Originally Posted by
oms121
Not that particular brand and model but I’ve tried VB liners in sleeping bags when I was a ground sleeper. Even on the ground, I found the separate liners to be cumbersome. They did keep my down dry and added warmth but were a single purpose item so I moved to VB clothing which can be worn in the sleeping bag/quilt as well as while moving around. I bought Stephenson’s Fuzzy Stuff shirt, gloves and socks. The shirt is comfortable for me without a base layer due to the fuzzy lining against the skin. Because it is waterproof and wind proof and I generate a lot of heat and moisture when exerting, I can wear it alone down below freezing while backpacking and often open it up completely to vent excess heat and moisture. Even if I get wet from sweat, the shirt does not hold any water so as soon as I cool down, I can zip up and put on insulating layers and I don’t get sweat in my insulation layers. It completely blocks wind also so it does double duty as a wind shirt when not generating heat and sweat. It is not fashionable but very versatile and great when you will be out for multiple days in sub freezing weather and you use down insulation.
The socks are great for many of the same reasons and, as another poster pointed out, keep moisture out of your footwear so you don’t risk frozen shoes/boots in the morning if you leave your footwear outside overnight. I usually hike in trail runners and find VB socks particularly helpful if I have to ford creeks in really cold weather. If the water is shallow and no danger of coming up over the tops of the VB socks, I just walk on through. If the water is deeper, I take off the VB socks, wade through (burr!) and then dry my feet, put the VB socks back on and keep on trucking. My feet warm up quickly and stay warm even though my shoes are soaked. I’ve had frozen fabric and shoelaces while walking but my feet were warm.
If you hike in sub freezing temps, particularly for multiple days at a tine and you use down insulation I would recommend you give VB clothing a try. It is a little tricky to balance the venting and insulation with your exertion level but even if you misjudge and start to sweat, you won’t sweat out your insulation layers which is critical in really cold temps. I suggest reading the VB info at the Warmlite site. They have been proselytizing about VB for 40 years.
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