Keeping warm
- Thread starter WildOne
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Microfleece tops, leggings, warm socks, and fleece sleeping bag liner.
Maggie
Maggie
B and C
Well-known member
Drive south before heading west. It is much warmer down here.
Recommendation, get a bottle of 8 hour time release, arthritis formula of Tylenol. Your body tenses up with the cold and you don't sleep as well. Take it before you go to sleep and it will dampen down the pain that can come from a natural reaction to the cold and that will let you sleep better. Also good for long days of driving which can also cause a lot of minor muscle aches.
bigsallysmom
Well-known member
hand and toe warmers.
highest_vision
Well-known member
Boil a liter of water, pour in a hard side bottle, put bottle in old sock, put sock in sleeping bag.
Keeping your head warm is a key to staying comfortable. A knit cap, often called a watch cap, is a big help. Best of all in my experience are the Andean-style wool caps with cheek protection and draw strings, tied under the chin, to prevent the cap from slipping.
PECVD2
Well-known member
Hit Sams club and get a couple of packages of Merino (65%wool ) socks and two sets of Omniwool under wear. I know they have men’s sizes in stock all for less than $100.
2 knit caps at $10
A down comforter from kohl’s for extreme weather. They can be had at a discount as Christmas returns from $100 up depending on size
Put dry clothes (especially stockings) on at bedtime and you will be fine
2 knit caps at $10
A down comforter from kohl’s for extreme weather. They can be had at a discount as Christmas returns from $100 up depending on size
Put dry clothes (especially stockings) on at bedtime and you will be fine
Tony's Dream
Well-known member
When you talk about heat, the conversation is always relative. I feel good sleeping in colder temps while my wife likes it warmer. One property that you must always remember is this...….heat/cold are always on the move. You are 98.7 degrees so you are always giving off heat. When you come into contact with something cooler than you, you will lose heat as it transfer to the colder objects. You must have a good barrier between you and the ground/floor. For the most part, heat rises but it will also be absorbed into what comes into contact with you. A good foam mattress works great for this, but you will want to sleep with a barrier between you and it, like a nice light blanket. Now on top of you.....start with a sheet (cotton) followed by a light weight sleeping bag (those designed for summer). Then you want a layer of air, so find a good afghan with good spacing. Another sheet comes next. Finally a heavy sleeping bags, those designed for colder regions. All of these different barriers help you trap heat and resist cold from coming in. The good thing about this combination is that you can adjust it for temps, removing layers as the temps change. Never sleep with you head under the covers. As you exhale, you breath moister into the air and moister is a good conductor of cold.
cotton sheets soak up your sweat and hold onto it. They will make you feel much colder, not warmer. Cotton is no longer recommended for winter warmth as an optimal choice. Go to the fabric store and buy a length of soft poly fleece. It will conform to your body, keep out the drafts, It is breathable but it will also soak up and transfer the moisture from your body to the next layer of bedding. That will keep you vastly warmer than using a cotton sheet be it with a cotton flannel finish or a smooth cotton finish. There are now more effective choices in fabrics for staying warm. But one of the great all natural traditional fabrics that keeps you feeling warm even when it is wet is wool. The products made with the trade name of "Smart Wool" do not make you feel itchy. I am very sensitive to wool and that is the one company whose products I can use next to my skin.
If it's bedding you are looking at, NOT cotton!! I have two sets of sheets. One set is called "Cool Touch" (cotton) and I use them in summer. The winter sheets are the cheapest ones Walmart sells, "microfiber" and they WORK at staying warm. I hate sleeping bags and wearing clothes to bed. Ya just get all tangled up. Argh!
But while in a vehicle, I do wear night clothes in case I have to leave in a hurry or get The Knock. In winter, I use the microfiber sheets and fleece blankets. If you get king size, you can fold them in half, sleep between the two layers, on top of or under two layers. All kinds of possibilities and configurations.
A sleeping bag rated for cold is expensive, hard to wash, IMO a PITA. I use the same bedding that I use at home. Well, rephrase that. I use at home the bedding that I had in my vans.
But while in a vehicle, I do wear night clothes in case I have to leave in a hurry or get The Knock. In winter, I use the microfiber sheets and fleece blankets. If you get king size, you can fold them in half, sleep between the two layers, on top of or under two layers. All kinds of possibilities and configurations.
A sleeping bag rated for cold is expensive, hard to wash, IMO a PITA. I use the same bedding that I use at home. Well, rephrase that. I use at home the bedding that I had in my vans.
Good advice so far!
https://www.wiggys.com/ Makes very good USA made bags that will keep you warm. Over buy a bit for your area if you’re car carrying it. They make a good pad too, but there are other good options too.
Nalgene bottle full of boiling water stuffed in a wool sock will keep you warm all night long!
I like wool and have a wool hoodie with a tightish fitting hood that works well for sleeping in the cold. Wool socks, hat and pants of some type really help! These should be reserved for night use!
One thing I’ve not seen others do is to add a wool blanket or piece of wool cloth to seal cold spots or even wrap over your head/shoulders should it get that cold!
Trial and error helps you learn. I’ve messed up enough that I ended up in two sleeping bags, my ski bibs and coat. This was before I learned the Nalgene bottle trick which would of helped!
SD
https://www.wiggys.com/ Makes very good USA made bags that will keep you warm. Over buy a bit for your area if you’re car carrying it. They make a good pad too, but there are other good options too.
Nalgene bottle full of boiling water stuffed in a wool sock will keep you warm all night long!
I like wool and have a wool hoodie with a tightish fitting hood that works well for sleeping in the cold. Wool socks, hat and pants of some type really help! These should be reserved for night use!
One thing I’ve not seen others do is to add a wool blanket or piece of wool cloth to seal cold spots or even wrap over your head/shoulders should it get that cold!
Trial and error helps you learn. I’ve messed up enough that I ended up in two sleeping bags, my ski bibs and coat. This was before I learned the Nalgene bottle trick which would of helped!
SD
I've found polypropylene or synthetic thermal garments work the best because they breathe better. Just before bedtime put on some fresh dry socks. You might think the socks you had been wearing all day would work, but they'll have some slight moisture that causes you to chill. Dry socks will make a difference. One big thing on real cold nights or in a survival situation is to eat a candy bar or something sugary just before bed because that kicks your metabolism up and keeps you warmer. Try it and see for yourself!
I would second the post about wearing a watch cap, or similar, on your head. Something like 75% of your heat escapes off your head.
I have a Nemo Jam down sleeping bag. It was expensive (and worth it) but I got it on sale at REI. It's rated for quite cold temperatures, but two things I really love about it. One is the way the hood goes over my head, it's not quite like other sleeping bags, it's much more comfy and I can turn within the hood. It also has a pocket for a camping pillow. The second is an flap sewn to the top of the front of the sleeping bag. This is for a quilt/duvet effect, so I can tuck it in and around my neck. I love it! Even if you don't buy this sleeping bag, if you can find photos online you'll be able to see how that flap works. You can often find reasonably priced down blankets at Costco, in season. When I first saw them I bought a bunch of them. You could use something like this to put on top of you, inside your sleeping bag to simulate that top front flap on the Nemo Jam, so you could tuck it up around your neck.
Also, to stop cold from coming up beneath you get a camping mat with a high R value. If you can get an R-value of 4 or above that should really help.
I have a Nemo Jam down sleeping bag. It was expensive (and worth it) but I got it on sale at REI. It's rated for quite cold temperatures, but two things I really love about it. One is the way the hood goes over my head, it's not quite like other sleeping bags, it's much more comfy and I can turn within the hood. It also has a pocket for a camping pillow. The second is an flap sewn to the top of the front of the sleeping bag. This is for a quilt/duvet effect, so I can tuck it in and around my neck. I love it! Even if you don't buy this sleeping bag, if you can find photos online you'll be able to see how that flap works. You can often find reasonably priced down blankets at Costco, in season. When I first saw them I bought a bunch of them. You could use something like this to put on top of you, inside your sleeping bag to simulate that top front flap on the Nemo Jam, so you could tuck it up around your neck.
Also, to stop cold from coming up beneath you get a camping mat with a high R value. If you can get an R-value of 4 or above that should really help.
pure_mahem
Well-known member
If it's cold eat something before going to bed. Digestion creates body heat and will help to keep you warm.
Also empty your bladder before heading to bed. It can make you feel cold if your body has to try and keep your urine warm and thats energy your body isnt using to keep you warm.
You can also heat up water and put it in a Nalgene and use it as a hot water bottle, literally.
Also empty your bladder before heading to bed. It can make you feel cold if your body has to try and keep your urine warm and thats energy your body isnt using to keep you warm.
You can also heat up water and put it in a Nalgene and use it as a hot water bottle, literally.
MotorVation
Well-known member
x2 on the dry socks. I have a few pairs of the 70% Merlno wool socks and if it's cold in here I'll change to a fresh pair before I crawl into the sleeping bag. It makes a big difference. If my feet are dirty, I clean them with a baby wipe first. When my feet are cold, I can't get warm no matter what else I do. I have a pair of those insulated booty thingys too for sitting around in. I probably got the tip on the dry socks from Doubleone. Thanks for thatDoubleone said:
