Sleeping clothes - is more better or worse for warmth?

[Refreshing]

More insulation (clothes) means more warmth.

The only time this is not true is if the extra insulation is insulating you from another heat source (like a hiking buddy or fire) or if it is constricting bloodflow. HOWEVER! If you had to choose between a 1pound sleeping bag and a 1pound body suit the sleeping bag would be warmer because some of the insulation in the bodysuit would be waisted insulating your body's warmth from itself.

[Ratdog]

My 2 cents, I've been sleeping outside for a year now, including all winter.

I stay with a simple synthetic base layer and that's it until temps drop below 10 degrees.
Below 10, I'll wear a middle weight base layer.

Temp under the 0 Degree Burrow is 68 degrees, even when it's -10 outside.

I'll be heading outside tonight after I finish work. Temps in the 20's and I'll be in a short sleeve t-shirt and lounging pants.

Doubling up on socks never helped me, but a nice, loose fitting thick pair work well.
Down booties that much better.

Best thing to do is work it in the backyard lab.

[pinballwizard]

A couple of other things to consider. First, when was the last time you ate? In winter you need to eat fairly often to keep your inner furnace lit. Your body will slow circulation to its extremities to maintain heat in the core, and this can result in waking with cold feet. On the positive side, you do actually wake up. Second, are you sleeping in socks you've been wearing all day (ie damp). If I wear socks whilst sleeping, they're the next days socks.

I've also taken to wearing diabetic socks in deep winter campouts because they are specifically designed to avoid constriction.

This food point is a good one and it also adds the thought, are you well fed and hydrated? Food and water keep your body warm. Being well hydrated helps your body regulate it's temperature. Think of it this way, if you drop an ice cube in a cup of hot water, does more water or less determine how much of a change that ice cube will make? HOWEVER, when you have to pee, GO PEE. While the work your body does to break down food is good work that keeps your body warm, a full bladder is very bad. Not going will make you cold bc holding your bladder is bad work, as your spending energy to hold that urine. Also, when your bladder is working making new urine, it warms your body (just like breaking down food). When your bladder is full, you are not making new urine bc the cup is full. So, eat, drink, and PEE.

[Rune]

If I wear anything I swear to wool. If I start sweating during the night, it will still keep me warm.

Also I keep a clean and dry set that I only wear in the hammock. And change before I go to bed. And use a towel on my body and specially my feet before I go in. Also important is to eat.

And finally...I do not drink any alcohol in cold weather. Not becosue I do not drink. But because just one drink will actually lower your body core temperature.

This article explains it much better than I can...

http://mentalfloss.com/article/32256...n-its-cold-out

[Trailrider74]

We lose around 40% of our body heat through our heads. Wearing a beanie is a great way to regulate body temperature in cold weather. I prefer wool for its natural insulating properties even when wet.

[Yojimbo]

After years of experience of camping with the scouts, I've found sleeping with less layers on the body to be better. When you put too many layers on, you're trapping too much body heat. Not allowing any to get into the loft of your sleeping bag. Thus the sleeping bag can not work efficiently. It seems counterintuitive but try just using a single layer of breathable sleepware. I use a simple pair of flannel PJ pants and long sleeve waffle-style shirt, single pair loose wool socks and a fleece hoodie hat that covers my head and neck and light weight gloves. Some of the coldest nights I've spent were the ones where I overbundled.

[MGLion]

The only sweat I really noticed was on my back from the ccf pad. I had put a reflectix type sun shade under my ccf pad and put both of those in a fleece bag liner to keep them together, which worked fairly well actually.

If you noticed sweat, in the morning, you were too insulated and got wet during the night. Once that happened you were going to get cold.

[dakotaross]

More insulation (clothes) means more warmth.

The only time this is not true is if the extra insulation is insulating you from another heat source (like a hiking buddy or fire) or if it is constricting bloodflow. HOWEVER! If you had to choose between a 1pound sleeping bag and a 1pound body suit the sleeping bag would be warmer because some of the insulation in the bodysuit would be waisted insulating your body's warmth from itself.

I mostly disagree. Nothing is warmer than skin on down. Heat constantly flows from our bodies to the outside through the bag/quilt, but the insulation traps heat enough so that it 1) reduces the heat loss flow, and 2) radiates heat back to us from the volume of heated air trapped. Imagine the volume of heated air in the bag/quilt, heat moving through constantly, but very slow through the pockets of air in the insulation. On one side of this volume is the outside air where the transfer of heat to cold picks up speed as it bumps up against the cold air on the outside of the bag/quilt. On the other side of this volume of heated air is the interior of your bag/quilt and/or your body where the rate of heat loss is greatly reduced. There is more "stasis" here as the heated volume of air approaches your body temp. The difference in these two rates of heat loss creates radiated heat back to the body. Very much like reflectix, except that there is no vapor barrier.

So, too many clothes can effectively insulate your body heat from the bag/quilt, and the reduced temperature of this heated air renders the bag/quilt less efficient at reducing the transfer of heat to cold, and also reduces the heat radiated back to you, which may or may not get to your skin through the clothes you're wearing.

[dakotaross]

We lose around 40% of our body heat through our heads. Wearing a beanie is a great way to regulate body temperature in cold weather. I prefer wool for its natural insulating properties even when wet.

Absolutely, and don't forget about the neck, and wrists - places where larger veins run close to the skin.

[pinballwizard]

Absolutely, and don't forget about the neck, and wrists - places where larger veins run close to the skin.

Agreed!
Which is where chem warmers should be applied if one wakes up cold and needs to generate heat. I find (without any scientific proof) it is much harder to warm a cold body than maintain a comfortable temperature. If I am in a jam, hand warmers can be a quick way to warm the blood by putting it at places that matter: arteries, veins on extremities, and such. That being said, I have found THE ULTIMATE place for a warmer that just feels great on cold nights. I'm not saying this is the best spot to put a warmer in life or death mode, but it does feel great and I would rank it with having a hot cup of soup or cocoa when cold. And that spot is the back of the head, held there by your hat. Right where the head meets the neck. Man is that cozy, if you've never put a warmer there, try it next time you are out in the cold.
I also want to be clear that proper venting and body breathing, clothes, insulation, food, water, and urination are key elements in staying warm. Chem warmers are great to have as an extra or a cozy, just like a Nalgene bottle filled with boiling water, but they are not the source for staying comfortable through the night without the other key factors. This is kinda like a give a man a fish, teach a man to fish thingy. The more practice I have being comfortable using the proper gear and techniques, the less and less I find myself in CBS or sweaty at 3AM