Adding 10-15 deg to a sleeping bag?

[mattinaustin]

Hoping you all can help me save some money by not buying a warmer sleeping bag.  I have a Marmot Hydrogen summer bag that is comfortable to 40 deg with no extra clothing.  When it dips to freezing it is okay as long as it isn't for the whole night.  I am curious for some ways to warm it up a bit?  I have a synthetic liner that should help a little, but I haven't ever tried it on a cold night so not sure how much it helps.  Also, I will have my warm cycling clothes to wear at night if needed (tights, rain/wind jacket, balaclava, gloves, thermal undershirt.  Just not sure if that will be enough to make it comfortable to 30 deg for the whole night?  Was thinking about getting a down vest to sleep in as well as wear around camp.

Any ideas?  I am more concerned about volume than I am about weight at this point. 

--Matt

[sherpaxc]

Hey Matt,
  First, do you live in Austin?  Where abouts?  I'm in Austin as well.  Anyway, a down vest would work very well as long as you've got some good bottom insulation.  What is your sleeping set-up?  A bivy would also help but then you have to deal with the fight against condensation. 

[daveB]

http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___89033

Volume is about a pint  (...sip...)  You'll get some condensation, but for the price, its hard to beat.

[mattinaustin]

Sherpaxc - Yeah...I live in Austin.  North Central area.  You?  Getting ready to return to Big Bend in hopes of looping around the park.  In 2006 I went with a bob trailer and didn't get quite as far as I had hoped.  It is the time of year where a front can come in and drop the temps down to the 20's at night in the desert and my bag would leave me cold and awake all night, but odds are it will be above freezing.  Goal is to leave this Thur morning to go out there, but I am waiting for new wheels to come in and to make the conversion to disc brakes.  Hate cutting it to the last minute.  May go next week instead.  I have a tarptent with a prolite 3/4 pad...although I'm thinking of taking the big agnes air core.  We will see if I can finish sewing my frame bag by then (yeah...one extra new piece of gear to add to the equation).  Down vest sounds very appealing to serve double duty. 

DaveB - I will see if I can find that bivy at REI...looks interesting.  Thanks!

[pro_out]

http://www.montbell.us/products/list.php?cat_id=74
http://www.montbell.us/products/disp.php?cat_id=73&p_id=2301401
http://www.montbell.us/products/disp.php?cat_id=75&p_id=2301407

Warm and packs low volume, can be use as a sleeping layer and around camp.

[Pivvay]

Puffy top with a hood and puffy bottoms go a long way to boosting a marginal bag. Also a hot water bottle at your feet or between your legs will get you by. Make sure you go to bed well fed.

A single cold night usually isn't that big a deal so don't sweat it too much. It takes a long time to get to the coldest part of the night and if you wake up chilly, some situps in your bag will often warm you back up quickly. If it's almost dawn I usually start brewing up breakfast and just get moving.

[Slowerthensnot]

A BA pad thats insulated helps tons.... well worth the wight and bulk i think... 

[bmike-vt]

A BA pad thats insulated helps tons.... well worth the wight and bulk i think... 

impressed with my new insulated air core BA pad. took a 30 degree bag down to 21 or so with riding clothes, and extra wool layer, and no tent or bivy, just a lean to sort of out of the wind.

[Pivvay]

yea you really feel a borderline pad when you're pushing a bag. Even an extra closed cell foam layer will boost the warmth but it's not as cush as the air pads.

[stevage]

I second the call for an extra foam mat. Also, wear all the woollen thermals you can stand to carry. I went through this a lot before caving in and getting a down sleeping bag *and* a down sleeping mat

[DaveC]

A mid-weight down jacket would probably get the job done.  I took my 5 degree bag down to negative 5 comfortably last month with my Patagonia down hoody (in addition to my day layers).

[mattinaustin]

Great advice all around.  I think I am going to try the thermo-lite 2.0 bivy.  It's pretty cheap and small.  Plus I am going to go ahead and take the warmer BA sleeping pad.  If I am cold this trip I may spring for a down hoody for the future.

Thanks!

[stevage]

I just ordered one of those. Can't wait to see how well it works. It could shave 3 kgs off my sleeping system

[daveB]

The Thermo-lite bivy isn't super breathable (use velcro to regulate ventilation), and its not all that durable (claims to be "reuseable"), and I sure wouldn't want to trust its waterproofness in real rain (with no tarp/tent), but the request here wasn't for the perfect bivy, its was for a temporary and compact temperature extender.  It does serve reasonably for the hip seasons when the summer bag doesn't quite cut it, but its not cold enough to require the full winter getup.  Closes with velcro, not zippers.  But at 6.5 oz and $30, it can be just the thing sometimes.

[Slim]

Absolutely get a down jacket. After all, if it's to cold for your sleepingbag, it's gonna be too cold for a shirt and jacket at night as well. So you need more insulation in the evening and morning, might as well wear it at night. This also helps with pee-breaks and getting up in the morning.

Montbell makes some of the lightest and most complete lines of insulation pieces and at great prices too.

LL Bean just added a 850 fill power jacket and vest too.

[stevage]

Think you need to read the first 9 words of this thread again

[jonesy792]

There is a thread in the winter section that gave me an idea:
http://www.bikepacking.net/forum/index.php/topic,520.msg6660.html#new

going to give this a try next time I go out in borderline temps

[mattinaustin]

So I made the mistake of walking into the Patagonia store here in Austin and tried on the nano puff and the down sweater with hoodie...$250 later I was very warm with the hoodie.  I got home and kind of regretted laying down that kind of bill for a coat that would not get much use.  Fast forward 4 days after a couple of low 20's nights in Big Bend National Park and I am sooo glad I got it.  More so for the comfort around camp than the actual sleeping bag temperature extension (which it did very well).  And it wasn't really that much cheaper than getting a nice new lower temperature down sleeping bag.  Still glad I did it.  Hindsight and all. 

Knowing what I know now, I would have gotten something a couple of ounces lighter.  However I didn't have the time to do that since I was heading out for my ride the next day.

Thanks for all of the great advice and comments!

[AZTtripper]

There is a thread in the winter section that gave me an idea:
http://www.bikepacking.net/forum/index.php/topic,520.msg6660.html#new

going to give this a try next time I go out in borderline temps

I can't see putting one of these in your bag, maybe outside the bag if you were using a tent of some kind to hold the heat in.

If you want to use fire to stay warm then I would say start a small fire and sleep next to that.