Is a sleeping bag necessary or desirable?

geo8rge · Post by **geo8rge** » Sat Aug 18, 2007 1:09 pm

I am camping in a one person tent. I was thinking of just bringing a tent, inflatable mattress and some long underwear + socks instead of the sleeping bag.

Coastburner · Post by **Coastburner** » Sat Aug 18, 2007 1:20 pm

BAD IDEA! I've been to Burning Man for the last five years and thought I had it down last year. Great sleeping bag, long underwear, etc. The first night, I froze my ASS off -- holy crap it was cold. The funny thing was, the last three nights I could barely handle having the sleeping bag on me because it was too hot. You should definately take a sleeping bag. If you don't need it fine, but if you do -- you're wish you had it.

See you on the playa -- I'll be the one wearing fur :)

Trixy · Post by **Trixy** » Sat Aug 18, 2007 1:34 pm

It can be VERY cold at night! Most people wear long coats at night, casuse it's cold! I would not go without some very warm sleeping gear. And as said, sometimes it's HOT, too hot for blankets. But usually, once the sun goes down, it drops a full 20 degrees!

Bring the sleeping bag, or a flat wooden stick, so we can skewer your frozen body like a popsicle!

Galax · Post by **Galax** » Sat Aug 18, 2007 1:39 pm

I do plan on bringing a sleeping bag, but after reading these comments, I'm wondering. Would bringing a couple of blankets as well be a good idea, or would that be overkill?

Trixy · Post by **Trixy** » Sat Aug 18, 2007 1:41 pm

Depending on the warmth rating of your sleeping bag, you may want to consider extra blankets. How much room do you have to pack extra blankets? If there's room, I'd say take them. Even if you don't use them over you, you could place them under you to add extra padding, or gift them to someone in your camp who is cold.

geo8rge · Post by **geo8rge** » Sat Aug 18, 2007 2:00 pm

I bought one of those emergency metalized plastic blankets at the camping store. They actually sold one made into a tube.

Post by **AntiM** » Sat Aug 18, 2007 2:10 pm

If you are used to a sleeping bag, I'd say yes. If not, eh, not so much.

We use a self-inflating camping mattress with a memory foam topper, flannel sheets, and then layers of throws and blankets (summer weave blanket, three acrylic throws and a polar fleece thingy). I've never been cold, and I sleep nekkid. Of course, I have mylarry in there too, and he generates a LOT of heat. Small two person tent too, no room for anything other than the bed. Plus, we have a light bedspread and make the bed daily to seal it up in case dust seeps into the tent.

We used to use an air mattress, but they suck heat out of you, and for some reason, no matter what I cover it with, the plastic underneath gives me night sweats. I also have trouble with sleeping bags, I can't move and get panic attacks if I can't get my feet free of the covers. I am so very, very weird.

Moral of the story is, know your comfort zone.

Token · Post by **Token** » Sat Aug 18, 2007 3:39 pm

Folks, here is some physics on why the playa feels really cold at night.

The playa itself is a dry salt that sucks all moisture from the bottom layer of air. We live in that bottom layer of air and we evaporate very nicely. Evaporation causes us to cool down.

So ...

100 fells like 90 in LA, 80 in Miami.
90 feels like 80 in LA, 70 in Miami.
80 feels like 70 in LA, 65 in Miami.
.
.
.

So that low of 60 degrees at dawn will feel bone chilling cold because there is no moisture in the air.

Bring a sleeping bag, warm clothes or YourOwnLarry to keep you warm.

Dork · Post by **Dork** » Sat Aug 18, 2007 4:07 pm

I bring an inflatable mattress and my comforter from home. I've never needed more than that and some warm clothes inside my tent. Even a few (?) years ago when it was really friggin cold. A sleeping bag should work too, I just like to be able to spread out and not have a rustling noise every time I move.

If you have room, bring a couple extra blankets. They're handy for hanging out in camp or on art cars at night and if you find you need extras when going to sleep.

chrispburn · Post by **chrispburn** » Sun Aug 19, 2007 12:05 am

... hmm, something about air mattresses on the ground -- bad.
was told to put some sort of insulation barrier under the air-matress.
Don't remember the reason, or if the science is accurate

but I'm like Anti-M -me - don't like the air mattress or sleeping bag experience.

I bought a foam twin bed at Ikea (sort of futon ish - but thick foam inside).
plop that inside my sleeping tent, and I'm set. And it seems that I can never get the temp right - go to bed cold, wake up all sweaty, take off a layer - shivering cold again... Coiuld also be all the sugar, caffeine, alcohol, etc...

Archantael · Post by **Archantael** » Sun Aug 19, 2007 12:24 am

I'd say go ahead and bring that sleeping bag. Better yet try sleeping in that mylar bag while you're still at home and see if you can stand all the noise it makes.

karr · Post by **karr** » Sun Aug 19, 2007 12:34 am

chrispburn wrote:... hmm, something about air mattresses on the ground -- bad.
was told to put some sort of insulation barrier under the air-mattress.
Don't remember the reason, or if the science is accurate

It has something to do with the ground cooling and affecting the air inside the mattress. As the ground and air starts to cool down, the air inside the mattress does too and transfers that cooling to your body making you get colder.

I've taken 3 sleeping bags and have only needed 2. I have a comforter that I use as a "carpet" inside my tent (7x7). I have the air mattress on top. I completely unzip the sleeping bag and place the inside face up and what would be the outside of the sleeping bag on the mattress side. I have a bed sheet that I cover up with and then use the 2nd sleeping bag over that as a cover/comforter. I've slept with shorts and a tank doing this and haven't been cold. I have the 3rd sleeping bag as a backup should it get colder.

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Sun Aug 19, 2007 10:22 am

geo8rge wrote:I bought one of those emergency metalized plastic blankets at the camping store. They actually sold one made into a tube.

I tried camping with a Space Blanket once. NO insulation, and your moisture condenses on the inside of the plastic and gets you wet and cold. Bring a couple of wool blankets.

honeyfire · Post by **honeyfire** » Mon Aug 20, 2007 12:58 pm

Keeping layers readily available is good idea, either blankie ones to pull over you (requires less waking up to do this), or clothing ones to put on (long johns, sweats, etc). Keeping a hat handy is a very! good idea, since for most people putting on a hat is the equivalent of tossing on a light blanket. The head is one of the radiators of the body, and the biggest, so keeping it covered reduces heat loss substantially. Actually, that's why scalp wounds tend to bleed a lot, there's lots of vascular action goin' on up there...

Geo8rge, even if you are a very warm sleeper and elect to skip the bag, i highly recommend at least a sheet or light blanket, even a light covering will keep your body heat on your body WAY better than just your thermies.

Me, i'm a total sissy when it comes to cold, i take my 30F rated down bag even when summer camping here in Colo, as my body simply does NOT hold heat...

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Mon Aug 20, 2007 1:05 pm

....we're supposed to sleep?

sputnik · Post by **sputnik** » Mon Aug 20, 2007 1:07 pm

I've used a bag for the past 3 years. This year I'm trying something new. An inflatable mattress, blankets and my honey. I think I may throw a space blanket down on the ground under the mattress to reflect heat up. Not sure what that will do.

Post by **AntiM** » Mon Aug 20, 2007 3:09 pm

Out at ROM I slept in one of those zero gravity chairs, wrapped in a comforter under a EZ-Up shade thingy. I still got cold, but my big-ass trashed faux fur coat as a topper solved that. Good thing I had it within arm's reach.

I ain't spending the night in a folding chair on the playa again, at least not as a conscious decision. But it was kinda nice.

dr.placebo · Post by **dr.placebo** » Mon Aug 20, 2007 7:20 pm

It can be really cold out there. Think 40 F with a strong wind. A sleeping bag is probably the best choice, although any equivalent combination of comfortors, warm clothing, and warm bodies would be OK. My plans are to use a sleeping bag on a camp cot (to keep me off the cold ground), sometimes with extra layers. It's worked in the past.

Post by **AntiM** » Mon Aug 20, 2007 7:27 pm

We do have a camp cot in the open shade area for daytime nappers and not feeling so hotters. f you go that route, get a strong one, it will double as a couch and needs to hold several hundred pounds.

honeyfire · Post by **honeyfire** » Tue Aug 21, 2007 8:25 am

Semi-related to this, my pal Sam has a futon just a hair smaller than his tent. For regular car camping (he hasn't burned yet), he lays down the groundsheet, sets downs his futon, then pitches the tent over that.
He swears by it, and i found it plenty comfy when i napped in his tent that one time. Seems like it would help with the heat/cool loss through the ground...

Burp! · Post by **Burp!** » Tue Aug 21, 2007 2:20 pm

Yea, I made the mistake of not bringing my sleeping bag one year. I thought, no problem I'll just put on every piece of clothing in my bag on. Froze my ass off. luckily we had a bunch of moving blankets that I used. And that wasn't even the coldest of nights I've experienced over the last 11 years. Bring the bag!

Is a sleeping bag necessary or desirable?

Is a sleeping bag necessary or desirable?

Where do i get a MyOwnLarry (tm) bed heater?

He hasn't brought backpacking. Yet...