Sleeping bags

Nuclear Worker

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Mar 26, 2018
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Fort Atkinson
Question for ya. I have my military arctic bag which is unbelievably warm but way to big to pack. So me and my wife bought Kiui bags extremely lightweight and easy to pack. We froze in them on a hunt in Colorado. Another person on the hunt said you need to strip down to nothing for those style of bags to work? Any body hear of that? In my military bag you could leave your long Johns on if you wanted to. We did strip down and it helped but not very happy at the cost of these bags . What do you do if the weather turns really bad and you can't leave clothes on?
 
what was the bag temp ratings and what was the outside temp?
Were your clothes damp at all when you got in your bags? Damp / wet conditions will really hurt the insulating properties of down, if not making it nearly useless.
 
Question for ya. I have my military arctic bag which is unbelievably warm but way to big to pack. So me and my wife bought Kiui bags extremely lightweight and easy to pack. We froze in them on a hunt in Colorado. Another person on the hunt said you need to strip down to nothing for those style of bags to work? Any body hear of that? In my military bag you could leave your long Johns on if you wanted to. We did strip down and it helped but not very happy at the cost of these bags . What do you do if the weather turns really bad and you can't leave clothes on?

Get in the same bag! (Couldn't help it)lol
 
Temp ratings in sleeping bags are fairly skewed, a lot Of companies advertise their bags at 10-15 degrees below their comfort rating. Always look at comfort ratings prior to purchasing. I have never heard to strip down to keep warmer.
What were the low temps and what was the bag rated for?
Did you have a pad or were you directly on the ground?
I got caught last year in a 30
degree bag when lows were in the teens and believe me it won't happen again.
 
cjuve is spot on with the comfort rating. Sleeping bags are rated at a minimum rating, which is at least 10 degrees lower than the comfort rating (e.g., if you were expecting minimum temps to be 35 degrees, you would want a 20-25 degree bag).
Sleeping in your birthday suit vs long johns is actually a debate I've heard a lot about within the backpacking community, which I do a lot of. Imo you don't need to be nude in your bag. The main advantage to being nude is that your bag stays clean and therefore the down doesn't lose some of its insulating value (the down will trap the dirt instead of the air that insulates the bag). I keep a pair of lightweight long johns and socks in my compression sack with my sleeping bag that are just for sleeping in, and therefore keep my bag clean. I've tried sleeping in down bags nude vs clothed and can't tell a difference in the bag, but getting out of a warm bag and putting on some ice cold clothes that have been out all night during a freezing morning is not my idea of fun.

As mentioned above, a down bag must be dry (a wet down bag is useless). You also need an insulated pad between you and the ground or you'll get cold. This is because the down compresses when you lay down making in effectively useless for insulating as well (this is why a lot of people use quilts-if the back isn't doing anything anyway then why have it).

So to answer your question, you can leave your clothes on just make sure they are clean, and make sure you are using the right bag (within the comfort rating), an insulated pad, and that your bag is dry and then you shouldn't have much issue.
 
Some down sleeping bag manufacturers recommend a bag liner made of either silk or cotton. This keeps your bag clean and stops your sweat getting to the down. Bags may have an EN rating which has three levels. Comfort is based on a woman sleeping comfortably. Transition or Low Level is a man sleeping comfortably. Extreme is a woman surviving the night but may have hypothermia. All ratings are based on wearing long underwear and sleeping on some form of mat or pad. I can't imagine anyone climbing Mt Everest stripping naked to get in their sleeping bag.
 
The temps were not cold maybe in the 20's . I don't know the rating on are bags at the moment but I am sure they are lower than that. We were on cots in a outfitters tent. Clothes were dry. We have camped at 25 below zero with are military bags and been completely worm.
 
Good point. I hope I'd consider that in the moment. Remember, I said Playboy, so no worries here! :eek:
 
Kuiu only make three bags 0°, 15° and 30° F. Maybe you can work out what bags you got by looking at the price you paid compared to their website prices.
 
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