling. I put DAMP stuff under my bedding, not in it. I also put the next days socks, underwear, whatever inside my bedding so it is warm when I put it on the next day.
I have actually tried the "let it freeze and bang it out" method. It was -20F and all I wound up with was a pair of pants I couldn't get into my pack. It was like banging plywood against a tree. SO now, I just roll up hopelessly wet things into a tight roll, bag them and put them in my pack before they solidify.
After reading all these posts, I'm going to have to re-think my methods. Perhaps there is a better way. This group is a wonderful source of knowledge and intelligent, polite conversation, thank you all.
Tom

 

[sherpakid]

thanks for the tips and suggesstions!

TomEske - I had shared your same concerns about introducing wet stuff into my bag. One of the reasons I thought that my stuff didn't dry was because the heat in my bag was not enough to dry the clothes, but rather just kept them moist and warm. Normally I slept in my next day baselayers so that they would be warm when I got up. I think rethinking my what I wear during the hike will go a far way in keeping wet clothes to a minimal!

-sherpakid

 

[Papa Bear]

Yep. When I was first told putting on cold wet socks on in your dry warm bag onto your dry warm feet I figured my feet would get cold and wet and I would ruin my bag as well.

Guess what - it works. Think about it: your bag is dry because it's dry, but it's warm because of your body heat. That heat will literally push the moisture out of the socks (or undergarment) and out through the bag. Usually in the middle of the night my feet are so warm I have to take my (now dry) socks off.

Take a chance - try it.

But be a little reasonable. If you fall in a stream, don't put on clothes with 5 gallons of water on and crawl into the bag. You'll probably become one solid block of ice. There are limits to any good idea.

Pb

 

[whcobbs]

drying clothes in winter--vb suit

SherpaKid, Papa Bear, others--

Carry a two piece silnylon hooded rain suit (7 oz). When you sleep in subfreezing temps, wear the suit next to skin or over your light weight polypro underwear (less clammy). Layer the wet clothing over the vb suit, pin socksand mitts to the inside of the parka over your chest. Sleep warm with dry clothes in the morning, assuming a synthetic bag with sufficien t room for the parka and other insulated clothing to loft.

Walt

 

[sherpakid]

Walt,

That sounds like a recipe for sweat soup! How does that hold up with a down bag?

-sherpakid

 

[whcobbs]

drying clothes in winter--sweat soup

Sherpakid--


If it's cold you will not be in sweat soup. If it is not cold there isn't any problem to begin with. As a frame of reference, I am talking about 0 deg F overnight low and a total of 6 1/2 lb insulated clothing, including the sleeping bag, which accounts for only 2 lb 2 oz. A bag this light dissipates moisture very readily. Whether it will work with a down bag I can't answer, I haven't used my down bag this way, I wouldn't rely on it without a direct test beforehand. For yet colder temps the system needs a snow shelter of some sort.

Walt

 

[Hampshire]

Drying clothes

To say that I sweat is an understatement (trust me). I've also been backpacking in the winter in the rain (presi traverse). The only way to dry clothes in the winter is to wear them, I can not stress this enough. Your body is the only available source of heat. If you have wet clothing and put it aside it will freeze and become useless.

When I arrive into camp I immediately put on extra layers over my damp clothing and set up camp. My body starts to warm up with the activity and the drying process begins. I do jumping jacks, swing my arms, anything to generate body heat. Throughout this process I also periodically open layers to vent moisture.

At night I sleep with a VB bag inside of my down sleeping bag. Again, my body generates heat and periodically I get up and vent the moisture away. This process also gives you something to do on those long winter nights.

If you still have misgivings try it on one artilce of clothing. This has never failed, and I don't have to bring along extra clothing.

 

[whcobbs]

drying clothes in winter

Hampshire--

Thanks for your informative post. Your system is well-designed to protect the down bag insulation value, at the cost of having to lose some heat to ventilation. Mine is intended to optimize weight for warmth with synthetics and double use of clothes and rainsuit for sleeping, i.e., this is a an ultralight hiker technic. Both approaches redistribute some portion of moisture into outer insulated layers where it is more easily managed. If the nights remain cold in Philadelphia I may be able to put some numbers on the moisture management issues by sleeping out in vb suit, wet clothes, bag etc and weighing items before and after.

Walt