rbwen Posted April 15, 2008 Posted April 15, 2008 I've heard this debate a few times but never gotten a definitive answer so hopefully people can shed some light... If you are sleeping in a sleeping bag and it's very cold is it better to sleep with all of your clothes on (which seems to be the case in high-altitude climbing scenarios) or nekkid (or close to it)? Sleeping naked would mean the sleeping bag is just warming your body up without clothing in the way??? Me, personally, I've always put on as much as I had because of the drafts. rbwen Quote
TrogdortheBurninator Posted April 15, 2008 Posted April 15, 2008 more clothes is warmer as long as they are dry. Some people prefer to drape their belay jacket over the top of themselves instead of wearing it, so you compress less of the insulation. Quote
mattp Posted April 15, 2008 Posted April 15, 2008 I've often found that using a sweater or down sweater as a baffle around the neck increases warmth more than wearing it. This is especially true if you are zipping two bags together with your sweetheart. Quote
DavidHiers Posted April 15, 2008 Posted April 15, 2008 You're going to put all those clothes on eventually. I typically sleep in everything I carry, except for the day's wet socks. Those dry in my shirt. Metabolism differ, so YMMV. Quote
genepires Posted April 15, 2008 Posted April 15, 2008 If your bag is warm enough and you wear all of your clothes, then you may start to sweat. If you sweat enough, you will either become uncomfortable at best or sweat out the clothes and bag (which will conduct heat) and then be cold. It is a matter of how warm the environment is and how warm your bag and clothing combination is. Most people get by with the smallest bag and wear clothes so that the "temp rating" for the combination is just right. But try doing that in a -20 degree bag on a august night in the cascades. Quote
tvashtarkatena Posted April 15, 2008 Posted April 15, 2008 (edited) A down hood (FF sells them for about $50), which weighs next to nothing, does wonders for upping staying toasty in a lighter bag, and it looks styling first thing in the morning, too. Edited April 15, 2008 by tvashtarkatena Quote
saragrace Posted April 29, 2008 Posted April 29, 2008 Hubby and his dad always swore by naked or close to it but I -- an always-cold girl -- just can't. Winter camping, I have tried stripping down to baselayers to sleep and just shiver until I put my down jacket, fleece pants, down booties, gloves and fleece hat back on. Hubby and his dad argued that they stay warmer with less clothes -- but it doesn't work for me. So -- that's not a definitive answer, just another point of data for the debate... Quote
sobo Posted April 30, 2008 Posted April 30, 2008 Nekkid as a jaybird. I once left on my base layers and my fleece jacket and pants in a -4F night in the Wallowas, thinking that my 20F bag needed the "boost" that my capilene and fleece would give. I sweated out early, soaked the bag and compressed the down, and chilled myself. I got out of my clothes, but my feet froze all night because that section of the bag never warmed up. Even a balaclava didn't help those po' dogs to git warm again... Quote
counterfeitfake Posted April 30, 2008 Posted April 30, 2008 But that's not about whether you had clothes on, it's just about you being too warm. Quote
sobo Posted April 30, 2008 Posted April 30, 2008 I run hot. Always have. Sweat like a porcine in a slaughterhouse. Quote
archenemy Posted May 1, 2008 Posted May 1, 2008 I always sleep hot too. I'm the jaybird sleeper in bed, but not in the bag. I can't stand sticking to the bag (I always end up sweating that's how hot I sleep). So I always bring a super light layer I can sleep in--not enough to warm me up and just enuf to absorb the moisture. How's that for graphic? No one will ever want to camp with me now. Quote
G-spotter Posted May 1, 2008 Posted May 1, 2008 I always sleep hot too. I'm the jaybird sleeper in bed, but not in the bag. I can't stand sticking to the bag (I always end up sweating that's how hot I sleep). So I always bring a super light layer I can sleep in--not enough to warm me up and just enuf to absorb the moisture. How's that for graphic? No one will ever want to camp with me now. pics? Quote
sobo Posted May 1, 2008 Posted May 1, 2008 I always sleep hot too. I'm the jaybird sleeper in bed, but not in the bag. I can't stand sticking to the bag (I always end up sweating that's how hot I sleep). So I always bring a super light layer I can sleep in--not enough to warm me up and just enuf to absorb the moisture. How's that for graphic? No one will ever want to camp with me now. Au contraire'! I'm all over that. I mean, all over you! I love a sweaty napping partner. There's just something about all that glistening, sweaty skin. Makes me think of pr0n movies... Quote
archenemy Posted May 2, 2008 Posted May 2, 2008 That's because you have a coat of hair protecting you from the bag sticking experience. Trust me, it is unpleasant. Quote
Dechristo Posted May 2, 2008 Posted May 2, 2008 Sleep naked in bed, in base-layer in sleeping bag. A side benefit - toward the end of a week+ trip, the base layer provides some skeletal support. Quote
trad_guy Posted May 2, 2008 Posted May 2, 2008 (edited) In the Sierra Club in the 1970's on mixed company trips, we recommended everyone sleep naked. Most of those great trips were co-ed. We all stayed plenty warm as I recall. Of course, this is impossible today. It is not PC today. Life was very different in the 1970's: http://www.traditionalmountaineering.org/Photos_TopRopes.htm (Follow some of the other pages under Read More.) --trad_guy Edited May 2, 2008 by trad_guy Quote
archenemy Posted May 3, 2008 Posted May 3, 2008 In the Sierra Club in the 1970's on mixed company trips, we recommended everyone sleep naked. Most of those great trips were co-ed. We all stayed plenty warm as I recall. Of course, this is impossible today. It is not PC today. Life was very different in the 1970's: http://www.traditionalmountaineering.org/Photos_TopRopes.htm (Follow some of the other pages under Read More.) --trad_guy That looks so fun! I'd totally do that if I weren't such a damn chunk. Either way, I bet the atmosphere was super fun, lighthearted, and easygoing--my kind of climbing! Quote
grtmtnchic Posted May 4, 2008 Posted May 4, 2008 In the Sierra Club in the 1970's on mixed company trips, we recommended everyone sleep naked. Most of those great trips were co-ed. We all stayed plenty warm as I recall. Of course, this is impossible today. It is not PC today. Life was very different in the 1970's: http://www.traditionalmountaineering.org/Photos_TopRopes.htm (Follow some of the other pages under Read More.) --trad_guy That's awesome. Quote
ken4ord Posted May 5, 2008 Posted May 5, 2008 Sleeping naked would mean the sleeping bag is just warming your body up without clothing in the way??? The sleeping bag is not warming your body, it is your body warming the sleeping bag. Basically the more layers you have on more body heat you will hold in. If I am in the mountain with my winter bag, I am usually naked, well except for a hat. If I am in the winter time in my summer bag, I usually have all my clothes. I try to regulate my temprature so that I am limit persperation. At home I cannot stand having anything on when I sleep. Quote
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