zero degree camping

J

jhrule

Joined
Feb 20, 2008
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62
hey guys i was wondering if there is anything i can do to ensure warmth while sleeping in 0 degree weather. I live in Ohio and it goes down close to zero a few times a year. I was camping this weekend but the sleeping was miserable. I have a supposedly 0 degree mummy bag made by Wenzel. It was only fourty bucks and doesnt keep me warm. I was wondering if i should just buy a better bag or if there is anything i can do to ensure warmth....thanks
 
First buy a better bag!

Eat either some cooking oil before going to bed or a high fat snack. Many even eat a full meal before bed, hot food of course.

Sleeping in a good set of long underware helps too, as does lining or wrapping the bag in a wool blanket. Wrapping the bag in a heavy duty space blanket is supposed to help as well but my concern has always been moisture buildup.
 
did you have some sort of barrier between you and the ground? some straw laid down before putting up your tent can make a big difference.
 
i wore very good wool socks and good long underwear to sleep. However i did not bring along a ground pad...Does anybody know of a good zero degree bag under 100$ preferably a mummy bag
 
jhrule said:
i wore very good wool socks and good long underwear to sleep. However i did not bring along a ground pad...Does anybody know of a good zero degree bag under 100$ preferably a mummy bag
Click to expand...


Sleeping bag ratings are contingent upon the use of a proper ground pad. If you had used a ground pad, you may have been a lot warmer. You could use a foam pad, inflatable, or you could simply pile some pine boughs about 8 inches or so deep.

You won't get a down bag for $100, but you can get some pretty decent synthetic bags around that price range. mec.ca in Canada has some good options. Sierratradingpost.com in the states.
 
jhrule said:
i wore very good wool socks and good long underwear to sleep. However i did not bring along a ground pad...Does anybody know of a good zero degree bag under 100$ preferably a mummy bag
Click to expand...

Man, the ground pad (read: insulation from the heat-draining ground) is almost more important than the sleeping bag. And note the word insulation, a regular air mattress is no good, because convection air flow in the mattress itself, will rob you of heat. Even a cheap blue closed-cell foam Ensolite pad works pretty well.

Considering you had no pad, perhaps the bag itself, is ok, although for $40, I doubt it.

Doc

Looks like statius beat me to it.
 
Check this thread out:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=711527

Quality bags are out there at decent prices, both down and synthetic. If you read my post in that thread you'll see that I spent $150 and got 2 great bags. I just got back from a trip and the first night it got down to 3 degrees F. I had my 10 degree down bag, long underwear, a blue foam pad, and a Thermarest pad, and I was plenty warm.
 
I wear comfortable clothing (as many layers as it takes), fresh dry socks, and a hat. A small lightweight blanket is nice also to cover your head and face. You don't want your head inside the bag because your breath puts out moisture which robs heat.
Sleeping pad and whatever else you can find to insulate from the ground including a ground sheet, evergreen branches, forest litter and duff.
Avoid camping on barren compacted camp sites and choose a location out of the wind, neither at the highest or lowest points on hills and mountains.

If your bag is a zero degree bag, even if it's a cheap one, I bet you'll be fine if you follow these tips.
 
Hoopster reminded me of something important. He mentioned a hat. I find a balaclava works much better than a hat/toque because it doesn't fall off while you're sleeping and rolling around. Preferably fleece for comfort, unless you're Magnussen, then it's wool because he has skin like a tortoise.

Doc
 
DOC-CANADA said:
Hoopster reminded me of something important. He mentioned a hat. I find a balaclava works much better than a hat/toque because it doesn't fall off while you're sleeping and rolling around. Preferably fleece for comfort, unless you're Magnussen, then it's wool because he has skin like a tortoise.

Doc
Click to expand...
Excellent advice. :thumbup:
 
- Next time use a ground pad or two. Biggest factor in your story.
- Put your feet inside a fleece or a wool shirt that you've formed into the lower end of your bag, certainly wear 100% dry socks
- Wear a beanie/cap
- if your underwear has been used in activity before going to sleep, change them, humidity keeps you cold
- move a little before going inside the bag, warm up, absolutely don't go in feeling cold
- don't eat just before sleeping, your blood goes into your midsection and there's less for your feet


If these suggestions fail or you could describe your bag as spacious when you're inside, get a new better one and make sure it's not too big. Also, get a ground pad or two.
 
ok thanks for the responses' everyone....im going camping again for boy scouts in mid February so ill be sure to bring along a ground pad...i think the ground pad is all that im missing because i also wore a mad bomber style hat to bed along with fresh socks and underwear.....ill try the ground pad and if that doesn't work ill buy a new bag. ill probably test a ground pad out in my back yard so i can go inside if my bag is really no good...thanks
 
Also if you have a metal canteen you can fill it with hot water or tea, put it down by your feet in the bag and it will provide some warmth. This is also a good idea so you have something to drink in the morning. Otherwise everything could be frozen.
 
If it's below freezing get two pads, there's no harm and you'll be sure if the pad helps or not. Basic closed cell foam pads are dirt cheap and light and sufficiently small to haul.
 
If you're car camping and weight/bulk are not an issue, sleep in the Eureka bag and open the old Wenzel for use as a quilt over the top of the Eureka. That should add some warmth (once you have good insulation under the setup).

DancesWithKnives
 
I may have read somewhere that 80 percent of your body heat is lost through contact with the ground. The more insulation you can put between you and the ground, the better.

Actually, I'm not quite sure of the exact percentage of heat loss through the ground, because 73.2 percent of my statistics are made up on the spot when I can't remember where I read something. But the amount of heat loss through the ground is super high. Maybe someone else really has that study.

Get some pads: they really do make a big, big difference.
 
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