Thanks for the warning Take-a-knee, I guess I won't test it today.Originally Posted by Take-a-knee
Thanks for the warning Take-a-knee, I guess I won't test it today.
I sleep in the trees.
When I pour the boiling water in there is already about a third liter of cold water in there, so I pour the hot water directly into the cold water, trying not to touch the sides. I do it this way on my Sun Shower bag sometimes too. Mule
Predictions are risky, especially when it comes to the future.
With my level of paranoia about getting cold ( been that way ever since the night over 20 years ago I have oft previously described- cold and wet in a June Wind River snow storm- same night as the "night of much peeing"), I would probably need to use one of the more trustworthy bottles AND have it in a dry bag.
That would be pretty high on the list of miserable results: Attempting to prevent hypothermia when pushing beyond the limits of your insulation- or just for extra comfort- taking a hot water bottle into your down nest. Only to have it leak, soak your insulation before you discover and react, thus ending up quite hypothermic. That could make you want to cuss, if you lived long enough to do so before the hypothermia slurred your speech.
I would never plan on extending my insulation value by using hot water bottles or hand warmers. Just seems like a false sense of security and too risky. I plan on the proper amount of insulation I need for the foretasted temperatures (and then some) and mainly use hand warmers to preheat the bag. I hate to leave a warm fire to get into a cold bag! I am interested in this hot water idea but I think I will carry an extra gallon size zip lock bag to put the bottle in just in case. I have never had a nalgene bottle leak on me but I wouldnt want the first time to be on a cold night in my sleeping bag
I wouldn't do that either, and I also like to prepare for a little more than needed for expected temps, without counting on a hot water bottle. But as we all know, stuff happens. Not usually, but even rarely can be a problem. It can be far colder or wetter or both than forecast, or even set records in all areas. Or a million other things can happen, illness or injury or whatever. Or, a person can just come to realize that, in the field after an exhausting day, or loss of body fat on a long trip, that they need a lot more insulation than they thought they did.That's when a considerable boost from a hot water bottle can really come in handy.
I agree, RT. Sounds like sensible precautions to me! Really, the combo of a reliable water bottle inside a WP bag of some kind would seem to get the risk down close to zero.and mainly use hand warmers to preheat the bag. I hate to leave a warm fire to get into a cold bag! I am interested in this hot water idea but I think I will carry an extra gallon size zip lock bag to put the bottle in just in case. I have never had a nalgene bottle leak on me but I wouldnt want the first time to be on a cold night in my sleeping bag
This is a funny thread to read for me, I guess having come from a mountaineering approach to winter camping I thought everyone knew about hot water bottles. I've used them for years, and when leading trips in the Maine winter they helped a lot of high school kids get through too. I use them at home sometimes; heating with wood the back rooms of the house get awfully cold (48 deg last nite before bed), so a little boost sure helps get the sheets up to body temperature...
We used to almost always plan on using bottles to boost our temp ratings on brutally cold trips. I used a -40 deg. bag in winter but after a day of pushing hard in high wind and sometimes technical situations where you couldn't necessarily eat all you should and drink all you should, your body just simply isn't up to the task of producing its own heat for a full night, and a good nights sleep might make all the difference to sucess. Hot water made a huge difference, both physical and psychological, in getting through a hard night of howling wind.
Platypus bottles are great in summer, but the lids always failed with hot water, I suppose because they are thin enough to deform under the heat. Nalgenes were more reliable, and easier to thaw with shaking. As far as releasing whatever chemicals may leach out with hot water, noone cares about that in those sort of conditions; there's a lot of faster ways to die. The water in those bottles was always nice and warm in the AM, and we often kept them in the Outdoor Research cozies inside our bags. A great trick was to pour a packet of Jello powder into the water before bed; it would be reaching drinkable temperature just about the time in the nite that you'd start getting cold and needed to get a calorie boost to crank back up. Oh yes, hot liquid Jello is gross at home, but heaven at 2AM and 20 below...
Occasionally there did seem to be trouble from not filling all the way to the brim, I think from expansion of any air left in the top. It was also possible to cross thread a heated lid that had softened and get a leak if too overzealous while capping. These days I use Nalgene Cantenes in winter, no cozies, as I go UL. Carrying puffy pants/parka, etc, it finally dawned on me that the contents of my pack are one giant cozy with a way higher Rvalue than any foam sleeve hanging off a hipbelt cold ever have. I lose some convenience, but have since never had a frozen lid and enjoy warmer water all day than ever before. I will not however, ever lay on or use a bladder full of hot water as a pillow, to me this is just putting unnecessary stress on it and asking for trouble.
Sorry for such a long post, I didn't know I had so much to say on hot water; but it is a real pleasure of winter camping, and guess what, it works great in chilly nites any time of year!
Christian
I love doing this...but I had to use Jello gelatin instead of Jello pudding. One time all I had was pistaccio pudding and it was absolutely disgusting drinking it warm! But the raspberry gelatin was awesome warm.
I've also heard of people making their oatmeal at night and sleeping with it, so it was warm and ready in the morning. Don't know what kind of bottle they were using, but this would really reduce the risk of wetting your gear if you could find a suitable one.
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IMPOSSIBLE JUST TAKES LONGER
I've also made coffee the night before when I needed a wicked early start and didn't want to light a stove, in a thermos or even a bottle and cozy, having a quart of super strong coffee waiting in the bottom of the bag was a great motivator...never tried hot food though. Maybe this New Years in the Adirondacks I'll give it a shot.
Christian
Does it really stay hot all night on a loooong winter night? Sounds pretty good to me if it does.
"Civilization is the limitless multiplication of unnecessary necessities." - Mark Twain
“I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.” - John Burroughs
It does in a good thermos in a neg. 40 bag...in a Nalgene not super duper hot, but plenty warm enough to chug down while lacing up your boots!
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