sleeping bag recommendations

[servicio]

Hello,

I am wondering which type of sleeping bag is ideal of BRC. I checked weather information but it looks very unsteady.

I have 3 sleeping bags, which is ideal temperature do you think? 0-20F, 10F-30F, 30F-50F
I prefer 30-50F since it is lightweight than others.

Do you also think if blanket is necessary?


thanks for answering these virgin questions.

[lemur]

plan for temps in the 30s at night.

with plenty of wind.. and maybe some rain.

(which feels damned cold after temps in the 90s just hours before)

i spent 20 years in chicago, and am used to 5-6 months of cold ass winters,.. like -10F without windchill ..without a car, walking to work/school in that.. the coldest i ever got was one night at burning man..

ya cant escape it.. thats the real thing, it aint like ya can just go home!


bring plenty of warm clothes.

[lemur]

i bring a small bag rated for 50+ but my tent is small and holds my heat real well.. like a well.. after a small bit of occupancy itll be a good 5-10F warmer than the outside.......

plus i bring a fleece blanket!

the freezin ass cold night i was without a tent, i foolishly packed up too early waiting for a 5am ride out of town....... dumb idea, never again.

[mdmf007]

One with company is better when its cold out.

[Eric]

I agree with Lemur, plan for cold, be happy if we don't get it. I'd go with the 0-30, because that way you know you're covered. If it's warm you just leave it open & use a sheet or blanket on top, if it's cold you seal yourself in. I've been there years when it was in the upper 60s at night, I've been there when it was in the 30s & windy. You won't know until you get out there.

I bring a sleeping bag (really old, probably only rated to about 40), a sheet, a couple of blankets. I can layer as needed.

[lemur]

ive come to expect cool temps at night.. one year when we had a few nights that felt around 70F... it was pretty darn hard to sleep at night as my damned tent warmed up... and it got kinda uncomfortable

other folks complained a bit too.

to give a sense of things:


usually, id say its in the 50s in the evenings (but as mentioned can get much cooler),... it comes on quick in the desert..... one could easily be in a nice toasty dome with lots of people for 3 or so hours starting around 7pm then walk out in 'daytime' clothes to find out its fuckin freezing.


i tend to wear 'pajamas' during the day... thin cotton/flannel pants and a t-shirt and at night i often need to change, with flannel/cotton pajama pants under a thick pair of regular denim pants/cargopants along with a longsleeve t-shirt material cotton shirt and 2 thick hoodies over that to feel comfortable...

[Lonesomebri]

Of course if you are in a temprature controlled RV, just a set of sheets will do. It gets cold at night, as said. If you are constrained about what to bring due to flying in or something, okay, but if you have some room, the extra blanket might come in nice. I sleep on a cot so a lot of cold air makes its way under me and I use a blanket there. Something to go under you, stuff into your bag with you, or a wrap for late nights forays. One year my buddy's bed role was lost between entering the gate and reaching Camp. Having extra cover can really come in handy. The coldest moments for me are heading home in the early hours, scurring from burn can to burn can.

[Savannah]

Sleeping bag rated for 40F should be sufficient. I've felt the temperature drop below 40F before (mid-thirties; ice on the ground!) but it's rare.

Put a blanket and a flat sheet inside your sleeping bag and you are ready for almost anything--you can sleep on top of your bag with just a blanket, or just under a sheet if you're one of those folks who likes a cover of some kind no matter what.

Pajamas are also nice if you are especially sensitive to cold, or want to keep your sleeping bag fresh longer. (I also like to make my footed pajamas play double duty--I put on bunny accoutrements and go out roaming.)

If you normally like a pillow, don't feel as though you won't miss it on the playa, 'cause you will. A change of pillowcases is nice.

A trash bag can keep your sleeping arrangements clean when you step out for long periods . . . roll or fold, and stuff in. This will also helps if it drizzles. My first year a rare drizzle got through my tent and I couldn't go to bed after Burn Night; it was too cold and my bedding was damp. I huddled next to the burn barrel sitting on a cooler with a guy named Frank, no bigger than me. We put an arm around the other's waists and dozed off while waiting for sun-up to find drier sleeping arrangements with friends. I woke up with a start, suddenly sitting on the playa, and we had a giggle about it.

[ygmir]

One with company is better when its cold out.

this

[CornMan]

I like any kind of sleeping bag in conjunction with a nice blanket.

[BBadger]

For the sleeping bag you can't err on the side of more insulation. You can always unzip and open up the sleeping bag as needed. I use a +0F, but that's just because that's the only backpacking sleeping bag I own. Ironically it seems to squeeze into a smaller space than less-insulated bags.

Unless you're extremely short on space and weight, bring a comfortable mattress, bedding, pillows, and a shade structure. You're there for a week, and though you'll probably be sleeping only 1/4th of the time (compared to 1/3rd in your normal daily schedule), you should make it good.

The first years I brought a solo backpacking tent, the 0F sleeping bag, and a backpacking mattress. Though it didn't take up much space (like it mattered), and was sleepable, but it was really lacking for me. It was small, the mat was too thin, I didn't have dedicated shade (though some), and overall we weren't lacking room for something better.

Last year was great for me: Monkey Hut with a 2-person tent containing a full-size inflatable mattress, full-sized pillow, camping pillow for between my legs (sleeping on side), and the same sleeping bag I had used before. The sleeping bag is nice because it provides a layer between you and the mattress, and also serves as a blanket. I usually just leave it unzipped to allow cool air in as needed. When I'm done sleeping I zip the sleeping bag up and cover my pillow to reduce the amount of dust that may accumulate while I'm gone.

As nice as having a bed/sleeping bag to keep warm, you'll also want a shade structure to keep cool. So plan for that too. It sucks when you're trying to sleep during the day when it's hot.

[Turtleburp]

One with company is better when its cold out.

this

In this case the biggest one you've got!

[ygmir]

One with company is better when its cold out.

this

In this case the biggest one you've got!

is this a statement on my petite stature?

[tahiti_treat]

I bring the warmest bag I have, plus a fleece blanket, plus a sheet. Usually I start off wrapped in all three and shed layers as the sun comes up.

[Canoe]

Of course if you are in a temprature controlled RV, just a set of sheets will do. ...

Except the heaters usually require electricity to blow the hot air around through ducts. No electricity, no heater. So you deplete the battery or you run the generator. Or have a sleeping bag & blankets or such.
One really cold night I used foil-sided bubble wrap to make a tent over the bed.

[kiss-o-matic]

Disclaimer: I'm warm natured.

For my first year last year, I took an inflatable mattress which had no pump (and was therefore, never inflated), a felt sleeping bag, and a blanket I got at Target for like $40. I slept in pair of man panties or buck ass naked every night and was perfectly fine. Didn't even use the blanket I don't think. I was uncomfortably cold out on the Playa at least 2 nights, with plenty of fur and fleece to keep me warm. I borrowed the tent, but it was definitely a cheapy. I thought the "how to keep warm in the tent" topics were a bit on the paranoia side after it was all said and done. Maybe it was all that love making that kept me warm.

[Aurelia]

one of my first years there was snow and hail stones

[gaminwench]

there was hail on the playa on July 4th this year. It was still warm at night. Go figure.

[Savannah]

Disclaimer: I'm warm natured.

For my first year last year, I took an inflatable mattress which had no pump (and was therefore, never inflated), a felt sleeping bag, and a blanket I got at Target for like $40. I slept in pair of man panties or buck ass naked every night and was perfectly fine. Didn't even use the blanket I don't think. I was uncomfortably cold out on the Playa at least 2 nights, with plenty of fur and fleece to keep me warm. I borrowed the tent, but it was definitely a cheapy. I thought the "how to keep warm in the tent" topics were a bit on the paranoia side after it was all said and done. Maybe it was all that love making that kept me warm.

Those posts are not paranoiac. You just weren't there in 2010.

That was the coldest year I've ever experienced. Ice on the ground near center camp. Low 40's Monday night of the event (plus rain for several hours that day and before Gates opened, overnight) and it was mid-30's twice on the Burn-Weekend nights. It was so cold I would try to decide if I really, really wanted to get up and go to the bathroom--or just suffer.

Is it normally quite that cold? No.

[AntiM]

We had ice on top of our shade structure one year, and I was yearning for my winter parka. Odd coincidence, the gal in the camp next to me had the EXACT same parka and she was toasty that morning.

[BBadger]

Last year, my friend gave me a monogrammed bath robe to use as a costume because he thought it'd fit me. In addition to the wool fez I use all the time on playa I was nice and toasty the whole night long. Always bring something warm to wear!

[kiss-o-matic]

In case it gets cold, I have an almost neck to toe fur coat. That's gotta help.
Anyway, I'll probably eat my words.

[lemur]

THE SEAS WILL RISE!!!

and the people living in the lowlands will drown!!!

and the sun will beat down and burn all of those people living in the hills!!!


and those people, living neither low or high, will also die!!! from a combination of burning and drowning

none of you is safe! the end is nigh !!!

[Aurelia]

Thank You !

and then to there is always my expedition level sleeping bag

[Dork]

I was there in 2000 and quite happy on a foam mattress with a couple of thick blankets. If you have room to bring them, blankets are always handy to have around so people can hang around and talk at night or early morning. They all washed out just fine afterwards.