Keystone Trails Association
  • Home
    • About
    • Work For KTA
    • Our People
    • Our Story
    • Press
    • Multimedia
  • Events
    • KTA Trail Challenge
    • WalesCoastPath
    • Rambles
  • Membership
  • Donate
    • 22x22
    • Keep Trails Alive
    • The Heritage Society
    • Keystone Trails Endowment
    • 100-Mile Trail Challenge
    • KTA Trail Patrons
  • Protect
    • Current Issues >
      • Low Fly Zone
    • Take Action
    • Activist Backpack >
      • Write a Letter to the Editor
      • Write to Your Elected Officials
      • Phone Your Elected Officials
      • Meet Your Elected Officials
      • Gather Trail Data
    • Kids Trail Ambassador Program
    • Opinion Survey
  • Trails
    • Hiking Clubs
    • Major Trails and Find a Club
    • Trail Care and Trail Crew
    • Volunteer Hours
    • Trail Alerts
    • Hiking Awards
  • News
    • Newsletter Archive
    • Advertising
  • Store
  • Contact
Trail News

Sleeping Warm on the Trail

12/16/2016

0 Comments

 
by Gerry Rowan
​
A few rules will help ensure you sleep warm while backpacking or camping:
•    Never sleep on the ground. Use a foam or inflatable sleeping pad. Cold or frozen ground will suck the heat out of your body. If a sleeping mat isn’t available, make a pile of dry leaves and/or pine boughs to sleep on.
•    Always use a ground cloth. This could be a small plastic tarp or a commercial backpacking ground cloth. It’s important to stay dry and not soak up moisture from the environment. Many sleeping pads are designed to be waterproof. A large, lawn-sized plastic trash bag can function as both a ground cloth and a windproof sleeping bag cover. 
•    Select a sleeping bag that is adequate for the temperatures you will be camping in. Generally, the better the insulation quality, the more the bag will weigh. As a result, backpackers tend to choose a bag that is too light in insulation for the conditions they will encounter. 
•    Add a sleeping bag cover that is both windproof and waterproof. These covers protect against precipitation, fog, and ground moisture; also, the trapped air between the bag and the environment will greatly help maintain warmth in the bag.
•    Different brands of lightweight, fleece sleeping bags can be added to a heavier sleeping bag as a liner to increase its insulation. The lightweight bags can be used in cold weather much the same way that zip-in linings extend the use of coats and jackets. 
•    Dress for sleeping warmth by
o    Wearing a hat. A watch-cap-style hat works well to keep your head warm while you sleep.
o    Wearing gloves. Select gloves that have added liners—these provide a good deal of warmth while hiking and work well for warm sleeping.
o    Wearing warm, heavyweight hiking socks. Always start your evening with a pair of dry socks. Damp socks will wick heat away from your feet. Allow the socks you hiked in all day to dry overnight.
o    Not sleeping in coats or pants unless you have to. Zippers, pockets, and hoods can be uncomfortable to sleep on all night. Wool or dual-layer long underwear is ideal to sleep in and makes a great base layer for cold-weather hiking clothing.
o    Always sleeping with your mouth and eyes uncovered. Carbon dioxide will build up inside a sealed sleeping bag. 
o    Using a hot-water bottle. Fill a water bottle with hot water and take it into your sleeping bag. It will help you warm up the bag and provide drinking water during the night.
o    Choosing the right tent. Remember, heat will dissipate through the walls of the tent. The greater the volume of the tent, the greater the outside surface area; hence more radiation of heat. Generally, smaller tents are better in cold weather and larger tents in hot weather. 
o    Pitching your tent so it’s as protected as possible. Use the landscape as a wind-, rain-, or snowbreak. Consider building a windbreak when camping on cold, windy nights. 
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Keystone Trails Association

    Submissions welcome!
    KTA Editorial Guidelines
    Comments Policy



    Join KTA's mailing list!

    Archives

    September 2022
    July 2022
    October 2021
    March 2020
    February 2020
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    August 2016
    June 2016

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

    Trail News Archive
  • Home
    • About
    • Work For KTA
    • Our People
    • Our Story
    • Press
    • Multimedia
  • Events
    • KTA Trail Challenge
    • WalesCoastPath
    • Rambles
  • Membership
  • Donate
    • 22x22
    • Keep Trails Alive
    • The Heritage Society
    • Keystone Trails Endowment
    • 100-Mile Trail Challenge
    • KTA Trail Patrons
  • Protect
    • Current Issues >
      • Low Fly Zone
    • Take Action
    • Activist Backpack >
      • Write a Letter to the Editor
      • Write to Your Elected Officials
      • Phone Your Elected Officials
      • Meet Your Elected Officials
      • Gather Trail Data
    • Kids Trail Ambassador Program
    • Opinion Survey
  • Trails
    • Hiking Clubs
    • Major Trails and Find a Club
    • Trail Care and Trail Crew
    • Volunteer Hours
    • Trail Alerts
    • Hiking Awards
  • News
    • Newsletter Archive
    • Advertising
  • Store
  • Contact