Draft Collar on Cold Weather Bags?

B

brians

Joined
Apr 22, 2006
Messages
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Guys,

I'm toying with the idea of sewing a draft collar on my Wiggys Superlight but thought I'd solicit a range of opinions on the topic of draft collars in general, and more specifically, a modification to an existing bag to add a draft collar.

I understand this will void the warranty, but IMO, will improve the bag. intend on using one of my Lamilite pillows for the insulation.

What say you?

Brian
 
When using the bag in cold weather, do you like to leave the hood somewhat loose? Do you feel that for some other reason you are losing a good deal of heat through your neck/head area?

I've used bags with and without draft collars. If you like to wear a fleece/wool head covering of some sort and leave the hood of the bag a bit looser, then the draft collar makes a difference for me. However, if I cinch up the hood to just a small breathing hole, I seem to feel just as warm in a bag without a draft collar.

DancesWithKnives
 
after a quick google search, i'm still not sure i understand what exactly a draft stopper is. i have determined that it somehow blocks warmth from escaping out the top of the bag where the opening is though...

the last time i used my sleeping bag, i cinched the hood down so that only my nose and mouth were exposed, and never felt like i was getting cold air down inside the bag at all. that was my first night in a sleeping bag in about 10 years, so perhaps i only felt warm compared to the blanket that i have been using winter camping.
 
Heck, I just roll up a towel and wrap it loosely around my neck. If it gets really cold I drape part of the towel over my face. Keeps the moisture out of the bag yet provides cold protection.
 
siguy,

The draft collars on bags I've used/owned were insulated and elastic. They allowed you to loosely cinch the collar around your neck so that the air around your head/hood area is separated from the air around your torso. For people who don't want the hood tightly closed around their head, a draft collar can be pretty useful in keeping the warm air around your torso from flowing out. Of course, others find the collar uncomfortable and/or confining.

DancesWithKnives
 
Well, I have a draft collar on my cold weather bag and I really like it.

Sleeping in -30 in the mountains in Montana last month, I had the bag cinched down to just a 2" hole for breathing/water vapour escape and still I really found the collar useful. It draped down around my neck and shoulders a bit and just trapped the heat that much better. Of course I was using a -12c/10f rated bag in -30 weather so maybe if I'd had an appropriate bag it would have seemed less critical!

Anyway if it were my bag I'd say go for it. But I'm aware that not everyone would find it useful or worthwhile, so judge yourself accordingly, as an old coworker of mine used to say!
 
I'd say if you want one on the bag go for it. I think they're very useful. Since you're going to do it yourself you could make one like Feathered Friends used to do that was removable.



DWK2 said:
The draft collars on bags I've used/owned were insulated and elastic. They allowed you to loosely cinch the collar around your neck so that the air around your head/hood area is separated from the air around your torso. For people who don't want the hood tightly closed around their head, a draft collar can be pretty useful in keeping the warm air around your torso from flowing out. Of course, others find the collar uncomfortable and/or confining.
Click to expand...

There was a company, I think maybe Western Mountaineering, that made a draft collar than was sort of U shaped and just hung down from the top of the bag. I thought that was a pretty good idea.
 
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