Increasing Warmth of Sleeping Bag

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Nov 29, 2023
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If I have a 20 degree bag, but need a 0 degree, can I wear goose down pants/a heavy base layer top inside the bag?

While I prefer sleeping in boxers and a shirt, I'd rather not have to pay for another bag if there is a more practical way to accomplish the same thing

I will have a 5R pad FYI
 
If I have a 20 degree bag, but need a 0 degree, can I wear goose down pants/a heavy base layer top inside the bag?

While I prefer sleeping in boxers and a shirt, I'd rather not have to pay for another bag if there is a more practical way to accomplish the same thing

I will have a 5R pad FYI
I wear my merino wool underlayers, merino wool socks and a beanie--works great for me. Best if you can get off the ground via a cot too.
 
Down booties def work and weigh almost nothing. I always carry them now. If you already carry a puffy jacket and puffy pants to can 100% just wear them to bed to increase the warmth along with a beanie. I don't have to do it often, but when it gets down in the low teens to single digits I will.
 
Who makes the best liner these days?
I like one fitted to my bag by brand. They are not that expensive nor that heavy. Most add about 10°F to your comfort rating.

Fill your Nalgene with boiled water right before bed and put it on your bag. It will radiate heat quite a while and you won't have a frozen water bottle in the morning.

I add layers from merino base layer all the way up to a down puffy as required. I usually wear my moist socks from that day to bed. You lose some heat, but it is the easiest way to get them dry if you don't have a hot tent. In the morning they will be bone dry.

Ditto a good higher R pad. It all adds or subtracts from a good night's sleep.
 
I have a 10% bag I use for all climates. As others have said, I adjust my clothing layers to match the temperature. A hooded puffy jacket really helps.
 
military gore-tex bivy cover is what I use. It helps to keep it clean also, and if you get condensation in your tent it will keep it dry.
 
Instantly thought of small blue critter, then the Cush effect. Midget costumes.

OR bivy, add down layers, comforters. Or buy a good sale bag and be warm.
You can always get cool. Getting up cold in the middle of the night to get warm is wasted energy for the hunt.
Or the hunt is scrapped and your surviving...
 
You can add layers, I'd just be conscious of wearing too much and compressing the insulation of the bag. I like to put a 'snuggler' (boiled water in a nalgene) in on cold nights. You can also throw disposable handwarmers in the bag with you. I have a Sea to Summit fleece liner that is pretty comfy and definitely boosts the bag warmth. In the morning, fire up your stove inside the tent and it warms it up quickly.
 
I use a silk liner. Adds another 7-10 degrees of "warmth" to your current bag. Also keeps your bag cleaner - all you do is wash the liner. I run a 10-deg Western Mountaineering bag and have been just fine down to low single digits in just my base layers.
1000% on the down booties - I always have mine during hunting season.
For those extra cold nights, I put on my puffy jacket. Haven't used puffy pants yet but I have some on order so that will be an added treat.
 
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