Originally Posted by
dejoha
This past weekend I was backpacking the San Francisco Peaks in northern Arizona. We set up our hammocks on the steepest incline I've ever hung on, not far from the trail, at 11,300 ft. It wasn't suppose to get very cold, maybe in the low 40s.
However, that night my body was pretty beat up with the days mileage and altitude and I was close to shivering in my 40°F-rated down top quilt. I was wearing every bit of clothing I had.
There was no chance of rain that night so I took my rain tarp (a GoLite Poncho Tarp) and wrapped it around my legs and lower torso before going to bed.
While not the ideal temperature conditions, the effect was immediate and welcome. I slept in this makeshift VBL all night and slept warm and comfortable. Since the VBL wasn't completely sealed, I had some moderate ventilation, but this "burrito" style really helped my body regulate its temperature until my metabolism kicked in.
In the morning, I pulled off my top quilt and my legs were still warm and cozy inside my tarp wrap. Pulling the tarp away, my legs immediately felt cool. It was amazing.
Typically, VBLs are recommended only in very cold and dry conditions. I wanted to share this experience because it gave me a sort of "last resort" method for staying warm in unusual circumstances.
While I was wrapped up enough to stay warm, there were enough "leaks" for venting that I didn't have any condensation issues. It was also very windy all night, which likely helped pull away a lot of moisture.
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