High Sierra Topix

Teresa Gergen wrote: ↑Wed Sep 19, 2018 6:53 am
- I have a lot of trouble carrying weight with bad lungs, but Denali convinced me that the chemical handwarmers are worth the weight. You need to shake them each like 100-125 times and then put them loosely inside your mitt, first thing when you start getting ready in the tent in the morning. They take a little time to warm up, and need to be inside the mitt before they'll warm.

It's interesting, how everyone is so different. I hate the chemical packs. You have to carry all the expended ones, and they NEVER did the job as well as the hot water Nalgene.

I would never wear my heavier down jacket inside the 0 degree -- I generally wake up too hot and have to vent it. And I started from the usual mindset, of being cold no matter what I did, and now I can go out in 10F and know I'll be warm all night.

You do what works for you in the end. I don't believe anyone needs "more than a zero degree bag" in California. A friend carried a bag labeled -35F that weighed six pounds. She traded it in for a bag rated 0 that weighed 3 lbs, ditched four of her six usual sleeping layers, and started sleeping WARMER than before. Overkill can be part of the problem -- she couldn't warm the insulation when she had too much of it.

Teresa Gergen wrote: ↑Wed Sep 19, 2018 6:53 am- If you try to hold in urine, your body expends energy to warm it.

Evidence for this? I think it's a myth.

Get up and pee because otherwise it's uncomfortable. And it gives you a chance to see the stars. But other than making you dance around outside for a few minutes I don't believe it's a way to warm up.

An alternative is a pee bottle. That way you don't even have to crack open the tent fly. But be careful as spills are possible. A friend of mine became so adept at using one he could do it while still in his sleeping bag, I don't know how. One time he fell back asleep mid-pee. He awoke in the morning to an unpleasant situation.

I probably shouldn't admit this but I often just pee right out the door of my tent, even in midsummer. It's not because of the cold. I just don't want to have to get up, put on my shoes, etc. Of course I only do this when camping alone...

longri wrote: ↑Wed Sep 19, 2018 7:23 am
I probably shouldn't admit this but I often just pee right out the door of my tent, even in midsummer. It's not because of the cold. I just don't want to have to get up, put on my shoes, etc. Of course I only do this when camping alone...

+1 as I have two side entrances on my tarp tent.

For sleeping, a good, high-loft bag with a legitimate rating 10 degrees below what you anticipate as the lowest temperature you'll encounter, and a pad/combo with a high R-value. I'll sleep in a light base layer, if even, but it's usually boxers and a t-shirt, and that's my criteria. If I can't do it comfortably and warmly, my sleeping system is failing me and it's time to rethink it.

Layers of warm clothing x3. Three is a magical number.

Sometimes a neck gaiter and always a hat, for trail if needed, camp, and sleeping. I never used to wear a hat and didn't believe that 70% of your body heat is lost through your head, but as I get older, I'm a convert. I've been wearing a Mountain Hardwear Micro Dome beanie for years and swear by it for its effectiveness, wind resistance, and weight.

Everyone is different and has what works for them, but I'm a person that isn't necessarily prone to being bothered by the cold, but hate when I can't control it and get warmed up.

-A baklava weighs practically nothing and is great for additional heat on your head
-Eating something sugary can also provide energy for additional body heat
-I don't know if you drink but booze can help keep you warm at least psychologically
-Reflective heat blankets are cheap and only weigh a couple ounces
-Granite that's been soaking up sun all day will stay warm for a few hours after it gets dark
-Don't set up your tent where there is a breeze
-Don't camp in a sink or near water, cool air collects in basins and ambient temperatures near creeks are always lower
-Camp above basins and creeks, it is actually a little warmer above a basin, as cold air is heavier than warm air and settles in basins, this holds even at high altitude
-Pitch the rainfly over your tent....this helps keep some heat inside

I know all this because I am a night owl and have adapted this trait to the high Sierra, staying up late smoking cigars while pondering the milky way, and keeping warm.

Maybe its just me, but I always include a pair of pantyhose and leggings along with my thermals. They weigh only a few ounces and can be combined with the thermals in multiple layers to create a sandwich of insulation on the legs.

When my feet and legs are warm, life is much more comfortable.

Thank you so much for the excellent information. I really appreciate it!

Do you have a pair of down pants? Most folks think about adding more clothing to their upper body but usually forget about their legs. It can make a huge difference!

One 20-degree night does not need winter gear! Check the weather report before going, and cancel if snow, very high wind or overcast conditions are forecast. Sunlight is essential for a pleasant cool-condition backpack. 20-degree night temperatures are not bad as long as it is sunny and not too windy during the day. If 20-degrees at night and overcast and barely reaches mid-40's during the day-- that is a different story.

Decide if you would rather just get inside your bag when the shadows hit, or if you want to sit out and carry more clothing. If the former, all you really need is an adequate sleeping bag, a good ground pad and be willing to cinch up the hood of the bag. Low temperature ratings for bags assume you are fully wrapped up with only your nose and mouth sticking out! If you are too claustrophobic to do this, sleep in a down jacket with a hood. If you are hiking most of the daylight hours, you will stay plenty warm. Items that weigh little and really help are; balaclava, down booties, mittens, extra 3/4 blue foam pad to put under your regular pad if it is not insulated (also used as a sit-pad when you cook), down sweater. I have an old expedition weight down jacket with a detachable hood- I simply bring the 2-oz hood. For me, if I can keep my head and feet warm, I am OK. Those funny looking "bomber" fleece/fur lined hunting hats with ear flaps are really warm.

In the Fall, it is the morning shade that is worst. The coldest temperatures are around 6-7AM. Choose your campsite for early morning sun. Stay out of deep canyons. Unless you have seen signs of recent bear activity, you can cook inside the tent vestibule keeping your lower body inside the sleeping bag. But be very careful! Be sure no flame is going to get near the tent.

Always be warm when you hop into your sleeping bag. I usually take a brisk walk just before going in. As for peeing at night, just do it! I find that the physical activity of getting up and out gets my circulation going.

In a 20-degree night, everything left out is going to freeze stiff, including your shoes. Loosen the laces so you can get your foot in a stiff shoe in the morning. Or, put shoes in a plastic bag and put them in the foot of your sleeping bag, if you have room. Water bottles left out will freeze so better to keep one small bottle inside the tent for drinks at night, and then gather water from the stream or lake in the morning. Condensation may cause frost on the inside of the tent fly. If using a single wall tent, just do not rub up against it. Packing a frosted tent is a PITA and you really need gloves. Have a good tent bag that is big enough to fit a frozen tent inside. I find that getting on the trail in the morning when it is frosty takes me an extra half hour. Other people simply stay in the bag until the sun hits the campsite and deal with late starts.

Many years ago I used to teach snow camping classes. There were some small tricks that are useful for staying warm. First of all, when you first set up camp, make sure that your sleeping bag gets out of the stuff sack and gets fluffed up, hopefully in the sun. Hopefully when you had packed it earlier that you had dried it out. Then when you fluff it up again, it can get back most of its loft. Then, that leaves you with an empty stuff sack. You turn that inside-out and put your boots inside it. Then when you crawl into the sleeping bag, you can pull that boot bag inside. I generally move it to the foot of the sleeping bag, just to get it out of the way. Alternatively, you can use that boot bag as a pillow.