Some random thoughts on insulation layers...all getting to the fact that I'm tinkering with my Colorado winter system and might start carrying more clothing and a thinner TQ. So how do you use clothing in your sleep system?
- Some people sleep in very few clothes under their top quilt or in their sleeping bag, and a few people don't use any sleeping bag or top quilt, preferring to sleep only in thick insulated clothes with a pad. I'm thinking about a mix of the two.
- In three-seasons I don't carry much at all for worn insulation. If I'm in camp, I just set up while I'm still warm from hiking, eat a quick dinner, and go to bed. If it's cool (usually when I first wake up), I put on the No Sniveler as a poncho. This has worked great so far.
- In Colorado winters, I should probably carry a true worn insulation layer. I've been using the REI Generator. It works and it's really light considering the cost (nowhere near Nunatak)...I think it was $100 at a member's sale. But it doesn't have an integrated hood.
- For sleeping, I definitely see the advantage of a hood integrated onto the jacket. I've been using the JRB hood...it's great and very warm. Sometimes when it's cold enough to really cinch it up, the drawstring slides up near my face, and I have to make sure it stays tucked inside my jacket around my neck. (I don't want to add velcro to my jacket, which would solve that problem.) A lighter and more form-fitting solution would be a true winter jacket with the hood attached.
. -- The problem I see with this is that the JRB hood is THICK and luxurious, and most hoods on down jackets are thick enough to keep you warm when you're awake and moving...not when you're asleep and your metabolism plummets. I could add a balaclava under the hood, and that would give me a layering option for when I'm moving around but it's not cold enough for the big hood. But it's more weight and another piece of gear to keep up with.
So what I've been thinking about is something like a 1-1.5" down jacket with integrated hood, coupled with either an elephant's foot (14 oz for 20F) or the No Sniveler (or another TQ of similar loft).
This might be a little more weight b/c of the extra fabric when compared to using only a thicker top quilt, but it's also more convenient in winter up here. And probably safer, too.
I also have a Montbell ThermaWrap...so even in the cooler shoulder seasons up here I could wear that and the Stealth instead of taking the NS.
So what do y'all think? Would you rather carry minimal worn insulation and a thicker TQ, or more worn insulation and a thinner TQ? Pros/cons of each?
Bookmarks