Drying wet clothes and down under quilts

[hutzelbein]

I'm going against the current and say that you can take wet clothes into the hammock. I use a double layer hammock and have frequently dried my socks and a shirt by stuffing them between the layers and moving them next to the legs (not under the torso, since I need every bit of warmth there). I didn't even notice them there, and they were warm and dry the next morning. Of course they were not dripping wet - just wet. However, it wasn't raining all the time. Maybe it would be a problem when the air is very humid. I would give it a try, though - at least with a double layer hammock, because you're not in direct contact with the clothes and they stay were you put them (and don't slide under you during the night).

[GadgetUK437]

Once upon a night I hung my wet day socks on the ridgeline to dry and settled down to sleep. But sleep would not come. I had CBS and no amount of UQ adjustment (on my normally perfect HG Phoenix) could fix it. In the end I gave up and stuffed my pot-cosy under my arse... sorted!
Next morning, whilst setting to decamp, I discovered the reason for my persistent CBS. My damp hiking socks had fallen off my ridgeline and wriggled their way under my derriere!
Damp socks -- an excellent conductor of heat, whether you are wearing them on your feet, or just inadvertently sitting on them.

--
Gadget

[Carrico]

In my opinion, the only way to dry things on the trail is the sun or a fire. Unless it's colder then the lower 50s I always hike in lightweight polyester shorts and tshirt, and bring a set of warmer clothes for after I get done hiking and for sleeping.

[brianb]

"Suck it up pledge!" - That's how I think about it. If my clothes get wet from hiking in the rain, I do anything I can to dry them out. That being said, I have no problem putting on cold wet clothes in the morning if needed. Never-ever compromise your sleep system and sleep clothes by letting them get wet. Check out this article for more thoughts along this line: http://andrewskurka.com/2015/backpac...on-conditions/ There's a 4 season article as well.

[fallkniven]

Your going to have to learn deal with wet clothes. No way around it. The idea of stuffing your wet clothes into the bottom of your sleeping bag as you sleep is for synthetic bags/quilts, not down. I'd never recommend putting wet clothing inside down quilts on a trip that lasts more than one night. I have some big and bulky synthetic Wiggy's bags, and he claims if you shove your wet clothes in the bottom of the sleeping bag, they'll be dry in the morning. And it's true, it does work, unless it's really cold out, then they usually still end up a little damp in the morning. But again, don't try it on down clothing. In order for those wet clothes to dry, your body heat needs to evaporate all of that moisture through the quilt, across all of that down. Synthetic can handle it, down will have trouble maintaining that loft night after night if you did that.

[GadgetUK437]

In order for those wet clothes to dry, your body heat needs to evaporate all of that moisture through the quilt, across all of that down.

And that's another reason not to do it. The body heat that is used up evaporating moisture is heat that isn't warming you.


--
Gadget

[fallkniven]

If taking an extended trip in very rainy conditions, http://www.simplylightdesigns.com/ca...roducts_id/401a gear hammock slung directly underneath the hammock (i.e. below the underquilt and just above the ground with the hammock loaded) can be a handy place to dry/air things out.

Many times I would dry my stuff by the fire at night then hang them up. They'd be soaked again by morning just from the humidity/dew/fog/etc. There's no getting around having to deal with it.

[TxAggie]

This is where clothing selection can Med into play. Avoid anything cotton like the plague. Pretty much everything should be synthetics or wool when you're actually in the wet stuff.
If multiple days of rain, keep wearing the wet stuff and keep your dry set for sleeping. Your body needs to recover from all that cold at night, and introducing any type of additional moisture into your sleeping environment wastes energy needed for warmth and recovery.

My $.02.


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[TxAggie]

Forgot to mention: for socks instead of trying to dry a pair at night, do it while you're hiking. As long as they aren't completely soaked (again, wool not cotton) and it's not too cold, drape one in each armpit of your jacket. Your movement will keep you warm, and your socks will mostly dry.


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[Grumpy Squatch]

You didn't really tell us the temperature range you expect and I think everyone assumes it will be cold. But if the overnight low is 60 and it'll be 80 duriong the day, take all the clothes you want into your quilts :-)

It it's cold I agree with others though - no clothes in the quilts. And those mentioning gear choice are absolutely right. No matter the season if you have the right layers, your body heat will dry what matters. These days it's possible to layer in a way that drives any moisure out of your clothing system. If I'm going to be out in cold and wet I carry two base layers and keep one totally dry in my pack. At night around camp I try to generate enough warmth to dry it all the way out and only dive into my dry layer if really necessary. The secret is no cotton anywhere. No cotton underwear, nothing. With a fully synthetic base layer, a fleece mid layer, and a good outer layer a few minutes of walking should dry your base layer and keep you comfortable. There was some discussion about this last year, but the re-warming drill that Navy SEALs supposedly train with takes it to the extreme: https://www.sitkagear.com/experience...ewarming-drill. They do crawl into sleeping bags wet but obviously in a true survival situation. If you're just damp, such extreme measures aren't necessary.