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The recent thread on sleeping bags started me thinking about sleeping warm during cold weather. Here are a few tips that have helped me over the years:
Sleep in as little as possible, if you are cold when you go to bed there is a tendency to over dress which leads to sweating, which leads to dampness inside the sleeping bag, which degrades insulation which makes you colder later. Instead take a hot water bottle to bed.
Also if you sleep in all of your clothes you have nothing warm to put on when you get up. Do place your clothing inside the bag underneath you so they add insulation and are warm when you put them on. Don't forget to put your boots inside also.
You need as much insulation under you as you have over you. If possible use more.
Eat a high carbo meal or snack before sleeping, This gives you slow burning fuel which helps keep you warm.
Be cautious using 100% waterproof material directly over the sleeping bag, it catches too much vapor.
Never go to bed wearing damp or wet clothing. Again place them inside with you and they may dry out overnight.
Wear a watch type hat to bed, if it has a face mask feature so much the better, it allows you to keep your head out of the bag thus keeping moisture out of the bag.
If you have chronic cold feet wear dry socks.
If your bag doesn't have a draft-tube around the shoulders use something to wrap around your shoulders to keep the warm air inside the bag.
Use the smallest bag that fits you comfortably, don't skimp on stretch out room, but the least amount of room inside the bag that your body needs to heat the better.
I sometimes do a few isometric exercises just before bed to get my body temp up a bit, but not enough to get sweaty.
Hope these tips help.
Sleep in as little as possible, if you are cold when you go to bed there is a tendency to over dress which leads to sweating, which leads to dampness inside the sleeping bag, which degrades insulation which makes you colder later. Instead take a hot water bottle to bed.
Also if you sleep in all of your clothes you have nothing warm to put on when you get up. Do place your clothing inside the bag underneath you so they add insulation and are warm when you put them on. Don't forget to put your boots inside also.
You need as much insulation under you as you have over you. If possible use more.
Eat a high carbo meal or snack before sleeping, This gives you slow burning fuel which helps keep you warm.
Be cautious using 100% waterproof material directly over the sleeping bag, it catches too much vapor.
Never go to bed wearing damp or wet clothing. Again place them inside with you and they may dry out overnight.
Wear a watch type hat to bed, if it has a face mask feature so much the better, it allows you to keep your head out of the bag thus keeping moisture out of the bag.
If you have chronic cold feet wear dry socks.
If your bag doesn't have a draft-tube around the shoulders use something to wrap around your shoulders to keep the warm air inside the bag.
Use the smallest bag that fits you comfortably, don't skimp on stretch out room, but the least amount of room inside the bag that your body needs to heat the better.
I sometimes do a few isometric exercises just before bed to get my body temp up a bit, but not enough to get sweaty.
Hope these tips help.
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