Clothing change at night time

**lubbockhammockguy** · 02-22-2012, 09:49

I always change my clothes at night before I go to bed. Due to the fact that the clothes that I wore throughout the day will have bo and moisture on them that I do not want getting inside my sleeping bag and/or hammock

**nothermark** · 02-22-2012, 09:51

Gotta wonder about bears. Those of us who camp in bear country get saturated with the idea of changing. It seems there is a large cadre of folks who either do not have the problem or do not believe they do. I don't mind the weight of a set of long underwear to sleep in to avoid a bear sniffing too close. ;-)
It also seems to be a factor of how long a trip is planned. There is the stink till you get home cadre and the clean everyday for as many as needed cadre. I suspect the cutoff for most folks is around 3-4 days of funky. Mine is 1 so I don't have to get my gear stinky. ;-)

**Cannibal** · 02-22-2012, 09:52

Originally Posted by affreeman

It depends. If I'm just out for a weekend, I don't bother with a change of clothes.

This is pretty much how I handle things as well in good weather. But, when I hike on the ends of weather (hot/cold) I am near religious about bringing PJs. I agree that being clean(ish) when going to sleep helps provide a better night's rest. I just tend to be more comfortable when clean.

**lubbockhammockguy** · 02-22-2012, 09:53

I guess it's also a big factor of which you would do whether you are a backpacker or a car camper.

**FLRider** · 02-22-2012, 09:58

Florida's climate is a little different than most of the country. For me, I do the following:

Above 60 F at night (Summer and Hotter'N'Heck): I bring an extra set of compression shorts underwear. I'm going to sweat, even at night, so why worry about anything other than the funk buildup?

Between 40 F and 60 F at night (Spring and Fall): I bring an extra longsleeve baselayer shirt and some loose socks and change into them at bedtime. Note that I also bring an extra set of underwear at this temperature and all of the ones below. That gets changed into, as well.

Below 40 F (Three Days Out of the Year): I bring nylon sweatpants, a longsleeve midweight fleece shirt, loose socks, and a stocking cap. I change into them before bed.

Below Freezing (Once a Year): I bring a fleece hoodie, my DIY wrist warmers (thanks, Knotty!), and everything else I wear below 40. The hoodie goes on me as a draft collar/torso booster to help my quilts perform better, and is nice for having around camp.

**wizardofhaws** · 02-22-2012, 10:01

Car or backpacking I bring a pair of clothes to sleep in. Light weight in summer and heavier for winter. Having a clean pair of clothes for sleeping in is so much more comfortable. Even when I think I am relatively clean it is noticeable to put on those clean sleeping clothes.

Our Scout group is going to Philmont next year and they require separate clothing for sleeping in and that you must not cook in those clothes. The bears are quite active in the area.

**rbdodger** · 02-22-2012, 10:10

As a cold sleeper, here is my answer to your question:

Whether your backpacking or car camping, you run into the same problem in the winter. During the day, no matter how much you try not to, your body will perspire, even when cold. Its part of being made up of ¾ of water. This water evaporates for the most part, but you still maintain some of that moisture in your clothing. That’s why we have things like UnderArmor and breathable outter layers. When your body is at rest it generates the least amount of heat, and the moisture in your clothing will, if it touches your skin, steal that heat away (water is a natural heat sink), making it harder to stay warm.

If you are a cold sleeper like me, which means that my core temperature at rest is lower than some, it makes it harder for your body to stay warm. I have to take every precaution to keep my heat contained. The best way for me to do this is to completely change out my base layer at bed time. For me that means, fleece long johns, wools socks and a fleece cap (and sometimes even liner gloves and down camp bootys). All must be dry. My feet and head must stay warm if I am to keep my core temp up and sleep well. There are plenty of light weight options (think down) for some of these items. I can usually fit them into a 4” x 8” compressed bag that weight about 1.5 lbs. Another benefit to doing this is that it keeps the inside of your hammock and UQ or sleeping bag cleaner. The more dirt and grime you have in your bag, or clothing, the less the insulation works, and the more moisture they will retain, cutting down on your warmth. Like a weapon, you want to keep it clean to keep it serviceable.

The clothing that I change out of is hung up at nigh to allow them to dry over night. This is another reason that hammock camping is cool. I have clothes lines all over the place. In the morning I change back into the previous days clothing, after giving them a good shake to knock off frost and critters. I then hang my night clothes out to air dry while my tarp is drying from the dew or frost of the night. If my day clothing is damp, that’s not terrible (except for the first few minutes), but I can do things to get my body heated up: Like drink a hot drink and eat high calorie foods, do some camp site chores, or sit by the fire (or my favorite – all of the above). Within an hour or so I’m good to go.

I envy the hot sleepers like my friend FatDaddy. I’ve seen him sleep in boxers in 0 degrees. He unzips his bag all night long to vent the steam that rolls out. “I hate that guy”. If you’re a hot sleep, you have the added concern of sweating all night long. Then it is a good idea to change your base layer every morning, and air dry your entire kit, just to keep it dry. But it’s not a bad trade off, if you never get cold at night.

That’s my two cents.

**AaronAlso** · 02-22-2012, 10:27

I'm sure I'm one of the exceptions here on this matter. Through my younger years tramping around I learned that having clean, dry clothes to change into can often be a total game changer for mood & morale. Back then I just carried whatever clothes I had, usually jeans & a T-shirt.

Today I do less tramping and more adventuring. I like to think I'm also a lil wiser about my gear choices. I wear Campmor Adventure series pants & shirts, and always bring an extra set. Yes it's about 18oz of unnecessary weight. However, I feel prepared for the unforseen mudslide down a hill :raisehand: or whatever may occur; and I have had some situations where I was glad I brought them.

I generally bring 3 pair of socks (wearing, cleaning, extra) a pair of sleeping socks/booties (depending on temp) 3 pair of undies (I like underarmor boxer briefs) and 1-2 lightweight T-shirts. I have a thing about keeping the clothing next to my body as clean as possible and generally change at least once a day. It is extra weight, my extra clothing usually comes in around 2-3lbs (again depending on temps), but it's good weight in my mind. Having those clean socks, undies, T-shirt first thing in the morning really brightens my outlook and sets the tone for my day. It also give me piece of mind that getting soaked from a river fording gone bad isn't going to be a life or death hypothermia situation; I have dry clothes!

As for night time, I generally sleep in as little clothing as possible, weather pemitting. I sometimes sweat a lil in my sleep which wasn't a big deal on the ground, but I learned fast after waking up shivinger in my hammock a few times.

**cosmicmiami** · 02-22-2012, 10:44

Originally Posted by affreeman

In '09 I spent 6 months hiking the AT.

Allen, I followed your blog on that hike. It was one of the main reasons I decided on hitting the trail again and utilizing a hammock. Thanks. As I recall, you missed a short section. Did you ever go back and complete?