Sleeping Bag Liners/Vapor Barrier Liner

[dtb_social_club]

They seem to be one in the same but very different.

I want to add one or the other to my kit for winter/fall in coastal Northern California area and spring/summer in high elevations.

Any recommendations?

[MPS]

If your sleeping bag is synthetic, you dont need a VBL. If you have temperatures above freezing, or only spend 1-2 nights with temperatures below freezing, you probably dont need one either.

I often use a silk inlet, mainly to keep the sleeping bag cleaner. I had a look at fleece inlets for the extra warmth, but they are rather large. I rather wear more clothing, be it fleece or merino wool baselayers. At least thats multifunctional, you can use it in the sleeping bag for extra isolation and wear it at day as clothing. Better than the inlet.

If you never tried VBLs and have a short tour ahead, try taping 2 trash bags together, that simulates it rather well. At least you can test it and see if its for you or not. I honestly dont think that the weather in your region gets cold enough that you'd need one.

[dtb_social_club]

My shelter is usually minimal. A tarp on the ground and maybe another one draped over a rope if it's moist. So I'm fairly exposed to the elements.

With my current sleeping bag, I think it's a 40 degree, I've woken up to some cold nights even with wool base-layers. Was up near Lassen at the beginning of this month and that was unpleasant even in a tent.

I like the garbage bag idea, sounds like it would pack down better than a vapor barrier liner. Was looking at the Sea to Summit liner. If I don't like it, I'll give it to my girlfriend.

http://www.seatosummit.com/products/display/91

[MPS]

For that weight you could just as well buy a Yeti Passion One and use that as inlet. Same weight, much warmer.

http://www.yetiworld.com/en/produkte/schlafsaecke/passion/passion-one.html

[bmike-vt]

I've eyed this at the local gear shop. This might be the year I need to get a better bag, and start experimenting with colder weather gear.

http://www.westernmountaineering.com/index.cfm?section=products&page=Accessories&ContentId=44

[Area54]

One of those SOL emergency survival bags work well as a vbl - cheap and compact, but as mentioned a garbage bag works the same.

[wahday]

I use the SOL Adventure Bivy which is a better performer than a straight up emergency blanket as it does breathe reasonably well. Its super light and pretty affordable at ~$50 (cheaper mail ordered). I have used it a handful of times and I am not sure how much abuse it will ultimately stand up to. Material does not seem that durable. But it adds about 10 degrees to an existing bag (it goes outside your bag, not as a liner) and can be used alone down to about 55 degrees. It is supposedly waterproof as well, but I would not want to try it out alone in a downpour. I use it together with my 45 degree down bag in the late summer/early fall and spring. I have a winter bag that goes down to 20 degrees otherwise. But this and the 45 degree bag are still smaller and lighter than the 20 degree bag.

Two years ago I had an unpleasant cold weather sleeping experience which taught me some stuff about the emergency blankets. I was using the 45 degree bag and the temps got down to freezing, which I was not expecting. I had a good deal of extra layers, but I was still uncomfortably cold and so broke out the little plastic/metallic emergency blanket. At first I put it over top of me and the bag, but condensation collected on the blanket and dripped back onto the (down) bag, making me damp and now even colder. The better solution I figured out was to wrap my body in the blanket inside the bag. Yes, I was clammy, but I was warm(er). Better than being cold. I expect, as others have noted, that trash bags would have accomplished the same thing.

Another solution I had considered was a silk liner.

I camp with a tarp and so I was also attracted to the SOL’s (apparent) waterproofness in the event of driving rains.

[dtb_social_club]

That yeti thing is really nice but so far beyond my budget considering I bought my sleeping bag for $30 at an REI garage sale. Something that could double as an ultralight weight sleeping bag would be awesome.

Considering I'm 5'7", an industrial sized garbage bag with a drawstring might be the perfect and cheapest option.

[MPS]

Or this: http://www.blizzardsurvival.com/product.php/100/blizzard-survival-bag

Its a bit larger than an inlet, but certainly more your price range and much warmer than any VBL or inlet.

[mtnbound]

MPS,  I am bit intrigued by this blizzard bag.  Anyone have any real world use with it?  It says it is as warm as a medium weight sleeping bag but I have doubts about that since it seems to be mostly a waterproof cover with no insulation.

[MPS]

I dont know anyone who used it, but if the website doesnt do false advertisement and it really is used by police, military and the like... it should be fine.

I myself use a mountain Equipment Ultralite Bivi. Its 100 grams, practically a more durable, less noisy mylar blanket in sleeping bag form. Its my VBL for inside the winter sleeping bag. Its not a replacement for a normal sleeping bag of course, but you can use it as bivy, to get some more insulation/waterproofness on top of your sleeping bag, or as VBL inside. I paid 20€ for it.

[wahday]

I looked into the blizzard bag when I was searching for something to augment my 45 degree summer bag. But because it does not breathe, I shied away from it as a regular use item. Reviews I read largely said "warm but clammy." In an emergency situation this is certainly a lifesaver. But if you are actually planning for the cold I think you can do better.

I'll make another plug for the SOL adventure bivy. Use it alone down to the 50s or add 10 degrees to an existing bag. Breathes pretty well and is waterproof. When I sleep out it also protects against abrasions on my bag.

[dtb_social_club]

Judging by how sweaty I get riding in the rain, a waterproof jacket can also serve as a VBL.

[cgar380]

vbl's are designed to be used as close to the skin as tolerable with insulating layers over. If your main objective is to boost your warmth of your sleep system while reducing overall weight and redundancy, you should try this in the backyard or on an overnight; base layer, rain gear (top and bottom if you carry both), insulating layer (puffy coat), sleeping bag. If that doesn't keep you warm enough, eat a hot meal before bed and do some push ups or jumping jacks before crawling into your sleep cocoon. Also, do not hesitate when you have to urinate. Your body strives to keep your internal fluids to temp at the expense of your digits and extremities (if need be) so the less volume it has to keep to temp, the better. While your at it, if you get cold at night and are getting up to urinate anyway, do some pushups to boost your core temp again. It also helps if you take a whore bath with a wet wipe or with a little bit of water so you unclog your pores which allows them to breath better. For me, clammy and warm is always better than dry and cold.

These things work for me but ymmv.
Keep in mind that more knowledge about your body and its tolerances is the better answer than more gear. The more you know, the less you need.



 

[Joe13]

A 16oz Nalgene bottle, filled with hot water and carefully sealed, makes a magnificent hot-water bottle. I've survived some cold nights in ridiculously minimal sleeping bags here in Norway using this method.